{The Taoyin's Stern Resolve From Our Own Correspondent Siningfu, Kan., July 1.
is a far away ery from Shanghai to this snug little city of Sining a distance of 6,750 li, yet we are moving forward little by little, and the latest advance is an attack upon foot-binding. For 21 years by exhortation as well as by tracts and posters, magic lantern slides ete we have been urging the people to stop foot-binding, but with the exception of a very few our words fell on deaf ears.
The last few years some of the gentry have been playing at the game by preaching against, it, but continuing it in their own homes.
The prime mover in the movement now is our Taoyin Li Tan a Hunan man of very progressive tendent cies who is determined to see the thing carried into action. About six weeks ago a public meeting was called to bring into existence the Anti-Footbinding League with the Taoyin as President. A proclamation was issued that the League had been formed and advising parents not to bind their children's feet, also that within one month all' the little wooden shoes should be done away with.
So many proclamations have been. issued these last few years and no action taken to enforce them, that it was no wonder that the proclamation was winked at. It was generally understood that unless a fine was imposed nothing would be done and time has proved this to be true.
The Taoyin, not to be thwarted in his purpose has now, in the name of the League, issued another proclamation, that all girls under 20 must unbind their feet, or be fined. For the first offence the fine will vary from $0.50 for the poorest up to $6 for the rich class and the Taoyin is determined that the fine be enforced. Just to think that in 20 years tue every girl under 25 will have natural feet. This next generation will rise_up to call the Taoyini blessed. By one stroke of the. pen as it were, he rescues from excruciating pain 20,000 tiny Chinese children.
The friends of Re-rung \Fub-ie (Chinese name Ku-lung Tsang), the Living Buddha, are very anxious about him, as no news has been received from him since April. He want to Lhasa last year as a Special delegate from the Chinese Government to help to bring a better state of feeling between the two countries. He hoped to be back in Shanghai in June or July. 4
Mr. W. J. Williams, of Hongkong, who shot a Chinese detective believing him to be a burglar, was tried at the Hongkong Criminal Sessions on a charge of manslaughter. Mr. Williams was acquitted.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.