Mrs. Archibald Little, whose position as president of the Natural-feet Society has given her special reason for investigating, says in her book, “Intimate China”: “During the first three years (of foot-binding) the girlhood of China presents a most melancholy spectacle. Instead of a hop, skip, and a jump, with rosy cheeks like the little girls of England, the poor little things are leaning heavily on a stick somewhat taller than themselves, or carried on a man’s back, or sitting sadly crying. They have great black lines under their eyes, and a special curious paleness that I have never seen except in connection with foot-binding. Their mothers sleep with a big stick by the bedside, with which to get up and beat the little girl should she disturb the household by her wails; but not uncommonly she is put to sleep in an outhouse. The only relief she gets is either from opium, or from hanging her feet over the edge of her wooden bedstead, so as to stop the circulation. The Chinese saying is, “For each pair of bound feet there has been a whole kang, or big bath, full of tears.” And they say that one girl out of ten dies of foot-binding or its after-effects.”[11] Among the changes that are sweeping over China, the Anti-foot-binding Movement ranks high in importance. It is receiving daily impetus by reason of all the new things Chinese women and girls want to do, which are impossible to accomplish unless they can walk instead of hobble. When this movement has really conquered the custom and “fashion” of centuries, there will be a better health report from the girls of China. Utter carelessness or ignorance of the first principles of cleanliness is responsible for much ill-health and death. A “swat-the-fly campaign” would save thousands of unprotected baby faces from being covered with loathsome disease or disfigured with dangerous eye trouble, but it would encounter not only hopeless inertia,--it would arouse serious religious opposition. In some countries the “sacredness of life” means,--Protect the fly, no matter what happens to the baby. [Sidenote: Medical practice in non-Christian lands.]