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THE OREGON ? SUNPAYV JOURNAL t PORTLAND, SUND-MORNINa ' AUGUST . f 8, t907.
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, xary-old way STift, peace,
, arises.
Not londyince a gnat crow
at deoul to welcome tM return
'Aok Yon Ho from exit
he wolfing ofipeol
lathered
of Pibv
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table bjfaisjfmcn
froopMWng
moYMuvf jmufitffal at
was iffiffftZlfd on
rg&xgne doubts the sell
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Wiicxd
bVation was Ut hsJVCkthtl Ch
an edueaiar. comjmfitd sutctde in t
presence of,8ooj&fsons as a protest a gal
the subjecpen of his country to Japan.
sutades were. numerousjHn after
ih 'Russo-Japanese fVarjjgJjfnthe designs
of . the mikado's rowmnent against the
ylermit Natiotfe&fcame fully apparent.
' Scores of Kaan statesmen and officials
tilled thepffives.
jJByrsending a delegation to The HfgV
Conference without Japanese consentytne
former emperor commuted politico,
Very speedily was he deposed
ling son set on the throne in
And whyf BecawejGjna, suffering
from the dry rot ofagafUas undergoing a
surtKal oteratiowUUmm hands of Jatan.
been put upon the
at T okio t . and the
md revivifying its
d economical life
without the use of an-
Ish motives actu-
the national life
? the strongest of mod-
ernspectacles to other nations is this revolt
of the Koreans, not so much, perhaps,
against losing that natipnalsovereignty as
against being dragged away from the dry :
bones of an archaic era. The benefits they ,
least desire are those of modern progress '
and advanced civilization.
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There'a Blnnlu country far ovr th mm,
-3yUch l" known to th world m Korea;
- . ' Where there' nothing to charm and nothiixf to pleaae,'
: ' , And of cleanllneM not an Idea.
. "Whera lucid description of persons and things
, , Qult baffles the readiest1' pin,
. . And stirs up strange qualms In the poet who slnrs
, Of that faraway land of Chosen.
' l:,;r -Captain-Bostock, U. B. N.
KORBA. Is thsjmost backward country In the
. world-that is, for a country so accessible to
It the march of ctyfllsatlon.
. , - Nowhere, not even In China, Is there such
"""y resentment toward progress. No land has been more
k -difficult of. approach than this, where men place the
" ' chief prize of heir life In a topknot of hair.' And the
x 'uprisings and turmoil that have occurred recently
'4 , only mark a deeper revolution in the hearts of the
people against the Invasion of Japan and the In trod uc
, tlon ef modern Ideas, In manners as well as mechanics.
l" They do things backward In Korea. Their manner
vi uTini u Dia-iiiDWDea ana unsausiactory as
their currency and any foreigner who can keep busi
ness accounts according to the custom-of this queer
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m s.t teaawssaak
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around tityVith fanfares and trumpet-for when
the eferbr slept It was time for everrbodr else to
Tvvernment
ft
principal method or
TRANSPOR.TATJON
land must be a necromancer t in mathematics Indeed.
.( . Money Is money at one place, while at another it
, Is valueless, or worth only one-fllth Its etandard value
'elsewhere. '.:, '
To understand Korea one must, study the country
Just as if he were analysing the characteristics , of '
some quaint and eccentric old woman. -
.Korea stands across tne water from Japan, tooth-
less and tottering, mumbling and1 jabbering, yet re
fusing the elixir of youth the wily Japs are forcings
her lips. ' Korea is the minstrel bouse of the nations.
Its government Is opera bouffe. It has been a
But let us proceed to study the bumps on
neaa pnrenoiogicsuy ana ' pay a social - cau
Quaini ana sieepy oia woman.
To find the exact population of ' Kore
Fore
n the
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Jfouihhil y ijusbind of- !h Vane
' . - - years t ;
Two, Married Tour
effleea were disposed of rby this emperor
to the highest bidder 'or to favorites. His time wag
.mostly, spent In devising schemes of securing money
and keeping up appearances. Orave matters of state
(- and international importance' were always discussed
with a soothsayer before he gave his decision.
Besides the pageant of bis official trip through
Seoul, the emperor, received a considerable revenue
from granting Individuals the right to manufacture
money. For a patent to coin S-yen pieces, valued al
. Zft oenta, one would pay the emperor 8000 yen, or
1000, and for the extra privilege of coining nickels the
charge would be an additional (2000 monthly.'
Once when the emperor was short of fund he de
cided to atop all patents periodically, so the persons
engaged in the v very profitable business of .- making
coins had to : pay-J4000 every time they wanted the
patent renewed. . . .
The system of currency in vogue would whiten the
hairs of the most experienced capitalist. Korean
coins are of two kinds. " There Is a large copper coin,
called a "cash," which, has a hole in the center. In
the country it is "1 cash," and In Seoul - V6 oakh."
Another coin Is worth 6 cash and 26 Seoul cash, while
many -commodities are estimated by the "yang," sup
posed , to be worth 100' cash. - The Koreans took at
faper money and shake tbelr heads vaguely, dlabellev
ng that paper can be passed as money.
Because of fear of being taxed. Koreans rarelv
make repairs to their houses. - As a result, they live
in dilapidated and squalid hovels. Even In the largest
cities the houses are only one story high, with doors
so low that one can scarcely enter, windows are
covered with oiled paper, and the Interior le dark and
. Ul-smelling. On the floor are mats the beds of the
r family, usually Infested with vermin. ' . -
, There are no periodical housecleanlngs in ' Korea,
and a housewife takes no Mains to- enhance her per
sonal charms. Why should she T Women in -Korea
are supposed not only to be unheard, but unseen.
Among the better classes of natives, children are
, separated at the age of 8 years, After that the bovs
dwell in the men's apartments and the girls are kept 1M
secluded In those set apart for the women.
disgraceful to be seen by men. Even after marH'W
, a girl shrinks from her husband, and he well, the
. Korean helpmeet thinks so little of hie wife that he
. considers it degrading to consult her on any but most
trivial matters. . ,
7 WIDOWS TRUE TO THE DEAD
in perpetual mourning ana tpena her day and nigh
mcioaiici .nejouiiij. outs wouia never aars marry a
,last yen. - It is a crime to become rich."
J
as dlfflcult aa the as-a nf Ann A. mHv, mk,iu nt ion
iSSfTJJ A'W' .rmmtMrtt who have trav- What the magistrates do in thenrovlnces the em
"" long resiaea in ine - country say' tnat the c ': peror the ruler who was denosed last month and his'
h iM?ilt.?&y?I ivo. ,cen,u . government For Instance, once each year the em
J ?umI nmber one. - - ; A - peror took a royal trip through the streeU of Seoul,
" 'Infill!?. plSE!lt?5,L.,l? fif,lt "wha -r-- n Oriental finery and followed by J000
?Pfib' .' understate -the number - of servants and retainers, the emperor wae the center of
S!? ttPfi' JJTr.1??1 " u nd, wear niv,";5y , Pageant unsurpassed for cheap and tawdry mag
' ?!Vbi!.J.n ,aS'.tJler decrease of births 1 nincence. . But the most magnificent thing about the
"VB.A'tt.iatomtoJ celebraOon was the bill which the emperor presented
aJ&? yded into thirteen provinces and ,. to the treasury to defray expenses. T
districts. Each district is under a magistrate, and' It was a masterpiece, this "U.' ' Me"-the bill
each -magistrate under the governor Of the province. often exceeding 700,000 yen or 1350.0. 1 Once an Item
J"? PP1? cleterised asIary, weak, in-of champagne for the foreign representatives was
. competent and dirty. They Uve In low, reeking houses, - figured at ao,00a How much was actually spent for
exist from . hand to mouth, , .raising each season only. ' champagne la not known, but the foreign represents-
m m mnnn m uka . - e -n saa than aa . '..".. vs-.. i i a xl. .
4-v.a iivB.tHWiis eai.v wvevv: esp UB3-. UVCB slittaVOU' Ml CUT Oil VW7 UlUfl
AHjt iitrrnor wny n aw iwi oesur aimseii ana '
x cultivate land,. h viU look at yon; with yei , filled '
. With' .terrofr -1- J- ' " - .. -x.- v. ..
"S-a-Bh,' henil". exclaim hololnri-P W hand, "
remlns'liri mU -T a.Kyslyl .trlea -Me-A thea T
Should her -husband die, a wife Is supposed to
days and nig
r' dan marn
second time, f No degradation Is considered -so low as
this act of unfaithfulness to the AeA. 'ow "
A woman must not be seen .in the streets In the
daytime. - At o'clock In the evening in the summer,
and at 8 in the winter, . the gates of Seoul and other
cities are closed. Then the men must hasten to their
homes, while the women are allowed to emerge from
. their bouses and promenade. 1
On no occasion Is there a "holding of hands" In
. the love-making of Koreans. .Strangers may not touoh
- ,"Sinh2 "im women, and qulta often women
have killed themselves or have been kilfed by relatives
because strangers had touched them, even on the
fingers. On the street a-woman wears a peculiar
headdress, which nearly conceals her face.
The dress of the men is more picturesque and com-
plicated than that of the women. A. man wears T
white garment a sort of long t-oatjvlth wide, flap
- pins sleeves. Ills boots are white. His hat la usually
of horsehair." If he is in mourning he wears a thin
cloth over his mouth. If he Is married he wears his'
hair coiled in a knot on top of his head? "
Korean boys are married frequently at the age of
'JTSfTi. A. Lc'mny is i hell and the lad lseco-
Iate5-?,'Uh ih2 fpkft.not ;E.ntu th tlme boy wears
l bair parted in the middle and plaited In the back.
fter his marriage, no matter how young, the boy is '-
, onsldered a man. He may express himself on mat- '
of his ancestors! and ven pr' before the shrines .
' 1 .Kla? resentment and 111; feeling against Japan
dates back -to; the third century, whin the queen of
Japan Invaded the southern kingdoms of -Korea and
;;"' ' ng ajaiet ine King or eninra is the
dog of JaDan."
In bringing the people" of this sleepy country to
realize the possibilities of the future and to adjust
themselves to, modern advancement Japan will crob-
lence areat dlfnnultv Th mnni ,m Vm-
moir om cuBioms. in manufacture thai
bound
amy experience great difficulty, The people are
uuunu in inflir tun pnuin m a in m n n n . i
S""? ajfln' imported cotton with the foot press, and
splnChlnese wool with home machines. They pre-
ior io . nas tn oxen ratner tnan on electrlo oars, and to
)fflV
1' would be taken by the magistrate." Should I build my
Mtouse or poant more beans, ne wouia rob me of my
thresh wheat with flails and winnow corn in p'rimlti
Japan, however, realises that r the future of the
wwiuu niyirw jgmuj uepenua upon norea, tnat It will
arv uttia. ' -De into &orea sne wiu nour har influx of a-rnwina- mn.
Tha denosad nntwnip wu th thlrttoth ao-ff-r-lirn ulatlon. 1 So when..tha armloa -firat . want rh.m.iin.
In a direct line of succession from the founder of the . the soldiers were. followed by traders, . merchants and
dynasty, which was established In 1S92. 109 years before -v bankers, ' lu .iVy.i ,
Columbus discovered America.' During all his long Her attempts to modernise Korea have been de
relgn he maintained ancient traditions; He would go " scribed as a case or rough surgery without anesthet
to bed usually at 4 o'clock' in the mornlnr. At tha " ics. She nrotioaea to alvillu an1 aitvanra th. i,n k
tint, r1 Via mMmmah , a I ., . . Z . i t
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