Korea Her Neigh a Narrative of Travel, With an Account of the ...

KOREA

H e r N e igh

ANarrat ive ofTravel, w i than Accoun t of the RecentV ic iss itudes and PresentPos it ion of the Country

2?

I sabella Bird Bishop, FA u thor of

“Unbea ten Tr a ck: i n j et/a n ,

”etc.

With 3 Preface by

Sir W alte r C . H i ll ier, K .C .M iGsLa te Br i t t?“ Cons u l-Gener a l f or Kor ea

With Illustrations from Photographs by the Author ,and Maps , Appendixes and Index

New YORK Cmcm o TORONTO

Flem ing H . Revel] Com panyM DCCC XCV IH

KOREA

H e r N e i ghbo

ANarrative ofTravel, w ithan Accoun t Of the Recen tV ic issitudes and PresentPos it ion of the Country

Y

I sabella Bird Bishop,A u t/wr of

“Un éea ten Tr a cks i n j a ha n , etc.

W ith 3 Preface by

Sir W alter C . H illier,La te Br i t t

'

s/z Cons u l-Gener a ! f or K or ea

With Illustrations from Photographs by the Author ,and Maps, Appendixes and Index

NEW YORK CHICAGO TORONTO

Flem ing H . Revell Com panyM DCCC XcvlIl

Copy r i gh t 1897

BY

FLEM I NG H . REVELL COMPANY

P reface.

I have been h onored by Mrs . Bishop w i th an inv i tat ion t o

preface h er book on Korea wi th a few in troductory remarks .Mrs . Bi sh op is too well known as a traveler and a wr i t er t o

r equ ire any in troduct ion to the read ing publ ic , bu t I am gladto be afforded an Opportun i ty Of indor s ing the conclu s ion s shehas ar r ived at after a long and in t im ate study Of a people whosei solat ion dur ing m any cen tu r ies r ender s a descr ipt ion Of th eirch aract er , in st i tu t ion s and pecu l iar i t ies , especially in terest ingat th e presen t stag e of th e ir h i story .

Those who, l ike m yself, h ave known Korea from its fir stOpen ing to fore ign in tercou r se wi l l th orough ly appreciate thecloseness Of Mrs . Bish op

’s Observat ion , th e accu racy Of h er

facts , and the correctn ess Of h er inferences . Th e fac il i t ies em

joyed by her h ave been except ional . She has been honoredby th e confidence and fr iendsh ip Of the King and the lat e

Queen in a degr ee th at has n ever before been accorded to any

fore ign traveler , and has had access t o valuabl e sources Of

inform at ion placed at her d i sposal by th e fore ign commun i tyof Seou l , Offic ial , m i ss ionary , and m ercan t i l e ; Wh i le her presence in the coun try du r ing and subsequ en t t o the war betweenCh ina and Japan , Of wh ich Korea was , in the fir st in stance

,the

s tage , h as furn ish ed h er the Oppor tun i ty Of r ecord ing wi th ac

cu racy and impar t ial i ty m any deta i l s Of an ep i sode in far Eastern h i story wh ich h ave h i ther to been clouded by m isstatem en tand exaggerat ion . The h ardsh ips and d i fficu l t ies encoun t eredby Mrs . Bish op dur ing h er journ eys in t o the in t er ior of Koreahave been l igh tly touched upon by herself; but those who know

2 Preface

how great th ey were , adm ire the courag e , pat ience and endurance th at enabled h er t o overcome th em .

It must be ev iden t to all who kn ow anyth ing Of Korea thata cond i t ion Of tu telage , in som e form or anoth er , i s now abso

lutely n ecessary to her ex i stence as a n at ion . The nom inalindependence won for h er by th e force Of Japanese arm s is a

pr iv i lege she is not fi t t ed to en joy wh i le sh e con t inues to laborunder th e bu rden Of an adm in i s trat ion th at i s hopelessly andsuper lat ively corrupt . The r ole Of m en tor and gu ide exercisedby Ch ina , wi th th at lofty ind ifference to local in t erest s thatch aracter izes h er treatm ent Of all her tr ibu tar ies , was undertaken by Japan aft er the expu l s ion Of the Ch inese arm ies fromKorea . Th e effor t s Of th e Japan ese to reform some of the

most glar ing abu ses , though som ewhat roughly appl ied , wer eundoubt edly earn est and genu in e ; but , as Mrs . Bi shop hasShown , exper ience was wan t ing , and one Of the Japan eseAgen t s d id incalcu lable h arm t o h is coun try ’s cau se by fall ing av ict im to the spir it Of in tr igue wh ich seem s almost in separablefrom th e d iplom acy Of Or ien tals . Force Of ci rcumstances com

pelled Ru ss ia to take up th e task begun by Japan , the Kinghav ing appealed in h is desperat ion to th e Ru ss ian Representat ive for rescu e from a ter ror i sm wh ich m igh t well have coweda stronger and a braver m an . The most par t ial Of cr i t ics w i l ladm i t th at the powerful influence wh ich the pr esence Of the

K ing in the h ou se Of the ir Represen tat ive m igh t h ave enabledth e Russ ian Governm en t to exer t has been exerci sed th roughth e ir M in i ster w i th almost d i sappo in t ing m oderat ion . Nevertheless , th rough the in strumen tal i ty Of Mr . M

’

Leavy Brown ,

LL.D . ,h ead Of the Kor ean Custom s and Financial Advi ser t o

th e Governmen t , an Engl ishm an wh ose great ab i l i ty as an

organ izer and adm in i strator is recogn ized by all res iden t s inthe far th er East , the fin ances Of the coun try have been placedin a cond i t ion Of equ i l ibr ium that has n ever before ex isted ;wh ile num erou s o th er reforms h ave been carr ied out by Mr .

Brown and Oth er s wi th the cord ial support and co-Operat ionOf the Russ ian M in ister , irrespect ive Of the nat ional i ty Of theagent employed.

Preface 3

Much , h owever , s t il l rem ain s to be done ; and the on ly hopeOf advance in the d irect ion Of progress—in i t iated , it is on ly fa irto rem em ber , by Japan , and con t inu ed under Ru ss ian au sp icesis to ma in tain an i ron gr ip , wh ich th e Ru ss ian Agen t s , so far ,

have been m ore carefu l th an the ir Japanese predecessor s t oconceal ben eath a velvet glove . The cond i t ion Of Korean settlers in Ru ss ian t err i tory descr ibed by Mrs . Bishop sh ows howcapabl e th ese people are Of im prov ing th e ir cond i t ion underwi se and paternal ru le ; and , set t ing all pol i t ical con s iderat ion sas ide , th er e can be no doubt that th e prosper i ty Of the peopleand t he ir general com for t and happiness wou ld be im m en selyadvanced under an exten s ion Of th is patronage by one or oth erc iv i l ized P ower . W i thout some form of patron age or con trol ,call it by wh at nam e we w i ll , a lapse in to the Old groove Of Oppress ion , extor t ion , and its concom i tan t m iser ies , is inev i table .Mrs . Bishop

’s remarks on m i ss ionary work in Ch in a and

Korea , based , as they are , on per son al and sympath et ic Observat ion ,

w i l l be found Of great val u e to th ose who are anx iou sto ar r ive at a cor rect apprec iat ion Of Ch r ist ian en t erpr i se inth ese r em ote reg ion s . Descr ip t ion s of m iss ionar ies and th e i rdo ings are too Often mar red by exaggerat ion s Of success on theone hand , wh ich are , perhaps , th e n atu ral ou tcom e Of enthus iasm , and h ar sh and frequ en t ly un ju s t cr i t ici sm s on the oth er ,common ly indu lged in by th ose who base the ir conclu s ion supon Observat ion Of th e most superficial kind . Speaking frommy own exper ience , I h ave no h es i tat ion in saying that closerinqu i ry wou ld d ispel m any Of th e i llu s ion s about the fu t i l i ty Ofm iss ionary work that a re , unfor tun at ely, too com m on ; and

that m iss ionar ies wou ld , as a ru le , welcome sym pathet ic inqu iry in t o th e ir meth ods Of work, wh ich most Of th em w i l lfrankly adm i t t o be capable Of im provemen t . But , wh il e cou r ting fr iendly cr i t icism , they may reasonably Object to be judgedby th ose who have n ever taken the trouble to study the ir system , or t o in t erest th emselves in th e Objects they have in V iew.

I n Mrs . Bi sh op th ey h ave an advocate whose test imony maybe comm ended to the at ten t ion Of all who are d isposed to re

gard m iss ionary labor as , at the best , useless or unnecessary.

4 Preface

I n Korea , at all even t s , t o go no far th er , it is t o m iss ionar iesth at we are assuredly indebt ed for alm ost all we know aboutth e coun try ; it is th ey who h ave awaken ed in th e people thedes ire for mater ial progress and en l igh t enm en t th at has now

h appi ly taken root , and it is t o th em that we m ay confiden t lylook for ass istance in its far th er developm en t . The unacknowl

edged, bu t none the le ss com pl e te , r el ig iou s tolerat ion th at

now ex ist s th rough out the coun try affords th em faci l i t1es wh ichare be ing energet ically u sed wi th great prom ise Of fu tu re suc

cess . I am t em pt ed to call at t en t ion to anoth er po in t ln con

n ect ion wi th th i s m uch-abu sed class Ofworker s that is , I th ink,

Oft en los t s igh t Of, n amely , th eir u t i l i ty as explorer s and pioneers Of com m erce. They are always r eady—at least such hasbeen m y invar iable exper ience—to place the stores Of th e i rlocal knowledge at the d i sposal Of any One , Wh eth er m erch an t ,spor t sm an , or t raveler , who appl ies to th em for inform at ion ,

and to lend h im ch eerfu l ass istance in th e pur su i t of h is Ob

jects . I ven tu re to th ink th at m uch valuable inform at ion as toch ann el s for th e developm ent Of trade cou ld be Ob ta in ed byCh am ber s Of Com m erce i f th ey were to address specific inqu ir ies to m iss ionar ies in rem ote r eg ion s . Manufactu rer s are m oreindeb t ed to m iss ionar ies than perhaps th ey r eal ize for the in troduct ion Of th e ir goods and war es , and th e creat ion Of a dem andfor th em , in places to wh ich such wou ld never oth erwise havefound th eir way.

I t is for tun ate th at Mrs . Bi shop’s v i s i t t o Korea was so op

portunely t im ed . At the pr esen t rate Of progress m uch th atcam e under her Observat ion wil l , before long , be “ im proved

”

out Of ex i st ence ; and th ough nO one can regret the d i sappearance Of many in st i tu t ion s and cu stom s th at h ave noth ing bu tth e ir an t iqu i ty to r ecommend th em , sh e has don e valuable service in placing on r ecord so graph ic a descr ipt ion Of exper iencesthat fu tu re traveler s w i l l probably look for in va in .

WALTER C. HILLIER .

Octoéer,1897.

Author’s Prefatory Note.

My fou r v i s i ts to Korea , between January , 1894, and March ,1897,

form ed pa r t Of a p lan Of stu dy Of th e lea d in g ch ara cter i stics of theMon gol ian r aces . M y fi r s t j ou rney p rodu ced th e im press ion tha tKor ea i s th e m os t un in tere st in g cou n try I eve r tra veled in

,bu t du r

ing a n d s ince th e wa r i ts pol i t ica l per tu rba tion s , rap id ch ang es , a ndposs i ble destin ies , h ave g iven m e an in ten se i n ter est in i t ; wh i leKorean ch a ra cter a nd i n du st ry

,a s I saw both u nde r Ru ss ia n r u le

i n S iber i a ,have en l i g h ten ed m e a s to the be tte r poss ib i l i ties wh ich

m ay awa i t th e n a t ion i n th e fu tu re . Korea takes a s im i la r ly strongg r i p on all who r es ide i n i t su fficien tly lon g to overcom e th e feel ingof d i staste wh ich a t fir s t i t u ndoubted ly in sp i res .

I t i s a d i fficu l t coun try to w r i te u pon ,from th e lack Of books of

r efe ren ce by m ean s Of wh ich on e m ay i n ves t iga te wha t one hopesa re facts , th e two bes t books on th e coun tr y h a v i ng becom e Obsole tew i th i n th e la st few yea r s i n so fa r as i ts pol i tica l cond i tion and

socia l orde r a r e con cerned . The tra ve ler m u s t labor iou sly d i s in tereach fact for h im self, u sua l ly th rou gh th e m ed ium Of an in terp re te r a n d a s five or s i x ve r s ion s Of each a re g i ven by apparen tlye qu a l ly r el iable a u thor i t ies

,frequen tly th e “ teach er s of th e for

e igner s , th e on ly cou r se i s to haza rd a bold guess as to wh ich Of

th em h a s th e best ch ance Of being a ccu ra te .

Accu racy h a s been m y fi r s t a im,and m y m an y fore ign fr ien ds in

Kor ea know how i ndu str iou sly 1 h a ve labor ed to a tta in i t . I t is byth ese ,

who know th e e x trem e d ifficu l ty Of th e ta sk , th a t I sh a l l bethe m os t len ien tly cr i ticised whe rever , i n sp i te of ca refu lness , Ih ave fa l len i n to m i stakes .C i rcum stan ces p r even ted m e from pu tt ing m y travel ing ex per i

en ces , a s on form er occa s ion s , i n to le tter s . I took ca r efu l notes ,wh ich wer e cor rected from t im e to t im e by the m ore p rolong ed Ob

se rva t ion s Of r es i den ts , a nd a s I becam e better acqua i n ted w i th th ecou n tr y ; bu t , w i th rega rd to m y jou rney up the Sou th Br an ch of

th e Han,a s I am th e fi r s t tra ve le r who h a s r epor ted on the reg ion , I

have to r e ly on m y Observa tion and in qu i r ies a lon e ,a nd th ere i s

th e sam e lack of recorded notes on m ost Of the cou n try on the

Upper Ta i-dong . M y notes fu rn i sh the tra ve l chapter s , a s well a sthose on Seou l , Manch u r ia , and Pr im orsk ; and the ske tches incon tem porar y Korean h i story are based par tly on Ofi cial docu

6 Author ’s Prefatory Note

m en ts , and a re par tly der ived from sou rces not usual ly access ible .

I owe ver y m uch to the k ind ly i n teres t wh ich m y fr iend s in KOr ea took i n m y work , and to th e en cou ragem ent wh ich th ey gavem e wh en I was d i sh ea r ten ed by th e d ifficu l ties of th e subj ect a ndm y own la ck of sk i ll . I g r a teful ly acknowledg e th e in va luableh elp g i ven m e by S i r Wa lter C . H i l l ie r , H .E .M .

’s Con su l

Genera l in Kor ea ,and Mr . J . M ’

Leavy B rown ,LL.D . , Ch ief Com

m iss ioner of Korean Cu stom s ; a lso the a id g en erou sly bes towedby Mr . Waeber

,the Ru ss ian M i n i ster

,a nd th e Rev . G . H eber Jones ,

th e Rev . Jam es Ga le , and other m i ss ion a r ies . I am a lso g r ea tlyindebted to a lear ned and ca refu l volum e on K or ean Gover nm en t, byMr . W . H . Wi lk in son , Act i ng Vice-Con su l a t Ch em u lpo,

a s well a s to th e K or ean Repos i tory an d th e Seoul I ndependen t, for i hform a t ion wh ich h a s enabled m e to cor rect som e of m y notes on

Korean cu stom s .

Va r iou s r epe ti tion s occu r , for the r eason th a t i t appear s to m e

im poss ible to g ive sufi cien t em ph a s is to ce r ta i n facts wi thou t th em ;and severa l descr ipt ion s a re loaded wi th de ta i ls

,th e r esu l t of a n

a ttem p t to fi x on pa per cu stom s and cerem on ies destin ed sh or t l y tod i sappear . Th e i llu stra t ion s , w i th the e xcep tion s Of th ree , a r e t e

p rodu ction s Of m y own photog raph s . Th e ske tch m ap , in so fa r a s

m y fir st jou rn ey i s con ce rned , i s reduced from on e kin dly d r awn

for m e by Mr . Waeber . Th e tran sl iter a tion of Ch i nese proper

n am es wa s k in dly u n der taken by a wel l-known Ch inese schola r ,bu t u n for tu na tely th e actua l Ch i n ese ch ara cter s were not in all

cases for th com i ng . I n ju stice to th e k i n d fr iend s wh o have so gen

e rously a ided m e ,I am a n x iou s to cla im a nd accep t th e fu l les t

m easu re Of per sona l respon s ibi l i ty for th e op in ion s exp ressed ,wh ich ,

wh ether r igh t or wrong , a r e whol ly m y own .

I am pa in fu l ly con sciou s Of th e dem er i ts Of th is work , bu t believi n g th a t , on th e whole , i t r eflects fa i r ly fa i th fu l ly th e r eg ion s ofwh ich i t trea ts , I ven tu re to p r esen t i t to th e publ ic; and to a sk for

i t th e sam e k ind ly and len ien t cr i t ici sm w i th wh ich m y records Of

tra vel i n th e East a nd el sewhere ha ve h i th er to been rece ived , andtha t i t m ay be accep ted as an honest a ttem pt to m ake a con tr ibu t ionto th e sum Of th e knowledg e of Korea and i ts people , a nd to descr ibe th in g s a s I saw them

,not on ly in the in ter ior but in the

troubled pol i tical atm osph ere Of the cap i ta l .

ISABELLA L. BISHOP .

Novemoer , 1 897.

Contents

CHAPTERINTRODUCTORY CHAPTERFIRST IMPRESSIONS OF KOREA .

FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE CAP ITAL .THE KUR-DONGSEOUL, THE KOREAN MECCATHE SAILING OF THE SAMPANON THE R IVER OF GOLDEN SANDVIEWS AFLOAT .

NATURAL BEAUTY —THE RAP IDSKOREAN MARR IAGE CUSTOMSTHE KOREAN PONY—KOREAN ROADS AND INNSDIAMOND MOUNTA IN MONASTER IESALONG THE COASTIMPENDING WAR—EXCITEMENT AT CHEMULPODEPORTED TO MANCHUR IAA MANCHUR IAN DELUGE—A PASSENGER CART—AN

MUKDEN AND I TS M ISSIONS .

CH INESE TROOPS ON THE MARCHNAGASAK I—WLAD I VOSTOK

KOREAN SETTLERS I N SIBER IATHE TRANS-SIBER IAN RA ILROADTHE K ING ’S OATH—AN AUDIENCEA TRANSITION STAGETHE ASSASSINATION OF THE QUEENBUR IAL CUSTOMSSONG-D O : A ROYAL CITYTHE PHYONG-vANG BATTLEFIELDNORTHWARD HO !

OVER THE AN-K IL YUNG PASS

Contents

SOCIAL POSITION OF WOMENEXORCISTS AND DANCING WOMENTHE HA IR-CROPP ING EDICTTHE REORGANIZED KOREAN GOVERNMENTEDUCATION AND FOREIGN TRADE .D AEMONI SM OR SHAMANISMNOTES ON D fEMONI SM CONCLUDEDSEOUL I N I 897 .

LAST WORDS ON KOREAAPPEND IXESAPPENDIX A.

—M ISSION STATISTICS FOR KOREA 1896.

APPENDIX B.—D IRECT FORE IGN TRADE OF KOREA

1896—95 .

APPENDIX C.—RETURN OF PR INCIPAL ARTICLES OF

EXPORT FOR THE YEARS 1806—95 .

APPENDIX D .—POPULATION OF TREATY PORTS.

APPENDIX E .—TREATY BETWEEN JAPAN AND RUSSIA,

WITH REPLY OF H . B , THE KOREAN M INISTERFOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS.

INDEX 0 0 O 0 0 O 0 O O 0 0 Q

L ist Of I llu strat ions.

MRS. BISHOP ’

S TRAVELINGHARBOR OF

GATE OF OLD FUSANJAPANESE M IL ITARY CEMETERY ,TURTLE STONEGUTTER SHOP , SEOULTHE AUTHOR ’

S SAMPAN ,HAN

KOREAN PEASANTS AT D INNERA KOREAN LADYTHE D IAMONDTOMBSTONES OF ABBOTS

, YU-CHOM SAPASSENGER CART ,

MUKDEN.

TEMPLE OF GOD OF LITERATURE,

GATE OF VICTORY , MUKDENCHINESEWLAD I VOSTOK .

RUSSIAN “ ARMY,KRASNOYE

KOREAN SETTLER ’

S HOUSE

SUMMER PAVIL ION,OR HALL OF CONGRATULAT IONS

ROYAL LIBRARY , KYENG-POK PALACE .

10 L ist Of I llu strat ion s.

PAGEKOREAN GENTLEMAN I N COURT DRESS . 260

PLACE OF THE QUEEN’S CREMATION 268

CHIL-SUNG MON, SEVEN STAR GATE 300

ALTAR AT TOMB OF K I T Faczng 318

RUSSIAN SETTLER ’

S 320

324

RUSSIAN OFF ICERS , HUN-CHUN . Faci ng 330

412

SEOUL AND PALACE ENCLOSURE 428

THE K ING OF KOREA Fa ci ng 430

KOREAN CADET CORPS AND RUSSIAN DR ILL I NSTRUCTORS .Facz'

ng 434

A STREET I N SEOUL F acing 436

KOREAN POL ICEMEN,OLD AND NEW . 444

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12 Korea and H er Ne ighbors

pat ient w i th what may be to them tw ice- told tales ” for thesake of the major i ty , spec ial ly in th is in troduction ,

wh ich isi ntended to give someth ing of lucid i ty to the chapters wh ichfollow.

The first notice of Korea is by Khordadbeh , an Arab geographer of the n inth cen tury , A.D . ,

in h is Book of R oads and

P r ovinces , quoted by Baron R ichofen in h is work on Ch ina ,p . 5 75 . Legends Of the aborginal inhabi tants of the pen insulaare too myth ical to be not iced here , but i t is cer tain that itwas inhabi ted when Kit-ze or Ki -ja, who w i l l be referred tolater , in troduced the elemen ts Of Ch inese Civi l ization in thetwel fth century BC . Natural ly that conquest and subsequen timm igrations from Manchur ia have left some traces on the

Koreans , but they are str ikingly d iss im i lar from both the irn earest ne ighbors , the Ch inese and th e Japanese , and therei s a remarkable var iety Of phys iognomy among them ,

all them ore not iceable because of the un i form i ty of costume. Thed ifficul ty of iden t i fy ing people wh ich besets and wor r ies th estranger in Japan and Ch ina does not exi st in Korea . It istrue that the obl iqu i ty of the Mongol ian eye is always presen t ,as wel l as a trace Of bronze in the sk in , but the complex ionvaries from a swar thy Ol ive to a very l ight brunette .There are stra igh t and aqu i l ine noses , as well as broad and

snub noses w i th d istended nostr i ls ; and though the hair isdark , much Of i t is so d ist inctly a russet brown as to r equ i rethe frequen t appl icat ion Of lampblack and oil to br ing i t to afash ionable black

,wh i le in texture i t var ies from w ir iness to

s ilk iness . Some men have ful l moustaches and large goatees ,on the faces Of others a few careful ly tended ha irs , as in Ch ina ,do duty for both

,wh i le many have ful l

,strong beards . The

mou th is e i ther the w ide,full- l ipped

,gaping cavi ty constantly

seen among the lower orders, or a small though ful l feature , or

th in-l ipped and refined , as i s seen cont inual ly among patric ians.The eyes , though dark , vary from dark brown to hazel the

Cheek bones are h igh the brow,so far as fash ion allows it to

In troductory Chapter 13

be seen , is frequently lofty and intellectual ; and the ears aresmall and well set on . The usual express ion is Cheerful , wi tha dash of puzzlement . The phys iognomy ind icates

,in i ts

best aspect,qu ick in tel l igence , rather than force or strength

of w i l l . The Koreans are cer tain ly a handsome race .The phys ique is good . The average he ight of the m en is

five feet four and a half 1 inches , that Of the women cannot beascer tained

,and i s a

'z'

spropor tionately less , wh i le the ir figureless figures , the faul ts Of wh ich are exaggerated by the ugl iestdress on ear th , are squat and broad . The hands and feet ofboth sexes and al l Classes are very small , wh i te , and exqu is itelyformed

,and the taper ing , almond -Shaped finger -nai l s are care

ful ly attended to . The m en are very strong , and as por terscarry heavy weigh ts

,a load Of 1 00 pounds being regarded as

a moderate one . They walk remarkably well , whether i t be thestud ied sw ing of the patr ic ian or the Shor t , firm str ide of the

plebe ian when on bus iness . The fam i l ies are large and heal thy .

If the Gover nmen t est imate of th e number of houses is correct,

the populat ion , tak ing a fai r average , is from twelve to th ir teenm i l l ions

,females be ing in the m inor i ty .

Mentally the Koreans are l iberal ly endowed , Spec ial ly w i ththat g i ft known in Scotland as gleg at the uptak .

” The foreign teachers bear wi l l ing test imony to their mental ad roi tnessand qu ickness of percept ion

, and the ir talent for the rapid ac

qu isition of languages , wh ich they speak more fluent ly and

w i th a far better accen t than e ither the Ch inese or Japanese .They have the Or ien tal vices of susp ic ion , cunn ing, and nu

lThe following are the m easurem ents Of m en taken at Seoul inJanuary, 1897 , by Mr . A. B . Str ipling :

H igh est. Lowest. Average.

Heigh tSize round Chest

head


truth fulness, and trust between m an and m an is unknown .

Women are secluded , and occupy a very infer ior posi tion .

The geography Of Korea, or Ch’ao Hs ien (

“ Morn ingCalm

,

” or “ Fresh Morn ing i s s imple . It is a defin i tepen insula to the nor theast Of Ch ina , measur ing roughly 600m i les from nor th to south and I 35 from east to west. Thecoast l ine is about m i les . It l ies between 34

°1 7

’ N . to

43° N . lat i tude and 1 24

°38

’ E . to 130°33

’ E . longi tude , andhas an est imated area of upwards of square m i l es

, be

ing somewhat sm aller than Great Br i tain . Bounded on thenor th and west by the Tu -men and Am -nok, or Yalu , rivers ,wh ich d ivide i t from the Russ ian and Ch inese emp ires , and bythe Yellow Sea, i ts eastern and southern l im i t is the Sea ofJapan

,a “ s i lver streak ,

” wh ich has not been i ts salvation .

Its northern fron t ier is only conterm inous w i th that of Russiafor 1 1 m i les .Both boundary rivers rise in Paik-tu San , the “Wh i te

Headed Mountain ,” from wh ich runs southwards .a greatmountain range

,throw ing Off numerous lateral spurs , i tsel f a

rugged spine wh ich d ivides th e k ingdom in to two parts, theeastern d ivis ion being a comparat ively narrow str ip betweenthe range and the Sea of Japan , d ifficul t of access, bu t extrem ely ferti le wh i le th e western section is composed Of rugged h i l l s and innumerabl e r ich val leys and slopes , wel l wateredand admirably su i ted for agr iculture . Craters Of volcanoes,long s ince passed in to repose

,lava beds, and other s igns of

volcan ic act ion , are constan tly met w i th .

The lakes are few and very smal l,and not m any of the

streams are navigable for more than a few m i les from the sea ,the except ions being the noble Am -nok

,th e Tai -dOng , the

Nak-tong , the Mok-

po, and the Han , wh ich last , ris ing inKang-wOn D O, 30 m i les from the Sea of Japan , after cuttingthe coun try nearly in hal f

,fal ls i nto the sea at Chemulpo on

the west coast , and , in spi te of many and dangerous rapids , isa valuable h ighway for commerce for over 1 70 m i les.

Introductory Chapter 15

Owing to th e configurat ion of th e pen insula there are fewgood harbors , bu t those wh ich ex ist are Open al l the w in ter .The finest are Fusan and WOn-san , on Broughton Bay . Che

m ulpo, wh ich , as the por t of Seoul , takes the first place,can

hardly be cal led a harbor at all,the “ outer harbor ,

” wherelarge vessels and sh ips of war lie, be ing noth ing better than aroadstead

,and the “ i nner harbor ,

”C lose to the town ,

in thefierce tideway Of the estuary of the Han , is only avai lable forfive or six vessels of small tonnage at a t ime . The east coasti s steep and rocky , the water is deep , and the t ide r ises andfal ls from 1 to 2 feet on ly . On the southwest and west coaststhe t ide rises and falls from 26 to 38 feetOff the latter coasts there is a remarkable arch ipelago . Some

of the islands are bold masses of arid rock , the resort of seafowl ; others are arable and inhab i ted , wh i le the actual coastfringes Off into innumerable islets, some of wh ich are im

m ersed by the spr ing tides . I n the Channels scoured amongthese by the tremendous rush of the t ide , nav igat ion is oftt imes dangerous . Great mud -banks

,spec ial ly near the mouths

of the r ivers , render par ts of the coastl ine dub ious .Korea is dec idedly a mountainous coun try , and has few

pla ins deserving the name . In the north there are moun taingroups w i th defin i te centres , th e most remarkable be ing Pa ik-tuSan

, wh ich attains an alt i tude of over feet, and is re

garded as sacred . Farther south these settl e in to a defin i terange , follow ing the coast-l ine at a moderate d istance , andthrowing out so many ranges and spur s to the west as to br eakup northern and central Korea into a congeries of corrugatedand prec ipi tous h i l ls, e ither denuded or covered w i th chap

par al, and narrow,steep-Sided valleys , each furn ished wi th a

stony stream . The great axial range,wh ich includes the

“ Diamond Mountain,

” a reg ion con tain ing exqu is i te mountain and sylvan scenery , fal ls away as i t descends towards thesouthern coast

,d isintegrat ing in places into smal l and Often

infer ti le plains .

16 Korea and H er Ne ighbor

The geolog ical format ion is fairly s imple . Mesozoic rocksoccur in Hwang -hai D O, but gran i te and metamorph ic rockslargely predom inate . Northeast of Seoul are great fields oflava

,and lava and volcan ic rocks are of com mon occurrence

in the north .

The Cl imate is undoubtedly one of the finest and health iestin the wor ld . Fore igners are not affl icted by any Cl imat icmalad ies

,and European Ch i ldren can be safely brought up in

every part of the pen insula . July , August , and somet imes thefirst half Of September , are hot and rai ny , but the heat is sotempered by sea breezes that exercise is always possible. Forn ine months of the year the skies are generally br ight, and aKorean w inter is absolu tely superb , w ith its st i l l atmosphere ,i ts brigh t , blue , unclouded sky , its extreme dryness w ithoutasper ity , and its cr isp , frosty n ights . From the m iddle ofSeptember t i ll the end Of June, there are nei ther extremes ofheat nor cold to guard against .The summer mean temperature at Seoul is about 75 ° Fah

renheit, that Of the w in ter about the average ra infallinches in the year , and the average of the rainy seasoninches . 1 July is the wettest month , and December th e

driest . The resul t of the abundant rainfall , d istributed fai r lythrough the necess itous months of the year

, is that irr igat ionis necessary only for the rice crop .

The fauna of Korea is cons iderable , and includes t igers andleopards in great numbers , bears , an telopes , at least sevenspec ies of deer, foxes , beavers , otters , badgers , tiger -cats , p igs ,several spec ies of marten

,a sable (not of much value, how

ever) , and str iped squirrels . Among b irds there are blackeagles , found even near Seoul , harr iers , peregrines ( largelyused for hawk ing) , pheasants , swans , geese, spectacled and

common teal , mallards , mandarin ducks, turkey buzzards (veryshy) , wh i te and pink ib is, sparrow-hawks, kestrels, imperial

i These averages are only calculated on Observations taken dur ing a

period of three and a half years.

Introductory Chapter 17

cranes,egr ets , herons , cur lews , n igh t-jars , redshanks , bun t

ings , magpies (common and blue ) , or ioles , wood larks,thrushes

,redstar ts

,crows

,p igeons, doves, rooks , warblers ,

wagtai ls,cuckoos

,halcyon and br igh t blue kingfishers , j ays ,

sn ipes,nu t-hatches

,gray shr ikes , pheasan ts , hawks , and k i tes.

But unt il more careful observat ions have been made it is im

poss ible to say wh ich of the smaller b irds actual ly breed inKorea

,and wh ich make it on ly a hal ting -place in the ir annual

m igrat ions .The denudat ion of the h i ll s in the ne ighborhood of Seou l ,

th e coasts,the treaty por ts , and the main roads , is impress ive ,

and helps to g ive a very unfavorable idea of the country . Itis to the dead alone that the preservat ion of anyth ing descrvi ng the name Of timber in much of southern Korea is ow ing .

But in the m ountains .of the northern and eastern provinces ,and specially among those wh i ch enclose the sources of theTu -men

,the Am -nok , the Tai -dOng, and the Han , there are

very considerable forests , on wh ich up to th is t ime the woodcutter has made l i ttl e apparen t impress ion, though a good dealof t imber is annual ly rafted down these r ivers .Among the ind igenous trees are the Aoz

'

es ex celsa , Aoz'

er

m z'

cr orperm a , F inns sz'

nensz'

s, Finns pz

'

nea , three species ofoak , the l ime, ash , b irch , five spec ies o f maple , the Acantlzo

panax R i ms sem z’

pz’

nnata,E /a agnas , j un iper,

moun tain ash , hazel , Tlraj a Or ientalz'

s (P) , w i l low, Sop/zor a

f aponz’

ca hornbeam , plum ,peach

,E nonym n c alatns , etc .

The flora is extens ive and interest ing , bu t , w i th the except ionof the azalea and rhododendron

,i t lacks br i l l iancy of color.

There are several variet ies of showy Clemat i s , and the m i l/e

fleur rose smothers even large trees , bu t the Cl imber par ex

cel/ence of Korea is the Ampelopsz’

r Vez’

tcfiz’

. The econom icplan t s are few

,and

,w i th th e except ion of th e Fanax guz

'

ngue

foll’

a (ginseng) , the w i ld roots o f wh ich are wor th $ 15 perounce, are of no commercial value .The m ineral weal th of Korea is a vexed question . Probably


between theView of the coun try as an El Dorado and the seepticism as to the ex istence of underground treasure at all

,the

mean l ies . Gold is l i ttle used for personal ornaments or in thear ts

,yet the Korean declares that th e dust of h is coun try is

gold ; and the unquest ionable authori ty of a Customs ’ reportstates that gold dust to the amoun t of $ 1 , was exportedin 1896, and that i t is probable that the quant i ty wh ich leftthe coun try undeclared was at least as much again . Si lver andgalena are found , copper is fair ly plent i ful , and the country isr ich in undeveloped i ron and coal m ines , the coal being ofexcel len t qual i ty . The gold -bearing quar tz has never beentouched , but an Amer i can Company , having obtained a concess ion , has introduced mach inery , and has gone to work inthe prov ince of PhyOng-ah .

The manufactures are un important. The best productionsare paper of several qual i t ies made from the B r oasonettz

'

a

P apy r z’

fer a , among wh ich is an Oi led paper, l ike vel lum in

appearance , and so tough that a m an can be ra ised from the

ground on a sheet of i t, l i fted at the four corners, fine grassmats , and Spl i t bamboo bl inds.The ar ts are nz

'

l.

Korea , or Ch’ao Hsien , has been ruled by k ings of the pres

ent dynasty s ince 1392 . The m onarchy is hered i tary , andthough some mod ificat ions in a const i tu t ional d irect ion werem ade dur ing the recen t period of Japanese ascendency , thesovereign is sti l l pract ical ly absolute, his ed icts, as in Ch ina ,const i tu t ing law. The suzerain ty of Ch ina , recogn ized sincevery remote days

, was personal ly renounced by the k ing at thealtar of the Sp ir i ts of the Land in January, 1895 , and the complete independence of Korea was acknowledged by Ch ina inthe treaty of peace Signed at Sh imonosek i in May Of the sameyear. There is a Counc i l of State composed of a Chancellor,five counc i l lors, six m in isters, and a Ch ief secretary . The decree of September, 1896, wh ich const i tu tes th is body , ah

nounces the k ing ’s absolu t ism in plain terms in the preamble .



has been tardy in enter ing upon d iplomat ic relat ions w i th KoreaSince the war, placed her subj ects under the protect ion of theBr i t ish Consul-General .Un t i l recently, the coinage of Korea consisted of debased

Copper car/z, 500 to the dol lar, a great Check on business transact ions ; bu t a new fract ional coinage , of wh ich the un i t is a20 -Cen t p iece, has been put into c irculat ion , along w i th 5 -Cen tn ickel , 5 -cas/z copper, and I -caslz brass p ieces . The fine Japanese yen or dollar is now current everywhere . The D az

’

[ chi

Gingo and Fi fty-eighth Banks of Japan afford banking fac i l ities in Seou l and the open ports .

I n the treaty ports of Fusan , Won-san , and Chemulpo , therewere in January , 1897, fore ign residents and 266 foreign bus iness firms. The Japanese residents numberedand thei r firms 230 . The great majori ty of the Ameri can and

French residents are m issionaries, and the most conspicuousobjects in Seoul are the Roman Cathedral and the AmericanMethod ist Episcopal Church . The number of Br i t ish subjectsin Korea in January, 1897, was 65 , and an agency of a Bri t i shfirm in Nagasak i has recently been opened at Chemulpo . Theapproximate number of Ch inese in Korea at the same t ime was

d ivided ch iefly between Seoul and Chemulpo . Thereis a newly-inst i tu ted postal system for the interior, w i th postage stamps of four denom inat ions, and a telegraph system ,

Seoul being now in commun ication w i th al l parts of th e world .

The roads are infamous , and even the main roads are rarelymore than rough br idle tracks . Goods are carri ed everywhereon the backs of men , bulls , and pon ies , but a rai lroad fromChemulpo to Seoul , constructed by an American concess iona ire , is actually to be opened shortly .

The language of Korea is m ixed . The educated Classes introduce Ch inese as much as poss ible into the i r conversat ion ,and all the l i terature of any account is in that language , but it isof an archaic form , th e Ch inese of years ago , and d i fferscompletely in pronunc iat ion from Ch inese as now spoken in

Introductory Chapter 2 1

Ch ina . E n-m nn , th e Korean script , is utterly despi sed by theeducated

,whose sole educat ion is in the Ch inese classics .

K orean has th e d ist inct ion of being the only language of Eastern Asia wh ich possesses an alphabet . Only women , ch i ldren ,and the uneducated used the E n -m nn t i l l January , 1895 whena new depar ture was made by the official Gazette , wh ich forseveral hundred years had been wri tten in Ch inese, appear ingin a m ixture of Ch inese characters and E n-m an , a resemblanceto the Japanese mode of wr i t ing , in wh ich the Ch inese characters wh ich play the Ch ief par t are connected by kana syl lables .A further innovat ion was that the King ’s oath of I ndepend

ence and Reform was promulgated in Ch inese , pure E n -m nn ,

and the m ixed scr ipt , and now the latter is regularly employedas the language of ord inances , Offic ial documents , and the

Gazette royal rescr ipts , as a rule , and despatches to the foreign representat ives st i l l adher ing to the old form .

Th i s recogn i t ion of the Korean language by mean s of theofficial use of the m ixed , and in some cases of the pure script ,the abol i t ion of the Ch inese l i terary exam inat ions as the testof the fitness of cand idates for office , the use of the vulgarscr ipt exclusively in th e I ndependent, the new Korean newspaper , the prom inence g iven to Korean by the large body offore ign m iss ionar ies , and the slow creat ion of sc ient ific textbooks and a l i terature in E n -m an

,are tend ing not On ly to

strengthen Korean nat ional feel ing , but to bring the masses ,”

who can mostly read the ir own script , in to contact w i th Western sc ience and forms of thought .There is no nat ional rel igion . Confuc ian ism is the official

cult,and the teach ings of Con fuc ius are the rule of Korean

moral i ty . Buddh i sm,once powerful

,but d isestabl ished

three cen turies ago,is to be met w i th ch iefly in mountainous

d istricts , and far from th e main roads . Sp ir i t worsh ip, aspecies of sham anism , prevai ls al l over the kingdom ,

andholds the uneducated masses and the women of all classes incomplete bondage .

2 2 Korea and Her Ne ighbors

Christ ian m iss ions , ch iefly carried on by Amer icans , are beg inn ing to produce both d irect and ind irect effects .Ten years before the open ing 1 of Korea to fore igners, the

Korean king,in wr i t ing to h is suzerain , the Emperor of Ch ina ,

said , The educated m en observe and pract ice the teach ingsof Confucius and Wen Wang,

”and th is fact is the key to any

th ing l ike a correct estimate of Korea . Ch inese influence ingovernment, law,

educat ion , et iquette , social relations,and

morals is predom inant . In al l these respects Korea is bu t afeeble reflect ion Of her powerful n e ighbor ; and though s incethe war the Koreans have ceased to look to Ch ina for ass istance , thei r sympath ies are w i th her , and they turn to her fornoble ideals , Cherished trad i t ions

,and moral teach ings.

The ir l i terature, superst it ions , system of educat ion , ancestralworsh ip, cul ture , and modes of th ink ing are Ch inese . Soc ietyis organ ized on Con fuc ian models , and the r ights of paren tsover ch i ldren , and of elder over younger brothers, are as fullyrecogn ized as in Ch ina .

It is into th is archaic cond i t ion of th ings , th is unspeakablegrooviness , th is irredeemable , unreformed Or ien tal ism , th isparody of Ch ina w i thou t the robustness of race wh ich helps tohold Ch ina together , that the fermen t of the Western leavenhas fal len , and th i s feeblest of independen t k ingdoms , rudelyshaken ou t of her sleep of cen tur ies

,hal f frightened and

wholly dazed , finds hersel f confron ted w i th an array of powerful , ambi t ious

,aggressive

,and not always overscrupulous

powers , ben t , i t may be, on overreach ing her and each other ,forc ing her into new paths , ring ing w i th rude hands the knel lof t ime -honored custom

,clamor ing for concessions , and be

wi lder ing her w i th reforms , suggestions , and panaceas , of

wh ich she sees nei ther the mean ing nor the necess i tyAnd SO The old order changeth , g iv ing place to new ,

and many ind icat ions o f the trans i t ion w i l l be found in the

later of the fol low ing pages .1 See appendix A.

CHAPTER I

FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF KOREA

T is but fifteen hours’ steam ing from the harbor of Nagasakito Fusan in Sou thern Korea . The Island of Tsush ima ,

where the H zgo Ma r a calls , was , however , my last gl impse ofJapan ; and i ts redden ing maples and blossoming plums , i tstemple-crowned heights , i ts stately fl ights of stone stairs leading to Sh in to shrines in the woods , th e blue-green masses of i tspines

,and the golden plumage of its bamboos , emphas ized the

effect produced by the brown,bare h i l ls of Fusan , pleasan t

enough in summer , bu t gr im and forb idd ing on a sunless February day . The Island Of th e In terrupted Shadow , Cholyong-To , (Deer Island ) , h igh and grassy

,on wh ich the Jap

anese have establ ished a coal ing stat ion and a quarant ine hosp ital , Shelters Fusan harbor .It is not Korea bu t Japan wh ich meets one on anchor ing.

The l ighters are Japanese . An Offic ial of the N ippon Yur en

K az'

slza (Japan Mai l Steamsh ip to wh ich the E go Ma r a

belongs , comes off w i th orders . The t ide-wai ter , however , isEngl ish—one of the Engl ish employer of the Ch inese Imper ialMar it ime Customs , len t to Korea , greatly to her advan tage , forthe management of her customs ’ revenue . The fore ign settlemen t of Fusan is dom inated by a steep bluff w i th a Buddh isttemple on the top

,concealed by a number of fine cryptomeria,

plan ted during the Japanese occupat ion in 1 592 . It is afair ly good -look ing Japanese town , somewhat packed betweenthe h i l ls and the sea , w i th w ide streets of Japanese shops andvar ious Anglo-Japanese bu i ld ings , among wh ich the Consulateand a Bank are the most impor tan t . It has substant ial retain

23

24. Korea and Her Ne ighbors

ing and sea walls , and drain ing, l ight ing , and roadm aking

have been carr ied ou t at the expense of the mun ic ipal i ty .

Since the war,waterworks have been constructed by a rate of

100 car/z lev ied on each house , and i t is hoped that the presen tabundant supply of pure water w i l l make an end of the frequent ep idem ics of cholera . Above the town , the new Japanese m i l i tary cemetery, fi l l ing rap idly

,is the prom inen t

object.Cons idering that the creation of a demand for fore ign goods

is not th ir teen years Old , i t is amaz ing to find how the Koreanshave taken to them , and that the fore ign trade of Fusan hasdeveloped so rapidly that , wh i le in 1885 the value of expor tsand imports combined only amoun ted to in 1892 it

had reachedif; Unbleached Sh ir t ings

,lawns , mus

l ins , cambr ics , and Turkey reds for ch i ld ren’s wear have al l

captivated Korean fancy ; but the conservat ism of wadded cotton garmen ts in w inter does not y ield to fore ign woollens , ofwh ich the importat ion is l i terally ni l. The most amaz ingstride is in the importat ion of American kerosene oil,

wh ich has reached gallons in a quar ter ; and wh ich ,by d isplac ing the fish -oil lamp and the d ismal rush l ight inthe paper lan tern , is revolut ion iz ing even ing l ife in Korea .

Matches , too, have caught on wonderful ly,and eviden tly

h ave “ come to stay .

” H ides, beans, dried fish , oe‘

clze de

m er, rice, and whale

’s flesh are among the princ ipal exports. I t was not t i l l 1883 that Fusan was offic ial ly opened togeneral fore ign trade

, and i ts rise has been most remarkable .

I n that year i ts fore ign populat ion was in 1897 it was

I n the first hal f of 1885 the Japan Mai l Steamsh ip Co. ran

only one steamer , cal l ing at Fusan , to Wlad ivostok every fiveweeks , and a smal l boat to Chemulpo , call ing at Fusan , once am onth . Now not a day passes w i thout steamers , large orsmall , arr iving at the por t , and in add i tion to the fine vesselsof the M ppon Ynsen K a i

'

s/2a , runn ing frequen t ly between

F irst I m pressions of Korea 25

Kobe and Wlad ivostok, Shanghai and Wlad ivostok, Kobe andTientsin , and between Kobe Chefoo , and Newchang , al l calling at Fusan , three other l ines, i nclud ing one from Osaka direct , and a Russ ian mai l l ine runn ing between Shanghai andWladivostok, make Fusan a port of callI t appears that abou t one- th ird of the goods imported is car

r ied inland on the backs of men and horses . The taxes lev iedand the delays at the barr ier s on both the overland and riverrou tes are in tolerable to traders , a hateful custom prevai l ingu nder wh ich each stat ion i s con trol led by some petty official ,who

,for a certain sum paid to the Governmen t in Seoul

, oh

tains permission to l evy taxes on all goods . 1 The Nak-TongR iver , the mouth of wh ich is 7 m iles from Fusan , is navigablefor steamers draw ing 5 feet of water as far as Mi r iang , 50 m i lesup, and for j unks draw ing 4 feet as far as Sa-mun

,100 m i les

farther,from wh ich po int th eir cargoes , transh ipped into l igh t

draught boats, fcan ascend to Sang-Ch in ,

1 70 m i les from thecoast . W i th th i s ava i lable waterway

,and a hazy prospect that

the much d isputed Seoul -Fusan rai lway may become an accom

plished fact , Fusan b ids fa ir to become an impor tan t centr e ofcommerce , as the KyOng-sang Prov ince, said to be the most

populous of the e igh t (now for adm in istrat ive purposes th ir teen) ,is also sa id to be th e most prosperous and fru i tful , w i th theposs ible except ion of Chul - la .

Barren as the ne ighbor ing h i l ls look,they are probably rich

i n m inerals . Gold is found in several places w i th in a rad iusof 50 m i les , copper qu i te near, and there are coal fields w i th in1 00 m i les .To all intents and purposes the settlement of Fusan is Jap

anese . I n add i t ion to the Japanese populat ion of there

1 According to Mr . Hunt, the Com m issioner of Custom s at Fusan ,in

the Kyong-sang prov ince alone there are 17 such stations. Fusan is

hedged round by a cordon of them within a ten-m i le radius , and on the

Nak-tong ,'

wh ich is the waterway to the provincial capital, there are four

in a distance of 25 m i les.


is a float ing population of Japanese fishermen . A

Japanese Consu l -General l ives in a fine European house . Banking fac i l i t ies are furn i shed by the D ai Ich i G ingo of Tokio ,and the post and telegraph services are also Japanese . Japanese too is the Cleanl iness of the settlement , and the introduct ion of industries unknown to Korea , such as r ice husk ing andclean ing by mach inery , whale -fishing, sake-mak ing , and thepreparation of shark ’s fins , bane de m er , and fish manure

,the

latter an unsavory fert i l izer, of wh ich enormous quant i t ies areexpor ted to Japan .

But the reader asks impat iently , Where are the Koreans ?I don ’ t want to read abou t the Japanese Nor do I wan t towri te about them , but facts are stubborn , and they are the outs tand ing Fusan fact .As seen from the deck of the steamer , a narrow up and down

path keeping at some heigh t above the sea ski r ts th e h i l lsidefor 3 m i les from Fusan , passing by a small Ch inese sett lementw i th offic ial bu i ld ings , un inhab i ted when I last saw them , andterm inat ing i n the walled town of Fusan proper, w i th a fort of,

very great ant iqu i ty outs ide i t, modern ized by the Japaneseafter the engineer ing not ions of three cen turies ago.

Seated on the rocks along the Shore were wh i te objects resembl ing pel icans or pengu ins, but as wh i te objects w i th thegai t of men moved in endless procession to and fro betweenold and new Fusan

,I assumed that the seated objects were of

the same spec ies . The Korean makes upon one the impress ion of novel ty , and wh i le resembl ing ne i ther the Ch inese northe Japanese , he is much better-look ing than e i ther , and h is phys ique is far finer than that of the lat ter . Though his averagehe igh t is on ly 5 feet 4% inches

, h is wh i te dress , wh ich is VOl um inous , makes h im look tal ler

,and his h igh -crowned hat ,

w i thout wh ich he is never seen ,tal ler st i l l . The men were in

w inter d ress—wh i te cot ton Sleeved robes,huge trousers, and

socks ; al l wadded . On the ir heads were black si lk waddedcaps w i th pendant sides edged w i th black fur

,and on the top



A market is held in Fusan and in many other places everyfifth day. On these the coun try people rely for al l wh ich theydo not produce, as well as for the sale or barter of their productions . Pract ically there are no shops in the v i l lages andsmall towns , the ir needs be ing suppl ied on stated days bytravell ing pedlars who form a very influent ial gu i ld .

Turning away from the bust le of the mai n street into a narrow,

d ir ty alley , and then into a nat ive compound , I found thethree Austral ian lad ies who were the objects of my visi t to th isdecayed and m iserable town . Except that the compound wasclean ,

it was in no way d ist ingu i shable from any other , be ingsurrounded by mud hovels . In one of these , exposed to th eful l force of the sou thern sun ,

these lad ies were l iving . Themud walls were concealed wi th paper , and photographs and

other European kn ickknacks conferred a look Of refinement .But not on ly were the rooms so low that on e of the lad iescould not stand upr igh t in them , but pr ivacy was imposs ible ,invas ions of Korean wom en and ch i ldren succeed ing eachother from morn ing to n igh t,

'

so that even dressing was aspectacle for the curious . Fr iends urged these lad ies not totake th is step of l iving in a Korean town 3 m i les from Europeans . It was represen ted that it was not safe , and that the irhealth would suffer from the heat and fetid Odors of thecrowded neighborhood , etc . I n truth it was not a conven

tional th ing to do .

3

On my first v isi t I found them wel l and happy . Small ch i ldren were cl inging to th e ir sk i r ts , and a cer tain number ofwomen had been induced to become clean ly in the ir per sonsand hab i ts . All the neighbors were fr iendly, and rude re

marks in the streets had altogether ceased . Many of th ewomen resorted to them for med ical help , and the s imple aidthey gave brough t them much good -w i l l . Th is fr iendly andc ivi l iz ing influence was th e resul t of a year of l iving undervery detestable c ircumstances . If they had dwel t in grandhouses 2% m iles off upon the h i l l , i t is safe to say that the re

F irst Im press ion s of Korea 29

sult would have been n il. W i thou t any fuss or blow ing oftrumpets , they qu ietly helped to solve one of the great problems as to M iss ionary Methods

,

” though why i t should be a.problem I fa i l to see . I n th e East at least

,every rel igious

teacher who has led the people has l ived among them ,know

ing i f not sharing the ir da ily l ives , and has been eas i ly accessible at al l t imes . It is not easy to imag ine a Buddha or Onegreater than Buddha on ly reached by favor of, and poss ibly byfeeing

,a gate-keeper or servant .

On vis i t ing them a year later I found them st i l l wel l andhappy . The exci tement among the Koreans consequen t onthe Tong-hak rebell ion and the war had left them unmolested .

A Japanese regiment had encamped close to them , and , byperm iss ion

,had drawn water from the wel l in the ir compound

,

and had shown them noth ing but cour tesy. Having in twoyears gained general confidence and good -w i l l , they bu i l ta small bungalow just above the old nat ive house, wh ich hasbeen turned in to a very prim i t ive orphanage .The people were fr iendly and k ind from th e first . Those

who were the ear l iest friends of the lad ies are the ir s taunchestfr iends now,

and they knew them and the ir a ims so well whenthey moved into the ir new house that it made no d ifference atall . Some go there to see th e lad ies

,others to see th e furn i

ture or hear the organ , and a few to inqu ire about the Jesusdoctrine .” The m ission work ” now consi sts of dai ly meetings for worsh ip , classes for appl icants for bapt ism ,

classes atn ight for those women who may not come ou t in the dayt ime

,

a Sunday school w i th an attendance of eighty , V is i t ing amongthe people , and giving instruction in the coun try and surrounding vi l lages . About forty adults have professed Chr ist ian i ty,and regularly attend Christ ian worsh ip .

I mention these facts not for the purpose of glor ify ing theselad ies , who are s imply do ing their du ty, but because theyfal l in w i th a theory of m y own as to methods of m ission

work .


There is a very small Roman Cathol ic m iss ion -house , seldomtenan ted , between the two Fusans . In the province of KyOngsang in wh ich they are, there are Roman m iss ions wh ich claim

converts,and to promulgate Chr ist ian i ty in th ir ty towns

and vi llages . There are two fore ign priests,who spend most

of the year in teach ing in the provinc ial v i l lages,l iving in

Korean huts, in Korean fash ion , on Korean food .

A coarse ocean w i th a d ist inct l ine of demarcat ion betweenthe blue Water of the Sea of Japan and the d iscolorat ion of theYellow Sea , harsh , gr im , rocky , brown i slands , mostly un inhab i ted—two monotonously d isagreeable days

,more i slands

,

mudd ier water , an estuary and j unks, and on the th ird afternoon from Fusan the [ f igo Mar a anchored in the roadsteadof Chemulpo , the seapor t of Seoul . Th i s cannot pretend tobe a harbor , indeed most of the roadstead

,such as i t is, is a

sl imy mud flat for much of the day,the t ide ris ing and fall ing

36 feet. The anchorage , a nar row channel in the shallows , canaccommodate five vessels o f moderate s ize . Yet though the

mud was en evidence, and the low h i l l beh ind the town wasdullbrown , and a drizzl ing rain was fal l ing , I l iked the look ofChemulpo better than I expected , and after becom ing ac

quainted w i th i t in various seasons and c ircumstances, I cameto regard i t w i th very friendly feel ings . As seen from t he

roadstead , i t is a col lection of mean houses , mostly of wood ,painted wh i te , bu i l t along the edge of the sea and s traggl ingUp a verdureless h i l l , th e whole extend ing for mor e than am i le from a low po in t on wh ich are a few trees , crowned bythe Engl ish Vice -Consulate, a comfor t less and unwor thy bu i lding , to a h i l l on wh ich are a large decorat ive Japanese teahouse , a garden ,

and a Sh into shr ine . Sal ien t features thereare none , unless the house of a German m erchan t , an Engl ishchurch , the humble bu i ld ings o f B ishop Corfe

's m iss ion on the

h i l l , th e large Japanese Consulate , and some new mun ic ipalbu i ld ings on a slope , may be cons idered such . As at Fusan

,

an Engl ish t ide-wa i ter boarded the sh ip, and a foreign harbor

F irst Im pressions of Korea 31

master berthed her, wh i le a Japanese clerk gave the captainhis orders .Mr. W i lkinson , the act ing Br i t ish Vice -Consul , came off for

me,and entertained me then and on two subsequen t occas ions

w i th great hospi tal i ty , but as the Vice-Consulate had at thattime no guest-room , I slept at a Ch inese inn ,

known as

Steward ’s,

” kept by Itai , an honest and helpful man whodoes al l he can to make his guests comfortable, and partiallysucceeds . Th is inn is at the corner of the main street of theCh inese quarter, in a very l ively pos i t ion , as i t also looks downthe main street of the Japanese settlemen t . The Ch inese settlem ent is sol id , w i th a handsome yam en and gu i ld hal l , androws of thriv ing and substan tial Shops . Busy and noisy w i ththe cont inual lett ing off of crackers and beating of drums andgongs

,the Ch inese were obviously far ahead of the Japanese

in trade . They had nearly a monopoly of the fore ign cus

tom the ir large houses ” in Chemulpo had branches inSeoul , and if there were any fore ign requ iremen t wh ich theycould not meet, they procured the ar t icle from Shanghai w i thout loss of t ime . The haulage of fre ight to Seoul was in the irhands , and the market garden ing , and much bes ides . Latein to the n ight they were at work , and they used the roadwayfor dry ing h ides and storing kerosene t ins and pack ing cases .Scarcely d id the noise Of n ight cease when the d in of morn ingbegan . To these hard -work ing and money-mak ing people restseemed a superflui ty.

The Japanese settlemen t is far more populous, extensive ,and pretent ious . The ir Consulat e is impos ing enough for alegat ion . They have several streets of small shops , wh ichsupply the needs ch iefly of people of the ir own nat ional i ty

,for

foreigners patron ize Ah Wong and Itai , and the Koreans , whohate the Japanese w i th a hatred three centur ies old , also dealch iefly w ith th e Ch inese . But though the Japanese were outstr ipped -in trade by the Ch inese , the ir pos it ion in Korea , evenbefore the war

,was an influen t ial one. They gave “ postal


fac i l i t ies between the treaty por ts and Seou l and carried thefore ign mails, and they establ ished branches of the First National Bank 1 in the cap ital and treaty por ts , w i th wh ich theresident foreigner s have for years transact ed the ir bus iness, andin wh ich they have ful l confidence . I lost no t ime in openingan account w i th th is Bank in Chemulpo , rece iving an Engl ishcheck-book and pass-book , and on al l occas ions cour tesy andal l needed help . Partly ow ing to th e fact that Engl ish cottons for Korea are made in bales too big for the Li l l ipu t ianKorean pony , involving reduction to more manageable d imehs ions on be ing landed

,and partly to causes wh ich obtain else

where , the Japanese are so successfully push ing their cottonsin Korea , that wh i le they const i tu ted on ly 3 per cen t . of theimpor ts in 188 7, they had r isen to someth ing l ike 40 per cen t.in There is a rapidly growing demand for yarn to bewoven on nat ive looms . The Japanese are well to the frontw i th steam and sai l ing tonnage . Of 1 98 steamers en tered i hwards i h 1893, 132 were Japanese ; and out of 325 sa i l ingvessels , 232 were Japanese . It is on record that an Engl ishmerchan tman was once seen in Chemulpo roads , but actuallythe Br i t ish mercan ti le flag

,unless on a char tered steamer, is

not known in Korean waters . Nor was there in 1 894 an

Engl ish merchan t in the Korean treaty por ts, or an Engl ish

house of bus iness , large or small , in Korea.Just then rice was I n th e ascendant . Japan by means of

pressure had induced the Korean Governmen t to consent tosuspend the decree forb idd ing i ts expor t , and on a cer taindate the Slu ices were to be opened . Stacks of rice bagscovered the beach , r ice in bulk be ing measured into bags was

pi led on mats in the roadways , pon ies and cool i es r I Ce- ladenfi led in strings down the streets

,wh i le in the roadstead a num

ber of Japanese steamers and j unks awai ted the taking off theembargo at m idnigh t on 6th March . A regular rice babel

1Now the D a i leni Gingo.

2 For latest trade statistics see appendix B.



the ir d ress h’ats , not apparent ly do ing anyth ing . It is Old

Fusan over again , except that there are permanen t shops , w ithstocks—i h - trade wor th from one to twen ty dol lar s ; and as an

hour is eas i ly Spent over a transact ion involving a few cask,

there is an appearance of bus iness kept up. I n the settlementthe Koreans work as por ters and carry preposterous weights ontheir wooden packsaddles.

GATE OF OLD FUSAN

CHAPTER II

FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE CAPITAL

HEMULPO, be ing on the i sland - studded estuary of theHan , wh ich is nav igable for the 5 6 m i les up to Ma-pu ,

the r iver por t of Seou l , i t eventual ly occurred to some personsmore enterpr is ing than the ir n e ighbor s to establ ish steam comm un ication between the two . Man ifold are the d isasters wh ichhave attended th i s simple under tak ing . Near ly every passenger who has en trusted h imself to the r iver has a tale to tel l ofthe boat be ing depos ited on a sandbank , and of fut i le endeavors to get off, of frett ing and fum ing , u sual ly end ing in hai ling a pass ing sampan and gett ing up to Ma-pu many hours beh ind t ime , t ired , hungry , and d isgusted . For the steamlaunches are on ly hal f powered for the ir work , the tides arestrong , the r iver shal lows often , and its sandbanks Sh ift almostfrom t ide to t ide . Hence th i s natural h ighway is not muchpatron ized by people who respect themselves , and al l sor ts ofarrangemen ts are made for gett ing up to the cap ital by road .

”

There i s, proper ly speak ing , no road , but the word serves .Mr . Gardner , the Br i t ish act ing Consu l—General in Seoul ,k indly arranged to escor t me the 25 m i les , and I wen t up inseven hours i n a chair w i th s ix bearers , jolly fellows , whojoked and laughed and raced the Consu l ’s pony . Traffic hasworn for i tsel f a track

, Often indefin i te, but usual ly straggl ingover and ster i l iz ing a width enough for three or four h ighways ,and Often mak ing a new depar ture to avo id deep mud holes .The mud is n ear ly bottomless . Bullock-carts owned by Chinese attempt the transi t of goods , and two or three embeddedin the mud t i l l the spr ing showed wi th what success. Near

35


Ma-pu al l traffic has to cross a small pla in of deep sand . Packbulls

,noble an imals

,and m en are the carr iers of goods . The

redoubtable Korean pony was not to be seen . Foot passengers in dress hats and wadded wh i te garments wer e fa ir lynumerous .The track l ies through rol l ing country

,wel l cul t ivated .

There are on ly two or three v i l lages on the road,bu t there are

many , surrounded by fru i t trees , in the folds of the adjacen tlow h i l ls ; stunted p ines (Finns sz

’

nensz’

s) abound , and oftenind icate places of burial . The h i l ls ides are much taken up

w i th graves . There are wooden Sign or d istan t posts , wi thgrotesque human faces upon them , ch iefly that of Chang Sun ,a trai tor, whose m isdemeanors were comm i t ted yearsago . The general aspect of the coun try is bare and monotonous . Except for the orchards and the spindly pines , thereis no wood . There is no beau ty of form

,nor any of those

s igns of exclus iveness,such as gates or walls, wh ich g ive some

th ing of d ign i ty to a landscape . These were my first impress ions . But I came to see on later j ourneys that even on thatroad there can be a beauty and fasc inat ion in the scenery whenglor ified and ideal ized by the unr ivalled atmosphere of aKorean w inter

,wh ich i t is a del ight even to recall , and tha t

the Situat ion of Seoul for a sor t of we ird p icturesqueness compares favorably w i th that of almost any other cap i tal , but i tsor ien tal ism

,a marked feature of wh ich was i ts spec ial ly sel f

asser t ing d irt,is be ing fast improved off the face of the

ear th .

From the low pass known as the Gap , there is a v iew of theh i l ls in the ne ighborhood of Seoul , and before reach ing theHan these

,glor ified and exaggerated by an effect of atmos

phere, took on someth ing of grandeur . Cross ing the Han ina scow to wh ich my chair accomm odated i tsel f more read ilythan Mr . Gardner ’ s pony

,and encounter ing ferry boats ful l of

pack bulls bear ing the n ight soi l of the c i ty to the country ,we landed on the rough , steep , fi l thy , m iry river bank, and

Fi rst I m press ions of the Cap ital 37

were at once in the foul , narrow, sl imy , rough street Of Ma-pu ,a tw isted alley ful l of mean shops for the sale of native comm od ities , Of bulls carry ing moun tains o f brushwood wh ichnear ly fi l led up the roadway ; and w i th a crowd , mascu l inesolely

,wh ich swayed and loafed , and d id noth ing in par ticu

lar . Some qu iet agr icul tural coun try , and some fine trees , aresemblance to the land of the Bakht iar i Lurs , in the fact ofone m an work ing a Spade or shovel , wh i l e three others helpedhim to tur n up the so i l by an arrangemen t of ropes , then two

cha i rs w ith bearers i n blue un iforms , car ry ing Mrs . and M issGardner , accompani ed by B ishop Cor fe , Mr . M ’

Leavy Brown ,

the Ch ief Comm iss ioner of Korean Customs , and Mr . Fox ,the Ass istant Consul , then the hovels and alleys became th ick ,and we were in extra -mural Seou l . A lofty wall , pierced by adeep double -roofed gateway , was passed , and ten m inutes moreof m iserable al leys brough t us to a breezy h i l l , crowned bythe star ing red br ick bu i ld ings of th e Engl ish Legat ion and

Consular Offices .The Russ ian Legat ion has taken another and a h igher , and

i ts loftly tower and fine facade are the most conspicuous objectsin th e c ity , wh ile a th i rd is covered wi th bu i ld ings

,some

Korean and tasteful , but others in a painful style of archi tecture , a comb inat ion of the fac tory wi th the meet ing-house

, be

longing to the Am er ican Method ist Episcopal M ission ,the

Amer ican Presbyte r ians occupy ing a humbler pos i t ion below.

A h i l l on the other s ide of the town is ded icated to Japan ,and

so in every part Of the c i ty the fore igner , shut ou t ti l l 1883 , ismak ing his presence felt , and is u nderm in ing that wh ich isKorean in the Korean cap i tal by the Slow process of con tact .One of the most remarkable i nd icat ions of the changes

wh ich is steal ing over th e Herm i t C i ty is that a nearly fin ishedRoman Cathol ic Cathedral , of very large s ize , w i th a clergyhouse and orphanages , occup ies one of the most prom inent

pos i t i on s I n Seoul . The K ing ’s father , the Ta i -Won-K un,

st i l l act ively engaged in pol i t ics , is the man who , th irty years


ago,persecu ted the Roman Chr ist ians so cruel ly and persist

ent ly as to ra ise up for Korea a noble army of mar tyrs . ”

I know Seou l by day and n ight , i ts palaces and i ts slums,

its unspeakable meanness and faded splendors , i ts purposelesscrowds , i ts med iaeval process ions, wh ich for barbar ic splendorcannot be matched on ear th , the fi lth of i ts crowded alleys

,

and i ts p i t i ful attempt to reta in i ts manners , customs , and

ident i ty as the capi tal o f an anc ien t monarchy in face d the

host of d is integrat ing influences wh ich are at work , but i t isnot at firs t that one takes it in .

” I had known it for a yearbefore I apprec iated i t, or fully real ized that i t is ent i tled to beregarded as one of the great cap i tals of the wor ld , w i th i tssupposed populat ion Of a quar ter of a m i l l ion , and that fewcapi tals are more beau t ifully s i tuated .

1 One hundred and

twenty feet above the sea , in Lat . 37° 34’ N . and Long . 1 2 7°

6’ E .

,mountain g irdled , for the defin i te peaks and abrupt

elevat ion of i ts h i lls g ive them the grandeur of mountains ,though the ir h ighest summ i t , San -kak -San , has on ly an al t i tudeof feet , few ci ties can boast , as Seoul can , that t igersand leopards are shot w i th in their walls ! Ar id and forbidd ing these mountains look at t imes

,the ir ridges broken up

in to black crags and pinnacles, oft t imes ri s ing from among distor ted pines , but there are even ings of purple glory, whenevery forb idd ing peak gleams l ike an amethyst w i th a p inktranslucency , and the shadows are cobal t and the Sky is greenand gold . Fair are the surround ings too in ear ly spr ing , whena del icate green m ist vei ls the h i l ls

,and their sides are flushed

w i th the hel iotrope azalea,and flame of plum , and blush of

cherry , and tremulousness of peach blossom appear in uh

expected quar ters .Looking down on th i s great c i ty , wh ich has the aspect of a

lotus pond in November, or an expanse of overr ipe mush

1 By a careful census taken in February, 1897, the intra-m ural population of Seoul was souls

,and the extra-m ural total 2 19

8 15 , m ales predom inating to the extent of 1



sylvan sol i tudes,and I must add that no c i ty has env irons so

safe,and that lad ies w i thou t a European escor t can r ide, as I

have done,in every d irect ion outside the walls w i thout meet

ing w i th the sl igh test annoyance .

I shr ink from descr ib ing intra -mural Seoul .1 I though t i tthe foulest c i ty on ear th t i l l I saw Peking , and i ts smells themost od ious , t i l l I encoun tered those of Shao -sh ing ! For agreat c i ty and a cap i tal its meanness is indescr ibable . Eti

quette forbids the erection of two-stor ied houses , consequentlyan est im ated quar ter of a m i l l ion people are l iving on theground ,

” ch iefly in l abyr inth ine alleys,many of them not

w ide enough for two loaded bul ls to pass, indeed barely w ideenough for one man to pass a loaded bull

,and fur ther narrowed

by a ser ies of V i le holes or green ,sl imy d i tches

,wh ich receive

the sol id and l iqu id refuse of the houses , t heir foul and fet idmargins being the favor i te resor t of hal f-naked ch i ldren , be

gr imed w i th d ir t , and of big , mangy , blear-eyed dogs , wh ichwallow in the sl ime or bl ink i n the sun . There too the i t inerant vendor of “ small wares , and cand ies dyed flar ingcolors w i th an i l ine dyes , establ ishes h imself, puts a few planksacross the d itch

, and h is goods, wor th perhaps a dollar ,thereon . But even Seoul has i ts spr ing clean ing ,

”and I en

coun tered ou the sand plain of the Han , on the ferry, and onthe road from Ma-pu to Seoul , innumerable bulls carry ing pann ier s laden w i th the con ten ts of the c i ty d i tches .The houses abutting on these d i tches are general ly hovel s

w i th deep caves and thatch ed roofs , presen t ing noth ing to thestreet bu t a mud wall , w i th occas ional ly a small paper w indowjust under the roof

,ind icat ing the men ’s quar ters , and invar i

ably , at a he igh t varying from 2 to 3 feet above the d i tch , a

1 Now a von s caa ng e'

tou t cela . As wi ll be seen from a chapter near

the end of the book, th e Ch ief Com m issioner of Custom s , energeticall y

seconded by the Governor of Seou l , has worked surpr is ing im provem entsand san itary changes wh ich ,

i f car r ied out persever ingly, W i ll redeem the

capital from the charges wh ich travellers have brough t against i t.

First I m pressions of the Cap i tal 41

blackened smoke—hole , th e ven t for the smoke and heated air ,

wh ich have done thei r duty in warm ing the floor of the house .

All day long bulls laden w i th brushwood to a great he igh t areenter ing the Ci ty , and at s ix O

’

c lock th is p ine brush,prepar ing

to do the cook ing and warm ing for the populat ion , fi l ls everylane in Seou l wi th aromatic smoke , wh ich hangs over i t wi thremarkable punctual i ty . Even the super ior houses

,wh ich have

curved and t i led roofs,present noth ing better to the street than

th is debased. appearance .

The shops par take of the general meanness . Shops w i th astock- in -trade wh ich may be wor th s ix dollar s abound . It iseasy to walk in Seou l w i thou t molestat ion , but any one standing to look at anyth ing attracts a great crowd , so that i t is aswel l that there is noth ing to look at . The shops have l iteral lynot a notewor thy featur e . The ir one Character ist ic is thatthey have none The best shops are near th e Great Bell , beside wh ich former ly Stood a stone w i th an inscr ipt ion cal l ingon al l Koreans to put intrud ing fore igners to death . SO smallare they that al l goods are w i th in r each of th e hand . In oneof the three broad streets

,there are double rows of removable

booths,in wh ich now and then a smal l box of Korean niello

work , i ron inla id wi th s i lver , m ay be picked up. I n these andother s the pr i nc i pal commod it ies are wh i te cottons

,straw

shoes,bamboo hats , coarse pottery , candlest icks , w i th draugh t

screens , combs , glass beads , pipes , tobacco pouches , spi ttoons,horn -r immed goggles , much wor n by offic ials, paper of manyk inds

,wooden pi l low -ends

,decorated p i l lowcases

,fans

,ink

cases,huge wooden saddles w i th green leather flaps bossed w i th

s i lver,laundry st icks , d r ied persimmons , loathsome cand ies

dyed magen ta,scar le t

, and green ,m asses of dr ied seaweed

and fung i , and ill-Chosen col lect ion s of the most trumperyof foreign trash , such as Sixpenny kerosene lamps , handm irror s

,t insel vases

,etc . ,

the gen ius of bad taste pres id ingover all .Plain brass d inner sets and other brass ar t icles are m ade,


and some mother -of-pear l in lay ing in black lacquer from olddesigns is occas ionally to be purchased , and embro ider ies—i hSi lk and gold thread , but the des igns are ugly , and the coloring atroc ious . Fore igner s have bestowed the name Cab inetStreet on a street near the Engl ish Legat ion , g iven up to themak ing of bureaus and marr iage chests . These

,though not

mass ive, look so , and are r eally handsome , some being of sol idchestnut wood , others veneered w i th maple or peach , andbossed , strapped , and h inged w i th brass , bes ides be ing ornam ented w i th great brass hasps and brass padlocks 6 incheslong . These

,bes ides be ing thoroughly Korean

,are d ist inctly

decorat ive . There are few buyers,except in th e early morn

ing , and shopping does not seem a past ime , par tly becausenone but the poorest class of women can go out on foot bydayl ight .In the booth s are to be seen tobacco pipes, pipestems , and

bowls,coarse glazed pottery

,r ice bowls

,Japanese luci fer

matches , ani l ine dyes , tobacco pouches , pur ses , fl in t and t inder

pouches , rol ls of Oi led paper , tassels , s i lk cord , nu ts of theed ible p ine , r ice , m i l let , maize , peas , bean s , str ing shoes, oldcr inol ine hats

,bamboo and reed hats in endless var iety

,and

coarse nat ive cotton , very nar row .

I n th i s great human h ive,the ord inary Sightseer finds h is

vocat ion gone . The inhab i tants const i tu te th e “ sight ” ofSeou l . The great bronze bell , said to be the th i rd largest inthe wor ld , is one of the few sigh ts usually seen by strangers . It hangs in a bel l tower in the centre of the c i ty , andbears the fol low ing inscr ipt ion

Sye Cho the Great , 1 2 th year Man Cha [year of th e cycle]and moon , the 4th year of the great M ing Emperor Hsii an -hua[A .D . the head of the bureau of Royal d espatches , SyeK0 chyeng , bear ing the t i tle Sa Ka Chyeng , had th is pav i l ionerected and th i s bel l hung .

”

Th is bel l , whose dul l heavy boom i s heard in al l parts ofSeoul , has opened and closed

’

the gates for five centur ies .

Fi rst I m pressions of the Cap ital 43

The grand tr iple gateway of the Royal Palace wi th i ts ‘doubleroof

,the old aud ience hall in the Mulberry Gardens , and the

decorat ive roofs of th e gate towers , are all seen in an hour.There remains the Marble Pagoda, seven cen tur ies Old , so com

pletely h idden away in the back yard of a house in one of thefoulest and nar rowest al leys of th e ci ty , that many peoplenever see i t at al l . As I was in ten t on photograph ing some ofthe rel iefs upon i t, I V is i ted i t five t imes , and each t ime wi thfresh adm irat ion but so wedged in is i t, that one can only getany kind of Vi ew of i t by cl imb ing on the top of a wall .Every par t is carved , and the flat par ts r ichly so , some of thetablets represent ing H indu d ivin i t ies , wh i le other s seem topor tray the var ious stages of the soul ’s progress towards Nirvana . The des igns are undoubted ly Ind ian , mod ified byCh inese ar t ists, and th is th ing of beauty stands on the s i te ofa Buddh ist monastery . It is a th ir teen -stor ied pagoda, butthree stor ies were taken off in the Japanese invas ion th reecen tur ies ago , and placed on th e ground un inj ured . So theyremained , but on my last v i s i t ch i ldren had defaced the ex

quisite carving , and were Offer ing portions for sale . Not faroff is another rel ic of ant iqu i ty

,a decorated and inscribed

tablet stand ing on the back of a grani te tur t le of prod igiouss ize . Outside the west gate

, on a plain near the Pek ing Pass ,was a roofed and h ighly decorated arch of that form known asthe paz

'

lozo, and close by i t a sor t of palace hal l , in wh ich

every new sovereign of Korea wai ted for the com ing of a

spec ial envoy from Pek ing , whom he jo ined at the pa i low , ac

company ing h im to the palace,where he received from h im h is

invest i ture as sovereign .

On the slope of Nam - San the wh i te wooden bu i ld ings , simple and unpreten t ious, of the Japanese Legat ion are s i tuated ,and below them a Japanese colony of near ly persons ,equ ipped w i th tea-houses , a theatre , and the var ious arrangements essent ial to Japanese wel l -be ing . There , in acute contrast to everyth ing Korean

,are to be seen streets of shops and

44 Korea and Her Ne ighbors

houses where clean l iness,da i n t i ness, and thr ift reign supreme ,

and unve i led women , and m en i n girdled dress ing-gown s andclogs

,move about as freely as in Japan . There also are to be

seen m inu te sold iers or m i l i tary pol ice , and smar t be-swordedofficers

,who change guard at due in terva ls nor are such pre

caut ions needless , for the hered i ty of hate is strong in Korea ,and on two occas ion s the members of th is Legat ion have hadto fight the ir way down to the sea . The Legat ion was ocenp ied at the t ime of my first v isi t by Mr . Otor i , an elder ly m an

w i th pendulous wh i te wh iskers , who went much into the l i t tlesoc iety wh ich Seou l boasts , talked noth ings

,and gave no

prom ise of the rough vigor wh ich he showed a few mon thslater. There al so are the Japanese bank and post office , bothadm irably managed .

The Ch inese colony was in 1894 n ear ly as large,and dif

fered in no respect from such a colony anywhere else . Theforeigners depend for many th ings on the Ch inese Shops , andas the Kor eans l ike the Ch inese , they do some trade w iththem also . The imposing elemen t connected w i th Ch ina wasthe yam en of Yuan , the M in ister Res iden t and representat iveof Korea ’ s Suzerain , by many people regarded as “ the powerbeh ind the throne

,

” who is repor ted to have gone more thanonce unb idden in to the King ’s presence , and to have re

proached h im w i th his conduct of affai rs . Great courtyardsand lofty gates on wh ich are painted the usual guard ian gods ,and a br ick dragon screen , seclude the palace in wh ich Yuanl ived w i th h is guards and large ret inue ; and the number ofbig, superc i l ious m en ,

d ressed in r ich brocades and sat ins ,who hung about both th is Palace and th e Consulate , impressedthe Koreans w ith the power and statel iness wi th in . TheAmer icans were very severe on Yuan ,

but so far as I couldlearn h is ch ief faul t was that he let th ings alone , and neglectedto use h is unquestionably great power in favor of reform and

common honesty—but he was a Ch inese mandar in Hepossessed the power of l ife and death over Ch inamen ,

F i rst Im p ression s of the Cap ital 45

and his pun ishments were often to our th ink ing barbarous ,but the Ch inese feared h im so m uch that they treated theKoreans fair ly wel l , wh ich is more than can be said of theJapanese .

One of the “ s igh ts of Seou l is the stream or drain orwatercourse , a w ide, walled , open condu i t , along wh ich a

dark -colored fester ing stream slowly drags i ts malodorouslength

,among manure and refuse heaps wh ich cover up most

of what was once its sh ingly bed . Ther e , t ired of crowdsmascul ine solely , one may be refreshed by the s igh t of womenof the poorest class

,some ladl ing in to pa il s the compound

wh ich passes for water, and others wash ing Clothes in the fet id

pools wh ich pass for a stream . All wear one costume , wh ichi s pecul iar to the cap i tal , a green s i lk coat—a m an ’s coat w i ththe “

neck ” put over th e head and clutched below the eyes ,and long w ide Sleeves fal l ing from the ears. It is as wel l thatthe Korean woman is concealed

,for she is not a hour i . Wash

ing i s her man i fest dest iny so long as her lord wear s wh ite .She washes in th i s fou l r iver , in th e pond of th e MulberryPalace , in every wet d i tch , and ou ts ide the walls in the fewstreams wh ich ex ist . Clothes are par t ially unp icked

,bo i led

w i th ley three t imes , rolled into hard bundles , and poundedw i th heavy sticks on stones . After being dr ied they are

beaten w i th wooden st icks on cyl inders, t i l l they attain apol ish resembl ing dul l sat in . The women are slaves to thelaund ry, and the on ly sound wh ich breaks the st i l lness of aSeoul n ight is the regular beat of the ir laundry st icks .From the beaut iful h i l l Nam -San ,

from the Lon e Tree H il l,

and from a h i l l above the Old Mulberry Palace, Seou l is best

seen , w i th i ts mountainou s su rround ings , here and there darkwi th p ines, but mostly naked , fal l ing down upon the c1ty I n

black arid corrugat ions . These moun tains enclose a valleyabou t 5 m i les long by 3 broad , in to wh ich peopl e arecramm ed and wedged . The ci ty is a sea of low brown roofs ,mostly of thatch , and all but monotonous, no trees and no


Open spaces . R is ing ou t of th is brown sea there are thecurved double roofs of the gates , and the gray gran i te wal ls ofthe royal palaces , and w i th in them the sweeping roofs of var ious aud ience hal ls . Cut t ing the c i ty across by runn ing fromthe east to the west gate is one broad street , another str ik ingoff from th i s runs to the south gate , and a th ird 60 yards w ideruns from the great cen tral ar tery to the palace . Th is is theonly one wh ich is kept clear of encumbrance at al l t imes,the others be ing occup ied by double rows of booths, leav ingon ly a nar row space for traffic on ei ther s ide . When I firstlooked down on Seoul ear ly in March , one street along itswhole length appeared to be sti l l encumbered w i th the drift ofthe previous w in ter ’s snow . I t was only by the aid of a glassthat I d iscovered that th is is the great promenade , and thatthe snowdr ift was j ust the garmen ts of the Koreans , wh itenedby ceaseless labor w i th th e laundry sticks . I n these threebroad streets the moving crowd of men in wh i te robes andblack dress hats seldom flags . They seem dest i tu te of any ob

ject. Many of them are of the yang -ban or noble Class, towhom a r ig id et iquette forbids any but Offic ial or tu tor ial occupat iou

,and many of whom ex ist by hanging on to the ir more

for tunate relat ives . Young m en of the m iddle class im i tatethe ir nonchalance and swing ing gai t .There

,too

,are to be seen offic ials, superbly dressed ,

moun ted on very fat but handsome pon ies , w i th profuse manesand tai ls , th e r iders Sit t ing uneas i ly on the tops of saddlesw i th showy capar ison ings a foot h igh , hold ing on to the sadd lebow, two retainers lead ing the steed

,and two more hold ing

the rider in h is place or Offic ials in palanqu ins , w i th bearersat a run , am id large r et inues . I n the more plebeian streetsnoth ing i s to be seen bu t bul ls carry ing p ine brush , str ings ofpon ies loaded w i th sal t or coun try produce , water-carr ier sw i th pai ls slung on a yoke , splash ing the i r contents, andcool ies car ry ing burdens on wooden pack saddles .But in the narrower alleys

,of wh ich there are hundreds,



The nocturnal s i lence is very im press ive . There is no

human hum , th rob , or gurgle . The darkness too is absolute,

as there are few if any l ighted windows to the streets . Upon

a s i lence wh ich may be fel t,the deep

,penetrat ing boom of

the great bell breaks w i th a sound wh ich is alm ost om inous.

TURTLE STONE

CHAPTER III

THE KUR -DONG

EFORE leaving England letters from Korea had warnedme of the d ifficulty of travel l ing in th e inter ior , of getting

a trustwor thy servan t , and above al l , a trustwor thy interpreter .

Weeks passed by , and though B ishop Cor fe and other s exer tedthemselves on my behalf, these essen t ial requ is i tes were not

fo r thcom ing , for to find a rel iable Engl ish -speak ing Korean iswel l-n igh imposs ible . There are Engl ish - speak ing Koreanswho have learned Engl ish , some in the Government School ,and others in the Method is t Ep i scopal School , and many ofthese I i nterviewed . The Engl ish of al l was infirm , and theywere all l imp and t im id , a set o f poor creatures . Some ofthem seemed very anx iou s to go w i th me , and were par t iallyengaged , and the next day came , look ing uneasy, and balancing themselves on th e edge of the ir cha irs, told me that the irmothers said they must not go because there were tigers, orthat three mon ths was too long a journey , or that they couldnot go so far from the ir fam i l ies , etc . At last a young m an

came who really Spoke passable Engl ish , but on entering theroom w i th a fam i l iar nod , he threw h imsel f down in an easychair

,swing ing h is leg over the arm He asked many ques

t ions about th e journey , said i t was very long to be away fromSeoul , and that he should requ ire one horse for h is baggageand another for h imsel f. I remarked that , in order to getthrough the d ifficul t ies of the journey , i t would be necessary tol im i t the baggage as much as possible . He said he could not

go wi th fewer than n ine su i ts of clothes ! I remarked that aforeigner would on ly take two , and that I shou ld reduce m y

49


sel f to two . Yes,he repl ied , but fore igners are so d ir ty

in their hab i ts . Th is from a Korean So once more I hadto settle down

,and accept the k indly hospi tal i ty of my fr iends,

trusting that someth ing would “ tur n up .

By th i s delay I came in for th e K ei r -dong ,

lone of the most

remarkable spectacles I ever saw , and i t had the added in terestof being seen in i ts splendor for probably the last time , asc i rcumstances wh ich have s ince occurred , and the n ecessi tyfor economy , must pu t an end to much of th e scen ic d isplay .

The occas ion was a V isi t of the K ing in state to sacr ifice inone of the ancestral temples of h is dynasty , member s of wh ichhave occup ied the Korean throne for five centur ies . L ivingsecluded in h is palace

,guarded by m en

,h is subjects

forb idden to pronounce h is name,wh ich indeed i s seldom

known,in total ignorance of any other aspect of h is k ingdom

and capital than that fur n i shed by th e two streets throiaghwh ich he passes to Offer sacr ifice , th e days on wh ich he performs th is pious act offer to h is subjects the ir sole oppor tun ities of gazing on h is augus t coun tenance . As the Queen ’sprocession passed by on the day of the Duke of York ’s m ar

r iage, I heard a work ingman say,“ It ’s we as pays

, and wel ikes to get the valey for our m oney .

” The Korean pays inanother and heavier sen se

,and as in tens of thousands he

crowds in reveren t ial s i lence the route of the K nr -dong , he isprobably glad that the one br i l l ian t spectacle of the yearshould be as Splend id as poss ible .

The monotony of Seoul is someth ing remarkable . Brownmoun tains p icked out ” in black

,brown m ud walls , brown

roofs , brown roadways,whether mud or dust, wh i le human i ty

is in black and wh i te . Always th e same bundled-up womenclutch ing the ir green coats under their eyes , always the samesurge of yang -oan r and the ir fam i l iars swinging along South

1 I f an apology be necessary for the following m inute descr iption of

th is un ique cerem on ial , I offer i t on the ground that i t was probably thelast of its k ind , and th at full deta i ls of i t have not been given before.

The K u r-dong 5 1

Street , the same str ings of squeal ing pon ies “ spo i l ing for afight ,

” the same process ions of majest ic red bulls under towering loads of brushwood , the sam e cool ies in d i r ty wh ite, forever carry ing burdens , the same joyless d ir ty ch i ld ren gett ingthrough l ife on the gutters ’ edge , and the same brown ish dogs ,feebly wrangl ing over offal . On such monotony and colorlessness

,the K nr -a

’ong bursts l ike the sun . Alas for th is mean

but fasc inat ing capi tal , that the most recent steps towardsc iv il izat ion should involve the abol i t ion of i ts one spectacleBy s ix in the morn ing of the looked -for day we were on

our way from the Engl ish Legat ion to a pos it ion near the GreatBell

,al l the male populat ion of the alleys taking the same

d irect ion , along w i th ch i ldren in colors , and some of thepoorer class of women w i th gay handkerch iefs folded Romanfash ion on the ir ha ir . For the first t ime I saw the grand propor tions of the road cal led by fore igners Sou th Street . Thedouble rows of booths had been removed the n igh t before ,and along the s ide of the street

,at in tervals of 20 yards

,

torches 10 feet h igh were let into the ground to l igh t the K ingon h is return from sacr ific ing . It is on ly by i ts impos ingw idth that th is great street lends i tsel f to such a d isplay

,for

the houses are low and mean,and on one s ide at least are only

super ior hovels . I n place of the booths th e subjects weremassed twelve deep , the regular ity of the fron t row be ing preserved by a number of yam en runners

,who brough t down

the ir wooden padd les w i th an unm erc i ful whack on any one

break ing the l ine . The Singular monotony of baggy wh i tecoats and black cr inol ine hats was rel ieved by boy br idegrooms in yellow hats and rose pink coats , by the green s i lkcoats of women

,and the green

, pink , hel iotrope and Turkeyred dresses of ch i ld ren . The crowd had a qu ietly pleased butvery l imp look . There was no jol l i ty or exc itement , no flagsor popular demonstrat ions , and scarcely a hum from a concourse wh ich must have numbered at least hal f theci ty , together w i th num bers from the country who had walked


three and four days to see the spec tacle . Squal id and meanis ord inary Korean l ife , and the King is a myth for most ofthe year . No wonder that the people turn out to see as splend id a spectacle as the world has to show ,

i ts splendor centringround the ir usual ly secluded sovere ign . I t is to the glory Of adynasty wh ich has occupied the Korean throne for five centur ies as well as in honor of the present occupant .The hour of leaving the palace had been announced “

as 6 A .

M . , but though i t was before the boom of a heavy gunannounced that the process ion was in mot ion

, the interestnever flagged the whole t ime . Hundreds of cool ies spr inkledred earth for the w idth of a foot along the m iddle of thestreets , for hypothet ical ly the King must not pass over soi lwh ich has been trodden by the feet of his subjects. Squadrons of cavalry , w i th cool ies lead ing thei r shabby pon ies, tookup posi tions along the route , and i n a great mass in front ofus . The troopers sat on the ground smok ing , t i l l a very distr a it bugle-cal l sen t them to the ir saddles . The pon ies bit,kicked , and squealed , and the grotesque and often i neffectualattempts of the men to moun t them provoked the laughter ofthe crowd , as one trooper after another , w ith one foot in thest irrup and the other on the ground , hopped round at thepleasure of h is steed . After al l , w i th the help of the ircool ies ,were mounted , whacks secretly adm i n istered by men in thecrowd nearly unhorsed many of them , but they clung w i thboth hands to the ir saddle bows and even tual ly formed into aragged l ine .Among the very curious sights were poles carried at meas

ured d istances suppor t ing rectangular frames resembl ing smal lumbrel la stands , fi l led w i th feathered arrows , and messengersdash ing along as if they had been shot and were escaping fromanother shaft , for from the backs o f the ir collars protrudedarrows wh ich had apparently en tered obl iquely. E i ther onthe back or breast or both of the superb dresses of officialswere sat in squares embro idered in un ique designs, represent ing

The K u r-dong 53

birds and beasts,storks ind icat ing c iv i l , and t igers m i l i tary,

rank,wh i l e the number of b irds or an imals on the lozenge de

noted th e wearer ’s exact pos i t ion .

Though there were long stretches of s i lence , scarcely brokenby the hum of a multi tude

,there were no isy in ter ludes , novel

in the ir nature, produced by m en

,somet imes fifteen in a row,

who carr ied poles wi th a number of steel r ings loosely strungupon them ,

wh ich they tossed in to the a ir and al lowed to fal laga inst each other w i th a metall ic cl ink , loud and str ident .Likew ise the trains of servan ts in attendance on mandar insem i tted pecul iar cr ies , sound ing G in un ison , then rais ingthe ir note and s inging C three t imes , afterwards , w i th a fal ling cadence , s inging G aga in .

But of the no ises wh ich passed for music , th e most cur ious as to method was that made by the d rummers , whom arched irregular ly in open order in l ines extend ing across thebroad roadway . These carr ied bowl - shaped kettledrumsslung hor izontally, and bass drum st icks main ly h idden bythe ir volum inous sleeves . I n t ime w i th th e march ing , th er ight hand st ick rose above the d rummer ’s head , then the leftst ick in l ike manner , bu t both fell aga in near ly to the d rumw i thou t em i tt ing a sound ! The next act of th e per formancecons isted in l ift ing both st icks above the head together andaga in br ing ing them down s i lently . F inally th e st icks werecrossed , and dur ing two m arch ing steps rose feebly

,and as

feebly fel l on th e ends of the drum , producing a m uffledsound , and th is programme was repeated dur ing the durat ionof the m arch .

Sold iers in rusty black belted frocks,w ide trousers , band

aged into padded socks , and straw shoes , stacked arms in as ide street . Closed black and colored chai rs wen t past at atrot . Palace at tendan ts in hundreds in brown glazed cottonsleeved cloaks

,blue under robes’ t ied below the knee w i th

bunches of red r ibbon,and st iff black hats , w i th heavy fan

shaped plumes of peacock ’s feathers , rode ragged pon ies on


gay saddles of great height , w i thou t br idles , the an imals beingled by cool ies. H igh Offic ials passed in numbers in chairs oron pony back

,each w i th from twenty to th ir ty gay attendants

runn ing bes ide him ,and a row of bannermen extend ing across

the broad street beh ind him, each man w i th a s i lk banner

bear ing the cognomen of h is lord . These officials were su

perbly dressed , and made a Splend id show . They wore black,

h igh -crowned hats , w i th long cr imson tassels beh ind , and

heavy, black ostr ich plumes fall ing over the br im in fron t ,mazar ine blue s i lk robes , spl i t up to th e wa ist beh ind , w i thorange s i lk under robes and most volum i nous cr imson trousers ,loosely t ied above the ankles w i th knots of sky blue ribbon ,

wh i le streamers of r ibbon fel l from throats and girdles , andthe hats were secured by throat lashes of large amber beads .

Each carr ied over his shoulder a yel low s i lk banneret w i th hisstyle in Ch inese characters in cr imson upon it , and in th esame hand h is baton of office , w i th a profus ion of streamers ofr ich r ibbons depend ing from it. The sleeves were orange inthe upper par t and cr imson in the lower , and very ful l .The overfed and sel f-w i l led pon ies , ch iefly roan and gray ,

are very handsome , and showily capar isoned , the heads covered w i th blue , red , and yel low balls , and surmoun ted w i thgreat cr imson Si lk pom pous , the br idles a coupl e of cr imsons i lk scarves , the saddles a sor t of leather-covered padded packsaddle 1 2 inches above the an imal ’s back , w i th w ide , deepflaps of br igh t green s i lver -bossed leather hanging down on

e ither s ide , the crupper s folded wh i te s i lk , and the breastplat esh ields of gold embro idery . The gorgeous r ider

,l ifted by h i s

servan ts upon th is elevat ion,stands erect in his st ir rups w i th

h is feet not halfway down h is pony ’s s ides , his left handcl utch ing rather than hold ing an arch placed for th i s purposeat the bow of the saddle . These offic ials made no attempt tohold the ir own br idles

, the ir pon ies were led by servants , retainers suppor ted them by the feet on e ither s ide , and as the irmounts showed the ir resen tmen t of the pace and c ircumstances



or to say what d ign i tar ies flashed by in the kale idoscopic blazeof color .

The procession of the King was led by the general of thevanguard ,

” superbly dressed , suppor ted by retainers on h is ledpony

,and followed by crowds of d ign i taries

,each w i th h is

train,sold iers

,men carry ing aloft frames of arrows , reach ing

near ly across the road , and huge flags of si lk brocade sur

moun ted by plumes of pheasan t ’s feathers,servan ts in rows of

a hundred in the most del icate shades of blue,green , or mauve

s i lk gauze over wh i te , halberd iers , grandees , each w i th a reti nue of bannermen , rows of royal bannermen carrying yellowand blue s i lk flags emblazoned

,cavalry men in im i tat ion gold

helmets and med iaeval armor, and t iger hun ters wear ing coarse

black fel t hats w i th con ical crowns and dark blue coats , trai ling long guns . W i th scarcely a pause fol lowed the Pres iden tof the Fore ign Office , h igh above the crowd on a monocycle ,a black wheel suppor t ing on two upr ights a black platform ,

carry ing a black cha ir decorated w i th a leopard sk in , the occupant of wh ich was car r ied by e igh t m en at a he ight of 8feet from the ground . More sold iers , bannermen ,

and drumm ers

,and then came the ch ief of the eunuchs , grandly d ressed ,

w i th an immense ret inue,and a large number of his subord i

nates , most of whom up to that t ime , by the ir pos I tion in th epalace and the ir capac i ty for in tr igue , had exerc ised a verybaneful influence on Korean affa ir s .The process ion became more qua in t and motley st il l . Palace

attendants appeared i n the br il l ian t garments of the Koreanm iddle ages ; cavalry in an t ique armor were jumbled up w i thcaval ry in loose cotton frocks and baggy trousers , supposed tobe d ressed and armed in European fash ion , bu t I fa i led to detect the flattery of im i tat ion . There were cavalry in blackTyrolese hats w i th pink r ibbon round them ,

black cotton sacksloosely girdled by leather belts w i th brass Clasps n ever cleaned ,wh i te wadded stock ings , and hempen shoes . Some had leathersaddles, others rode on pack saddles , w i th the great pad wh ich

The K u r-dong 57

shou ld go under neath on the top ; some held on to the ir saddles ,others to the ir rope br idles , the pon ies of some wer e led bycool ies in d ir ty wh i te Clothes ; the officers were al l held on

the ir sadd les , many tucked their old -fash ioned swords undertheir arms , lest carry ing them in regulat ion fash ion shouldmake the ir an imals k ick the feet of some near ly touched theground , and those of others hung on ly hal fway down the irpon ies ’ s ides ; pon ies squealed , ne ighed , r eared , and j ibbed

,

but somehow or other these s ingular horsemen managed to

form ragged l ines .Then came foot sold iers w i th rusty muskets and innum er

able standards,generals , cour t d ign i tar ies , statesm en , some w i th

cr imson hats w i th heavy black plum es, others w i th h igh peakedcrinol ine hats w i th project ing w ings

,others w i th lofty m i tres

covered w i th t insel gleam ing l ike gold , each w i th a splend idtrain . Med iaeval costumes blaz ing w i th color flashed past

,

there were more sold iers , and th is t ime they car r ied Sn iderrifles , two Gatl ing gun s were d ragged by yam en runners , whofrant ically spanked al l and sundry wi th the ir paddles , d rummers beat the i r d rums unmerc i fully

,fifes shrieked

,there were

more d ign i tar ies w i th fa iryl ike ret inues in blue and green s i lkgauze

,the King ’ s per sonal attendan ts in crowds fol lowed in

yellow,w i th bamboo hats tr immed w i th rosettes

,s tandard

bearers came next , bear ing the Royal standard , a w inged t igerrampan t on a yellow ground , more flags and troops , and thenthe cur ious ins ign ia of Korean Royal ty, includ ing a monstrousred s i lk umbrella , and a s ingular frame of stones . More grandees

,more sold iers

,more mus ical instruments , and then come

the Royal chai rs , the first,wh ich was canop ied w i th red s i lk ,

be ing empty , the theory be ing that th is was the more l ikely torece ive an assass in ’s blow. A huge tr iden t was carr ied in fron tof i t. After th is

,borne h igh aloft by for ty bearers clothed in

red,in a superb cha ir of red lacquer , r ich ly tassel led and can

Opied , and w i th wings to keep off the sun , came the King ,whose pale

,langu id face never changed i ts express ion as he


passed wi th all the d ign i ty and splendor of his k ingdom throughthe s ilen t crowd .

More grandees, servants, sold iers , standard-bearers , arrowmen

,officials , cavalry , and led horses form ed the procession

of the Crown Pr ince , who was also carr ied in a red palanqu in ,and looked paler and more impass ive than h is father . Thesupply of Offic ials seemed inexhaust ible , for beh ind h im camea quar ter of a m ile Of grandees in splend id costumes , wi th hatsdecorated w i th red velvet and peacock ’s feathers , and throatlashes of great amber beads

,w i th al l the ir Splend id trains , foot

m en in armor bossed w i th large na i ls , drum mers , m en carrying arrow frames and i ns ignia on poles , then the general o fthe rear guard ”

in a gleam ing helmet and a splend id blue ,cr imson

,and gold un i form ,

propped up by retainers on hishandsome pony , more sold iers armed wi th old matchlock guns ,lastly m en bear ing arrow frames and standards , and w i th themthe barbar ic and bizarre splendor of the K err -dong was over ,and the wh i te crowd once more overflowed the mean street .Qu i te late in the even ing the Royal pageant returned by thel ight of stat ionary torches , w i th lanterns of blue and cr imsons i lk undulat ing from the heads of p ikes and bayonets .Th is truly splend id d isplay was estimated to cost $ 2

a heavy burden on the smal l resources of the k ingdom . It isonly thus surrounded that the King ever appears in publ ic

,and

the splendor accentuates the squalor of the dai ly l ife of th emasses of the people in the foul al leys wh ich make up most ofthe c i ty . It must be remembered that the people tak ing partin the pageant are not m en h ired and d ressed up by a co:tam ier

, but that they are actual Cour t offic ials and noblemenin the dress of to—day

, and that the weapons carr ied by the sold iers are those w i th wh ich they are supposed to repel attack orpu t down rebell ion .

CHAPTER IV

SEOUL , THE KOREAN MECCA

URTHER d ifficult ies and delays,wh ile they pushed m y

j our ney into the in ter ior into the hot weather , gave methe advan tage of learn ing a l i ttle abou t the peopl e and th ecountry before Star t ing . I n one sense Seoul is Korea . Takea mean al ley in i t w i th i ts mud -walled hovels

,deep-caved brown

roofs , and malodorous d i tches w i th the ir foulness and greensl ime

,and i t may serve as an example of the street of every

v i l lage and prov inc ial town . I n country places there are fewindustr ial specialt ies . A Seou l Shop of “ assor ted not ions ”

represents th e shop of every country town . The wh i te clothi ng and the cr inol ine d ress hat are the same everywhere as inSeoul . Whatever of nat ional l i fe there is exists on ly in thecapi tal . Strong as is the dr ift towards London in our own agr icul tural d istr icts

,i t is stronger i n Korea towards Seoul . Seou l

is not on ly the seat of governmen t , but it is the cen tre of offic iall ife , of al l official employmen t , and of the l i terary exam inations wh ich were th e on ly avenues to employment . It is alwayshoped that someth ing may be p icked up ” in Seoul . Hencethere is a constant perm anent or temporary grav itat ion towardsi t, and the larger propor t ion of th e youths who sw ing and

lounge on sunny afternoons along the broad streets , ap ing thegai t of yang -bans

,are Rspirants for offic ial pos it ion . Gusts of

popular feel ing wh ich pass for publ ic opin ion in a land whereno such th ing ex ists are known on ly in Seoul . It is i n thecap i tal that the Korean feels the first stress of h is unsough t andaltogether undesired contact w i th Western c iv i l izat ion , and re

sembles noth ing so much as a m an awaking from a profound59


sleep, rubb ing his eyes half-dazed and look ing d ream i ly abouth im , not qu i te sure where he is .

Seoul is also the commerc ial cen tre of a country whose ideasof commerce are l im i ted to huckster ing transact ions . All

bus iness is done there . All coun try shops are suppl ied wi thgoods from Seoul . All produce not sh ipped from the treatypor ts converges on Seoul . I t is the centre of the great trad inggu i lds , wh ich exerc ise a pract ical monopoly in cer ta in sorts ofgoods , as well as of the gu i ld of por ters by whom the trafficof the country is carr ied on . The hear t of every Korean is inSeoul . Offic ials have town houses in th e cap i tal , and trustthe ir bus iness to subord inates for much of the year. Landedpropr ietors draw the ir rents and squeeze the people on

the ir estates , but are absentees l iving in the cap i tal . Everym an who can pay for food and lodg ing on the road trudges tothe cap i tal once or tw ice a year , and peopl e who l ive in i t , ofwhatever degree , can hardly ‘ be br ibed to leave i t even for afew weeks . To the Korean i t is the place in wh ich alone l ifeis worth l iving .

Yet i t has no objects of art, very few ant iqu i t ies , no publ icgardens

,no d isplays except the rare one of the K err -dong , and

no theatres . It lacks every charm possessed by other c i t ies .An t ique , i t has no ru ins , no l ibrar ies , no l iterature , and lastlyan ind ifference to rel igion w i thou t a parallel has left i t w i thouttemples

,wh i le cer tain superst it ions wh ich st i l l reta in the ir hold

have left it w i thou t a tombLeav ing ou t the templ e of Con fuc ius and the homage offi

c ially rendered to h is table t in Korea as in Ch ina , there are nooffic ial temples in Seoul , nor m igh t a pr iest enter its gates under pain of death , consequently the emphas i s wh ich noble religious bu i ld ings gi ve even to the meanest c i ty in Ch ina orJapan is lack ing . There is a small temple to the God of Warouts ide the sou th gate

,w i th some very cur ious frescoes , but I

seldom saw any worsh ippers there . The absence of temples isa feature o f the other Korean c i t ies . Buddh i sm

,wh ich for



h i l l,as at the Pr incess ’ s Tomb , is often occup ied by a tem

ple- l ike bu i ld ing conta in i ng tablets w i th the name and rank ofthe dead . The Royal tombs are approached by stately avenuesof g igan t ic stone figures , poss ibly a harmless survival of th epract ice of offer ing human and other sacr ifices at a burial .These figures represent a pr ies t , a warr ior in armor, a servan t ,a pony , and a sheep The poorer dead occupy h i l ls idesin numbers , rest ing under grass mounds on smal l platforms ofgrass always neatly kept . The lucky place for intermen t is inall cases chosen by the geomancer . Beh ind r ich men ’s gravesp ines are usual ly plan ted in a crescen t . The dead populat ionof the h i l ls ides round Seou l is s imply enormous .

Funerals usual ly go out near dusk w i th a great d isplay ofcolored lan terns, but I was for tunate enough to see an ar t isan

’ scorpse carr ied ou t by dayl igh t . F irst came four drums and asort of fife perpetrat ing a l ively tune as an accompan imen t toa l ively song . These were fol lowed by a hearse, if i t may becalled so

,a domed and gaud i ly pain ted construct ion w i th a

gar land of ar t ific ial flowers in the cen tre of the dome , a wh i teKorean coat th rown across the roof, and four flagstaffs w i thgay flags at the four corners, bamboo poles , flower -wreathed ,form ing a platform on wh ich the hearse was borne by e ightm en in peaked yellow hats garlanded wi th blue and p ink flowers . Bouquets of th e same were d isposed carelessly on thefron t and s ides of th e hearse

,th e latter be ing covered w i th

sh ield—shaped flags of gaud i ly colored musl in . The ch iefmourner fol lowed , completely clothed in sackcloth , wear ing anumbrella -Shaped hat over 4 feet in d iameter , and hold ing a sackcloth screen before h is face by two bamboo handles . Men in

flower -wreathed hats surrounded him ,some of th em walk ing

backwards and s ing ing . He looked fittingly grave , but it is acommon custom for those who attend the ch ief mourner to tryto make h im laugh by com ic ant ics and j ocular rem arks .There are bur ial clubs ” i n Seoul to wh ich car/z are

con tr ibuted ( then wor th about th ir ty -three dollars, s i lver ) .

Seou l , the Korean Mecca 63

The first man to d ie rece ives car/z, th e secondand the th i rd Th is m an had belonged to one ofthese , wh ich accounts for an art isan having such a handsomefuneral .Mourners dress in straw-colored hempen Cloth , and al l wear

the enormous hats men t ioned before , wh ich so near ly concealthe face that the carry ing of the grass-cloth screen i s almosta work of supererogat ion . A mour ner may not en ter th e palace grounds, and as mourn ing for a father lasts for three years ,a cour t ier thus bereaved is for that t ime w i thdrawn fromCour t .Among the cur iou s customs main ly of Ch inese or igin con

nected w i th death are th e dress ing the dy ing person in h is bestclothes when death is very close at hand . The very poor arebur ied coffinless in a wrapping of straw,

and are car r ied bytwo men on a b ier , the nature of the burden be ing concealedby hoops covered w i th paper .

When Buddh ist pr iests and temples were proh ibi ted in thewalled towns th ree cen tu r ies ago

,anyth ing l ike a nat ional

fai th d isappeared from Korea , and i t is on ly through ancestralworsh ip and a form of Shaman ism ” pract iced by the lowerand middle classes that any recogn i t ion of the unseen survives ,and that is in i ts most superst i t ious and rud imen tary form .

Protestant Chr ist ian m iss ionar ies , preceded in 1 784 by those ofthe Roman Cathol ic Church , en tered Korea in 1884 , almost assoon as the coun try was opened by treaty , and agents of theAmerican Method is t Epi scopal and Nor thern Presbyter ianChu rches took up the ir abode in Seoul . They have been followed by represen tat ives of several o f the d ivi s ions amongProtestan ts—Southern Presbyter ians , Canad ian Presbyter ians ,Austral ian Presbyter ians , and Bapt ists—and in 1890 the firstEngl ish m iss ion to Korea was founded under B ishop Cor fe . A

Roman Cathol ic Chu rch and a very large Roman Cathol icCathedral w i th a Spire occupy two of the most prom inent s i tesin Seoul . One of the best si tes is covered wi th the bu i ld ings


belonging to the Method ist Ep i scopal M iss ion , schools for girlsand boys, a print ing press , a Un ion Church , and hospi tals formen and women , w i th wh ich d ispensar ies are connected . Thegi r ls ’ school connected w i th th is m iss ion is one of the mostadm irable in i ts organ izat ion and resu lts that I have seen . ThePresbyter ians occupy a lowl ier pos i t ion , but have the sameclass of agencies at work , and lately the K ing handed ove r tothem a large hosp i tal in the C i ty , known as the GovernmentHospi tal .

!

B ishop Corte ’s m iss ion occupies two modest s i tes in modestfash ion , al l its bu i ld ings be ing str ictly Korean . On one s ideof Seoul , at Nak -tong , it has the Commun i ty House , where theb ishop, clergy, doctor, and printer l ive and have the ir pr ivatechapel , also the M iss ion press, and a very effic ien t hosp i tal form en , adm irably nursed by the Sisters of St. Peter

’

s Ki lburn .

On the slope of the Br i t ish Legat ion H i l l are the Engl ishChurch of the Advent , a beauti ful Korean bu i ld ing , the Commun i ty House of the Sisters of St. Peter

,and the Women ’s

Hosp i tal bu i ld ings , embrac ing a d ispensary , a new hosp i tal

( the Dora B ird Memor ial ) of e ighteen beds, w i th a room for apr ivate pat ien t

,bes ides an old hospi tal , to be used only for ih

fectious d iseases . These are under the charge of a lady phys ician ,

and are also nursed by the Sisters Of St. Peter , who inboth hospi tals do adm irable work in a br igh t and loving sp ir i twh ich is beyond all pra ise .

There are abou t 75 Protestant and 34 Roman m iss ionar i es inKorea

,mostly in Seoul . The language has the reputat ion of

be ing very d ifficul t , and few of th i s large number have acqu iredfac i l i ty in th e use of i t. The idea of a nat ion dest i tu te of arel igion , and gladly accept ing one brough t by the foreigner,must be dropped . The rel igion the Korean would accept isone wh ich would show h im how to get money w i thout work ingfor it. The ind i fference is extreme , the rel igious facul ty isabsen t , there are no rel igious ideas to appeal to , and the moralteach ings of Con fuc ius have l i ttle influence w i th any class .

Seou l , the Korean Mecca 65

The Korean has got on so wel l w i thout a rel igion , in his ownOp in ion , that he does not want to be troubled w ith one

,spe

cially a rel ig ion of restraint and sacr ifice wh ich has no wor ld lygood to offer . After near ly twelve years of work , the numberof bapt ized nat ive Protestan t Chr ist ians in 1897 wasThe Roman Cathol ics claim and that the average rateof increase is a year .

2 The ir pr iests l ive mostly in thewretched hovels of th e people, am idst the ir foul surround ings ,and share the ir unpalatable food and sord id l ives . Doubtless

,

m iss ion work in Korea w i l l not d iffer greatly from such workelsewhere among the older c ivi l izat ions . Barr iers of ind ifference, superst i t ion; and inertn ess exist , and whatever progressis made wi l l probably be ch iefly through med ical m issions ,show ing Chr ist ian i ty in act ion , and nat ive agency , and throughsuch schools as I have already al luded to , wh ich leave everyfeature of Korean custom , dress , and manner of l iving nu

touched,wh i le Chr ist ian instruct ion and train ing are the first

objects , and where the gent le , loving , ennobl ing influence ofthe teachet is fel t during every hour of the day .

1 I n 1897 the influence of Chr istian ity was m uch stronger than in 1895 ,

and the prospects of i ts spread m uch m ore encouraging .

2 For statistics of M issions in February, 1897, see Appendix.

CHAPTER V

THE SA ILING OF THE SAMPAN

T a poin t when the d ifficu lt ies in the way of my pro

jected jour ney had come to be regarded as insurm ountable

,ow ing to the imposs ib i l i ty of gett ing an interpreter, and

I had begun to say “ if I go in stead of token I go ,” Mr .

M il ler,a young m iss ionary

,offered h is serv ices , on cond i t ion

that he m ight take h is servan t to supplemen t h is imperfectknowledge of Korean . B ishop Cor fe prov ided me w i th aChinese servan t , Wong , a fine , b ig ,

cheery fellow,w i th inex

haustible good -nature and con ten tmen t , never a cloud of ahnoyance on his face , always mak ing the best of everyth ing ,ready to help every one, true , honest , plucky , pass ionatelyfond of flowers

,fa i th ful

,man ly

,always wel l and hungry , and

w ith a passable knowledge of Engl ish He was a Chefoo sampan -m an when B ishop Cor fe p icked h im up, and noth ing couldmake h im into a regular servan t , but he su i ted me adm irably,and I was gr ieved indeed when I had to par t w i th h im .

The d ifficul ty about money wh ich then beset every travel lerin the inter ior cost a good deal of anx ious plann ing . TheJapanese yen and i ts subd iv is ions were on ly curren t in Seou land the treaty por ts

,there were no bankers or money-changers

anywhere, and the only co in accepted was th e car/z, of wh ich

at that t ime nom inal ly wen t to the dol lar . Th is co in isstrung in hund reds on straw str ings , and the count ing of it,and the carry ing of i t, and the be ing w i thou t i t are al l anu isance . It takes s ix m en or one pony to carry 100 yen in

cash , £ 10 ! Travel lers,th rough the ir Consuls , can obtain

from the Fore ign Office a letter to offic ials throughou t thecountry cal led a éwan -j a , ent i tl ing the bearer to the ir good

66


The Sai l ing of the Sam pan

offices , and espec ial ly to food , transport , and money . But asi t usual ly happens that a mag istrate advanc ing money to a fore igner i s not repa id by the Government , however accuratelythe sum has been pa id in Seoul , the arrangemen t i s a veryod ious one to officials , and I prom ised our Consul that I wouldnot make use of i t for money . Consequen tly , th e boat wh ichI engaged for the ear l ier par t of the j ou rney was bal lasted w i thca rli

,and I took a bag of s i lver yen ,

and trusted to my usualgood for tune

,wh ich in th is case d id not al together fai l .

I n add i t ion to th is uncouth and heavy burden , I took asaddle

,a trestle -bed w i th bedd ing and mosqu i to net

, musl incur ta ins , a fold ing cha ir , two changes of cloth ing , Koreanstr ing Shoes , and a regulat ion waterproof cloak . Bes ides ,I took green tea

,curry powder , and 20 tbs . of flour . I d is

carded al l superfluities , such as flasks,collaps ing cups, hand

m irrors , teapots , sandw ich t ins , lamps , and t inned soups ,meats

,bou i l lon

,and fru i ts . The k i tchen equ ipmen t con

s isted of a Japanese braz ier for charcoal , a shallow Japanese

pan and fry ing-pan , and a small kettle , w i th charcoal tongs ,the whole cost ing under two dollars ! The “ table equ ipment was l im ited : a smal l mug, two plates and a soup plate ,al l in enamelled i ron

,and a kn i fe

,fork

,and spoon

,wh ich

folded up, a kn i fe , fork , and spoon of common make be ingreserved for the k i tchen .

” Tables, trays, tablecloths , and

sheets were from thencefor th unknown luxur ies . I ment ionmy outfit , because I know i t to be a suffic ien t one , and thatevery pound of superfluous we igh t adds to the d ifficulty of gett ing transpor t in Korea and in many other countr ies . Bes ides

,

I was encumbered for the first t ime w i th a tr ipod cameraweigh ing 16 lb s . , and a hand camera we igh ing 4 lbs . , w i ththe apparatus belonging to them , and had to reduce otherth ings accord ingly . On the whole , i t is best to trust to thefood of the country . Korea produces eggs , and in some regions ch ickens . The chestnuts are good

,and though the flour

,

wh ich can be got in a few places, i s gr i tty, and the rice is a


bad color,both are eatable, and the fore igner , always an oh

ject of suspic ion , is less so when he buys and eats nat ivev iands , and does not carry about w i th h im a number of ( toKoreans) outland ish -looking utens i ls and commod i t ies .Regard ing much of the region wh ich I purposed to v is i t no

in formation could be obtained , e i ther from Europeans orKorean offic ials , and the best map, a reduct ion of a Japanesemap by Sir E . Satow, turned out to be astray . Mr. Warner,of B ishop Corfe ’

s M i ss I On , had ascended the north branch ofthe Han

,but i t is st i l l doubtful whether any European has

been up the sou th and much larger branch wh ich I exploredon th is j ourney . I t was cer tain on ly that the country wasmountainous , and that the rap ids were numerous and severe .It had also been said earnestly , and w i th an appearance ofknowledge

,by several people that i t would be imposs ibl e for a

lady to travel in the inter ior ; and cer tainly much of what Iheard , suppos ing i t to be fact , was suffici en tly deterring , bu tfrom many s im ilar statemen ts in other countr ies I knew that adeduct ion of at least fifty per cent . must be madeOn th e 14th of Apri l , 1894 , when th e env irons of Seou l were

seen through a m ist of green , and plum and peach blossomwas in the ascendan t , and the hel iotrope azalea was just beginn ing to t in t the h i l ls ides , and the air was warm and muggy , Ileft the k ind fr iends who had done much to make my vis i t toSeoul in terest ing and agreeable, and went on ponyback throughthe south gate , pass ing the temple of th e God of War

,and

over a pine-clothed ridge of Nam -San to Han Kang , four m i lesfrom Seoul

,a l i ttle sh ipp ing V i l lage , where my boat lay , to

avo id a rapid wh ich l ies between i t and Ma-pu . Up to Ma-pu ,

5 6 m i les from Chemulpo , there is a very cons iderable t idalr ise and fal l wh ich ceases at th e rapid .

A l imp , s i len t crowd of men and boys denoted the whereabouts of the boat , from wh ich Mr . M i l ler ’s servan t , Che-on-i

,

emerg ing w i th the broad sm i le w i th wh ich Or ien tal s announcebad news, in formed us that the boat was too small ! There

The Sai l ing of the Sam pan 69

were very few to be got , and I had not seen th is one , Mr.Wyers, the Legat ion constable, having engaged her for me ;and I went on board ” at once , w i th much curios i ty , as shewas to be my home for an indefin i te number of weeks . And

sm al l she tru ly was, only 28 feet over al l , by 4 feet 10 inchesat her w idest par t , and w i th her whole cargo , animate and inan imate

, ou board she only drew 3 inches of water . Theroof wh ich was put on at my request was a marvel . A sl igh tframework of a r idge pole and some st icks precariously t iedtogether suppor ted some mats of pheasant grass, w i th the longblades hanging down outside and over the gunwale, wh ich wasonly 1 2 inches h igh . These mats were t ied together over theridge pole

,and let in a streak of dayl igh t al l the way along .

At i ts h ighest part th is roof was on ly 4 feet 6 inches . It wasj ust poss ible to s it under i t w i thout stooping . By putt ingforked sticks under what by cou r tesy were cal led the rafters ,they could be l ifted a foot from the gunwale to let in l igh t andair . Two or three t imes in a strong breeze th is roof collapsedand fell abou t our headsI n the fore par t of the boat

, 7 feet long , one boatman paddled or poled , and in the h inder par t

, 4 feet long , th e otherpoled or worked an oar . But th e fore par t was also ourk i tchen and pou ltry yard and the boatm en

’

s k i tchen . Therealso were kept faggots , d r iftwood , and m iscellaneous stores ,w i th the food and water i n unappet iz ing prox im i ty . There ,too

,Wong and Che -on - i spent the ir day ; and there they al l

cooked,ate , and washed clothes and there at n igh t the boat

men cur led themselves up and slept i n a space 4 feet !!4 .

The rest of the sampan d iv ided i tself naturally by the thwar ts .My par t , the cen tre , was or iginal ly 8 feet !!4 feet 1 0 inches ,but encroachmen ts by no means gradual const i tuted i t a freecoup

” for sacks,r ice-bags , cloth ing , and baskets , t i l l i t was

reduced to a bare 6 feet,in to wh ich space my bed , cha ir , sad

d le,and luggage were packed for five weeks . I n the h inder

d ivis ion, 7 feet !!4 feet 4 i nches , Mr . M i l ler l ived and stud ied ,


and he,Wong

,and Che-on - i slept . It was scarcely possible

for six people and their gear to be more closely packed . Mr.M i l ler

, though not an exper ienced travel ler , cheerful ly madethe best of everyth ing then and afterwards , and preserved theseren i ty of h is temper under all c ircumstances .The sampan

’

s crew of two cons isted of Kim , her owner, atal l w iry , picturesque , ar istocrat ic - look ing old man , and h is“ h ired m an

,

” who was never heard to speak except on twooccas ions, when , be ing very d runk , he developed a remarkableloquac i ty . On the whole

,they were well behaved and qu iet .

I saw them in close prox im i ty every hour of the day and wasnever annoyed by anyth ing they d id . K im was paid $30 permon th for the boat , and his l az iness was wonderful . Todawdle along , to star t late and t ie up ear ly , to crawl when betracked , and to pole or paddle w i th the least expend i ture oflabor

,was h is pol icy. To pole for an hour

,then tie up and

take a smoke , to spend half a day now and then on buy ingr ice

,to work on my sens ibi l i t ies by feign ing exhaust ion , and

to adopt every dodge of the lazy m an , was his pract ice . Thecontrac t st ipu lated for three m en , and he on ly took one, m ak

i ng some evas ive excuse . But I have said the worst I can saywhen I wr i t e that they never made more than 10 m i les in aday , and often not mor e than 7, and that when they came tosevere rapids th ey always wanted to go back .

1

Mr. Wyers bus ied h imsel f in putt ing a mat on the floor andstow ing th ings as neatly as poss ible

,and when cur tains had

been put up, the quar ters , though cr ibbed , cab ined , and confined ,” looked qu i te tolerable . The same l imp, s ilent crowdlooked on t i l l we left Han Kang at m idday . I I I a few hoursth ings shook into shape , and after al l the d iscomfor ts were notgreat , poss ibly the greatest be ing that the smoke and the smellof the boatm en

’

s malodorous food blew th rough the boat .1 I took very careful notes on the Han , but as m inute details would be

un interesting to the general reader , and would involve a good deal of apparent repeti tion , I sha l l give only the m ost sal ien t featu res of a journeywh ich , i f i t has ever been m ade , has certain ly not been descr ibed .

CHAPTER VI

ON THE R IVER OF GOLD EN SAND

URING the five weeks wh ich I Spent on the Han , thoughthe rou t ine of dai ly l ife var ied l i t tle

,there was no monot

ony. The coun try and the people were new,and we m ixed

freely, almost too freely , w i th the latter the scenery var iedhourly , and after the first few days became not only beaut i ful,but in places magn ificent , and ful l of surpr ises ; the springwas in i ts ear ly beauty , and the trees in the ir first viv idness ofgreen , red , and gold ; the flowers and flower ing shrubs werein the ir glory , th e crops at their most attract ive stage , b irdssang in the th ickets , r ich fragran t odors were wafted off onthe water, red cattle , though rarely , fed knee-deep in abound inggrass , and the waters of the Han

,near l y at the ir lowest , were

Clear as crystal , and their broken sparkle flashed back the sunbeams wh ich passed through a sky as blue as that of Tibet .There was a prosperous look about the country too , and i tssecur i ty was ind icated by the frequen t occurrence of sol itaryfarms , w i th h igh seclud ing fences , stand ing under the deepshade of fine walnu t and pers immon trees .Un l ike the bare

,ar id

,denuded h il ls ides between Chemulpo

and Seoul , the slopes along much of th e route are wooded ,and in many cases forested both w ith con i ferae and deciduoustrees , among wh ich there are occas ional ly p ic turesque clumpsof umbrel la p ines . The F inns S inens i s and the Abies [Micr os

per m a abound , and there are two Spec ies of oak and three ofmaple

,a P /a tannr

,j un iper , ash , moun tain ash , birch , hazel ,

Sop/zor a j aponz'

ca ,E uonym us a/ata s

, Tlzw and

many others . The heliotrope , p ink , and scar le t azaleas werein al l the ir beauty , flush ing the h i l ls ides, and wh ite and sul

71

72 Korea and H er Neighbor

phur-yellow Clemat is,act inid ia, and a creep ing a nym as

were abundan t . Of the weal th of flower ing Shrubs , mostlywh i te blossomed

,I had never seen one before e i th er in garden

or greenhouse,except the fam i l iar syr inga and Spirea . The

beaut iful Ampelops i'

s Vez'

tc/zz'

ana was in its freshest spr ing greenand tender red , conceal ing tree trunks

,depend ing from

branches , and draping every cl iff and rock w i th i ts exqu isi tefol iage ; and roses , red and wh i te , of a free -grow ing , cl imbi ng var iety , having possession even of tall trees, hung the irfragrant festoons over the roads .It was all very charm ing , though a l i ttle want ing in l ife .

True , there were butterfl ies and d ragon -flies innumerable , andbri l l iant green and brown snakes in numbers

, and at first theHan was cheery w i th mallard and mandarin -duck

,geese and

common teal . In the r ice fields the imper ial crane, the egret ,

and the p ink ibis w i th the deep flush of spr ing on h is plumage

,were not uncommon

,and peregr ines

,kestrels

,falcons

,

and buzzards were occasionally seen . But the song-b irds werefew. The forlorn note Of the n igh t-j ar was heard

, and theloud , cheerful call Of the gorgeous r inged pheasan t to hisdowdy mate ; but th e tr i l l ing , warbl ing , and coo ing wh ich are

th e charm of an Engl ish Copsewood in spr ingt ime are al together absen t , the chatter of the blue magpie and the no isyfl igh t of the warbler be ing poor subst i tutes for that en tranc ingconcert . Of beast l i fe , undomest icated , there were no traces ,and the domest ic an imals are few. Sheep do not thrive onthe sou r natural grasses of Korea , and i f goats are kept I neversaw any . A smal l black pig not much larger than a pug isun iversal

,and there are bulls and pon ies about the better class

of farms . There are big buff dogs , but these are kept only toa l im i ted exten t 011 th e Han

,in the idea that they attract the

nocturnal v isi ts of t igers . The dogs are noisy and voluble ,and rush towards a stranger as if bent on attack ; but i t ismere bravado—they are despicable cowards , and run awayh owl ing at the shak ing of a st ick .



along i ts northern affluents , are found three if not four spec ieso f deer

,and the horns , in the velvet , of the large deer ( Cer vas

Mane/za r icns ) , wh ich fetch from for ty to s ixty dollars a pair,are the pr ize most wanted by the hunters . Pheasants are literally w i thout number and are very tame ; I constan tly sawthem feed ing among the crops w i th in a few yards of the peasan ts at the ir work . They are usually brought down by falcons

,

wh ich , when well trained , command as h igh a pr ice as n inedol lars . To obtain them three smal l b irds are placed in acyl inder of loosely woven bamboo

,mounted hor izon tally on a

pole . On the peregr ine al ight ing on th is,a m an who has been

concealed throws a net over the whole . The b ird is kept in at igh t sleeve for three days . Then he is dai ly l iberated in aroom ,

and tra ined to follow a piece of meat pulled over thefloor by a str ing . At the end of a week he is taken ou t onh is master ’ s wr is t

,and sl ipped when game is seen . He is not

trained to r eturn . The master rushes upon h im and securesh im before he has t ime to devour the b ird . A m an told methat he sometimes got between twen ty and th i r ty pheasan ts aday

,but had to walk or r un 100 li to do it. The season was

nearly over, yet I bough t fine pheasants on the Han for three

pence and fourpence each . They were cheaper than ch ickens .The Han i tsel f

,ri s ing in the D iamond Moun tain of Kong

wOn-Do , and formed by a number of nearly parallel affluents ,next to the border r iver Am—nok, is in! r iver of Korea , wh ichi t cuts near ly across

,i ts easter n extrem i ty be ing w i th in 25

m i les of the Sea of Japan and i ts western at Chemulpo . I ascended i t to w i th in 40 m i les of the Sea of Japan ,

and est imatethe length of i ts nav igable water s for small flat-bottomed craftat abou t 1 70 m i les . A clear br igh t stream w i th a bottom Of

wh i te sand,golden gravel or rock , ch iefly l imestone , w i th an

average w idth of 2 50 yards well susta ined to th e head of nav i

gation , narrowed at t imes by walls of rock or d iv ided by grassyi slands in i ts lower cou rse , ful l of pebbly shal lows , over wh ichi t ripples ga i ly , i ts upper waters abound ing in rocky rapids,

On the R iver of Golden Sand 75

many of them severe and dangerous, its most marked features ,to my th ink ing , are its absence of affluents after it emergesfrom the Diamond Mountain , and i ts s ingular alternat ion s ofshallow w i th very deep water . It was a common occurrenceto have to drag my boat , d rawing on ly 3 inches , through watertoo shallow to float her , and at the top of the r ipple to comeupon a broad

,st i l l

,lake - l ike , deep, green expanse, 20 feet

deep,con t inu ing for a m i le or two.

After pass ing the forks there are 46 rapids , many of themvery severe , before reach ing YOng-Chhun , which for pract ica lpurposes may be regarded as the l im i t of navigable water .These are a most ser ious obstacle in the way of navigat ion ,

but as there i s usual ly a deep water channel in the m iddle ,sai l ing junks of 2 5 tons, taking advantage of strong , favorablew inds

,get up as far as Tan-Yang . Beyond , boats not twice

the s ize of my sampan must be used , wh ich are on ly poled anddragged , and as they must keep near the shore, among rocksand fur ious water , the ir progress is very slow,

not mor e than 7m i les a day . Never theless

,the Han

,w i th al l i ts d ifficult ies

and obstructions , is the great ar tery of commun icat ion formuch of Kong-won -Do and Kyong-K ivi Do

, and for the nor theast por t ion of Chung-ChOng Do ; down i t al l the excess produce of th i s great region goes to Seoul , and near ly al l merchand ise , sal t , and fore ign goods come up i t from the sea-board ,to pass into the hands of the posang , or merchan t pedlars , atvar ious po ints , and through them to reach the market -placesof the in ter ior . Dur ing the fi rst ten days from Han Kangthere were 75 j unks a day on an average bound up and downstream . There is a very large float ing populat ion on the Han .

There is not a br idge along i ts whole length , but com m un ica

t ion is kept up by 4 7 free ferr ies , prov ided by Gover nmen t .Not hav ing been able to lear n anyth ing abou t the route or

any of i ts features , I was much surpr ised to find a very largepopulat ion , not on ly along the r iver , but in th e parallel valleys ,many of them of great length and extreme fer t i l i ty, i n i ts

Korea and Her Ne ighbors

ne ighborhood . It was on ly necessary to cl imb a ridge or h i l lto see numbers of these , g iven up to r ice cul ture, and th icklyspr inkled w i th farm ing v i l lages . Along the r iver banks only

,

between Han Kang and YOng-Chhun

,there are 1 76 v i l lages .

Much of the so il is r ich alluvium , from 5 to 1 1 feet deep, andmost prol ific

,bearing two heavy crops a year (not rice lands)

w i th l i t tle or no manure . There is on the whole an air ofgreater ease and prosper i ty about the Han valley than aboutany other r egion that I have seen in Korea .

1

The people are of fine phys ique and general ly robust appearance . Some of them had ev iden tly attained great age . Therewere a few sore eyes and some m i ld sk in d iseases, both produced by d i r t , but there were no s ickly-look ing people ; infauts abounded .

Except for a monastery and temple , both Buddh ist , not farfrom Seoul , and the Confuc ian temples at the mag istracies,there were no s igns of any other cul t than that of daemons .There were two sh r ines con tain ing m i

'

m'

oks,in both cases

water-worn boulders chafed into some resemblance to humanity ,spir i t sh r ines on he ights ;

”

and under large trees heaps ofstones sacred to daemons ; tall posts, w i th th e tops rudely cutin to someth ing suggest ive of d istorted h uman faces

,painted

black and blue , w i th straw ropes w i th dependent s traw tassels,

l ike those denot ing Sh in to shr ines in Japan,stretched across

the road to preven t the ingress of mal ignan t Sp ir its , and treesw i th many streamers of rag, as well as worn -ou t straw shoeshang ing in the ir branches

,as offer ings to these be ings .

1 I am Incl ined to think that Europeans habitually underestim ate the

population . The average I Obta ined i s 8 to a house , tak ing 70 houses atrandom , and th is estim ate i s borne out by General Greathouse, for som e

years in Korean Governm ent service, and Mr . Moffett, a res ident andtraveller in Korea for seven years , both of whom have g iven som e atten

tion to the subject. It m ust be understood that a Korean householdrarely, i f ever , cons ists of a m an ,

wi fe and ch i ldren only there are par

ents and relationly hangers-ou , to say noth ing of possible servants.


The dwell ings do not vary much,except that the roofs of

the better class are t i led . I n v il lages where there is a res ident

yang-ban or squ i re-noble , h is house is usually pretent ious, and

covers a cons iderable area , but y ields in statel iness to thefam i ly tomb , always on a h i l l slope , a great grass mound on agrass platform backed by horseshoe -shaped grass banks, andusual ly by a number of fine p ines . I n fron t of the mound isi nvar iably a stone altar on two stone drums , stone posts wh ichsuppor t th e canopy used when sacr ifices are offered to theSpir i t of the deceased , and stone lan terns . A few of thegrander tombs are approached by a shor t avenue of stone figures of warr iors

,hor ses

,servan ts, and sheep .

1

The peasan t ’s houses do not d iffer from those of the poorerclasses in Seoul . The wal ls are of mud , and the floors

,also of

mud,are warmed by a number of fines , the most econom ical

of all methods of heat ing , as the quant i ty of dr ied leaves andweeds that a boy of ten can carry keeps two rooms above 70°

for twelve hours . Every house is screened by a fence 6 feeth igh of bamboo or plai ted reeds , and i s usual ly surrounded byfru i t trees . In one room are ang

-pak, great ear thenware jarsbig enough to con tain a m an ,

in wh ich rice,m i l let

,bar ley

, and

water are kept . That i s frequently in smal l houses thewomen ’s room . The men ’s room has l itt le in i t but the maton the floor , pi l lows of sol id wood , and large red and greenhat-cases ranging from the rafters

,in wh ich the cr inol ine dress

hats are stowed away . Latt iced and paper -covered doors andw indows denote a pos i t ion above that of the poorest . A pigstye

,much more substantial than the house, is always along

side of it.The V i l lages from abou t 50 [i up the Han from Seoul may

all be descr ibed as farm ing V i l lages .” Lower down theyexport large quant i t ies of firewood and charcoal for the dai ly

l Such figures where they occur are always spoken of by foreig ners as

sheep, but I doubt wheth er th i s an im al appears a t any but royal tom bs,where i t i s probably represented as offered in sacr ifice by the K ing.

Korea and H er Ne ighbors

needs of a capital wh ich has left i tsel f w i thout a st ick avai lablefor fuel in i ts immed iate ne ighborhood . NO spec ial industr iesexist . The peasan ts make the ir r ude wooden ploughs and

spades shod w i th iron , and two v i l lages w i th in 40 12°

of Seoulsupply them wi th their ang

-

paas and cu l inary utens il s of thesame coarse ware

,wh ich stands fire and serves instead of iron

pots . Such iron utensi ls as are used are impor ted from Seou lalong w i th sal t

,and fore ign p iece goods for dress clothes, and

are paid for w i th r ice , grain , and tobacco .

The peopl e are peasan t farmers in the strictest sense, m ostof them hold ing the ir lands from the yang -bans at the i r pleasure. The propr ietor has the right to turn them out after harvest

,but i t does not seem to be very oppress ively exerc ised .

He prov ides the seed , and they pay him half the y ield . Somemen buy land and obtain t i tle-deeds . I n 1894 they paid intaxes on one day ’s plough ing , so much for bar ley , beans , r ice,and cotton , the sum vary ing ; but a new system of collect ingtax on the assessed value of the land has come in to operat ion

,

wh ich renders “ squeez ing on the part of the tax collectorfar more d ifficul t . Money is scarcely cu rren t , bus iness transact ions are by bar ter , or the peasan t pays w i th his labor . H is

ch ief outlay is on fore ign p iece cottons for his best clothes .These are 30 car/z per measure of 20 inches , dearer at YOngWol , th e reputed head of nav igat ion , than at Seoul .The populat ion of the Han val ley is not poor, i f by pover ty

is to be understood scarc i ty of the necessar ies of l ife . Thepeople have enough for themselves and for al l and sundry who ,accord ing to Korean custom

,may claim the ir hospi tal i ty .

Probably they are al l in debt ; it is very rare indeed to find aKorean who has not th is m i l lstone round h is neck , and theyare dest i tute of money or possess ions other than those they ab

solutely requ ire . They appear lazy . I then thought them so,

but they l ive under a regim e under wh ich they have no secur ityfor the gains of labor , and for a man to be reported to bemaking money,

” or attain ing even the luxury of a brass din


ner service , would be s imply to lay h imself open to the rapac ions at ten t ions of th e nearest mandar in and h is myrm idons

,

or to a demand for a loan from an adj acen t yang -arm . Nevertheless , the homesteads of the Han val ley have a look of substantial comfor t .Cer tainly the meals of the m en are taken in far greater tid i

ness than is usual among laborers . The women,as is the

fash ion w i th women , eat anyhow, and gobble up the irlords ’ leavings . Allmeals for men are served on small , c ircalar

,dark wooden tables, a few inches h igh , one for each per

son . R ice is the staple of d iet , and is served in a great bowl ,but bes ides th is , there are seldom fewer than five or six glazedear thenware vessels con tain ing savory

,or rather tasty , cond i

ments . 1 Chop- s t icks and small flattish spoons of horn or basemetal are used for eat ing .

In the V i l lages , as d ist ingu i shed from the hamlets, on the

Han there are schools,but they are not Open to the publ ic .

Fam i l ies cl ub together and engage a teacher , but the pupi ls areon ly of the scholar ly class

,and on ly Ch inese learn ing in

Wenl i is taugh t,th is being the stepping- stone to offic ial pos i

t ion,th e object of the amb i t ion of every Korean . E n -m nn is

desp ised,and is not used as a wr i tten language by the educated

class . I observed , however , that a great m any m en of thelower orders on th e r iver were able to r ead their own scr ipt .W i th th e except ion of two small Buddh i st establ ishments

not far from Seoul , pr iests are non -ex isten t on the Han,nor is

there any Chr ist ian propaganda , Protestan t or Roman , atwork , though Roman m issionar ies were former ly stat ioned attwo po in ts near the forks . Daemon worsh ip prevai ls throughout the whole region .

The r iver is frozen for from three to four mon ths in the

w inter, and tends to inundate the lower lands for two months

in the summer . The bridle tracks wh ich ski rt it and d ivergefrom it are in famous . The valley has no mai l s , and of course1 These rem arks apply to every part of Korea wh ich I afterwards saw.


no newspapers . The Tong -haks (rebels, or armed reformers)were strong in a reg ion imm ed iately to the south of the greatbend

,wh ich showed some d issat isfact ion w i th th ings as they

were , and a des ire for re form in some m inds .So far as I could

_

learn, the reg ion is not rich in ord inary

m inerals . I could hear noth ing of “ the burn ing ear th,

”

though the geological format ion renders its ex istence probable .

Copper and iron are worked not far from the nor th branch toa l im i ted exten t . But the Han is the “ R iver of GoldenSand ,

” and though the he igh t of the gold season is after thesummer rains, the aur i sacr a fam es even then attracted gangsof men to the river banks

,and gold in the mountains was a

subject on wh ich the Koreans were always voluble.The att i tude of th e people was fr iendly . I never saw a

trace of actual host i l ity , though on the h igher waters of thesou th branch i t was Very doubtful whether they had seen aEuropean before . Thei r cur ios i ty was natural ly enormous

,

and whenever th e boat t ied up for a day it showed i tsel f bycrowds s i t t ing on the bank as close to i t as they could get , s taring apathet ical ly . They were frequen tly t im id , and snatchedup thei r fowls and hid them when we came in s ight , but a littl e fr iendly explanat ion of our honesty of purpose

,and above

al l , th e s ight of a few str ings of cash, usually set everyth ingstraight. A fore igner is absolutely safe . Dur ing the oftt imested ious process of haul ing up the rapids , when Mr . M i l ler andthe servants were tugging at the ropes

,I constan tly strol led for

two or three hours by myself along the r iver bank , and

whether the path led through sol i tary places or through v il

lages , I never met w i th anyth ing more d isagreeable than curiosity shown in a very ill-bred fash ion , and that was ch iefly onthe par t o f women . When the people understood that theywould be pa id i t was not d ifficul t to procur e the l i ttle they hadto sel l at fa ir ly reasonable rates . They were d isposed to becommun icat ive , and showed very l i t tle suspic ion , far less indeed than in parts of Korea where fore igners are common .


CHAPTER VII

V IEWS AFLOAT

FEW hours sufficed for settl ing in our very narrowquar ters , and by the end of the second day we had

shaken down i nto an orderly rout ine . By d in t of much dr iving K im was induced to star t abou t seven , at wh ich hour I hadmy flour and water st i rabou t . The halts for smok ing , cooking , and eat ing were many , and about five o

’clock he used tosimulate exhaustion , a decept ion to wh ich his lean form and

th in face w i th i ts straigh t straggl ing wh i te hair len t themselveseffectively . Then fol lowed the dai ly wrangle about th e placeto tie up , Kim natural ly des i r ing a v i l lage and the proxim i tyof junks , w i th much nocturnal smoking and goss ip , wh i le myw ish was for sol i tude, qm et, and a pebbly r iver bottom , andWi th Mr . M i l ler ’s a id I u sually car ried my po int . BetweenKim ’s laz iness and the frequen t occurrence of rapids , 10 m i lescame to be cons idered a good day ’s j ourney ! The samerapids made any set tled plan of occupat ion impossible , yet onthe ear ly s tages of the journey , when there were long qu ietstretches of water between them ,

i t was pleasant to eleva t ethe roof and have a qu iet morn ing ’s work t il l d inner at twelve.Th is

,i t must be con fessed , was a precar ious meal . Ch ickens

for curry were not always attainable , and were often so smal las to suggest the egg shell , and the r iver fish wh ich were somet imes got by pounc ing on a boy fisherman were very m inuteand bony . Chestnuts often eked out a very scanty meal .Wong used to hun t along the river banks for w i ld on ions andcarrots , after the stock of the cul t ivated roots was exhausted ,and he made paste of flour and water, rol led it w i th a bamboo

82

V iews Afloat 83

on the top of a box , cu t i t in to b iscu i ts w ith the lid of a tin ,

and baked them in the fry ing-

pan . Rice fr i tters too he mademorn ing , noon ,

and n ight . Afternoon tea of Burrough ’s andWellcom e

’

s tablo ids ” was never om itted, and after ty ing up

came supper , an impover ished repet it ion of d inner , the wholea wholesome regimen ,

invar iably eaten wi th appet i te .Vis i ting v i l lages and small towns, on ly to find the first a

col lect ion of mud hovels , and th e last mud hovels w i th the add ition of ru inous official bu i ld ings and a for lorn Confuciantempl e , cl imb ing to ridges bordering the Han to get a V iew offer t i le and populous val leys , convers ing w i th and in terrogatingthe people through Mr . M i l ler and h is servan t , tak ing geograph ical notes

, temperatures , al ti tudes , barometr ic read ings ,and measuremen ts of the r iver (near ly al l unfor tunately lost ina rap id on the downward jou rney) , collect ing and d ry ing plants ,photograph ing , and developing negat ives under d ifficu lt ies , al lthe blankets and waterproofs in th e boat being requ i s i t ioned forthe creat ion of a “ dark room ”—al l these occupations madeup busy and in terest ing days .The first two days were spent in turn ing the flank of the

range on wh ich is the SO-cal led for tress of Nam Han,w i th i ts

pr iest sold iers , one of the four wh ich are supposed to guardSeoul and offer refuge in t imes of trouble . On the r igh t bankthere are many vi l lages of farmer s , woodcutters , and charcoalburners, and on the left an expanse of cult ivated sandy soi l between the moun tains and th e r iver , there a broad rapid streamr ippl ing br ightly over wh i te sand or golden gravel . After passing the Yang -kun mag istracy , a large vi llage w i th a long street,where a whole fleet of sampans was load ing wi th coun try produce for the capi tal , and a number of junks were un load ingsal t

,the Han makes a sharp bend to the south , and after a long

rap id expands into a very broad stream . The valley broadensalso

,and becomes flat

, the h i lls , absolutely denuded even ofscrub

, are low , and recede from the r i ver their serrated blackr idges of rock , and the ir deeply scored , corrugated , flushed


s ides,wh ich spr ing had scarcely t inged Wi th green , are for

b idd ing , and though the val ley was green w i th young wheat ,that is qu i te the most monotonous and un interest ing part of thejourney .

After circumventing the fine for tress summ i t of Nam Han ,

the r iver enters the mountains . From that t ime up to thehead of possible nav igat ion , th e scenery in i ts variety , beauty ,and unexpectedness exhausts th e vocabulary of adm irat ion .

A short d istance above Han Kang is the Buddh is t temple ,of Ryeng-ah Sa, ded icated to the Dragon , on e of th e twoBuddh ist sanctuar ies on the long course of the Han . On theleft bank a low stone wal l encloses a spot on wh ich a femaledragon al ighted from heaven in the days of the last dynasty ,and where st il l , in times of flood or drough t , sacrifices are

offered and l ibat ions poured out to “ Heaven .

” The onlyother temple is that of PyOk-chol on the r ight bank of the Han

,

above YO Ju , four days from Seoul . A steep wooded promontory projects into the st i l l , deep , green water , crownedw ith two br ick and stone pagodas . I n a wooded del l at theback there are some p icturesque and elaborately carved and

painted temples and monast ic bu i ld ings , and a fine bel l fivecenturies old , surmounted by an en tanglemen t of dragons ,wh ich , w i th some medall ion s on the s ides , are of very bold des ign and successful workmansh ip , and the whole is said to havebeen cast in Chung-ChOng Do before the Japanese stole thear ts and art ists A pav i l ion for th e temple dramas was occup ied for the afternoon by a large p icn ic of women and ch i ldrenfrom YO Ju. In one of the m onast ic cour ts there is a m arblepagoda w i th some finely executed bas - rel iefs on i ts s ides

,

claim ing a not d istan t k insh ip w ith those of th e “ marblepagoda in Seoul . The establ ishmen t cons isted of an abbot

,

n ineteen monks , and four nov ices . The abbot was the mostrefined , in tel lectual , and ar istocrat ic look ing man that I saw inKorea, w ith an innate courtesy and refinemen t of manner rareanywhere. He carr ied the we igh t of seven ty years w i th much



wh ich was a n ecess i ty, our progress was Slow ,

and it was nott i l l the 1 9th of Apr i l that we reached YO

’

Ju, the first town ofany impor tance and the b ir thplace of th e late Queen . It ismemorable to me as be ing the first place where the crowd wasobstreperous and obnoxious , though not host i le . It is hum iliat ing to be a “

Show and to get noth ing by i t ! I wen t ou ton a rock in the r iver in the hope of us ing the pr ismat ic compass in peace , and was near ly pushed into the water , and whenI wen t up into the gate tower a stamping , cur ious crowd , cl imbing on everyth ing that afforded a po in t of van tage , shook theold fabr ic so severely that the del icately balanced needle nevercame to rest . The crowd was d ir ty , the streets were foul anddecayed

,and wor st of al l was th e magistrate’s yam en , to wh ich

we had occasion to go , and where I found that a kwan -

j a waspower less to obtain even common c ivi l i ty .

The yam en,though finely s i tuated and enclos ing in i ts

grounds a large and much decorated pavi l ion for Royal use ,but u sed as a ch i ldren ’s playground

,was in a state of wreck .

The woodwork was crumbl ing , beams and rafters were fall ingdown

,l acquer and paint were scal ing off, torn paper flu ttered

from the latt ice w indows, plaster hung from the gr imy walls ,

the once handsome gate tower was on its last legs , in the cour tyard some flagstones had subs ided , others were exal ted , andaudac ious ragweed and shepherd ’s purse grew in their crevices .Pover ty

,n eglect

, and melancholy reigned supreme . W i th inthe gates were plenty of those persons who suck the l i febloodof Korea . There were sold iers in Tyrolese hats and coarsecotton un i forms in wh ich blue predom inated , yam en runnersin abundance , wr i ters , officers of injust ice , messenger s pretend ing to have business on hand , and many smal l rooms, inwh ich were many mor e m en s it t ing on the floor smoking longp ipes , w i th wr i ting mater ials bes ide them .

One attendan t , by no means pol i te , took my Ewan -fa to th emagistrate , and very roughly led the way to two small rooms

,

in the inner one of wh ich the offic ial was seated on the floor,

V iews Afloat 87

surrounded by a few elderly m en . We were d irected to standat the open ing between the two rooms , and beh ind us pressedas many of the crowd as could get in . I bowed low . No not ice was taken . An attendan t handed the magistrate a pipe

,

so long that i t would have been impossible for h im to l igh t i tfor h imself, and he smoked . Mr . M i l ler hoped that he was ingood heal th . No reply , and the eyes were never raised . Mr .M i l ler explained the object of the v isi t , wh ich was to get a littl e i nformat ion abou t the neighborhood . There was on ly avery cur t reply, and as the great man turned to one of his subord inates and began to talk to him , and rude remarks were circulating , we took leave w i th th e usual Korean phrases of pol i teness

,wh ich were not rec iprocated .

We were told that there are many h igh yang -5am in

YOJu, and it seemed natural that the magistrate of a town ofonly 700 houses should not be a man of h igh rank . The storygoes that when he came they used low talk to h im and ordered h im abou t as the ir infer ior . So he l ives ch iefly in Seoul ,and the man who sat in sord id state am idst the ru ins of thespac ious and elaborately decorated yam en does his work andd iv ides the spo i ls , and the yang -oans are left to whatever the irdev ices may be . But th is is not an i solated case . Nearly al lthe river mag istrates are main ly absen tees, and spend thei r t ime,salar ies , and squeez ings in the capi tal . I had s im i lar in terv iews w i th th ree other mag istrates . I asked noth ing exceptchange in cash for three y en , and on each occas ion was toldthat the treasury was empty . My kwany

’

a,a pompous doc

um ent from the Fore ign Office , was of th is use only, i t procured me a ch icken at a h igh pr ice in a town where the peoplewere unw i l l ing to sel lAt YO Ju I saw for the on ly time e i ther in Korea or Ch ina

the interior of an ancestral temple . It is a lofty bu i ld ing, w i tha curved t i le roof and blackwood ce i l ing , approached by aroofed gateway . Opposi te the entrance is an ebony stool , onwh ich are a brass bowl and incense burner. Above th is is a


large altar, suppor t ing two candlest icks w i th candles , and abovethat again an ebony stand on wh ich r ests a pol ished blackmarble tablet inscr ibed w i th the name of the deceased . Be

h ind that,in a recess in the wall , wi th elaborate fretwork

doors, is h is l ife-s ized portrai t in Chinese style. The floor iscovered wi th plain matt ing . In the tablet the th ird soul ofthe deceased is supposed to dwell . Food is placed beforei t three t imes dai ly for three years in the case of a paren t ,and there the relat ions, after the expirat ion of that per iod ,m eet at stated seasons every year and offer sacr ifice and

worsh ip .

”

At the large and prosperous-look ing v i l lage of Chon -yaingthe people told us that a c ircus ” was abou t to perform andimpelled us towards i t ; but find ing that i t was in the courtyard of a large t i led -roof mansion

,in good repair and of much

pretension , we were r et iring , when we were cord ial ly inv i tedto en ter, and I was laid hold of ( l i teral ly) by the servingwomen and dragged through the women ’s cour t and into thewomen ’s apar tmen ts . I was surrounded by fully forty women ,old and young , w ives , concub ines , servants , all in gala dressand much adorned . The princ ipal w i fe, a very young gi r lwear ing some Ind ian jewellery , was very pretty and had an

exqu is ite complexion , but one and al l were dest i tute of manners . They invest igated my cloth ing

,pulled m e abou t , took

off my hat and tr ied i t on , un tw isted my hair and absorbed myhairpins , pul led off my gloves and tried them on w i th shr ieksof laugh ter , and then , bu t not t il l they had exhausted al l theamusemen t wh ich could be got ou t of me , they bethough tthemselves of en ter tain ing me by taking me th rough the irapar tmen ts , crowd ing upon me to such an exten t as they d idso that I was near ly carr ied off my feet . They took me th roughfour teen commun icat ing rooms, w i th fine parquet floors , mostlyspoi led by be ing covered in whole or in par t w i th Brusselstapestry carpets of

‘

“ loud ” and vulgar patt erns in h ideousan i l ine dyes. Great m irror s in tawdry g i l t frames glared from



late Queen . We cou ld on ly make a somewhat ignom in iousexi t

,having been truly played out .”

Th is rage for French clocks , German m irrors , foreign c igars,cha i rs upholstered in velvet , and a general fore ign tawdr inessi s spread ing rapidly among the young “ swel ls ” who havemoney to spend , vulgar iz ing Korean s impl ic i ty , and sett ingthe example to those below them of an extravagan t and purelyselfish expend i ture . The house , w i th its many cour tyards, wasnew and handsome

,and money glared from every point . I

was glad to return to the s impl ic i ty of my boat,hop ing that

w i th the plain l iv ing , h igh th inking” m ight be comb ined

Beyond the moun tains east of Y0 Ju ,the Han passes

through a noble s tretch of r ich alluvium ,bear ing superb, and

fa ir ly clean crops,and bordered by low, serrated , denuded ,

and much corrugated ranges , faint ly t inged w i th green . On

th is gen t ly rol l ing plain are many towns and v i l lages,among

the larger of wh ich are lVon Ju, Chung Ju , ChOng-

phyOng ,

and Tan -Yang , al l on or near the r iver , by wh ich they conven iently expor t the ir surplus produce , ch iefly beans, tobacco ,and r ice , and rece ive in return the ir suppl ies of salt and foreign goods . Even at that season of low water th e traffic wascons iderable .H igher up , the scenery Changes . Lofty l imestone blufl

'

s,

often caverned , rise abruptly from the r iver, and wal l in thefer t i le and populous val leys wh ich descend upon i t, g iving placeh igher up to grand basalt ic format ion

,range beh ind range ,

terraces of columnar basal t occas ional ly appear ing . It was alovely season , warm days

,cold n ights

,br i l l ian t sunsh ine

,

great wh i te masses of sun l i t clouds on a sky of heaven ly blue,

d istances ideal ized in a blue ve i l wh ich was not a m ist , flowersat the ir freshest , every b ird that has a note or a cry vocal ,bu tterfl ies and red and blue d ragon -flies hover ing over thegrass and water

,fish leaping , al l natu re awake and j ubi lan t .

And every r ift and bluff had i ts own beauty of blossom ingscar let azaleas , or syringas, con tor ted or stately p ines, and

V iews Afloat 9 i

Ampelops i s Vei tc/ziana rose -pink in i ts ear ly leafage . Therewas a note of gladness in the a i r .

Eigh t days above Seoul , on the left bank of the r iver , thereis a ru inous pagoda bui l t of large blocks of hewn stone

,stand

ing sol i tary in the centre of a level pla in form ed by a bend ofthe Han . The people , on being asked about i t, said , WhenKorea was surveyed so long ago that nobody knows when

,th is

was the centre of i t. ” They call i t the Halfway Place .

”

After that the only suggestions o f ant iqu i ty are some stonefoundat ions

,and a few stone tombs among the trees

,wh ich

,

from the ir shape , may denote the s i tes of monaster ies .Near that pagoda were a number of m en very drunk , and

there were few days on wh ich the habi t of dr ink ing to excesswas not more or less prom inent . The j unkmen celebrated theeven ing ’s rest by hard dr ink ing , and the crowd wh ich n ightlyassembled on the shore when we t ied up was usually en l ivenedby the no isy ant ics of one or more intox icated m en . From myobservat ion on the Han journey and afterwards , I should say

that drunkenness is an outstand ing feature in Korea . And it

is not d isreputable . If a m an d r inks r ice w ine t i l l he loses h isreason ,

no one regards h im as a beast . A great d ign i tary evenmay rol l on the floor drunk at the end of a meal , at wh ich hehas eaten to replet ion , w i thout los ing caste , and on becom ingsober rece ives the congratulat ions of infer iors on being richenough to afford such a luxury . Along w i th the taste forFrench clocks and German gi ld ing , a love of fore ign l iquorsis becom ing somewhat fash ionable among the young yang -oanr

,

and w il l ing caterer s are found who produce potato Spi r i t r ichin fusel oil as “ old Cognac , and a very effervescen t champagne at a sh i l l ing a bottleThe fermen ted l iquor s of Korea are probably not unwhole

some, but the l ik ing for them is an acqu ired taste w i th Euro

peans . They vary from a smooth wh i te d r ink resembl ingbutterm i lk in appearance , and very m i ld , to a water -wh i teSpir i t of strong smell and fiery taste . Between these comes


the ord inary rice w ine , Sl ightly yel lowish , ak in to Japanesesalve and Ch inese r am s/i n , w i th a fa in t , sickly smel l and flavor.They al l taste more or less strongly of smoke

, oil, and alcohol ,and the fusel oil rem a ins even in the best . They are manufactured from r ice , m i l le t , and bar ley . The w ine-sel ler pro

jects a cyl indrical basket on a long pole from his roof,r esem

bl ing the bush ” former ly used in England for a s im i lar purpose . Probably one reason that the Koreans are a drunkenpeople is that they scarcely use tea at al l even in the c i t ies , andthe luxury of “ cold water ” is unknown to them . Thepeasants dr ink hot r ice water w i th the ir meals

,honey water as

a luxury, and on fest ive occas ions an infus ion of orange peelor g inger. The dry ing of orange peel is qu i te a business w i thKorean housew ives . There were quant i t ies of i t hanging fromthe caves of all the cottages .Up to a short d istance above th is pagoda , the rapids for

wh ich the Han is famous,though they made our progress

slow , had not suggested ser ious d ifficul ty,far less r isk

,but for

the remain ing for tn igh t they were tor tuous rocky channels ,through wh ich the r iver

,compressed in w idth , rushes w i th

great violence and tremendous no ise and clatter or they aresuccess ive broken ledges of rock

,w i th a chaos of flurry and

foam , var ied by deep pools , present ing form idable , and atsome seasons insuperable

,obstacles to nav igat ion . To al l ap

pearance they are far more dangerous than th e celebratedrap ids of the Yangtze

, and the remains of t imber rafts andjunks attest the i r destruct ive proper t ies . They occur atshor ter and shorter interval s as the h igher waters are reached ,t i l l eventually the Han becomes an unbroken rapid or

cataract .K im , though paid handsomely , was far too st ingy to pay for

any help en r oute,his ropes were man i festly bought in “ the

cheapest market ,”and though Wong , my power ful rampan

m an, worked w i th both strength and sk i l l , and Mr . M i l ler and

his servan t to i led at the tow ropes,and in great ex igenc ies I



scribes most th ings Korean , and offic ial squalor and neglectcould scarcely go far ther .At ChOng

-

phyong and elsewhere the common people , i nspi te of the ir overpower ing cur ios i ty , were not rude , and

usual ly ret ired to a r espect fu l d istance to watch us eat ; butfrom the class of scholars who hang on round al l yam ens wemet wi th a good deal of underbred impertinence

,some of the

m en go ing so far as to rai se the curta in of my compartmentand introduce their heads and Shoulders beneath i t, browbeat ing the boatmen when they pol i tely asked them to desist .On the other hand , men of the non -cul tured class showed usvar ious small atten t ions , somet imes helping w i th a haul at theropes at a rapid , on ly ask ing in r eturn that their w ives m igh tsee me

,a request w i th wh ich I always gladly compl ied . At

Chong-phyOng , so great was female cur ios i ty that a number ofwomen waded wai st deep after the boat to peer under the matsof the roof, and one of them , scrambl ing ou t to a rock for afinal stare

,overbalanced hersel f and fel l into deep water . At

one po int , in the very early morn ing , some women presen tedthemselves at the boat , having walked several i i w i th a presen tof eggs , th e payment for wh ich was to be a s igh t of me andmy poor equ ipments , they hav ing heard that there was a boatw i th a fore ign woman on board . The old cambric cur tainsbrought from Pers ia

,w i th a red pattern on a wh i te ground

,

always attracted them greatly , and the smal l Japanese cook ingutensi l s .I n th ir teen days from Seou l we reached Tan -Yang , a mag is

tracy pret ti ly s i tuated on the left bank of the Han , w i th ap icturesque Con fuc ian temple on the h i l l above ; and a daylater entered upon mountainous coun try of extreme beauty .

The pauc i ty o f tr ibutar ies is very marked . Up to that poin t ,except the nor th branch

,there are but two—one wh ich jo ins

the Han at the v i llage of Hu-nan Chang , on the r igh t bank ,and is nav igable for 60 i i , as far as the impor tan t town ofWan Ju ; and another , wh ich en ter s 2 li above the pictur

V iews Afloat 95

esquely-Si tuated v i l lage of So- il

, on the left bank . AboveTan-Yang the r iver forms long and Violen t rapids

,alternat ing

w i th broad stretches of blue , qu iet water from 10 to 20 feetdeep, rol l ing majest ically , mak ing sharp and extraord inarybends among lofty l imestone prec ipices . Vi l lages on naturalterraces occur constan t ly , the lower terrace plan ted w i th mulberry or weep ing wi l lows . Hemp is cult ivated in great quant i t ies

,and i s used for sackcloth for mourners ’ wear

,bags

, and

rope . In my walks along the river I had several oppor tun i tiesof see ing the cur ious method of separat ing the fibre

,rude and

pr im i tive, but effectual . At the bottom of a stone paved pitlarge stones are placed , wh ich are heated from a rough ovenat th e s ide . The hemp is pressed down in bundles upon these,and stakes are dr iven in among them . P i les of coarse Koreangrass are placed over the hemp , and earth over al l , well beatendown . The stakes are then pulled up and water is poured intothe holes left by them . Th is , fal l ing on the heated stones , produces a dense steam

,and in twenty -four hours the hemp fibre

is so completely d is in tegrated as to be eas i ly separated .

A grand gorge , 3 m i les long , w i th lofty cl i ffs of much -caverned l imestone

,var ied by rock needles d raped wi th Ampelops i s

and clemati s,and giving foothold to azaleas

, Spirea , syr inga,pear

,hawthorn , cl imb ing roses , w istar ia , cyclamen , lycopo

d iom,yellow vetches , many Laaia ta ,

and much else,contains

but one vi l lage , p i led step above step in a deep wooded fold ofthe h i l ls

,on wh ich m i l let culture i s carr ied to a great height ,

on slopes too steep to be ploughed by oxen . Th i s gorge opensou t on slopes of r ich so i l , some of wh ich is st i l l uncul t ivated .

The hamlets are small , and grow much hemp , and each has i tshemp pi t. They also grow Ur tica JVivea , from the bleachedfibre ofw h ich the ir grass cloth summer Clothes are made . All

these are surrounded w i th mulber ry groves .The large Vi l lage of Cham -su-ki

, at the head of two severerapids

, in ascend ing wh ich our ropes snapped three t imes , offersa good example of the popular bel ief in Spiri ts . It is approached


under a tassel led straw rope , one end of wh ich is wound rounda fine tree w i th a stone altar below it. On another rope weresuspended a few small bags con tain ing offer ings of food . If aperson d ies of the pest i lence or by the roads ide , or a woman d iesin ch i ldbirth , the Spir i t invar iably takes up i ts abode in a tree .

To such spir i ts offer ings are made on the stone altar of cake,

w ine , and pork , but where the tree is the dom ici le of the Sp iri tof a man who has been ki l led by a t iger

,dog ’s flesh is offered

instead of pork . The Cham-su-ki tree is a fine wel l -grownelm . Gnarled trees , of wh ich we saw several on h i l l tops andsides, are occupied by the sp ir i ts of persons who have d ied before reach ing a cycle, i .e. sixty years of age. A steep cl i ffabove Cham -su-ki is also denoted as the abode of daemons bya straw rope and a stone al tar .We had some very cold and w indy days near the end ofApri l

,

the mercury fall ing to and one ni ght of tempestuous rain .

It would be absurd to wri te of sufferings , but at that temperature in an open boat , wi th the roof l i ft ing and flapp ing andthreaten ing to take i ts departure, i t was impossible to sleep .

Afterwards the weather was again splend id .

Abrupt turns, long rapids ful l of jagged rocks , long stretchesof deep, st il l water, abound ing in fish , narrow gorges walledin by terraces of basal t , lateral r av ines d isclosing fine snowstreaked peaks

,succeeded each other, the shores becom ing less

and less peopled , wh i le the parallel valleys abounded in fairlywell -to-do v i l lages . Just below a long and dangerous rap id westopped to d ine , and though the place seemed qu i te sol i tary, acrowd soon gathered

,and sat on the adjacent stones talk ing

no is i ly,trying to get into the boat , l i ft ing the mats, d iscussing

whether i t were pol ite to watch people at d inner, some tak ingone s ide and some another , those who were half t ipsy tak ingthe affirmat ive . Some said that they had got news from several m i les below that th i s great sigh t was com ing up the river ,and i t was a shame to deprive them of it by keeping the curtains down . After a good deal of obstreperousness, mainly the


CHAPTER VIII

NATURAL BEAUTY—THE RAPIDS

N superb weather , and in the full glory of Spr ing , we continned the explorat ion of the Han above Tan -Yang, en

coun ter ing innumerable rapids, some of them very severe andhorr ible to look upon . The river val ley

,cont inual ly narrow

i ng into gorges , rarely adm its of hamlets , and the populat ionis relegated to lateral and paral lel valleys . On the 3oth ofApr i l we tugged and poled the boat up seven long and severerap ids

,w i th deep st i l l stretches of water between them . The

flora increased in var iety , and th e shapes of the mounta ins became very defin i te . Among other trees there were a largebranch ing Acant/zopanax r icin ifolia ,

two species of euonymus,

m istletoe on the walnut and mulberry , th e Ran: s em i -alata

and [ Mar ver ni’

cifer a , p ines , firs , the Aaies m z'

cr osperm a , theActinidia puer ar ia , E /ceagna s , Span ish chestnuts in greatgroves

,alders

,b irches

,m aples

,elms

,l imes

,and a tree infre

quently seen wh ich I bel ieve to be a Ze/eazoa . Among theflowers

,there were mar igolds

,buttercups

,scen tless wh i te and

purple v iolets , yellow Violas, wh i te acon i te , lady’s sl ipper, hawk

weed,camom i le

,red and wh i te dandel ions , guelder roses , wyge

l ias,mounta in peon ies

,mar tagon and t iger l i l ies , gentians, pink

Spirea, yellow day l i l ies , wh i te honeysuckle, the I r is R oss i i,

and many others .The day after leaving Tan -Yang we entered on the most

beaut i ful par t of the r iver . Great l imestone Cl iffs swing openat t imes to reveal glor ious gl impses , through fantast ic gorges,of peaks and ranges

, par t ly forest -covered , fad ing in the fard istance into the del ic ious blue ve i l of dreamland the r iver,

98

Natu ral Beau ty—The Rap ids 99

occas ional ly compressed by i ts colossal walls, vents its fury influrry and foam , or expands in to broad reaches 20 and even 30feet in depth , where pure emerald water laps gen tly upon cragsfestooned w i th roses and honeysuckle , or in fairy bays on pebbly beaches and wh i te sand . The ai r was fu ll of gladness .The loud call of the fear less r inged pheasan t was heard everywhere

,bees hum med and butterfl ies and dragon -flies flashed

through the fragra n t a ir . What mattered it that our ropesbroke th ree t imes , that we stuck on a rock in a rapid and hungthere for an hour in a deafen ing d in and a lather of foam , and

that we beat the record ”in on ly mak ing 5 m i les in twelve

hoursThe l imestone cl iffs are much caverned , and near the Vi llage

of To -tam,where they fall back cons iderably from the river ,

we explored one cave wor thy of not ice, w i th a fine en trancearch 43 feet in he igh t , adm i t t ing in to a vaul t cons iderablyh igher , w i th a roof of stalagm i tes . We ascended th is cavernfor 31 5 feet , and then had to return for lack o f l igh t . Nearthe mouth a natural shaft and rock-ladder g ive access to a fineupper gallery 1 2 feet h igh

,on ly 60 feet of wh ich we were able

to invest igate . Just above To - tam there i s another l imestonefreak on the r iver bank

,a n atural br idge or arch , 1 2 7 feet in

height and 30 feet wide , below wh ich a fair green lawn Slopesup to a he igh t above . The br idge i s adm irably buttressed ,and draped wi th roses

,honeysuckle , and clemat is , and var ious

fantastic specimens of con i ferae grow out of i ts ri fts .The beauty of the Han culm inates at To-tam in the finest

r iver V iew I had then ever seen,a broad stretch , wi th a deep bay

and lofty l imestone cl i ffs , between wh ich , on a green slope ,the picturesque , deep -caved , brown -roofed houses of the vi llageare bu i l t . The gray cl iff is crowned wi th a goodly group ofum brel la p ines

,in Korea cal led Parasol Pines , because

they resemble in shape those carr ied before the King . Guarding the entrance of the bay are three picturesque jagged pyramidal rocks much covered w i th the Ampelops is Vez

’

tcfiiana ,


and of course sacred to daemon worsh ip . These sent inels arefrom 40 to 83 feet h igh . To the southwest the Han

,dark and

deep,rol ls out of s igh t round a pine -clad bluff, among the

magn ificent ranges of the Sol-rak -San mountains—masses ofpar t ially p ine-clothed peaks and p innacles of naked rock . Tothe nor theast the r iver makes an abrupt bend below superbl imestone cl iffs , and d isappears at th e foot of SOlm i -San , atr iplet of lofty peaks . To- tam on i ts park- l ike Slopes embracesth is v iew, and were i t not for the rap ids and the ir delays andrisks , m ight be a del ightfu l summer resor t from Seou l .There i s fert i l i ty as well as grandeur

,for the r idge beh ind

the v il lage , abrupt on the r ivers ide,falls gen tly down on the

other to a broad , wel l-watered level val ley , cult ivated for r icew i th extreme n eatness and care , and wh ich , after gladden ingthe eye w i th i ts product iveness for several m i les

,w inds out of

v iew among the moun tains .There, and in most parts of the Han val ley

,I was much

surpr ised w i th the neatness of the cult ivat ion . It was not

what th e repor ts of oth er travel lers had led me to expect, and

it g ives me the impression that th e river passes through one ofthe m ost product ive and prosperous por t ions of Korea . Thecrops of wheat and bar ley were usually superb , and remarkablyfree from weeds in fact, th e clean l iness would do cred i t toh igh farm ing in the Loth ians . It was no uncommonth ing to find from 1 2 to 18 stalks as the product of one gra in .

At the end of Apr i l the bar ley was in ear, and beg inn ing to

change color,and the wheat was 6 inches h igh . As a general

rule the stones were carefu lly p icked off the land and wereused for r eta in ing walls for the r ice terraces , or pi led in heaps .Steep h i l l s ides were be ing cleared of scrub and stones for cotton plan t ing , and in many instances the cul t ivat ion is carriedto a he igh t of feet

, the cult ivators always , however , living in the holes . All the parallel valleys are neatly and careful ly cul t ivated . The favorable cl imate , w i th i ts abundan t ,but not superabundan t , rain fall , renders i rr igat ion needless,



lessness is the convent ional r equ iremen t . H is servants browbeat and bully the people and take the ir fowls and eggs w i thout paym ent

,wh ich expla ins th e mean ing of the not ice at

Pa-ka Mi . l

Ther e is no doubt that the peopl e , i . e. the vast mass of theunpr iv i leged , on whose shoulder s rests the burden of taxation ,are hard pressed by the yang -bans

,who not on ly use th ei r

labor w i thou t pay ing for i t, but make merc i less exact ions underthe name of loans . As soon as i t i s r umored or known that amerchan t or peasan t has la id up a cer ta in amount of cash ,

a

yang-aan or offic ial seeks a loan . Pract ically i t is a levy, for

if i t is refused the m an is e i ther th rown into pr i son on a falseCharge and wh ipped every m orn ing unti l h e or his relat ions

pay th e sum demanded, or he i s seized and prac t ical ly im

pr isoned on low d iet in the yang -ban’s house unt i l the money

is forthcom ing . It is the best o f th e nobles who d isgu ise the irexact ions under th e name of loans

,bu t th e lender n ever sees

pr inc ipal or in terest . It is a very common th ing for a noble ,when he buys a house or field , to d ispense w i th pay ing for it,and no m andar in w i l l en force paymen t . At Paik -kui Mi

,

where I paid off my boatmen, the yang

-ban’

s servan ts wereimpress ing all the boats for the purpose of tak ing roofing t i lesto Seoul w i thout paymen t . K im begged me to give him sometr ifle to take down the r i ver , w i th a few cask as payment , anda l ine to say that th e boat was in my employmen t, service w i tha fore igner be ing a protect ion from such an exact ion .

There were two days more of most sever e toi l , in wh ich itwas scarcely poss ible to make any progress . The rapids werefr igh tful

,and when we reached a very bad one below the town

Of YOng-chhun

,K im ,

after mak ing several abor t ive effor ts,

not , I th ink , in good fai th , to ascend i t, collapsed , and sa id hecould not get up any h igher . At another season boats of l ightd raugh t can ascend to Yang-wOl, 20 i i far ther . We had per

1 Class pr ivi leges are now abol ished , on paper at least, but their tradition carr ies weigh t.

Natu ral Beau ty—The Rapid 103

formed a great feat in gett ing up to Yong-chhun in ear ly May .

There were no boats on the h igher water s , and for much ofthe d istance my sampan could hardly be sa id to be afloat . At

YOng-chhun we were w i th in 40 m i les of the Sea of Japan .

W ind and heavy ra in wh ich ra ised the r iver forbade all 10com ot ion unt i l the follow ing even ing , when we crossed theHan and reached the YOng -chhun ferry by a pretty roadthrough a vi l lage and a wood , most attract ive coun try , wi thmany novelt ies in its flora . At the ferry a st i l l expanse of theHan is over 10 feet deep , but the roar of another rapid isheard immed iately above . A double avenue of noble elmsw i th fine tur f underneath them leads to the town , a magistracyof people

,a qu iet market -place w i thout shops, si tuated

in a rich farm ing bas in of al luv ial so i l , covered in May w i thheavy crops of barley and wheat , among wh ich were fieldsh i l locked for melons .The mag istracy bu i ld ings are large and rambl ing , w i th what

has been a fine entrance gate , w i th a drum and other instruments of aural torture for mak ing the deafening d in w i th wh ichthe yam en is closed and opened at sunr ise and sunset . Thereare many stone tablets (not spon taneously erected) to wor thyoffic ials, a large enclosure in wh ich sacr ifices are offered toHeaven ”

(probably to the Spi r its of the Land ) , a Confuciantemple , and a k ing

’s pavi l ion , al l very squal id and ru inous .A crowd not al together pol i te followed us to the yam en ,

whereI hoped that some informat ion regard ing an over land routeto the D iamond Moun tain m ight be obtained . On en tering the yam en prec incts th e under l ing offic ials were mostinsolen t , and i t was on ly after endur ing the ir unpleasan t behav ior for some t ime that we were conducted to a squal id innerroom

,where a deputy -mandar in sat on the floor w i th a sm ok

ing apparatus bes ide h im ,a m an w i th a scornful and s in ister

phys iognom y , who took not the sl ightest not ice of us , and

when he deigned to speak gave cur t r epl ies through an underling

,wh i le we stood ou ts ide the entrance, wi thstand ing wi th

104 Korea and Her Neighbors

d ifficul ty the pressure of the crowd , wh ich had surged in afterus

,pr ivate interviews be ing rare in the East . Th is was my

last vis i t to a Korean yam en .

As we walked back to the town , the crowd fol lowed usclosely , led by some “

swel ls ” of the l i terary class . One

young man came up beh ind m e and kicked me on the ankle ,stepping back and then com ing forward and repeating the offense. He was about to give me a th i rd k ick

,when Mr .

M i l ler turned round and very qu ietly,w i thou t anger, dealt him a

sc ient ific blow on the chest , wh ich sent him off the road uponhis back into a barley field . There was a roar of laughterfrom the crowd , and the young bul ly

’s compan ions beggedMr. M i l ler not to pun ish h im any more . The crowd d ispersed ,the bul l ies, cowards l ike al l the ir spec ies , fell far beh ind , andwe had a pleasan t walk back to th e ferry , where, al though wehad to wai t a long t ime in th e ferry boat , there was no as

semblage, and the ferryman and passengers were very c ivi l .Mr. M i l ler regretted the necessi ty for infl ict ing pu n i shment .I t was Lynch law no doubt , but i t was summary just ice, andthe perfect coolness w i th wh ich i t was adm in istered would nodoubt leave a salutary impression . The ferryman told us thata tiger had carried off a pig from YOng

-chhun the previousn ight , and said that the walk to our boat through the woodw i thou t lan terns was very unsafe . Our boatmen had becomealarmed and were hun t ing for us w i th torches . The c ircumstances were eer ie, and I was glad to see th e l ights .Ferr ies are free . The Governmen t provides th e broad ,

strong boats wh ich are used for ferry ing cattle as well aspeople , and the v i l lages prov ide the ferrymen w i th food .

Passengers who are not poor usual ly give a small douceur .

A gale of w ind w i th torrents of rain set in that n ight,and

the rain continued t i l l the next afternoon,g iving me an oppor

tunity o f see ing more of the deta i l of the magnificent cl iffs oflam inated l imestone , wh ich occur frequen tly , and are th e moststriking geological features of the Han valley

,cont inually


106 Korea and H er Neighbors

swamp her . I was al l bu t washed off my camp -bed , wh ichwas on a level w i th the gunwale a number of sheets of geograph ical notes were washed away , some instruments belonging to the R .G .S. were drowned in their box , more than fortyphotograph ic negat ives were destroyed , and cloth ing , bedd ing,and flour were al l soaked The rapids were in fact most exc i t ing

,and the ir r isks throw those of the Fu and the Yangtze

from Cheng—tu to Ichang qu i te into th e shade .I n Sp ite of a delay of hal f a day at Tan -Yang

,ow ing to a

fut i le attempt to get cas/z for s i lver , and another hal f-day spen tin beach ing and repai ring the boat

,wh ich had been badly

bumped on a rock , we d id the d istance from Nang-Ct n toMa-Cha i on the forks in four and a hal f days , or less than ath ird of the t ime taken by the labor ious ascen t .The penn i less s i tuat ion became so serious that one day be

fore reach ing Ma-chai I had to decide on return ing to Seou lfor cash The treasur ies were said to be empty no one be

lieved in s i lver or knew anyth ing abou t i t, and suppl ies couldnot be obtained . For tunately we arr ived at the market -placeof Ma-Kyo , a v i l lage of people , on the market day , andthe ped lars gladly exchanged cash for 35 s i lver yen at the rateof and would w i l l ingly have changed 70 . It took s ix

men to carry the coin to the boat, wh ich was once m ore substantially ballasted . Ma -Kyo is the r ive r por t of Che-chOn ,

and has an unusual ly flour i sh ing aspect , boast ing of manygood houses w i th t i led roofs . It expor ts r ice

,beans , and grain

from the very r ich agr icul tural coun try on both Sides of theriver, and impor ts fore ign cottons, Korean sackcloth , and sal t .Cotton in 20 cash the measure of 20 inches dearer at Ma -Kyothan in Seoul , and at Nang—ct n 70 cas/z dearer .

When we reached the forks at Ma -Chai , the boatmen ,who

were t ired of the tr i p, wanted to go back , but eventually theywere induced to fulfil the ir con tract

,and we entered the nor th

branch of the Han on a cool , glor ious afternoon ,fol low ing on

a n ight and morn ing of w ind and rain . Th is nor th branch

Natu ral Beau ty—The Rap ids 107

also r ises in the Keum-kang San or D iamond Moun tain in the

province of Kong-wOn , and after a turbulent course of about

98 m i les un i tes w i th the southern and larger branch of theHan about two days ’ j ourney from Seoul . For a cons iderabled istance the coun try wh ich i t drains is populous and well cultivated , and th e h i l ls of i ts h igher reaches provide much of

the t imber wh ich is used in Seoul , as wel l as a large propor t ionof the firewood and Charcoal . The t imber i s made up in tovery pecul iar rafts , wh ich come down at h igh water , but eventhen are frequent ly demol ished in the rapids . The riverw idens ou t above Ma-chai

,and for a cons iderable d istance

has an average bread th of 440 yards , bu t as a rule it is shallow,

and i ts bottom dangerously rocky , and i t has incessan trapids ful l of jagged rocks , some of wh ich are very dangerous ,and so ugly that as I wen t up them I was truly glad that Ihad not to descend them . Many a long , hard tug and brokenhawser we had

,but succeeded in hau l ing the sampan 7 m i les

above the l im i t of low water nav igat ion,wh ich is the same

d istance from the term inat ion of boat traffic at h igh water . Iest imate the d istance from Ma-chai to Ut-Ki r i , where fur ther

progress was stopped by an insurmoun table rapid , at 76 m i les ,wh ich took n ine days

,though K im and h is m an

,anxious to

go home , worked much harder than on our earl ier tr ip .

For the first few days there are V i l lages every quar ter of am i le

,and lateral and parallel val leys , th en r ich in clean crops

of bar ley and wheat . The r iver v i l lages are surrounded bygroves of Span ish chestnut , mulberry , cherry , pers immons , andweep ing w i l lows . There are deep crater i form cav i t ies , nowful l of trees and abundan t vegetat ion . The h i lls are coveredw i th oak scrub , afford ing cover for t iger s , wh ich appear toabound . The character ist ics o f the v i l lages and the agr icultur e hardly vary from those on th e south branch , except thatthe potato i s more extens ively grown . The absence of prov inc ial and local pecul iar it ies is a featur e of Korea . An alley inSeou l may serve for a vi l lage street anywhere else .


Gold in small quan t i t ies is found along the r iver,and rumor

says that Ur -rOp-so, a con ical h i l l near th e dangerous rap id of

Chum -

yOl, is r ich in i t, but that the d istr ict offic ial proh ib i tsd igging . H igher up a number of m en were wash ing for gold .

The ir apparatus cons ists o f a wooden s ieve or gr id iron , onwh ich the supposed aur iferous ear th is placed above a deepwooden tray

,and rocked under water t i l l the heavier stuff

passes through , to be agai n rocked in search of the gl i tter ingpar t icles . The r esul ts are placed on the r iver bank in p iecesof broken pottery , each watched by a man . The ear th i s obta ined by removing the heavy sh i ngle of th e r iver bank and

d igging up the sand to a depth of about 2 feet , when rock isr eached . From 60 to 100 trays are equal to a bushel and ahalf, and the y ield of th is quan t ity averages hal f a th imblefu lof gold in a state of fine subd ivi sion . These gold -washersseldom make more than 165 . per mon th , and on ly abou t 505 .

when work ing in the best goldfields .

Gold or namen ts are rarely seen in Korea , gold is scarcely ifat al l u sed in the ar ts ( i f ar ts there are) , and gold co ins do notex is t . Nevertheless

,as is shown by the Customs Repor ts

,the

quan t i ty of gold dust expor ted , ch iefly to Japan , is very farfrom be ing despicabl e

,al though the reefs wh ich presumably

contain the metal,of wh ich the wash ings are the proof

,have

not yet been touched . The fees paid by the m iners to theGovernmen t vary w i th the local i ty . Gold -d igging w i thou tGovernmen t au thor izat ion is proh ib ited by law under mostsevere penalt ies . Among the r ichest goldfields in Korea arePhyOng Kang , not far from the Han

,and Keum -San in

PhyOng-ah Do

,not far from the Ta i -dong . The larger wash

ings col lect as elsewhere the scum of the country , and r iotso ften occur among the m iners . I know not on wh ich subjectthe Korean is th e more voluble

,t igers or gold . He is proud

of Korea as a gold -produc ing country, and speaks as i f i ts dust

were golden sand 1

The groves of Span ish chestnuts w i th wh ich the Nor th Han


1 10 Korea and H er Ne ighbors

and young were dr iven to the r iver bank to be tethered in theflowery grass . The frol icsome bull calves

,wh ich are brough t

up in the Korean home , and are attended to bythe ch i ldren ,who are the ir natural playmates , develop under such treatmen tinto that maturi ty of m ingled gen tleness and statel iness wh ichis character ist ic of the Korean bulk—the one grand th ing re

main ing to Korea . When ful l grown a bull can carry from

350 to 500 lbs . They are fed on boi led beans,cut m i l le t

stalks,and cu t pea haulm, and the water in wh ich the beans

are boi led . They are led by a rope passed round the hornsfrom a bamboo r ing in the nose . The prevai l ing color is awarm red

,and th e huge an imal in bu i ld much resembles the

shor thorn . The Korean cow , wh ich is to be seen carry ingloads in Northern Korea

,is a wor thy dam of such a splend id

progeny .

The scenery , th ough always pretty , becomes monotonousafter a few days, and monotonous too were the adven tures inthe rapids, wh ich were innumerable , and the ceaseless to i l ing ,dragg ing , and tugg ing they involved . Reach ing Won -chOn , apost stat ion on the road toWOn -san , we halted and engagedhorses for a land journey , at a Very h igh rate , but they andtheir m apa or grooms turned out well , and as Wong sen tent iously remarked , If you pay well

,you w i l l be served well . ”

The agreemen t,wh ich I caused to be put in to wr i t ing , and

wh ich I made use of in other journeys, w i th much mutualsat isfact ion

,was duly signed

,and we con t inued the boat

journey .

After spend ing hal f a day at th e prefectural town of Nangct n

,where I am glad to record that the offic ials were very

cou r teous,we ascended the Han to a po in t above the w i ld

hamlet of Ut-Kiri , on a severe rapid ful l of jagged rocks .Ut-Kir i is above the head of low water nav igat ion , but in twosummer months dur ing the rains small boats can reach Ku -m u

n io,“ the last v i llage

,

”20 I i h igher . It was a wi ld term ina

t ion of the long boat j ourney . An abrupt turn of the river,

Natural Beau ty—The Rap ids 1 1 1

and i ts monotonous prett iness is left beh ind , and there is asuperb moun tain View of saddleback r idges and lofty graypeaks surround ing a dark expanse of water

,w ith a m arg in of

gray bou lders and needles of gray rock d raped w i th theAmpelops is , a yellow clemat is , and a wh i te honeysuckle . Itwas somewhat sad not to be able to penetrate the gr im auster i tyto the nor thward , but th e rapids were so severe and the waterofttimes so shal low that i t was imposs ible to drag the sampanfarther

,though at that t ime She only drew 2 inches of water .

From Ma-chai on the forks she had been poled and draggedup for ty rapids , mak ing e ighty—six on the whole journey .

From the th inly peopled sol i tudes of these upper water s wedescended rapidly

, though not w i thout some severe bumps , toth e populous r iver banks , where v i l lages are hal f h idden amongorchards and chestnut and mulberry groves , and the crops areheavy

,and that abundance of the necessar ies of l ife wh ich in

Korea passes for prosper i ty is the rule .

Ta-rai , a neat , prosperous place of 240 people , amongorchards , and h i lls ides terraced and bear ing Superb crops , isan example of the r iver ine V i llages . Its h ouses are bu i l t stepabove step along the s ides of a rav ine, down wh ich a perenn ialstream flows , afford ing water power for an automatic rice hul ling mach ine . For expor ts and imports th e Han at h ighwater is a Cheap and conven ien t h ighway . The h i l l slopesabove the V i l lage

,w i th their r ich so i l

,afford space for agr icul

tural expans ion for year s to come . And not to dwel l al together on the mater ial , there i s a shr ine of much r epute on afork - l ike Slope near the r iver . It contains a group of m i r ioas ,in th is case stones worn by the action of water in to the semblance of human be ings . The cen tral figure

,larger than l i fe

,

m ay even to a dul l imaginat ion represen t a person carrying an

infant,and i ts eyes , nose , and mou th are touched in w i th

Ch ina ink. It is surrounded by Phall ic symbols and m z'

r ioks,

wh ich may be supposed to represent ch i ldren , and womenmake prayers and offer ings in th i s shr ine in the hope of Oh


ta in ing a much coveted increase in the ir fam i l ies , for malech ildren are st i l l regarded as a bless ing in Korea

,and happy

is th e m an that hath h is qu iver ful l of them .

”

Ka -

phyOng again, a smal l prefectural town of 400 houses 1%m i les from the r iver , is a good spec imen of the small towns o fthe Han valley , w i th a ru inous yam en

,of course

,w i th i ts non

produc ing mob of hangers -ou . It is on the verge of an al luvialplain

,rol l ing up to p icturesque h i l ls , gashed by val leys ,

abound ing in hamlets surrounded by chestnu t groves and careful cu lt ivat ion . The Slopes above Ka -

phyOng break up in toknol ls richly wooded w i th con i fers and hardw ood trees , fr ingi ng off in to clumps and groups wh ich would not do d iscred itto the s lopes of W indsor . The people of a large d istrict br ingthe ir produce into the town

,and bar ter i t for goods in the

market . The telegraph w ire to WOn -san crosses the affluen ton wh ich Ka-phyOng is bui l t , and is carr ied along a br idlepath wh ich for some ti r uns along the river bank . Junksloaded 10 feet above the ir gunwales , as well as 4 feet outs ideof them w ith firewood

,and large rafts were wa i t ing for the

water to r ise . Boats were be ing bu i l t and great quan t i t ies ofthe strong rope used for tow ing and other purposes

,wh ich is

made from a “ creeper ” wh ich grows profusely in Cen tralKorea

,were awa it ing water carr iage . Yet Ka-

phyOng , l ikeother small Korean towns , has no l ife or go . Its merchants ”

are but pedlars,i ts commerc ial ideas do not r ise above those

of the huckster,and though poverty , as we understand i t, is

unknown , prosperi ty as we understand i t is absen t . There areno spec ial industries in any of the r iver ine towns , and if theywere al l to d isappear in some catastrophe i t would not cause ar ipple on the surface of the general comm erc ial apathy of thecountry .

Simi lar remarks apply to th e prefectural town of Nangct n

, where we again wasted some hour s , wh i le Kim’s r ice

was first bargained for and then cleaned . At that po in t therei s a fine deep stretch of the river 230 yards broad

—

abound ing


CHAPTER IX

KOREAN MARR IAGE CUSTOMS

AIK -KUI MI was not w i thou t a certain degree of l ife on thatSunday . A yang

-Fan’

s steward impressed boats for thegratu i tous carr iage of t i les to Seoul , wh ich caused a l i t t le feeble exc i temen t among the junkmen . There was a s ick person

,

and a m atang or female exorc ist was engaged dur ing the wholeday in the attempt to expel the malevolent daemon wh ich wasaffl ict ing h im , the process be ing accompan ied by the constan tbeat ing of a drum and the loud v ibrat ing sound of large cymbals . Lastly

,there was a marr iage , and th is deserves m ore

than a passing not ice , marr iage , bur ial , and exorc ism ,w i th

their ceremon ials , being the outstand ing features of Korea .

1

The Korean is nobody un t i l h e is marr ied . He is a be ingof no accoun t , a hobbledehoy .

” The wedd ing-day is theentrance on respectab i l i ty and m anhood , and marks a leap up

wards on the soc ial ladder . The you th,w i th long abundan t

hai r d iv ided in the m iddle and plai ted at the back , wearing ashor t , g i rdled coat , and look ing as i f he had no place in thewor ld though he may be qu i te grown up , and who is alwaystaken by strangers for a gir l , is transformed by the formal reciprocal salutat ions wh ich const i tu te the b ind ing ceremony ofmarr iage . He has rece ived the tonsure , and the long hair surround ing i t is drawn into th e now celebrated topknot .

”

He is invested w i th the m angan , a crownless Skullcap or fi l letof horsehair

,wi thou t wh ich

,thereafter , he is never seen . He

1The notes on m ar r iage custom s wh ich follow were given m e by Eng

lish -speaking Koreans and were taken down at the tim e. They applych iefly to the m iddle class.

Korean Marr iage Custom s 1 15

wears a black hat and a long ful l coat,and h is awkward gai t

is metamorphosed into a d ign ified swing . H is boy compan ionshave become h is infer ior s . H is name takes the equ ivalen t ofMr . after i t ; honor ifics must be used in address ing h im

in shor t,from be ing a nobody he becomes a somebody .

A g ir l by marry ing fu lfils her man ifest dest iny .

”Sp ins

terhood in Korea is relegated to the Buddh ist nunneries , wherei t has no r eputat ion for sanct i ty . Absolutely secluded in theinner cour t of her father ’s house from the age of seven

,a g ir l

passes about the age of seven teen to the absolute seclus ion ofth e inner rooms of her father- i h -law ’s house . The old t ies arebroken , and her husband

’ s home is thencefor th her pr ison . Iti s custom . It is on ly to our th ink ing that the customcovers a fel t hardsh ip . It is n eedless to add that the youngcouples do not choose each other . The marr iage is arrangedby the fathers

,and is consen ted to as a matter of course . A

m an ga ins the reputat ion of be ing a neglectfu l father whoallows his son to reach the age of twenty unmarr ied . Seventeen 01 e ighteen is the usual age at wh ich a m an marr ies . A

g ir l may go through the marr iage ceremony as a mere ch i ld ifher parents th ink an el igib le may sl ip through the ir fingers

,

but she is not obl iged to assume the dut ies of w i fehood t il l Sheis s ixteen . On the other hand

,boys of ten and twelve year s

of age are constan tly marr ied when the ir parents for any reasonw ish to see the affair settled and a des irable connect ion presents i tsel f

,and the yellow hats and p ink and blue coats and

attempted d ign i ty of these boy bridegrooms are among thes ights of the c i t ies .A go

-between is general ly employed for the prel im inary arrangemen ts . No money i s g iven to the br ide ’s father by thebr idegroom

,nor does th e daughter receive a dowry , but she is

suppl ied w i th a large tr ousseau ,wh ich is packed in handsome

marr iage chests w i th brass clam ps and decorat ions . There isno betrothal ceremony , and after the arrangement has beenmade the marriage may be delayed for weeks or even months.


When i t is thought des irable that i t should take place , but notun t i l the evening before , the bridegroom

’s father sends a sortof mar r iage—contract to the br ide ’ s father , who receives i t w i thout reply ing , and two p ieces of si lk are sen t to the br ide, outof wh ich her outer garments must be m ade for the marr iageday .

A number of men carrying gay s ilk lanterns bear th is present to the bride

,and on the way are met by a par ty of m en

from her father ’s house bear ing torches , and a fight ensues,

wh ich is often more than a make-bel ieve one,for ser ious blows

are exchanged , and on both s ides some are hurt . Death hasoccasional ly been known to fol low on the wounds received .

If the bridegroom ’ s par ty is worsted in the m elee i t is a s ignthat he w i l l have bad luck ; i f the br ide

’s , that she w i l l havem isfortunes . The n igh t before the mar r iage the paren ts of thebr ide and groom sacr ifice in th e ir respect ive houses before theancestral tablets , and acqua in t the ancestors w ith the even twh ich is to occur on the morrow .

The auspic ious day having been decided on by the sorcerer,

abou t an hour before noon,the br idegroom on horseback , and

in Court dress , l eaves his father’s house

,and on that occas ion

only a plebe ian can pass a yang -oan on the road w i thou t d ismounting . Two m en walk before h im , one car ry ing a wh i teumbrella

,and the other

,who i s d ressed in red cloth , a goose ,

wh ich is the emblem of conj ugal fidel i ty . He is also attendedby several m en carry ing un l igh ted red s i lk lanterns , by var i ousservan ts

,by a m arr ied brother

,if he has one, or by his father

if he has not . On reach ing h is dest inat ion he takes the goosefrom the hands of th e man in red , goes in to the house, andlays i t upon a table . Apr opos of th is emblem it must be observed that conj ugal fidel i ty is only requ ired from the w i fe ,and is a fem in ine virtue only .

Two women who are h ired to Officiate on such occasionslead the br ide on to the veranda , or an estrade , and place heroppos ite the bridegroom

,who stands fac ing her , but at some



three days,after wh ich the br ide is carr ied in a plain chair to

her future home , under the roof of her paren ts - in- law,where

she is al lotted a room or rooms in the seclusion of the women ’sapar tmen ts .The name bestowed on her by her parents soon after her

b ir th is dropped , and sh e i s known thereafter on ly as “ thew ife of so and so,

” or the mother of so and so .

” Her husband addresses her by the word yaoa ,

s ign i fy ing Lookhere

,wh ich is s ign ifican t of her relations to him .

Si lence is regarded as a w i fe ’s firs t du ty . Dur ing the wholeof the marr i age day the br ide must be as mute as a statue . Ifshe says a word or even makes a Sign she becomes an objectof r id icule

,and her s i lence must remain unbroken even in her

own room,though her husband may attempt to break i t by

taun ts,j eer s

,or coaxing , for the female servan ts are al l on th e

ga i vz'

ve for such a breach of et iquette as Speech,hang ing

about the door s and ch inks to catch up and goss ip even as ingle u tterance

,wh ich would cause her to lose caste for ever

in her c ircl e . Th i s custom of s i lence is observed w i th thegreatest r igid i ty in the h igher classes . It may be a week orseveral months before the husband knows the sound of h isw ife ’ s vo ice

,and even after that for a length of t ime she on ly

opens her mouth for necessary speech . W i th the father-in-lawthe law of s i lence is even mor e r ig id . The daughter - in -lawoften passes year s w i thout rais ing her eyes to his

,or addressing

a word to h im .

The w i fe has r ecogn i zed du t ies to her husband,bu t he has

few,if any, to her. It is cor rect for a m an to treat h is w i fe

w i th external marks of respect , bu t he would be an object forscorn and r id icule i f he showed her affection or treated her as

a compan ion . Among the upper classes a br idegroom ,after

passing three or four days w i th h is w i fe , leaves her for a considerable t ime to Show h is ind ifference . To act otherw isewould be bad form .

” My impress ion is that the commun i tyof interests and occupat ions wh ich poverty g ives

,and the em

Korean Marr iage Cu stom s 1 19

bargo wh ich i t lays on other connect ions,in Korea as in some

other Or iental coun tries, produces happier marriages amongthe lower orders than among the h igher. Korean women havealways born e the yoke . They accept inferiori ty as theirnatural lot ; they do not look for affect ion in marr iage, andprobably the idea of breaking custom never occur s to them .

Usually they subm i t qu ietly to the rule of the a /e-mer e, and

those who are insubord inate and provoke scenes of anger andscandal are reduced to order by a severe beat ing

,when they

are women of the people . But in the noble class custom forb ids a husband to str ike his w i fe , and as h is only remedy is ad ivorce , and remarr iage is d ifficu lt, he usually resigns h imsel fto h is fate . But i f, in add i t ion to torment ing h im and destroy ing the peace of h is house , the w i fe is unfai thful , he cantake her to a mandar in , who , after g iv ing her a severe beat ing ,may bestow her on a satell i te .The seclusion of g ir l s in th e parental home i s carr ied on

after marr iage , and in the case of women of the upper and

m iddle classes is as complete as is possible . They never goout by dayl igh t except in completely closed Chairs . At n ight,attended by a woman and a servant w ith a lan tern

,and w i th a

mant le over her head , a w i fe may st ir abroad and V isi t her female fr iends

,bu t never wi thout her husband ’s perm iss ion

,who

requ i res, or may requ i re , proof that the Vi s i t has been actually

paid . Shopping is done by servan ts , or goods are brough t tothe veranda , the vendor s d iscreetly ret ir ing . Time , wh ichamong the le isured classes hangs heav i ly on the hands , is Spen tin spasmod ic cook ing

,sew ing

,embro idering, read ing very

l ight l i terature in E n -m an , and in the never-fai l ing resourcesof goss ip and the interm inable d iscussion of bab ies . If awi fe is very dul l indeed , she can , w i th her husband

’s perm ission , send for actors , or rather postur ing reci ters , to the compound , and look at them through the ch inks of the bamboobl inds . Through these also many Korean lad ies have seenthe Splendors of the K ar—dong .


When the Korean w i fe becomes a mother her posi t ion isimproved . G ir ls

,as being unable to suppor t the ir parents in

old age or to perform the ancestral rites , are not prized as boysare

,yet they are ne i ther superfluous nor unwelcome as in some

Eastern countries . The b irth of a girl is not made an occas ion for rejo ic ing , but that of the firstborn son is

,and after the

name has been bestowed on him , the mother is known as “ themother of so and so The first step alone of the first boyis an occasion for fam i ly jubi lat ion . Korean bab ies have nocradles , and are put to sleep by being tapped l ightly on thestomach .

A KOREAN LADY.



most desperate fighters,squeal ing and trumpet ing on all oc

cas ions,attack ing every pony they m eet on the road

, neverbecom ing reconc i led to each other even on a long journey

, and

in the i r fury ignor ing the ir loads , wh ich are often smashed top ieces . The ir savagery makes i t necessary to have a m apa for

every pony , instead of, as in Pers ia , one to five . At the innstables they are not on ly Cha ined down to the troughs bychains shor t enough to prevent them from rais ing the ir heads

,

but are part ially slung at n ight to the heavy beams of the roof.Even under these restr icted c ircumstances their cord ial hatredfinds ven t in hyena - l ike yel ls

,abort ive snaps

,and attempts to

sw ing the ir h ind legs round . They are n ever allowed to liedown ,

and very rarely to drink water , and then on ly whenfreely salted . The ir nostr i ls are al l sl i t in an attempt to improve upon Nature and g ive them better w ind . They are fedthree t imes a day on brown slush as hot as they can dr ink i t,composed of beans

,chopped m i l le t stalks , rice husks , and

bran , w ith the water in wh ich they have been bo i led . Them apa are rough to them , but I never saw them e i ther i l l ~usedor petted . Dear ly as I love horses , I was not able on twojourneys to make a fr iend of m ine . On th is j ourney I rodea handsome chestnu t

,on ly 1 0 hands h igh . He walked 4

m i les an hour,and in a month of travell ing , for much of i t

over in famous moun tain roads,never stumbled

,but he resented

every attempt at fr iendl iness both w i th teeth and heels . Theyare wor th from 5 0 5 . upwards , and cost l it t le to keep .

The ir attendan ts,th e m apn ,

who are by no means alwaystheir owners

,or even par t owners , are very anxious abou t them

and take very great care of them,see ing to what passes as the ir

comfor t before the ir own . The pack saddle is removed at onceon hal t ing

,the an imals are well rubbed , and afterwards th ick

straw mats are bound round the ir bod ies . Great care is g ivento the cook ing of the ir food . I know not whether the par t ialsl ing ing of them to the crossbeams is to rel ieve thei r legs orto make figh t ing more d ifficult . On many a n ight I have been

The Korean Pony—Roads and Inns 123

kept awake by the screams of some fract ious an imal , k ick ingand b i t ing h is ne ighbor s as well as he was able

,ti ll there was

a general plung ing and squeal ing , wh ich lasted t i ll blows andexecrat ions restored some degree of order .

After I mounted m y steed , he trudged along very stead ily ,un less any of h is fellows came near h im ,

when , w i th an evi lglare in his eyes and a hyena-l ike yel l , he rushed upon themteeth and hoof, en t irely obl ivious of bit and r ider .A torrent of ra in fell , and the day

’s j ourney cons isted insplash ing through deep mud , ford ing swollen stream s , becausethe br idges wh ich crossed them were rotten , gett ing wet to th esk in

,and gett ing par t ial ly dry by si tt ing on the hot floor of a

hovel called an inn at the noonday hal t,along w i th a steam

ing crowd of al l sor ts and cond i t ions of m en in clean and d ir tywh i te clothes .The road by wh ich we travelled is th e main one from Seoul

to the eastern treaty por t of WOn-san . I t passes th rough r icevalleys w i th abundan t irr igat ion

, and along the s ides of bareh i lls . Goods and travel lers were not to be looked for in suchweather

,but there were a few str ings of cool ies loaded w i th

tobacco , and a few more tak ing d r ied fish and dr ied seaweed ,the latter a great ar t icle of d iet , from WOn -san to the cap ital .P anga s , or water pest les for hul l ing r ice

,under rude thatched

sheds, were numerous . These work automat ical ly,and their

solemn thud has a tone of mystery . The mach ine cons ists o fa heavy log centred on a pivot , w i th a box at one end and apestle at th e other . Water from a stream w i th some feet offal l is led into the box , wh ich when ful l t ips over i ts con ten tsand bear s down one end of th e log , when the sudden r ise

,act

ing on the pestle at the other end , br ings i t down w i th a heavythud on the r ice in the hol lowed stone , wh ich serves as a mor tar .

Where th is s impl e mach ine does not ex ist the work is per formedby women .

Denuded h i ll sides gave place to wooded valleys wi th torrentsmuch resembl ing par ts of Japan , the rain fel l in sheets , and


qu i te in th e ear ly afternoon , on reach ing the hamlet of Sarpang Kor i , the m apn decl ined to proceed far ther , and there Ihad my first exper ience of a Korean inn . Many weeks on thatand subsequent jour neys showed me that th is abom inable shelter , as I then thought i t, may be taken as a fair average Spec im en , and many a hear ty meal and good sound sleep may beenjoyed under such apparen t ly unpropi t ious c ircumstances .There are regular and irregular inns in Korea . The irregu

lar inn d iffers in noth ing from the ord inary hovel of the village roadway , un less i t can boast of a yard w i th troughs , andcan provide en ter tainment for beast as wel l as for m an . Theregular inn of the towns and large vi l lages cons ists ch iefly of afi l thy cour tyard ful l of holes and heaps , en tered from the roadby a tumble -down gateway . A gaun t black pig or two tetheredby the ears , big yel low dogs rout ing in the garbage , and fowls ,boys , bulls , pon ies , m apa , hangers -on , and travellers ’ loadsmake up a busy Scene .

On one or two s ides are ramshackle sheds , w i th rude , hollowed trunks in front

,ou t of wh ich the pon ies suck the hot

brown Slush wh ich sustains thei r strength and pugnac ity . On

th e other is the furnace -sh ed w i th the oats where th e slush iscooked , the same fire usual ly heat ing the fines of the Fang floorof the common room

,wh i le smal ler fires in the same shed cook

for the guests . Low latt ice door s fil led in w i th torn and d irtypaper g ive access to a room the mud floor of wh ich is concealedby reed mats

,usually d i lapidated

,spr inkled w i th wooden blocks

wh ich serve as p i l lows . Farm ing gear and hat boxes often finda place on th e low heavy crossbeams . Into th is room are

crowded m apa , travel lers , and servan ts , the low r es iduum ofKorean travel , for Offic ials and yang -bans rece ive the hospi tal ~i t ies of th e nearest mag istracy, and the peasan ts open the irhouses to anybody w i th whom they have a pass ing acquaintance . There is in al l inns of pretensions , however , anotherroom , known as “ the clean room ,

”8 feet by 6 , wh ich , if it

ex isted , I obta ined , and if not I had a room in the women’

s



per n ight , and the same for my room at the midday hal t,

wh ich gave complete sat isfact ion . Travel lers who eat threemeals a day spend , includ ing the tr ifl ing gratu i t ies , from 200

to 300 cask per d iem . M i l let takes the place of r ice in the

northern inns .The Korean inn is not noisy unless w ine is flow ing freely

,

and even then the noise subs ides ear ly . The figh t ing of th epon ies , and the shouts and execrat ions w i th wh ich the m apa

pac ify them ,are the ch ief d is turbances t i l l dayl igh t comes and

the wayfarers move on . Travel l ing after dark is contrary toKorean custom .

From th i s sl ight sketch, the shadows of wh ich w i l l bear

frequent and much intens ify ing,i t w i l l be seen that Korean

travell ing has a very seamy s ide,that it is en tirely unsu i ted to

the globe trotter , and that even the spec ial ist m ay do wel lto coun t the cost before embark ing upon it .

To me the curse of th e Korean inn is the i ll-bred and un

manageable cur ios i ty of the people, spec ial ly of the women .

A European woman had not been seen on any part of thejourney , and I suffered accord ingly . Sar -pang Kor i may serveas a spec imen .

My quar ters were Oppos i te to the pon ies , on the other s ideof th e foul and crowded courtyard . There were two rooms ,w i th a space under the roof as large as e i ther between them ,

on wh ich the dr ipp ing baggage was depos i ted , and Wong established h imself w i th his cook ing stove and u tens i ls , thoughthere was noth ing to cook except two eggs obtained w i th d ifficul ty

,and a l i ttle r i ce left over from the boat stores . My

room had three paper doors . The unwal led Space at oncefi l led up w i th a crowd of m en

,women

,and Ch i ldren . All th e

paper was torn off the doors , and a crowd of d ir ty Mongol ianfaces took its place . I hung up cambr ic cur ta ins , but longs t icks were produced and my cur tains were poked in to them iddle of the room . The crowd broke in th e doors , and

fi l led the small space not occup ied by myself and my gear .

The Korean Pony— Roads and Inns 127

The women and ch i ldren sat on my bed in heaps , exam inedmy cloth ing , took ou t my hai rp ins and pulled down my hair ,took off my sl ippers , drew my sleeves up to the elbow and

pinched my arms to see if they were of the same flesh and

blood as thei r own ; they invest igated my few possess ions m inutely, try ing on my hat and gloves , and after being turned ou tby Wong three t imes , r eturned in fuller force , accompan ied byunmarr ied you ths , the on ly good -looking gir ls ” ever seen inKorea , w i th abundan t hair d ivided in the m iddle , and hangingin long plai ts down thei r backs . The push ing and crush ing

,

th e od ious fam il iar i ty , the babel of vo ices , and the odors ofd ir ty cloth ing in a temperature of were in tolerable .

Wong cleared the room a four th t ime , and suggested that whenthey forced the ir way in again , they should find me s i tting onthe bed clean ing my revolver , a suggest ion I accepted . Hehad hardly ret ired when they broke in again , but there was animmed iate stampede , and for the remainder of the even ing Iwas free from annoyance . Sim i lar d isplays of aggress ive andintolerable cu r ios ity occurred three t imes dai ly , and i t washard to be always am iable under such Circumstances .The Koreans travel enormously , cons ider ing that they sel

dom make pi lgr images . The pedlar s , who solely supply themarkets , are always on the move , and thousands travel forother reasons , such as th e gather ings at ancestral tablets, restlessness, ennu i , éu

-ayong or s ightsee ing , v is i ts to tombs ,place -hunt ing , l i terary exam inat ions , place -keeping and at

tempt ing to depr ive other s of place , l i t igat ion , and bus iness .The fear of t igers and daemons prevents people from journeying by n ight , wh ich is as well, as the bearer s of offic ial passpor ts have the r igh t to demand an escor t of torchbearers fromeach v il lage . If necess i ty com pells nocturnal travel , the wayfarers assoc iate themselves in bands , swinging lanterns , wavingtorches

,yell ing , and beat ing gongs . The dread of the t iger

is so un iversal as to warran t the Ch inese proverbial say ing ,“ The Korean hunts the t iger one half of the year , and the


t iger hun ts the Korean the other hal f. AS I have before t emarked , the mandar ins and yang

-oans , w i th their trains ,quarter themselves on the mag istrac ies , and eat the fat of theland . Should they be compel led to have recourse to the d iscomforts of an inn and the food of a vi l lage , they appropr iatethe best of everyth ing wi thout pay ing for i t. Hence the V isi tof a foreigner armed wi th a kwanj a is such an object of dread ,that on th is land journey I never let i t be known that I hadone , and on my Second journey d iscarded i t altogether, trusting in both to the reputat ion for scrupulous honesty wh ich I atonce establ ished w i th my men to overcome the repugnancewh ich the innkeepers fel t to rece iving me .The roads along wh ich th e travel ler r ides or trudges, at a

pace,in e i ther case , of 3 m i les an hour, are Simply infamous.

There are few made roads, and those wh ich ex ist are deep indust in summer and in mud in w inter, where they are not

pol ished tracks over irregular surfaces and ledges of rock . Inm ost cases they are merely paths worn by the passage ofan imals and men into some degree of legib i l i ty . Many of thestreams are unbr idged , and most of the bridges , the roadwaysof wh ich are only of tw igs and sod , are carr ied away by therains of ear ly July, and are not restored t i l l the m iddle ofOctober . In some reg ions traffic has to betake itsel f to fordsor ferries when i t reaches a stream

,w i th their necessary r isks

and detent ions . Even on the Six Great Roads ” wh ichcen tre in the cap i tal , the br idges are apt to be in such a rotten cond it ion that a m apu usual ly goes over in advance of h ishorses to ascer tain if they w i l l hear the ir weigh t . Among themountains , roads are frequent ly noth ing else than boulderstrewn torren t beds , and on the best, that between Seoul andChemulpo , during the w in ter, there are tracts on wh ich themud is from one to three feet deep . These infamous bridletracks , of wh ich I have had extens ive exper ience, are one ofthe great h indrances to th e development of Korea.Among the worst of these is that par t of the main road from



a larg ish r iver in a r ich agr icultural reg ion , and to the v il lageof Pan-

pyOng ,where they were mak ing in the rudest fash ion

the great cast- iron pots used for bo i l ing horse food , froin ironobtained and smelted 33 [i far ther nor th .

On two success ive days there were tremendous thunders torms

,the second succeeded , j ust as we were at th e head of a

w i ld glen , by a br ief tornado , wh ich near ly blew over the

pon ies , and snapped trees of some s ize as though they hadbeen matchwood . Then came a profound calm . The cloudslay banked in p ink i l lum inated masses on a sky of tendergreen

,cleft by gray moun tain peaks . Mounta in torrents

boomed,crashed , sparkled , and foamed , the s i len t woods re

joiced the eye by the v ividness of the ir greenery and theirmasses of wh i te and yellow blossom

, and sweet heavy odor senr iched the even ing a ir . On that and several other occasions

,

I recognized that Korea has i ts own spec ial beaut ies , wh ich fixthemselves in the memory ; but they must be sought for inspr ing and autumn , and off the beaten track . D ir ty and

squal id as the V i llages are,at a l i ttle d istance the i r deep-eaved

brown roofs , massed among orchards , on gentle slopes , or onthe banks of sparkl ing streams, add color and l ife to th escenery

,and m en in the ir queer wh i te clothes and dress hats ,

w ith the ir firm tread , and bundled -up women ,w ith a shoggl ing

walk and long staffs , brough t round w i th a sem ic ircular swingat every step, are adj uncts wh ich one would not wi l l ingly d ispense w ith .

Before reach ing the Paik-yang Kang,a broad , ful l r iver, an

affluent of the nor thern Han,w i th s ingular ly abrupt turns

and perpend icular cl iffs of a format ion resembl ing that of thePal isades on the Hudson River , we crossed one of the greatlava fields descr ibed by Consul Carles .

l

Th is , wh ich we crossed in a nor theaster ly d irect ion , is arough oval about 40 m i les by 30 ,

a tableland,in fact , sur

1“Recent Journeys in Korea,” P r oceedings of tae Royal Geog r apni cal

Society , May, 1896.

The Korean Pony—Roads and Inns 131

rounded by a deep chasm where the torren ts wh ich encirclei t meet the mounta ins . Its plateaux are from 60 to 100 feetabove these streams , wh ich are al l affluents of the Han

,

and are suppor ted on pal isades of basal t , exh ibi t ing the pr ismat ic columnar form at ion in a very str ik ing manner . I n some

places the lava , wh ich is often covered e i ther w i th conglomerateor a stiffish clay , is very near the sur face , and large blocks ofi t lie along the streams . It is a most fer t i le tract , and couldsuppor t a large popu lat ion , bu t not be ing su ited for r ice

,is

very l i ttle cul t ivated , and grows ch iefly oats , m i l let, and beans ,wh ich are not affected by the strong w inds .There are two Dolmens, not far from the Paik-yang Kang .

I n one the upper stone is from 7 to 1 0 feet long,by 7 feet

w ide,and 1 7 inches deep , rest ing on three stones 4 feet 2

i nches h igh . The other is somewhat smaller. The open ingsof both face due nor th .

After cross ing the Paik -yang Kang, there 1 62 yards w ideand 1 6 feet deep, by a ferry boat of remarkably ingen ious construct ion ,

rendered necessary by the fact that the long br idgeover the broad stream was in r u ins , and that the appropr iat ionfor i ts reconstruct ion had been d iver ted by the local officialsto the ir own enr ichmen t , we en tered the spurs or r ibs of thegreat mountain chain wh ich , runn ing nor th and south , d ividesKorea in to two very unequal longi tud inal por t ions at the village of Tong -ku .

The scenery became very var ied and pretty . Forestsclothed many of the h i l ls w i th a fair blossom ing undergrowthun touched by the fuel gatherers ’ remorseless hook ; torren tsflashed in foam through dark

,dense leafage

,or bubbled and

gurgled out of s igh t ; the l i ttle patches of cul t ivat ion wereboulder-strewn ther e were few i nhab i tants

, and the trackscalled roads were l i ttle better than the stony beds of streams .As they became less and less obvious , and the valleys moresol i tary, our tergiversat ions were more frequen t and prolonged ,the m apu drove the pon ies as fast as they could walk, the fords


were many and deep , and two of the par ty were unhorsed inthem

,s t i l l we hur r ied on faster and faster . Not a word was

spoken,but I knew that the m en had tiger on the br a in

Blunder ing th rough the tw i l ight, i t was dark when wereached the lower V i l lage of Ma-r i Kei , where we were to hal tfor the n igh t

,two m i les from the Pass of Tan -

pa-RyOng , wh ich

was to be crossed the next day . There the V i llagers could notor would not take us in . They said they had nei ther r ice norbeans

,wh ich may have been true so late in the spring. How

ever,it is , or then was , Korean law that i f a V i l lage could

not enter tain travel lers i t must convoy them to the next hal ting

-place .

The m apu were frant ic . They yelled and stormed and

banged at the hovels , and succeeded in turn ing out four sleepypeasants , who were re inforced by four more a l i tt le farther onbut the torches were too short , and after sputtering and flaring

,

went out one by one, and the fresh ones l ighted slowly. Them apu lost the ir reason . They thrashed the torchbearers w i ththeir heavy st icks ; I lashed my m apu w i th my l igh t wh ip fordo ing i t ; they yelled , they danced . Then th ings improved .

Glor iously glared the p ine knots on the leaping crystal torrentsthat we forded , redden ing the wh i te clothes of the m en andthe stony track and the warm - t in ted stems of the p ines

,and so

wi th shouts and yells and waving torches we passed up th ewooded glen in the frosty n ight air , under a firm am ent ofstars

,to the moun tain hamlet of upper Ma-r i Kei, consist ing

of five hovels,only three of wh ich were inhabi ted .

It is a very for lorn place and very poor, and it was an hourbefore my party of e ight human be ings and four pon ies wereestabl ished in i ts m i serable shelter, though even that was welcome after be ing eleven hours in the saddle.



The eastern descen t of the Tan -

pa-Ryong is by a series of

z igzags,through woods and a profus ion of var ied and m agn ifi

cent ferns . A long day followed of ascen ts and descents,

deep fords of turbulen t streams, valley Vi l lages w i th terracecult ivat ion of buckwheat , and gl impses of gray rock needlesthrough p ine and pers immon groves, and in the late afternoon ,after struggl ing through a rough ford in wh ich the water washalfway up the s ides of the pon ies , we entered a gorge andstruck a sm ooth , broad , wel l -made road , th e work of themonks , wh ich traverses a fine forest of p ines and firs above aboom ing torren t .Towards evening “ The h i l ls swung open to the l ight

th rough the par t ing branches there were gl impses of gran i tewalls and peaks redden ing in to glory ; red stems

,glowing in

the slan t sunbeams , l ighted up the blue gloom of the con i feraethere were gl ints of foam from the loud—tongued torren t below ;the dew fell heav ily , laden w i th aromat ic odors of p ines, andas the valley narrowed again and the blue shadows fel l thep icture was as fair as one could hope to see . The monks

,

though road -makers , are not br idge-bu i lders , and th ere wered ifficul t fords to cross , through wh ich the pon i es were left tostruggle by themselves , the m apu crossing on Single logs . Inthe deep water I d iscovered that i ts temperature was almosticy. The worst ford is at the po in t where the first V iew ofChang-an Se , the Temple of Eternal Rest , th e oldest of th eKeum -Kang San monaster ies , is Obtained , a great pi le of temple bu i ld ings w i th deep curved roofs , in a glor ious s i tuat ion ,crowded upon a small grassy plateau in one of the narrowest

par ts of th e gorge , where th e mountains fal l back a l i t tle andafford Buddh ism a peaceful shelter

,secluded from the ou ter

wor ld by snow for four mon ths of th e year .

Crossing the torren t and passing under a lofty Hong

-Sal

Al an, or red arrow gate

,

” s ign ifican t in Korea of the patronage of royal ty, we were at once among the Chang-an Sa bu i ldings , wh ich cons ist of temples large and smal l

,a stage for

D iam ond Mounta in Monaster ies 135

rel igious dramas , bell and tablet houses , stables for the pon iesof wayfarers , cells , dorm i tor ies , and a refectory for the abbotand monks

,quar ters for servan ts and neophytes , huge ki tchens ,

a large guest hal l , and a nunnery . Besides these there arequar ters devoted to the lame , halt , bl ind , infirm ,

and sol i tary ;to w idows

,orphans , and the dest itute .

These guests,numbering 100 , seemed well treated . Be

tween monks,servan ts , and boys prepar ing for the pr iesthood

there may be 1 00 more , and 20 nuns of al l ages,from gir lhood

up to eighty -seven year s . Th is large number of persons issuppor ted by the ren t and produce of Church lands outsidethe m ountains , the con tr ibut ions of p i lgr ims and guests

,the

moneys col lected by the monks, who all go on mend ican texped i t ions , even up to the gates of Seoul , wh ich at that t imei t was death for any pr iest to en ter , and benefact ions from thelate Queen

,wh ich had become increasingly l iberal .

The first impress ion of the plateau was that it was a wood

yard on a large scale . Great logs and p i les of planks wereheaped under the stately p ines and under a superb Satz

'

saur ia

adiantifolia , 1 7 feet in gir th 40 carpen ters were saw ing ,plan ing , and hammer ing , and 40 or 50 laborer s were haul ingin logs to th e music of a w i ld chant

,for mend ican t effor t had

been resor ted to energet ically , wi th the resul t that the greattemple was undergo ing repairs , almost amount ing to a reconstruct ion .

Of the for ty -five monasteries and monast ic shr ines wh ichexist in the D iamond Moun tain

,enhancing i ts picturesqueness

and supply ing i t w i th a rel ig ious and human in terest , Chang-an

Sa may be taken as a fai r Specimen of the three largest , as itis undoubtedly the oldest

,assum ing the correctness of a h is

tor ical record quoted by Mr . Campbell , wh ich gives the dateof i ts restorat ion by two monks , Yul-5 a and Ch in -h ’yo , as A D .

5 1 5 , in the re ign of POp-heung , a k ing of Si l la , then the mostimpor tan t of the k ingdoms , afterwards amalgamated as Korea .

The large temple is a fine Old bu i ld ing of the type adapted


from Ch inese Buddh ist arch i tecture, oblong , wi th a heavy t i ledroof 48 feet in he igh t , w i th wings , deep eaves protect ingmasses of r ichly-colored wood -carving . The lofty ret icu latedroof is internally supported on an arrangemen t of heavybeams

,elaborately carved and painted in r ich colors. The

panels of the door s , wh ich serve as w indows , and let in ad im rel ig ious l ight ,

”are bold fretwork , decorated in colors

enr iched w i th gold .

The roofs of the actual Shrines are supported on woodenpi llars 3 feet in d iameter , form ed of s ingle trees , and the

panel led ce i l ings are embell ished w i th intr icate designs in colors and gold . I n one Sakyamun i ’s image

,w i th a d ist inctly

H indu cast of coun tenance, and a look of ineffable abstrac

t ion , s i ts u nder a h ighly decorat ive ret iculated wooden canopy ,w i th an altar before i t, on wh ich are brass incense burners ,books of prayer , and l ists o f those deceased persons for whosesouls masses have been duly paid for . Much r ich brocade ,soi led and dusty , and many gon falon s , hang round th i s Shr ine .The Hal l of the Four Sages contains three Buddhas in

d ifferen t att i tudes of abstract ion or m ed i tat ion,a p ictur e,

wonderfully worked in gold and s i lks in Ch inese embro idery ,of Buddha and h i s d isc iples , for wh ich the monks claim anan tiqu i ty of four teen cen tur ies

, and s ixteen Lohans , w i th the irattendants . Along the side walls are a host of daemons andan imals . Another str ik ing shr ine i s that ded icated to th eLord of the Buddh ist ic Hell and his ten pr inces . The monkscal l i t the Temple of the Ten Judges .” Th i s is a shr ine ofgreat r esort

, and i s m uch blackened by the smoke of incenseand candles

,but the in fernal torments depicted in th e p ictures

at the back of each judge are on ly too conspicuous . Theyare horr ible beyond concept ion

,and show a d iabol ical gen ius

in hell ish art,ak i n to that wh ich inspired the creat ion of the

groups in the Inferno of the temple of Kwan -

yin at Ting-hai

on Chusan , fam i l iar to some of my readers .Besides the eccl es iast ical bu i ld ings and the common guest



the h ighest in th e range,compels ceaseless adm irat ion . The

appearance of i ts huge ver t ical topmost ribs has been wellcompared to that of the pipes of an organ ,

” th is organ -p ipeformat ion be ing common in the range ; seams and ledges hal fway down give roothold to a few fan tast ic con i fers and azaleas,and lower sti l l al l suggest ion of form is lost among densemasses of magn ificen t forest .As I proposed to take a somewhat d ifferen t route from Yu

chOm Sa ( the first temple on the eastern slope) from that traversed by my predecessors , the Hon . G . W . Curzon and Mr .

Campbell , I left the pon ies and baggage at Chang-ah Sa, th em apu , who were ben t on eu -éyo

'

ng , accompany ing me for partof the d istance , and took a five days ’ j our ney in the glor iousKeum -Kang San in unr ival led weather , in a ir wh ich was el ixir

,

crossing the range to Yu -chOm Sa by the An-m un -Chai (GooseGate Terrace) , feet in alt i tude, and recross ing it by th eK i - cho

,feet .

Taking two cool ies to carry essen t ials, and a na -myo' or

mounta in Chair w i th two bearers,for the whole j ou rney , al l

suppl ied by the monks , I walked the first stage to the monasterles of P ’yo-nu Sa and Chyang -yang Sa, the latter at an el evation of about feet . From it the V iew, wh ich passesfor the grandest in Korea , is obtained of th e Twelve Thousand Peaks . ” There is assured ly no s ingle view that I haveseen in Japan or even in Western Ch ina wh ich equal s i t forbeauty and grandeur . Across the grand gorge th rough wh ichthe Chang-an Sa torren t thunder s

,and above pr imaeval t iger

haunted forests w i th the ir infini ty of green ,r ises the cen tral

r idge of the Keum -Kang San ,j agged al l along i ts summ i t , each

yellow gran i te pinnacl e be ing counted as a peak .

On that enchan t ing May even ing , when odors of parad ise ,the fragran t breath of a m i l l ion flower ing sh rubs and tra ilers ,of burst ing buds

,and un fold ing ferns , rose in to the cool dewy

a i r , and th e s i lence could be fel t , I was not incl ined to entera protest against Korean exaggerat ion on the ground that the

D iam ond Mountain Monaster ies 139

number of peaks is probably nearer than Theiryel low gran i te pinnacles , weathered in to s i lver gray, rose upcold

,stern

,and steely blue from the glor ious forests wh ich

d rape their lower heights—w inter above and sum mer belowthen purpled into red as the sun sank , and gleamed above thetw i l ight

,t i l l each glow ing summ i t d ied out as lamps wh ich are

extingu ished one by one, and th e whole took on the ashy hueof death .

The si tuation of P ’yo -un Sa is romant ic , on the r ight bankof the torren t , and i s approached by a br idge , and by pass ingunder several roofed gateways . The monastery had beennewly rebu i l t , and i s one mass of fretwork , carv ing , gi ld ing ,and color , the whole decorat ion be ing the work of the monks .The fron t of the “ Temple of the Bel ieving M ind

”is a

magn ificen t piece of bold wood -carving , the m otif being thepeony . Every par t of th e bu i ld ing wh ich is not stone or t i leis carved , and decorated in blue , red , wh i te , green , and gold .

It may be barbar ic,bu t i t is barbar ic splendor . There too is

a Temple of Judgmen t ,” w i th h ideous represen tat ions of the

Buddh ist hel ls , one scene being the open ing of the books inwh ich the deeds of men ’s mortal l ives are wr itten .

The fifty monks of P ’yo -nu Sa were very fr iendly , and not

impecun ious . One gave up to me h is oven - l ike cel l,bu t repaid

h imsel f for th e sacr ifice by indulg ing in ceaseless star ing . Thew ind bells of the establ ishmen t and the b ig hell have a melodyin their tones such as I have rarely heard , and when at 4 A . M.

bells of all s izes and tones announced that “ prayer is betterthan sleep ,

” there was noth ing about the sounds to jar on thepure freshness of morning . The monks are wel l dressed and

jol ly , and have a wel l - to -do air wh ich clashes w i th any pre

tens ions to ascet ic ism . The rule of these monaster ies is astr ict vegetar ian i sm wh ich al lows nei ther m i lk nor eggs , andin the whole region there are ne i ther fowls nor dom est ic an imals . Not to wound the prejud ices of my hosts , I l ived ontea , r ice, honey water , ed ible pine nuts, and a most sat isfy ing


combinat ion of pine nu ts and honey . After a l igh t breakfaston these del icac ies

,the sub-abbot , took me to see h is grand

mother, a very br igh t pleasing woman of eighty , who came

from Seoul th ir teen year s ago and bu i l t a house w i th in themonastery grounds , in order to d ie in i ts qu iet blessedness .There I had to eat a second ethereal meal , and the hospi tablehostess forced on me a pot of exqu i s i te honey and a bag of p inenuts . These , the product of the P z

’

nus pinea , wh ich growsprofusely throughou t the range , furn i sh an impor tan t and nu

tr itious ar t icle of monki sh d iet , and are expor ted in quan t i t iesas a luxury . They are r ich and very o i ly

,and turn rancid

soon after being shel led . The honey is also local ly produced .

The beeh ives, wh ich usually stand two together in cav i t ies inthe rocks, are hollow logs w i th clay covers moun ted on blocksof wood or stone . Leaving th is fr iendly hostess and the sevennuns of the nunnery beh ind

,the sub -abbot showed me the

d irection in wh ich to cl imb , for road there is none , and atparting presen ted me w i th a fan .

A V is i t to the Keum -Kang San elevates a Korean in to thed ist ingu ished pos i tion of a travel ler

,and many a young resi

den t of Seoul gains th i s fash ionable reputat ion . It is not ascontain ing shr ines of p ilgr image , for most Koreans despiseBuddh ism and i ts shaven mend ican t pr iests , that these mountains are famous in Korea , but for the ir p icturesque beaut ies ,much celebrated in Korean poetry . The broad backbone ofthe peninsula wh ich has trended near to th e east coast fromPuk-chOng sou thwards has degenerated in to tam eness , whensuddenly Keum -Kang San , or th e D iamond Moun tain , w i th i tselongated m ass of serrated , jagged , and inaccess ible peaks,and magnificent pr imaeval forest , occupy ing an area of abou t

32 m i les in length by 2 2 i n breadth,star ts off from i t near the

39th paral lel of lat i tude in th e province of Kang-wOn.

Buddh i sm , wh ich , as in Japan ,possesses i tsel f of the fai rest

spots in Nature, fixed i tsel f in th is roman t ic seclusion as ear lyas the s ixth century A . D . , and the venerable rel ics of the t ime


D iam ond Moun ta in Monaster ies 14 1

when for years i t was the offic ial as wel l as the popularcul t of the country are ch iefly to be found in the recesses ofth is mountain region

,where the same fai th

,though now d is

cred ited , d isestabl ished , and desp ised , st i l l attracts a cer tainnumber of votar ies , and a far larger num ber of Vis i tors andso-cal led p i lg r ims , who resor t to the shr ines to indulge in kukyang ,

a Korean term wh ich covers pleasure -seek ing , Sigh tsee ing

,the indulgence of cur ios i ty , and much else.

So far as I have been able to learn , there are on ly tworoutes by wh ich the Keum -Kang San can be penetrated

,the

one wh ich , after fol low ing the bed of a s ingular ly rough torren t , crosses the watershed at Ah -m un -chai , and on or nearwh ich the principal monaster ies and shr ines are Si tuated , andthe K i -cho, a lower and less interest ing pass . Both routesstar t from Chang-an Sa. The for ty- two shr ines are the headquar ters of about 400 monks and about 5 0 nuns , who add tothe ir rel igious exerc ises the weaving of cotton and hempen cloth .

The lay serv i tors poss ibly number The four great m on

aster ies , two on the easter n and two on the western slope ,absorb more than 300 of the whole number. All except theh igh monast ic offic ials beg through the country

,alms-bowl in

hand , the on ly d ist inct ive features of the ir dress be ing a very

pecul iar hat and the rosary . They chan t th e l i tan ies ofBuddha from house to house

, and there are few who deny themfood and lodging and a few cash or a l ittle r ice .The monaster ies are pres ided over by what we should call

“ abbots,”super iors of the fir st or second class accord ing to

the importance of the establ ishmen t . These Gli ang -so'

p and

Son -tong are nom inal ly elected annually,but actually con t inue

in office for years, unless the ir conduct gives rise to d issatisfact ion . Beyond the confirmation of the elect ion of theChong

-so’

p of those monaster ies wh ich possess a Red ArrowGate by the Board Of R i tes at Seoul

,the d isestabl ished

Church appears to be qu i te free from State in ter ference . I n

the case of restor ing and rebu i ld ing shrines , large sums are


collected in Seoul and the southern provinces , though fai thin Buddh ism as a creed rarely ex i sts .On making inquir ies through Mr . M i l ler as to the way in

wh ich the number of monks is kept up , I learned that the ma

jor i ty are e i ther orphans or ch i ldren whose paren ts have g iventhem to the monasteries at a very ear ly age ow ing to pover ty .

These are mor e or less educated and trained by the monks .It must be supposed that among the number there are a fewwho escape from the wear iness and fr ict ion of secular l ife in toa reg ion in wh ich seclusion and devot ion are poss ible . Of

th is type was the pale and in terest ing young pr iest who gave uph is room to me at Chang-ah Sa, and two who accompan ied usto Yu-chOm Sa, one of whom chan ted N a Mu Am i Tabu

near ly the whole day as he journeyed , tel l ing a bead on h isrosary for each ten repet i t ions Mr . M i l ler asked him whatthe words mean t “ Just letters , he repl ied “ they have nomean ing , but i f you say them many t imes you w i l l get toheaven better .

” Then he gave Mr . M i l ler the rosary , andtaugh t h im the myst ic syl lables , saying , “ Now

,you keep the

beads,say the words , and you w i l l go to heaven .

” Amongthe younger pr iests several seemed in earnest . Others makethe monaster ies (as is largely the case w i th the celebratedshr ines of Kwan -

yin on the Ch inese island of Pu-tu) a refugefrom just ice or cred i tors , some remain des ir ing peaceful indolence

,and not a few are vowed and tonsured who came s imply

to v iew the scenery of the Keum -Kang San and were too muchenchanted to leave i t.As to th e mor ibund Buddh ism wh ich has found i ts most se

cluded r etreat in these moun tains , i t is over l aid w i th daem onolatry

,and l ike that of Ch ina is smothered under a host of sem i

de ified heroes . Of the lofty aims and asp irat ions after r igh teousness wh ich d ist ingu ish the great reform ing sects of Japan

,

such as the Monto,i t knows noth ing .

The monks are grossly ignoran t and superst i t ious . Theyknow nearly noth ing of the h istory and tenets of their own



of rope for the feet , and l ight upr ights bound together w i th aw istar ia rope to suppor t the back , can be used , but the occu

pan t of the Chair has to walk much of the way .

The torrent bed contracts above Chang-ah Sa , opens ou there and there , and above P

’yo -nu Sa narrows into a gash , onlyopening out aga in at the foot of the An -m un -Chai . Surely thebeauty of that 1 1 m i les is not much exceeded anywhere onear th . Colossal cl iffs , upbear ing moun ta ins , forests , and graygleam ing peaks

,r ifted to g ive roothold to p ines and maples ,

oftt imes contracting t i l l th e blue heaven above is narrowed toa strip

,boulders of p ink gran i te 40 and 50 feet h igh , p ines on

their crests and fer ns and l i l ies in the ir crevices, round wh ichthe clear waters swir l , before sl id ing down over smooth sur

faces of p ink gran it e to rest awh i le in deep pink pools wherethey take a more br i l l ian t than an emerald green w i th the flashing lustre of a d iamond—rocks and ledges over wh ich the crystal stream dashes in dr ifts of foam , shelv ing rock sur faces onwh ich the decorat ive Ch inese characters, the labor ious workof pi lgr ims , afford the on ly foothold , sl ides , steeper sti l l , made

passable for determ ined cl imber s by holes , dri l led by the monks,and fi tted w i th pegs and rai ls , rocks w i th has-rel iefs , or smal lshr ines of Buddha draped w i th flower ing trai lers , a cl iff w i tha has -rel ief of Buddha

, 45 feet h igh on a pedestal 30 feet broad ,rocks carved into lanterns and altars

,whose harsh outl ines are

softened by mosses and l ichens,and above, huge t imber and

fantast ic peaks r is ing intoThe sum m er heaven ’

s del icious blue .

A descr ipt ion can be only a catalogue . The actual ity was i htox icating , a canyon on th e grandest scale , w i th every elemen tof beau ty presen t .Th is rou te cannot be traversed in European shoes . I n Korean

str ing foot -gear , however , I never slipped ,

once. There wasmuch jumping from bou lder to boulder , much w ind ing roundrocky proj ections , cl inging to the ir irregular i ties w i th scarcelyfoothold , and one

’

s back to the torren t far below ,and much

D iam ond Mounta in Monaster ies

l eaping over deep crevices and walk ing t ight -rope fash ionover rai ls . Wherever the travel ler has to leave the d ifficult iesof the tor rent bed he encoun ters those of sl ippery sloping rocks ,wh ich he has to traverse by hanging on to tree trunks .Our two pr iestly compan ions were most pol i te to me , g iving

me a hand at the dangerous places , and begui l ing the way bylegends

,ch iefly Buddh ist ic , concern ing every fan tast ic and ah

normal rock and pool , such as the Myo-kil Sang , the colossalfigure of Buddha r eferred to before , a pothole in the gran i tebed of the stream , the wash -bas in of some myth ical Bodh isattva

,the Fi re Dragon Pool , and the bath ing-places of dragons

in the fan tast ic Man -pok-Tong (Grotto of Myr iad Cascades) ,and the Lion Stone wh ich repelled the advance of the Japanese i nvaders in 1 592 .

Beyond the th ird monastery the gorge becomes w ider andless fan tastic , the forest th inner , al low ing scattered gl impses ofthe sky , and final ly some long z igzags take the traveller up tothe open grassy summ i t of the An -m un -chai

,on wh ich plums ,

pears , cherr ies, blush azaleas , and pink rhododendrons,wh ich

had long ceased bloom ing below,were in their first flush of

beau ty . To the west the d ifficul t country of the previousweek ’s journey , gray gran i te , deep val leys , and t iger-hauntedforest faded in to a ve i l of blue

,and in the east , over d im in i sh

ing forest-covered ranges, gleamed the blue Sea of Japan ,

more than feet below .

On the eastern descen t ther e are gigan t ic pines and firs,

some of them ruthlessly barked , and the long dependen tstreamer s of the gray -green Lycopodz

'

um S i'

eboldi'

i w i th wh ichthey are festooned , g ive the forest a funereal aspec t. Of th isth e pecul iar fr inged hats are made wh ich are worn on occas ionby both monks and nuns . After many downward z igzags , thetrack enters another rocky gorge w i th a fine torrent , in thebed of wh ich are huge “ potholes

,

” shown as the bath ing

places of dragons , whose habi ts must have been much cleanlier than those of the presen t inhabi tan ts of the land .


The great monastery of Yu-chom Sa , wi th i ts many curvedroofs and general look of newness and weal th , is approachedby crossing a very tolerable br idge . The road , wh ich passesthrough a well -kept bur ial—ground , where the ashes of thepious and learned abbots of several cen tur ies repose undermore or less stately monuments , was much encumbered nearthe monastery by great pine logs newly hewn for i ts restorat ion , wh ich was be ing carr ied ou t on a very expens ive scale .The monks made a d ifficul ty abou t rece iving us , and i t was

not t i l l after some delay, and the production of my Arm an -fa ,that we were allotted rooms in the Government bu i ld ings forthe two days of our halt . After th i s small d ifficu lty

,they were

unusually kind and fr iendly , and one of the young pr iests , whocame over the An -m un -chai w i th us , Offered Mr . M i l ler theuse of h is cell on Sunday , say ing that “ it would be a qu ieterplace than the great room to study h is bel ief ”

I had hoped for rest and qu iet on the fol low ing day, having

had rather a hard week , but these were unattainable . Bes ides

70 monks and 20 nuns , there were n ear ly 200 lay servi torsand carpen ters , and al l were bent upon éu -leyang , the firs tEuropean woman to V isi t the Keum -Kang San be ing regardedas a great s ight , and from ear ly morn ing t i l l late at n ight therewas no rest . The kang floor of my room be ing heated fromthe ki tchen

,it was too hot to ex ist w i th the paper fron t c losed

,

and the crowds of monks, nuns , and servi tors, fin ish ing w i ththe carpenters , who crowded in whenever i t was opened , andhung there hour after hour , near ly suffocated me, the daybeing very warm . The abbot and several sen ior monks discussed w ith Mr . M i l ler the mer i ts of r ival creeds , say ing thatthe only d ifference between Buddh ists and ou rselves is thatthey don ’ t k i l l even the smallest insect , wh i le we d isregardwhat we call an imal l ife ,

”and that we don ’ t look upon

monast ic ism and other forms of ascet ici sm as means of salvat ion . They adm itted that among the ir pr iests there are morewho l ive in known sin than str ivers after righ teousness .


D iam ond Mountain Monaster ies 147

There are many br ightbusy boys abou t Yu-Chom Sa , m ostof whom had already had the ir heads shaved . To one whohad not

, Che ou - i gave a p iece of ch icken , but he refused i tbecause he was a Buddh ist, on wh ich an object ionable- look ingold sneak of a pr iest told h im that i t was all r ight to eat i t solong as no one saw h im , but the boy per s isted in h is refusal .At m idn igh t , be ing awakened by the boom of the great bel l

and the d isorder ly and j arr ing clang of innumerable smallones , I went , at the request of th e fr iendly young priest , ourfellow—traveller , to see h im per form the devot ions, wh ich are

taken in turn by the monks .The great bronze bell , an elaborate p iece of cast ing of the

fourteenth cen tury,stands in a rude, wooden , clay-floored

tower by i tsel f. A d im paper lan tern on a dusty rafter barelyl ighted up the wh i te- robed figure of the devotee , as he c ircledthe bell

,chant ing in a most mus ical vo ice a Sanscr i t l i tany , of

whose mean ing he was ignoran t,str iking the bosses of the hell

w i th a knot of wood as he d id so . Half an hour passed thus .Then tak ing a heavy mallet

, and pass ing to another chan t, heci rcled the hell wi th a greater and ever—increas ing pass ion ofdevot ion , beat ing its bosses heav i ly and rhythm ical ly , fasterand faster , louder and louder

,end ing by produc ing a bur st o f

frenz ied sound , wh ich left h im for a momen t exhausted . Then ,seiz ing the sw inging beam , the th ree ful l tones wh ich end theworsh ip, and wh ich are produced by str ik ing the hell on ther im

, wh ich is 8 inches th ick, and on th e m iddle , wh ich is veryth in , made the tower and the ground v ibrate , and boomed up

and down the val ley w i th the ir un forgettable mus ic . Of thatyoung monk ’s sincer i ty , I have not one doubt .He led us to the great temple , a vast chamber of imagery

,

where a sol i tary monk chanted befor e an al tar in the l igh tfrom a sol i tary lamp in an alabaster bowl

,accompany ing h is

chan t by str ik ing a smal l hell w i th a deer horn . The d iml ight left cavernous depths of shadow in the templ e, fromwh ich eyes and teeth , weapons , and arms and legs of other


w ise i nv is ible gods and devi ls showed uncann i ly . Beh ind theal tar is a rude and monstrous piece of wood -carving representing the upturned roots of a tree , among wh ich fifty-three idolsare s i tt ing and stand ing . As wel l by dayl igh t as in the d imness of m idnight , ther e are an uncouthness and power aboutth is g igan t ic representat ion wh ich are very impress ive . Belowthe carving are three fr ightfuldragons , on whose faces the ar t is thas contrived to impress an expression of tor ture and defeat .The legend of the al tar -piece runs thus . When fifty- three

priests come to Korea from Ind ia to in troduce Buddh ism , theyreached th is place , and be ing weary , sat down by a well undera spread ing tree . Presen tly three dragons came up from th ewell and began a combat w i th the Buddh ists, in the course ofwh ich they cal led up a great w ind wh ich tore up the tree .Not to be out -manoeuvred , each pr iest placed an image of Buddha on a root of th e tree , turn ing i t in to an altar . F inal ly ,the pr iests overcome the dragons

,forced them into the well ,

and pi led great rocks on the top of i t to keep them there ,founded the monastery , and bu i l t th is temple over the dragons

’

grave . On e i ther s ide of th i s un ique altar-piece is a bouquetof peon ies 4 feet w ide by 10 feet h igh .

The private apar tments of th is and the other monaster iescons ist of a l iving room

, and very small single cells, each w i ththe shr ine of i ts occupan t , and al l very clean . It must be remembered , however, that th i s easy , peaceful , luxur ious l i feon ly lasts for a par t of the year, and that al l bu t a few of themonks must make an annual tramp , wallet and begging-bowlin hand

, over rough,m i ry

,or dusty Korean roads , put up

w i th v i l e and d ir ty accommodat ion,beg for thei r l iving from

those who scorn th ei r tonsure and the ir creed , and receive“ low talk from the lowest in the land .

Just before we left , the old abbot inv i ted us into h is very‘

charm ing su i te of rooms , and w i th graceful hospi tali ty prepared a repast for us w i th h is own hands—square cakes of r ichoi ly p ine nuts glued together w i th honey, th in cakes of


CHAPTER XII

ALONG THE COAST

N leaving Chang-ah Sa for Won -san we retraced our routeas far as Kal -ron—gi , and afterwards crossed the Mak-pai

Pass,from wh ich there is a grand V i ew of the Keum -Kang San .

Much of a somewhat ted ious day was spent in cross ing a rol ling elevated plateau bordered by h igh denuded h i l ls, on wh ichthe potatoe flour ishes at a h e ight of feet . The soi l isvery fer t i le , but not being su i ted to r ice , is very l i t tle occupied .

Crossing the Sai -kal -chai , feet in al t i tude,the infamous

road descends on a beaut i ful al luvial valley, a r ich farm ingcoun try

,spr inkled w i th hamlets and sur rounded by pretty h i l ls

wooded w i th scrub oak,wh ich in the spr ing is very largely

used for fer t i l iz ing r ice fields . The branches are l aid on theinundated sur face t i l l th e leaves rot off, and they are then removed for fuel . In th is innocen t- look ing val ley the t igerscare was i n ful l force . A t iger

, the people said , had carr iedoff a woman the previous week

,and a dog and pig the pre

v ions n ight . It seemed incred ible , yet there was a consensusof evidence . Tigers are occas ional ly trapped in that r eg ionby bai t ing a p it w i th a dog or pig , and the ensnared an imal isdestroyed by poi son or hunger to avo id injury to the sk in ,wh ich , i f i t is that of a fine an imal , i s very valuable .

A m an i s not the least ashamed of say ing that h e has notnerve or pluck for t iger -hun t ing , wh ich in Korea is a dangerous game , for th e hun ters are stat ioned at the head of a gorge ,usually beh ind brushwood

, and somet imes beh ind rocks , thebig game , t igers and leopards , be ing d r iven up towards them by

150

Along the Coast 15 1

large bod ies of m en . When one real izes that the arms usedare matchlocks l igh ted by slow matches from cords woundround the arm , and that the charge cons ists of th ree imperfectly rounded balls th e size of a pea , and that , ow ing to theth ickness of the screen beh ind wh ich the hun ters are posted , thegame is on ly sighted when qu i te close upon them , one ceases towonder at the reluctance of the v i l lage peasan ts to turn ou t inpursu i t of a m an -eater

,even though the bones bring a very h igh

pr ice as Ch inese med ic ine .

We put up at the on ly inn in the region . It had no cleanroom , but the landlord ’s w i fe gave up hers to me on cond i t ion that I would not keep the door open for fear of a t iger .The temperature was 93

0,and to secure a l i tt le ven t i lat ion and

yet keep my prom i se,I tore the paper off the latt ice -work of

the door . Mr . M i l ler descr ibed h is ci rcumstances thus . Iwanted to sleep in the yard

,but the host wou ld not le t me for

fear of t igers,so I had to sleep in a room 8 feet by 10 (w i th

a hot floor) ,“ w i th seven other m en ,

a cat, and a b ird . By

tear ing the paper off a w indow near my head I saved myselffrom death by suffocat ion

,and could have had a good n ight ’s

rest had not the four horses been crowded into two stalls in thek i tchen . They found the ir quar ter s so close that th ey squealed

,

k icked , bit, and fought al l n igh t , and the ir dr ivers helped themto make n igh t h ideous by the ir yel l ing .

” Nobody slept, and

I had my full share of the unrest and d isturbance,a bad

preparat ion for an eleven hour s ’ r ide on the next day,wh ich

was fiercely hot , as were the remain ing s ix days of the journey .

The road from th i s lofty t iger -haun ted val ley to th e sea levelat Chyung-Tai is for the most par t th rough val leys very sparselypeopled . Much forest land

,however

,was being cleared for

the plan t ing of cotton ,and the peasant farmers are energet ic

enough to carry the ir cul t ivat ion to a he igh t of feet .

[On near ly th e whole of th i s journey I est imated that th e landis capable of suppor t ing double i ts presen t populat ion ] At

Hoa-chung , a prett i ly s i tuated market-place , a studen t who

15 2 Korea and Her Ne ighbors

had successful ly passed the l iterary exam ination at the Kwaggain Seoul , sur rounded by a crowd in brigh t colored fest ivecloth ing

,was celebrat ing h is return by sacr ificing at h is

father ’s grave . On the var ious roads there were many process ions escorting v i l lage students home from the great competit ion in the Royal presence at the capi tal , the studen t incolored clothes

,on a gai ly -caparisoned horse or ass , w i th

mus ic and flags in fron t of h im , and friends , gai ly dressed ,walk ing bes ide him . On approach ing his v i l lage he was m et

w i th flags and mus ic , the headman and vi l lagers,even th e

women in gay apparel , going out to welcome him . After th issuccess he was en ti tled to erect a tal l pole , w i th a pain teddragon upon i t, i n front of h is house . Success was, however, very costly , and often hung the m i l l stone of debt rounda man ’s neck for the remainder of h is l i fe . After pass ing ”

the studen t became el ig ible for offic ial pos i t ion,the sole object

of amb i t ion to an educated Korean .

At Hoa-chung we turned eastwards, and took th e main roadto the coast , attain ing an al t i tude (uncorrected ) of feetby cont inued ascents over rounded h i l ls, wh ich , when not ahsolutely bare except for coarse , un lovely grasses , on ly producedstun ted hazel bush . After th is an easy ascen t among abso

lutely denuded h i l ls leads up to a sp ir i t sh r ine of more thanusual impor tance

,crowded w i th the customary worthless ex

vows , rags and old straw shoes . At that po in t the road m akesan altogether unexpected and surpr ising plunge over the bareshoulder s of a bar e h i l l in to Parad iseTh is pass of the “ N inety-n ine Turns

,Tchyu

-Ch i -chang ,deserves i ts name , the number of sharp z igzags not be ing exaggerated , as in the case of the “ Twelve Thousand Peaks . ”

It is so absolutely rocky, and so d ifficul t in consequence , that

i t is more passable i n snow than in summer . Its abrupt turnslead down a forest -clothed moun ta in ridge in to a magn ificen tgorge , densely wooded w i th oak , Span i sh chestnu t , weepingl ime, Abz

’

es ex celsa, and magnol ia , looped together

-w i th the



In th is respect of vorac i ty al l classes are al ike . The greatmer i t of a meal is not so much qual i ty as quant i ty, and frominfancy onwards one obj ect in l i fe is to give the stomach asmuch capac i ty and elastic i ty as is possible , so that four poundsof r ice dai ly may not incommode i t. People in easy c i rcumstances dr ink wine and eat great quan t i t ies of fru i t , nuts, andconfect ionery in the in tervals between meals

,yet are as ready

to tackle the n ext food as though they had been starving for aweek . I n well -to-do houses beef and dog are served on largetrenchers , and as each guest has his separate table, a host canshow generos i ty to th i s or that spec ial fr iend w i thou t help ingother s to more than is necessary . I have seen Koreans eatmore than three pounds of sol id meat at one m eal . Large asa por tion is

,i t is not unusual to see a Korean eat three and

even four , and where peopl e abstain from these excesses i tmay generally be assumed that they are too poor to indulge inthem . It is qu i te common to see from twen ty to twenty-five

peaches or small melons d isappear at a s ingle s i tt ing , and w i thou t be ing peeled . There can be

'

no doubt that the enormousconsumpt ion of red pepper , wh ich is suppl ied even to in fan ts ,helps th is gluttonous style of eat ing . It is not surpr is ingthat dyspepsia and k indred ev i ls are very common amongKoreans .The Korean is omn ivorous . Dog meat is in great request at

cer tain seasons,and dogs are extensively bred for the table .

Pork , beef, fish, raw,

d r ied,and sal ted , the in test ines of

an imals , all b i rds and game , no par t be ing rejected , are eaten—a baked fowl

,w i th i ts head , claws and in ter ior i n tact , being

the equ ivalen t of “ the fatted cal f. Cook ing is not alwaysessen t ial . On the Han I saw m en tak ing fish off the hook,and after plunging them in to a pot of red pepper sauce , eat ingthem at once w i th the ir bones . Wheat

,bar ley , maize , m i l let,

the Ir ish and sweet potato , oats , peas , beans , r ice , rad ishes ,turn ips , herbs , and w i ld leaves and roots innumerable , seaweed , shr imps , pastry made of flour

,sugar, and oil, kim s/zz

’

,

Along the Coast 155

on the m ak ing of wh ich the whole female polm lat ion of them iddle and lower classes is engaged in November , a homemade verm icel l i of buckwheat flour and wh i te of egg , largelymade up into a broth , soups, dr ied pers immons , sponge—cakes ,cakes of the ed ible pine nu t and honey , of flour

,sugar

,and

sesamum seeds,on ions , gar l ic , l i ly bulbs, chestnuts , and very

much else are eaten . Oil of sesamum is largely used in cooking , as wel l as vinegar , soy , and other sauces of pungent andobject ionable odors , the bas is of most of them be ing capsicumsand fermented rotten beansThe mag istracy of Thong -chhon , where we hal ted the next

day at noon , and where the cur ios i ty of the people was absolutely mfibm tz

’

ng , is a town shel tered from the sea , wh ich isw i th in 2 m i les , by a h igh ridge , and i s s i tuated prett i ly in adouble fold of h i ll s remarkable for the art ist ic natural grouping of very grand p ines .At th is poin t a spel l of the most severe heat of the year set

i n,and the remainder of the journey was accompl ished in a

temperature rang ing from 890to 100

° in the shade , and sel~

dom fall ing below 80 0 at n igh t , phenomenal h eat for the firstdays of June . Taking advantage of i t, the whole male population was in the fields r ice plan t ing . Rice valleys

,reach ing

the unusual magn i tude for Korea of from 3 to 7 m i les inbreadth , and from 6 to 14 m i les in length , sloping gently tothe sea

,w i th innumerable v i llages on the slopes of the h i lls

wh ich surround them , were numerous . Among them I saw,

for the on lyt ime , reservo i rs for the storage of water for i rr igat ion . The pink ibi s and the spotted green frog were abundanteverywhere . The coun try there has a look of passable pros

per ity, bu t th e people are kept at a low level by offic ial exact ions .On th i s coast of Kong -won -Do are the P ’al-kyong or E igh tViews , wh ich are of much repute i n Korea . We passed twoof them . Su-chung D ai (The Place Between the Waters) is anarrow strip of elevated wh i te sand w i th the long roll of the


Pac ific on the east,and th e gentle plash of a lovely fresh -water

lake on the west . Th i s lake of Ma-cha Tong , the on ly bodyof fresh water wh ich I saw in Korea , abou t 6 m i les in lengthby 2 in bread th , has moun tainous shores much broken by baysand in lets , at the head of each of wh ich is a v i l lage half h idden among trees in the folds of the h i l ls , wh i le wooded con icali slets break the m irror of the sur face . On the wh i te barrierof sand there are some fine specimens of the red -stemmedF i r ms sylves i r z

'

s, w i th a carpet of dwarf crimson roses and

p ink l i l ies . Among the moun tain forests are leopards , tigers ,and deer , and th e cal l of the pheasan t and the cooing of thew i ld dove floated sweetly from the lake shore . It was an idyl lof peace and beauty . The other of the “ E ight Views is

rather a cur ios i ty than a beau ty,m i les of cream -colored sand

blown up in wavy b i l lows as h igh as the plumy tops of thousands of fir trees wh ich are helplessly embedded in i t.Dur ing the long hot r ide of eleven hours

,v i s ions of the

even ing hal t at a peaceful v i llage on the seashore fi l led mym ind

,and hope made the to i lsome cl imb over several prom on

tor ies of black basalt tolerable,even though the descen ts were

so steep that th e m apu held the pon ies up by the ir tai ls ! I n

the ear ly twi l ight , when th e fie rce sun blaze was over,in th e

smoky r edness of a heated even ing atmosphere,when every

rock was g iv ing for th the heat i t had absorbed in the day ,across th e stream wh ich is at once th e ou tlet of the lake and

the boundary between the prov inces of Kang -won and Hamgyong , appeared a large , straggl ing , gray- roofed v i l lage , aboveh igh -water mark , on a beach of wh i t e sand . Several fish ingjunks were ly ing in shel ter at th e mou th of the stream .

Women were beat ing clothes and d raw ing water, and ch i ldrenand dogs were rol l ing over each other on th e sand , al l more orless ideal ized by be ing s i lhouet ted in purpl e against the hot ,lur id sky .

As the enchan tment of d istance faded and Ma-cha Tongrevealed i tsel f in pla in prose, fad ing from purple in to sober



of travell ing , some of it very severe and comfortless, thatn ight stands out as h ideously memorable .

The f al’

son d’

éfr e of Ma—cha TOng , and the numerous coastv i l lages wh ich exist wherever a conven ien t shore and a protect ion for boats occur together , is the coast fish ing . The factthat a float ing populat ion of over Japanese fishermenmake a l iving by fish ing on the coast near Fusan shows thatthere is a redundan t harvest to be reaped . The Korean fisherman is cred ited w i th ut ter wan t of en terpr ise

,and Mr .

O iesen ,in the Customs ’ repor t for WOn -san for 189 1 , accuses

h im of “ remaining conten t w i th such fish as w i l l run in toc rudely and eas i ly constructed traps , set ou t along the shore ,wh ich only requ ire atten t ion for an hour or so each day .

” Imust

,however

,say that each v i l lage that I passed possessed

from seven to twelve fish ing junks , wh ich were kept at sea .

They are unseawor thy boats , and i t is not surpr is ing that theyhug the shore . I bel ieve that the fish ing industry, w ith everyother , is paralyzed by the complete insecur i ty of th e earn ingsof labor and by the exact ion s of offic ials , and that th e Koreanfisherman does not care to earn money of wh ich he w i l l surelybe depr ived on any or no pretence , and that , along w i th themembers of the industrial classes generally , he seeks the protection of poverty .

The fish taken on th is coast , when salted and dr ied , findthe ir way by boat to WOn -san , and from thence over centralKorea , but in w in ter pedlars carry them d irectly in land fromthe fish ing v il lages . Salterns on the plan of those often seenin Ch ina occur frequen tly near the vi l lages . The operat ion ofmak ing sal t from sea water is absolutely pr im i t ive , and so roughand d ir ty that th e wh i teness Of the coarse product wh ich re

sults is an aston ishment . In spi te of heavy losses and heav iersqueez ings ,

” th i s industry , wh ich is car r ied on from May toOctober , is a profi table one .

The road beyond that no isome halt ing-

place traverses picturesque country for many m i les, be ing cut ou t of th e s ides of

Along the Coast 159

noble cl iffs , or crosses basal t ic spurs by ar rangements resembl ing rock ladders , keeping perforce always close to the sea ,now on d izzy prec ipices , then descend ing to firm hard stretchesof golden sand , or w ind ing just above h igh-water mark amongcolossal boulder s wh ich are completely covered w i th the Am

pelopsz’

r the creeper pa r ex cellence of Korea . Thesea was green and violet near the shore and a vivid blue in thed istance , and on i ts r i ppleless surface fish ing boats w i th grayhulls and brown sai ls lay mot ion less , for the rush and swir l oft ides , ri sing and fall ing as they do on th e west coast from 2 5

to 38 feet , are unknown on the east coast , the var iat ion betweenh igh and low water be ing w i th in 18 inches .It was the hottest day of the year , and it was for tunate that

the prett i ly s i tuated market -place of Syo- im had a new and

clean inn,in wh ich i t was poss ible to prolong /

the noondayhal t

, and to get a good d inner of fresh and sal t fish , vegetables ,herbs

,sauces , and r ice

,for th e sum of two cents gold . There

also , be ing the market-day , Mr . M i l ler succeeded in obtain ing( as/z for four s i lver y en from the pedlars .After pass ing over a ted ious sandy pla in w i th a reserve of

fine firs, under wh ich the coun tless dead of ages lie under greatsand mounds held together by nets or branches of trees , wereached at sunset my ideal , a clean , exqu is i tely s i tuated vil

lage of n ine houses , of wh ich one was an inn where , contraryto the general rule , we were made cord ially welcome .

1 Then ine fam i l ies at Ch in -pul possessed seven good -s ized fish ingboats .That inn is of unusual construct ion . There is a broad mud

lA éwa n -j a ,being an official passport, lays a traveller open to the sus

picion that, like officials , h e will take th e best of everyth ing he can get

without pay ing for i t, and this dread , added to a natural distrust of fore igners, led to m ore or less unwill ingness to receive us in m any places ,the m apu having to console the people by asseverating that I pa id the fullpr ice for all I got, and that even when I tore a sheet of paper from the

window I paid for i t !


platform of wh ich fireplaces and utens i ls for cook ing for manand beast occupy one half, and the other is matted for sleepingand eat ing . My room

,wh ich had no w indow ,

but was cleanand plastered , opened on th is , and as the mercury was at 1 1 1 °

unt i l 3 A . M . owing to the heated floor , I sat at the door near lyal l n ight , so the dawn and an ear ly star t , and th e coolness ofthe green and v iolet shades of the almost r ippleless ocean ,

wh ich laved i ts var ied shore of bays,promontories

,and lofty

cl iffs , were very welcome .A val ley open ing on the sea wh ich it took five hours to sk ir t

and cross, covered wi th grain and newly plan ted rice , is l iterally fr inged w i th vi llages

,wh ich look comfor tably prosperous

in spi te of exact ions . A smal ler valley con ta i ns aboutacres of r ice land only , and on the slopes surround ing all theseare r ich lands

,bear ing heavy crops of wheat , m i l let , bar ley ,

cotton,tobacco , castor oil, sesamum ,

oats,turn ips

, peas , beans ,and potatoes . The pon ies are larger and better kept in th atregion , and the red bulls are of immense s ize . The black pig ,however , is as smal l and mean as ever . The crops were clean ,and the r ice dykes and i rr igat ion channels well kept . Goodand honest government would create as happy and prosperousa people as the traveller finds in Japan

,the so i l being very

s im i lar , wh i le Korea has a far better cl imate .Dur ing the land journey from Chang-an Sa to Won -san I

had better oppor tun i t ies of seeing the agr icu ltural methods ofthe Koreans than in the val leys of the Han . As comparedw i th th e exqu i s i te neatness of the Japanese and the d i l igentthr i ft iness of the Ch inese , Korean agr icul ture is to some exten twasteful and unt idy . Weeds are not kept down in the summeras they ough t to be , stones are often left on th e ground , andthere is a raggedness abou t the marg ins of fields and dykesand a d i lap idat ion about stone walls wh ich is unpleasing to theeye . The paths th rough the fields are apt to be much wornand fr inged w i th weeds

,and the furrows are not so straight as

they m ight be . Yet on the whole the cul t ivat ion i s much bet



in use in Ch ina , and wh ich in the hands of the easternpeasant fi ll s the place of shovel , hoe , and spade, a r eapinghook

,a shor t kn i fe , a barrow, and a bamboo rake wh ich is

largely used in the denudat ion of the h i l ls .

Grain,peas

,and beans are threshed ou t w i th flails as often

as not in the roadway of a v i l lage , wh i le th e gr ind ing of flourand the hull ing of r ice are accompl ished by the stone quern ,and the stone or wooden mor tar , w i th an iron pestle workedby hand or foot , th e “

pang-a

,

”or , as has been previously

descr ibed , by a 772141, or water “pang

-a .

”Rice is th reshed

by beating the ears over a board , and al l grain is w innowed bybeing th rown up in the w ind .

The pony is not used in agr icul ture . Ploughing is done bythe powerful , noble , tractable , Korean bull , a cane r ing placedin h is nostr i ls when young render ing him manageable even bya young ch i ld . He is four year s in attain ing matur ity , and isnow wor th from 3 to £4 , his value hav ing been enhancedby the lat e war and the prevalence of r inderpest in recen tyears . M i lk is not an ar t icle of d iet . In some d istr icts oxsleds of very s imple construct ion are used for bringing downfuel from the h i lls and produce from the fields

,and at Seoul

and a few other c i t ies rude car ts are to be seen ; but pon ies,m en ,

and bulls are the means of transport for produce andgoods , the loads be ing adjusted even ly on wooden packsaddles , or in the case of smal l ar t icles in pann iers of plai tedstraw or netted rope . I n the latter

,ingen iously m ade to open

at the bottom and d ischarge the ir con tents , manure is carr iedto the fields . Both bulls and pon i es are shod w i th iron . The

pony carr ies from 160 to 200 lbs . Sore backs are lamentablycommon .

The breed of p igs is very small . Pigs are always black and

loathsome . The ir br istles stand up along the ir backs, and theyare lean , act ive , and of spec ially revolt ing hab i ts . The dogsare big , usually buff, long -haired , and cowardly , and car icature the Scotch col l ie in their aspect . The fowls are

Along the Coast 163

plebeian , and for wi ldness , act iv ity , and powers Of fl ight areunequalled in m y exper ience . Ducks are not very common

,

and geese are kept ch iefly as guards,and for presentat ion at

wedd ings as emblems of fidel ity . The few sheep bred inKorea are reserved for Royal sacr ifices . I have occas ionallyseen mutton on tables in Seoul , but i t has been impor ted fromChefoo . The v i l lages wh ich make the ir l iv ing al together byagr icul tur e are usual ly Off the h igh roads

,those wh ich the

hasty travel ler passes through depend ing as much on the enterta in ing of wayfarers as on the cul t ivat ion of the land . I n

these, near ly every house has a covered shelf in front at wh ichfood can be obtained , but lodging is not prov ided , and thev i llages wh ich can feed and lodge beasts as well as m en are

few . The fact that the large farm ing v i llages are off the roadg ives an incorrect not ion of the populat ion of Korea .

On th e slope of a h i l ls ide above a pleasan t valley l ies th etown of An -byOng , once , judg ing from the extent of i ts decaying wal ls and fort ificat ions

,and the he igh t of i ts canopied bu t

ru inous gate—towers, a large c i ty . The yam en and other Governm ent bu i ld ings are well kept, and be ing in good repair , arein str ik ing con trast to those previously seen on the route .

The “ main street ” is , however , noth ing but a d ir ty alley .

The town has a d im in ish ing population , and though i t makessome paper from the B r ousonem

’

a P apy r zfer a , and has severalschools

,and exchanges r ice and beans for fore ign cottons at

WOn -san ,i t has a s ingular ly decay ing look , and is altogether

unwor thy of i ts posi t ion as being one of the ch ief places in theprovince of Ham -gyong . Outs ide of it the road crosses aremarkably broad r iver bed by a br idge 720 feet long , sod i lapidated that the pon ies put the ir feet through its rottensods several t imes .From An -byong to Ta- r i -mak , a shor t d istance from Nam

San on the ma in road from Seoul to WOn -san ,is a long and

ted ious r ide through th in ly peopled country and pine woodsful l of graves . We spent two n ights there at a very noisy and


d isagreeable inn ,in wh ich pr ivacy was unattainable and the

verm in were appall ing . There the host was spec ial ly unw i l ling to take in fore igners , on th e ground that we should not

pay, a suspic ion wh ich i rr i tated our fr iendly m apu , whovoc iferated at the top of thei r vo ices that we paid even forthe smallest th ings we got . The sw inging season was at hand

,

each am usemen t having i ts defin i te date for beg inn ing and

end ing , and in every v i llage sw ings were be ing erected on tallstra igh t poles . Wong could never resist the temptat ion oftaking a sw ing, wh ich always amused the people .

At th is inn there were some mus ical per formers who madeboth n ight and day wear isome to me , but gave great pleasureto others . I have not prev iously ment ioned my suffer ings onthe Han from the sounds produced by i tineran t mus ic ians , andby the m um/2g or sorceress and her coadjutors ; but , as hasbeen forc ibly brough t ou t in a paper on Korean music by Mr .

Hulber t in the K or ean R epos itory! the sounds are pecul iarand unpleas ing , because we ne i ther know nor feel what theyare intended to express , and we br ing to Korean music not th eKorean temperamen t and train ing but the Wester n , wh ich demands “ t ime ” as an essent ial . It may be added that theKoreans

,l ike their neighbors the Japanese, love ou r music as

l it tle as we love theirs , and for the same reason , that the ideaswe express by i t are unfam i l iar to them .

One reason of the afflictive and d iscordan t sounds is thatthe gamut of Korea d iffers from the mus ical scale of Europeancountr ies

,w i th the result that whenever mus ic seems to be

trembl ing on the verge of a harmony , a d iscord assai l s the ear .

The mus ical instrum ents are many , but they are not careful lyfin ished . Among instruments of percussion are d rums , cymbals , gongs , and a spec ies of castanet . For w ind instrumen tsthere are unkeyed bugles, flutes

,and long and short trumpets ;

and th e str inged instrumen ts are a large gu i tar,a twenty-five

str inged gu i tar , a mandol in , and a five-stringed viol in . The

1 February, 1896.



nor brill iant lamp to m i t igate the gloom ,welcomes spring w i th

l ively exc i tement , and dem ands mus ic and song as i ts natural aocom pan im ent—song that shal l express the emanc ipat ion, breathing space , and unal loyed phys ical pleasure wh ich have no counterpar t in our Engl ish feel ings . Thus a class ical song runs

The wi llow catkin bear s the vernal blush of sum m er’s dawn

When w inter ’s n i gh t i s done ;The or iole, who preens herself aloft on sway ing bough ,

I s sum m er’s ha rbinger ;

The butterfly, with noiseless fu l-f ul of her pulsing wing ,Marks off the sum m er hour .

Quick, boy, thy z ither ! D o i ts str ings accord ? ’Tis well.Str ike up ! I m u st 11am song .

The second style of Korean vocal mus ic is the H e: C/z’

z' or

popular . The most consp icuous song in th is class is the A-r a

n i ng , of 78 2 verses . It is said that the A-m -r zimg holds to theKorean in mus ic the same place that r ice does in his foodal l else be ing a mere appendage . The tune

,but w i th th e tr i lls

and quavers , of wh ich there are one or two to each note , leftou t , is g iven here , though Mr . Hulbert

,to whom I am greatly

indebted , calls i t a very weak attempt to score i t.”

a ra - rung

sa pai ddi- o ra . Mun-

gyung sai- chai pak

-tala-u .

m u hong-do-kai pang

-m aing-i ta na - kan - da.

The chorus of A-r a -r zmg is invar iable , but the verses wh ichare sung in connect ion w ith i t take a w ide range th rough thefields of lyr ics

,epics , and d idact ics .

Ther e is a th i rd style,wh ich is between th e class ical and

the popular, but wh ich hard ly deserves ment ion .

Along the Coast 167

To my th ink ing , the melancholy wh ich seems the m oi zf ofmost Oriental music becomes an extreme plain t iveness in thatof Korea

,par t ly due probably to the un l im i ted quaver ing on

one note . Wh i le what may be cal led concerted mus ic istorture to a Western ear , solos on the flute oftt imes comb ine as ingular sweetness w i th the ir mournfulness and suggest Faroff Melod ies . ” Love songs are popular , and there is a tendergrace abou t some of them , as wel l as an occas ional gl int ofh umor

,as ind icated by the last l ine of the th ird stanza of one

translated by Mr . Gale!l The allusions to Nature generally

I LOVE SONGFarewell ’s a fire that burns one’s heart,And tears are rains that quench in part,But then the winds blow in one

’s sighs,

And cause the flam es again to r ise.

My soul I ’ve m ixed up wi th the wine,And now m y love i s dr inking,Into h is or ifices n ine

Deep down i ts spi r it’s sink ing.

To keep h im true to m e and m ine,

A potent m ixture is the wine.

Silvery m oon and frosty air ,Eve and dawn are m eeting ;

Widowed wi ld goose flying there,Hear m y words of greeti ng !On your journey should you see

H im I love so broken-hear ted ,Kindly say th is word for m e ,

That i t’s death when we are parted .Flapping off the wi ld goose clam bers,Says she wi ll if sh e rem em bers .

Fi ll the ink-stone, br ing the water,To m y love I ’ll wr ite a letter ;I nk and paper soon wi l l seeThe one that’s all the wor ld to m e,

Wh i le the pen and I together ,Left behind, condole each other .


show a qu ick and sympathet ic ins igh t into her beau t ies , and occas ioual stanzas , of wh ich the one c i ted is among several translatedby Mr. Hulber t , have a del icacy of touch not unworthy of anEl izabethan poet . 1 The K ar eem R eposz

'

z‘

ory i s doing a goodwork in mak ing Korean poetry accessible to Engl ish readers .

There was not,however , any flute mus ic at Ta-r i -mak .

There were class ical songs,w i th a d ireful drum accom pani

ment , and a wearisome repeti t ion of the A-m -r z‘

iflg , cont inu ingal l day and late into the hot n igh t .A few pedlars passed by

,sell ing tobacco, necessaries , and

ch i ldren ’s toys , the latter rudely m ade , and on ly attract ive ina country in wh ich artist ic feel ing appears dead . Ther e areshops in Seoul , PhyOng-yang , and other c it ies devoted to thesale of such toys , pain ted in star ing colors , and i l lustrat ivech iefly of adul t l i fe . There are also monkeys

,puppies, and

t igers on wheels , al l for boys , and sold iers in European un i

forms have appeared dur ing the recent m i l i tary craze , andboys are very ear ly taught to look forward to Offic ial l ife byrepresentat ions of mandar ins’ chai rs

,red - tassel led umbrellas

,

and fringed hats . G ir l s being of comparat ively small account ,toys spec ially su i ted to them are not manyJapanese luc i fer matches , wh ich , when of the cheap sor t ,

seem only sl ightly inflammable , as I have several t imes used a

whole box w i thou t ign i t ing one, were in the stock of th e pedlars, and are mak ing rapid headway in the towns

,but even so

near WOn-san as Ta -r i -mak is , the people were st i l l us ing fl in tand steel to l ight ch ips of wood d ipped in sulphur , though thecheap and smoky kerosene lamp has d isplaced the tal l , upr igh tcandlest ick and the o ld - fash ioned d ish lamps there and in verymany other country places .

1 I asked the spotted butterflyTO take m e on his wing and flyTo yonder m oun ta in ’

s breezy side.

The tr ixy tiger m oth I’ll r i de

As hom e I com e.



arched the road,a long i rregular l ine of temples and monast ic

bu i ld ings appeared , cl ing ing in s ingular picturesqueness to thes ides of the ravine , wh ich there ascends somewhat rap idlytowards the moun ta in , wh ich closes i t.An abbot , framed in the doorway of a quaint bu i ld ing , and

looki ng l ike a p icture of a por t ly, j olly , med i aeval fr iar , welcomed us

,and he and h is monks regaled us w i th honey water in

the large guest - hall , but s imultaneously produced a v is i tors ’ bookand asked us how much we were go ing to pay, the sum be ingduly r ecorded . The grasping ways of these monks

,who fleeced

the m aple so badly as to make them say they had fallenamong th ieves ,

” contrast wi th the fr iendly hospi tal i ty of the irbrethren of the D iamond Mountain

,and can on ly be accounted

for by the con tam inat ing influences of a treaty por t,from

wh ich they are d istan t on ly a long day ’ s journey !See the s ights first and then pay , they sa id

,th e glor ious

v iews and the quain t picturesqueness of the monast ic bu i ld ingscluster ing on the crags above the cataracts be ing the s ight parex cellence. It was r efresh ing to turn from the contemplat ionof the sensual , acqu is i t ive , greedy faces of most of the monksto Nature at her freshest and fa irest

,on one of the lovel iest

days of ear ly June .The in ter iors of the temples are shabby and d ir ty

,the paint

is scal ing off th e roofs , and the floors and even the altars wereh idden under layers of herbs d ry ing for k i tchen use . Bes idesthe tablet to the first k ing of the presen t dynasty in a handsome tablet -house , the notewor thy “ s ight to be seen is asmal l temple ded icated to the F ive Hundred D isc iples .

”

SUk-wang Sa is not a holy place , and the ar t ist who car icatured the devout and ascet ic followers of the ascet ic Sakym un i

has bequeathed a legacy of unhal lowed suggest ion to i ts inmatesThe F ive Hundred are stone images not a foot in he igh t ,

ar ranged round the dusty temple in several t iers, each one

w i th a s ilk cap on , worn w i th more or less of a j aunty a ir on

A long the Coast 17 1

one s ide of the head or fal l ing over the brow. The var iety offeatures and express ion is wonderful al l Eastern nat ional it iesare represented , and there are not two faces or att i tudesal ike . The whole d isplay shows gen ius

,though not of a h igh

order .

Among the infin i te var iety , one figure has deeply set eyes ,an aqu i l ine nose , and th in l ips ; another a pug nose , squ int ingeyes , and a broad gr inn ing mouth ; one is Mongol ian

,another

Caucas ian , and another approximates to the Negro type . Hereis a stou t , j ol ly fel low, w i th a leer and a broad gr in suggestiveof casks of por ter and the archaic London drayman there i san id iot w i th droop ing head , reced ing brow and ch in ,

and avacan t stare ; here again is a dark stage vi l lain

,w i th red

cheeks and a cap d rawn low over h is forehead ; then Mr .

Pecksniff con fron ts one w i th an air of sanct imon iousness obviously d ifficul t to reta in Falstaff outdoes h is legendary joll i tyand pr iests and monks of al l nat ions leer at the beholdersfrom under the ir jaun ty caps . It is an exh ib it ion of unsanct ified gen ius . Near ly al l the figures look worse for dr ink , andfatuous sm i les , d runken leers , and farc ical gr ins are the rule ,the effect of al l being aggravated by the var ied and absu rdarrangemen ts of the caps . The grotesqueness is indescr ibable ,and al together uned ify ing .

It was a great change to get on the broad main road toWGn - san ,

and to see telegraph poles once more . There wasplenty of goods and passenger traffic across the fine plaincovered w i th r ice and grain ,

margined by bluffs , and dottedw i th what have Obviously once been islands, near wh ich WOn

san is s ituated .

Where the road is broad , a h igh heap of hardened mudruns along the centre , w i th hardened m ud corrugat ions one ither s ide ; where narrow ,

i t is merely the top of a r ice dyke .

The br idges are spec ial ly i nfamous ; in fact , they were so rot

ten that the m apu would not trust the ir pon ies upon them , and

we forded all the streams . Yet th is road , wh ich I found


equally bad at the th ree po ints at wh ich I touched i t, is one ofthe lead ing thorough fares by wh ich goods pass from the east tothe west coast and vice ver sa ,

—tobacco , Copper , sal t fish , seaweed

,galena

,and h ides from the east , and fore ign Sh ir t ings

,

watches, and m iscellaneous nat ive and fore ign ar t icles from the

west .The heat of the sun was but poor ly ind icated by a shade

temperature of and it was in his ful l noon t ide fiercenessthat we reached the huddle of fou l and narrow alleys and irregular rows of thatched shops along the h igh road wh ichmake up the busy and grow ing Korean town of Won -san ,wh ich

,w i th an est imated populat ion of people , lies

along a str ip of beach below a p ine -clothed bluff and rangesof moun tains

,then green to their summ i ts , but wh ich I saw in

December of the same year in th e majesty of the snow wh ichcovers them from November to May . The smells were fear ful

,

the d irt abom inable,and the quan t i ty of wretched dogs and of

pieces of bleed ing meat blacken ing in the sun per fectly s ickening . Th is aspect of meat , produced by the mode of k i l l ingi t, has made fore igners ent irely dependen t on the Japanesebutchers in Seoul and elsewhere . The Koreans cut the throatof the an imal and inser t a peg in the open ing . .Then thebu tcher takes a hatchet and beats the an imal on the rump unt i li t d ies . The process takes abou t an hour, and the beast suffer sagon ies of terror and pain before i t loses consc iousness . Veryl i tt le blood is lost dur ing the operat ion the beef is ful l of i t,and its heavier we ight in consequence is to the advan tage ofthe vendor .

Then came a level stretch of abou t a m ile,much pl an ted

w i th potatoes , gl impses of Amer ican Protestant m iss ion -housesin conspicuous and el ig ible pos i t ions (el ig ible , that is, foreveryth ing but m iss ion work ) , and the uneven Korean roadgl ided impercept ibly in to a broad gravel road , fr inged on boths ides w i th neat wooden houses stand ing in gardens

,wh ich

gradual ly th ickened into the neatest,tr immest, and most at



every quar ter, and i ts entrance is protected by i slands . ToEngl ish readers i t is probable that th e sole in terest of th i s finebay l ies in the fact that i ts norther n arm , Por t Lazareff, wh ichwas the object of m y cru ise , is th e harbor wh ich Russ ia iscred i ted w i th des ir ing to ga in possess ion of for th e term inusof her Trans -Siber ian Ra i lway . Whether th is be so or no , orwhether Por t Shestakoff, on the same coast

,but 60 m i les

far ther nor th,i s more defens ible and better adapted for a

naval as well as a term inal por t,the t ime has gone by for

grudg ing to Russ ia an outlet on th e Pac ific , and I for oneshould prefer it on the coast o f eastern Korea than on thenorthern shore of th e Yellow Sea.

The head of Port Lazareff is abou t 16 m i les from Won -san,

and is formed by the swampy outlets of the r iver D un -gan,

among the many branches of wh ich lie inhab ited , low-ly ingi slands . There are rude bu t extens ive sal t works at the shallows in wh ich th is noble inlet term inates

,after rece iving

several streams bes ides the D un -

gan . Por t Lazareff has , inadd i t ion

,abundan t suppl ies of water from natural spr ings .

The h igh h i l ls wh ich surround the bay are grassy to the ir summ i ts

,but there is very l i ttle wood , and the v i l lages are smal l

and far between . Game is s ingular ly abundant . Pheasantsare near ly as plen t i ful as sparrows are w i th us

,the wary

turkey bustard abounds, th ere are sn ipe in the late summer,

and p igeons , plover , and water -hen are common . In Spr ingand autumn w i ld fowl innumerable crowd the waters of everystream and inlet , swans , teal , geese, and ducks darken ing thea ir

,wh ich they rend w i th the ir clamor as the spor tsman in

vades the ir haunts .A Korean j unk does not impress one by i ts seaworth iness

,

and i t is not surpr is ing that the j unkmen hug the Shore andseek shelter whenever a good sai l ing breeze comes on . She is

bui l t w i thou t nai ls , i ron ,or preservat ive pain t

,and looks

rather l ike a temporary and for tu i tous aggregation of beamsand planks than a del iberate construct ion . Two tall

,heavy

Along the Coast 175

masts fixed by wedges among the t imbers at the bottom of theboat requ ire frequen t attent ion , as they are always sway ing andthreaten ing to come down . The sai ls are of matt ing

,w i th a

number of bamboos runn ing transversely,wi th a cord attached

to each , uni ted into one sheet , by means of wh ich tack ing iseffected , or rather m igh t be . Pract ically

,navigat ion consists

in runn ing before a l ight breeze, and dropp ing the m ass of

mats and bamboos on the confusion below whenever i t freshens,

vary ing the process by an easy pul l at the sweeps, one at thestern and two working on p ins in transverse beams am idsh ips

,

wh ich proj ect 3 feet on each side . The junk is fitted wi th arudder of enormous size, wh ich from i ts posi t ion acts as a keelboard . The pr ice is from 60 to 80 dollars . Th is s ingularcraft sail s wel l before the w ind , but under other c ircumstancesis apt to become unmanageable .

WOn -san has telegraph ic commun icat ion w i th Seoul , andch iefly through the enterpr ise of the it is connectedby most comfor table steamers w i th Korean por ts and w ithWladivostok, Kobe , and Nagasaki

,Hong-Kong , Shanghai ,

Chefoo , Newchwang , and Tients in . Steamers of a Russianl ine cal l there at intervals dur ing the summer season . Thereare no Western merchants or Western res idents except the m issionar ies and th e Customs staff, and fore ign trade is ch iefly inthe hands of the Japanese .

About 60 lz’

from WOns an are some large grass -coveredmounds

,of wh ich the Koreans do not care to speak , as they

regard them as associated w i th an anc ien t Korean custom ,now

looked upon as barbarous . Dur ing the last dynasty , and morethan five cen turies ago

,i t was customary , when people from

age and infirm i ty became burdensome to their relat ions , to incarcerate them in th e stone cells wh ich these mounds con tain,w i th a l i tt le food and water , and leave them there to die. Insim i lar mounds , elsewhere in Korea , bowls and jars of coarsepottery have been found , as well as a few spec imens of graycelzm

’en.


There is noth ing sensat ional abou t Won -san .

1 It has no

booms ” in trade or land , but keeps the even tenor of i tsway .

” It is to me far the most at tract ive of the treaty por ts .Its tr im Japanese settlemen t , from wh ich green h il ls r iseabrupt ly , backed by fine moun tain forms , d ign ified by snowfor seven months of the year , and above all , the exqu isi tecaves to the northwest , where the sea murmurs in cool grottos,and beats the pure wh i te sand in to r ipples at the feet of cl iffsh idden by flowers , ferns, and grass, and i ts a ir of dreamy repose—“

a land where i t is always afternoon ”—po in t to itsfuture as that of a salubrious and popular san i tarium .

1 I n January of 1897, the population of WOn-san was as follows

Japanese FrenchCh inese 39 Russian

Am er ican 8 Dan i shGerm an 3 NorwegianBr itish 2

Estim ated Korean population,



the shade,and concen trate the at ten t ion of the wor ld on th is

ins ign ifican t pen insula .

Leaving WOn - san by steamer on 1 7th June , and arr iving atFusan on the 19th , I was not surpr ised to find a Japanese gunboat in the harbor , and that 2 20 Japanese Sold iers had beenlanded from the 17:7n0 Mar a that morn ing and were quar teredin the Buddh ist temples on the h i l l , and that the r ebels hadcut the telegraph w i res betw

’

een Fusan and Seoul .Among the few Europeans at Fusan there was no uneasiness .

The Japanese , w i th their large mercan t i le colony there , havecons iderable in terests to safeguard , and noth ing seemed morenatural than the course they took . A rumor that Japanesetroops had been landed at Chemulpo was qu ite d isregarded .

On arr iv ing at Chemulpo , however , ear ly on th e mor n ing ofthe z r st

,a very exc i t ing state of matters revealed i tself. A

large fleet, s ix Japanese sh ips of war , the Amer ican flag sh ip

,

two French , one Russ ian , and two Ch inese , were ly ing in theouter harbor. The l im ited accommodat ion of the inner harbor was taxed to i ts utmost capac i ty . Japanese transpor ts wereland ing troops

,horses

,and war m ater ial in steam launches ,

j unks were d ischarg ing r ice and other stores for th e comm issar iat departmen t

,cool ies were stack ing i t on the beach , and

the movemen t by sea and land was ceaseless . Vis i tors fromthe Shore , exci ted and ag i tated , brough t a budget of astounding rumor s , but con fessed to be ing main ly in the dark .

On land ing , I found the dead ly dul l por t transformed : thestreets resounded to the tread of Japanese troops in heavymarch ing order

,trains of mat and forage car ts blocked the

road . Every house in th e ma in street of the Japanese settlement was turned into a bar rack and crowded w i th troops ,r ifles and accoutrement s gleamed in the balcon ies , crowds ofKoreans, l imp and dazed

,lounged in the streets or sat on the

knolls , gaz ing vacantly at the transformat ion of the i r por t intoa fore ign camp . On ly two hour s had passed s ince the first ofthe troops landed, and when I vis i ted the camp w i th a young

Im pend ing W ar 179

Russ ian officer there were m en under canvas in wel lvent i lated bel l ten ts , hold ing 20 each , w ith matted floors andd ra inage trenches , and d i nner was be ing served in lacquerboxes . Stables had been r un up , and the cavalry and mounta inguns were in the cent re . The horses of the mountain batterytra in , serv iceable an imals , four teen hands h igh , were in excellent cond i t ion , and were equ ipped w i th pack saddles of thelatest Ind ian pattern . They were remov ing shot and shell forSeou l from the Japanese Consulate w i th 200 m en and 100

hor ses , and i t was done almost soundlessly . The cam p , w i thi ts neat streets , was order ly , tr im , and qu iet . I n the townsentr ies challenged passers—by. Every m an looked as i f heknew his duty and mean t to do i t . There was no swagger .

The man ik ins,wel l armed and ser v iceably dressed

,were

obviously in Korea for a purpose wh ich they meant to ac

compl ish .

What that purpose was, was wel l concealed under colorof giv ing effic ien t protect ion to Japanese subjects in Korea ,who were said to be imper i lled by the successes of the Tonghaks .The rebell ion in southern Korea was exc i t ing much alarm in

the capi tal . Such movements,though on a smaller Scale , are

annual spr ing events in the pen insu la , when in one or otherof th e provinces the peasantry , dr iven to exasperat ion byoffic ial extor t ions

,r ise

,and

, wi th m or e or less violence (occasionally fatal ) , d r ive ou t the offend ing mandarin . Pun ishment rarely ensues . The K ing sends a new offic ial , whosqueezes and extor ts in h is tur n wi th more or less v igor , unt i l ,if he also passes bearable l im i ts , he is forc ibly expelled , andth ings settle down once more . Th is Tong-hak (“ Or ientalor Nat ional ” ) movement , though lost s ight of in presenceof more impor tan t i ssues , was of greater momen t , as be ingorgan ized on a broader bas is , so as to include a great numberof adheren ts in Seou l and th e other c i t ies , and w i th suchdefin ite and reasonable objects that at first I was incl ined to


cal l i ts l eaders armed reformers rather than rebels . At

that t ime there was no quest ion as to the Royal au thor i ty .

The Tong-hak proclamat ion began by declar ing in respectful language loyal allegiance to the King , and went on tostate the gr ievances in very moderate terms . The Tong -haksasser ted , and w i th undoubted tr uth , that offic ials in Korea , forthe ir own purposes , closed the eyes and ears of the King to al lnews and repor ts of the wrongs infl icted on h is people . Thatm in isters o f State , governors , and magi strates were al l ind ifferent to the welfare of the ir coun try, and were bent only on

enr ich ing themselves, and that there were no checks on the irrapac i ty . That exam inat ions ( the on ly avenues to offic ial l ife)were noth ing more than scenes of br ibery , bar ter, and sale ,and were no longer tests of fi tness for c ivi l appo intmen t .That offic ials cared not for the debt into wh ich the coun trywas fast s ink ing . That “ they were proud

,vainglor ious

,

adul terous,avar ic ious . That many offic ials r ece iv ing ap

pointm ents in th e coun try l ived in Seoul . That “ they flatterand fawn in peace

,and deser t and betray in t imes of trouble .

”

The necess i ty for reform was strongly u rged . There wereno express ions of host i l i ty to foreigners , and the man ifesto d idnot appear to take any accoun t of them . The leader

,whose

ind iv idual i ty was never defin i tely ascer tained,was cred i ted

w i th ubiqu i ty and supernatural powers by the common people,

as well as w i th the ab i l ity to Speak both Japanese and Ch inese,

and i t was evident from h is measures , forethought , the d ispos i t iou of his forces , and some touches of Western strategicsk i l l , that he had some acqua intance w i th the modern ar t ofwar . H is followers , armed at first w i th on ly old swords andhalberds , had come to possess r ifles , taken from the offic ialarmor ies and the defeated Royal troops . For in the m idst ofthe thousand w i ld rumors wh ich were afloat , i t appeared cer tainthat the King sent several hundred sold iers aga inst the Tonghaks under a general who

,on h is way to attack the ir camp ,

ra ised and armed 300 lev ies , who, in the engagemen t wh ich



width of rivers and the depth of fords , and had been buy ingup rice in Korea for three mon ths prev iously , wh i le even as faras the Tibetan front ier , Japanese officers in d isgu ise hadgauged the strength and weakness of Ch ina , report ing on herarm ies on paper and , in fact , on her dummy guns, and

an t ique , honeycombed car ronades , and knew better than theCh inese themselves how many m en each prov ince could puti nto the field

,how dr i lled and how armed , and they were

acquain ted w i th the infin i te corrupt ion and d ishonesty, combined w i th a total lack of patr iot ism ,

wh ich nul l ified even suchcomm issar iat arrangements as existed on paper , and renderedi t absolutely imposs ible for Ch ina to send an army effic ien tlyinto the field , far less sustain i t dur ing a campaign .

To al l appearance Japan had completely outw i t ted Ch ina inKorea

,and a pan ic prevai led among the Ch inese . Th i r ty

lad ies of the households of the Ch inese Res ident and Consu lembarked for Ch ina on the appearance of the Japanese inSeoul

, and 800 Ch inamen left Chemulpo the day I arr ived ,the consternat ion in th e Ch inese colony be ing so great thateven th e market gardeners

,who have a monopoly of a most

thr iving trade,fled .

I never before saw the Ch inaman otherw i se than aggra

vatingly cool , col lected , and master of the s i tuat ion , but onthat June day he lost h is head , and ,

frenz ied by race hatredand pecun iary loss

,was transformed in to a shou t ing barbar ian ,

not knowing what he would be at . The Ch inese inn where ISpent the day was one cen tre of the exc i tement , and each t imethat I came in from a walk or rece ived a European v is itor , anumber of the employer , usual ly most qu iet and ret icent

,hud

dled int o my room w i th faces d istor ted by anxiety , ask ingwhat I had heard , what was go ing to be , whether the Ch inesearmy wou ld be there that n igh t

,whether the Br i t ish fleet was

com ing to help them , etc . , and even my Ch inese servan t , am ost excellent fellow, was bes ide h imsel f, mutter ing in Engl ishth rough clenched teeth

,I must k i l l

,k il l

,k i l l

Im pend ing W ar 183

Meanwh i le the dwar f battal ions , a m iracle of rigid d iscipl ine and good behavior , were stead i ly tramp ing to Seoul

,

where matters then and for some t ime afterwards stood thus .The King was in his secluded palace

, and that wh ich st i l lposed as a Governmen t had real ly col lapsed . Mr . H il l ier

,

the Engl ish Consu l -General , was in England on leave, and theact ing Consul -General , Mr . Gardner , had on ly beenin

'

Korea for three months . The Amer ican M in ister was an ewer m an sti l l . The French and German Consuls needhardly be taken in to account

,as they had few

,i f any, in ter

ests to safeguard . Mr . Waeber , the able and caut ious d iplom atist who had represented Russ ia for n ine years , and hadthe confidence of the whole fore ign commun i ty

,had been ap

po inted c/zczrgé d’

afiaz’

r er at Peking , and had left Seoul in theprev ious week . There remained

,therefore

,fac ing each other ,

Otori San , th e Japanese ambassador to Pek ing , who was inKorea on a temporary m iss ion , and Yuan , a m i l itary mandarinwho had been for some years Ch inese Res iden t in Seoul , a m an

en trusted by the Ch inese Emperor w i th large powers , who wascred ited by fore igners w i th great force , tact , and abi l i ty ,and who was generally regarded as “ the power beh ind theth rone .

”

I had frequent ly seen Otori San in the early months of th eyear , a Japanese of average height , speaking Engl ish wel l ,wear ing European dress as though born to i t, and spor t ingwh i te shoulder-Of-mutton wh iskers . He lounged in drawing

-rooms,mak ing tr iv ial remarks to lad ies , and was remark

able on ly for h is insign ificance . I bel ieve he made the sameimpression ,

or want of impress ion , at Peking . But c ircumstances or str ingen t orders from Tokyo had transformed Mr .

Otor i . Whether he had worn a m ask previously I know not,

but he Showed h imsel f rough , v igorous , capable , a m an ofact ion

,unscrupulous , and not on ly clever enough to outwi t

Yuan in a d ifficul t and hazardous game , but everybody else .I n the afternoon of that memorable day at Chemulpo the


Vice-Consul called on me and warned me that I must leaveKorea that n igh t

,and the urgency and seriousness of h is

manner left me no doubt that he was act ing on in format ionwh ich he was not at l iberty to d ivulge . I had left my travell ing gear at WOn san in read iness for an autumn journey , andwas go ing to Seoul that n igh t for a week to get my moneyand c iv i l ized luggage before go ing for the summer to Japan .

It was a ser ious blow . Other Europeans adv ised me not tobe “ deported ,

” but i t is one of my travel l ing rules never tobe a source of embarrassment to Br i t ish offic ials , and suppos ing the cr is is to be an acute one , I reluctantly y ielded ,and that n ight , w i th two Engl ish fellow-sufferers , left Chem ulpo in the Japanese steamer H zgo Mar a , bound for por tsin the Gulf of Pech i l i

,wh ich czcl—a’e-sczc would have proved

a veri table “ l ion ’s m ou th ” to her bad host i l ities been asimm inent as the Vice-Consul bel ieved them to be . I hadnoth ing but the cloth ing I wore , a heavy tweed su i t , and themercury was and after paying my passage to Chefoo , thefirst port of cal l , I had on ly four cents left . I t was four monthsbefore I obtained ei ther my clothes or my money



and the w ife of the Span ish m in ister at Peking , who were staying at the Consulate, made up a bundle of summer cloth ing forme

,and my depor tat ion ” enr iched me w i th valued fr iend

sh ips .Return ing in a very d ifferen t frame of m ind to the H zgo

Mam,I wen t on in her in severe heat to the mouth of the

Pe iho River in s igh t of the Taku for ts , and after roll ing on i tsmuddy surges for two days , proceeded to Newchwang i n Man

churia , reach i ng the mouth of the Liau River in five days fromChemulpo . Rain was fall ing, and a more h ideous and d isastrous - looking country than the voyage of two hours up to thepor t revealed , I never saw . The Liau

,wh ich has a tremeu

dous t ide and strong current , and is th ick wi th yellow mud , isat h igh water near ly on a level w i th the adjacent flats, of wh ichone sees l i t t le , except some mud for ts on the left bank of theriver , wh ich are said to be heavi ly armed w i th Krupp guns ,and an expanse of mud and reeds .Of the mud-bu i l t Ch inese c i ty of Y ing-tz ii (M i l i tary Camp) ,

known as Newchwang , though the r eal Newchwang is a derelict por t 30 m i les up the Liau , noth ing can be seen above themud bank bu t the curved , t i led roofs of yam em and tem

ples , though i t i s a c i ty of souls , the growth of i tspopulat ion hav ing kept pace w i th i ts rapid advance in comm ercial impor tance s ince i t was opened to fore ign trade in1 860 . S everal Br i t ish steamers wi th big Ch inese characterson the ir sides were at anchor in the t ideway

,and the r iver

s ides were closely fr inged w i th up-r iver boats and sea-going

junks , of var ious picturesque bu i lds and colors , from SouthernCh ina , steamers and j unks al ike wa i t ing not on ly for cargoesof the smal l beans for wh ich Manchur ia is fam ous , but for the

pressed bean cake wh ich is expor ted i n enormous quan t i t ies tofer t il ize the sugar plantat ions and hungry fields of South Ch ina .

There is a Bund, and along and beh ind i t is the fore ign

settlemen t , occupied by abou t for ty Europeans . The wh i tebu i ld ings of the Ch inese Imper ial Mar i t ime Customs , the houses

Deported to Manchu r ia 187

of the staff, the hangs of two or three fore ign merchan ts , andthe Br i t ish Consular bu i ld ings, may be sa id to consti tute thesettlemen t . It has the reputat ion of be ing one of the k indl iestand fr iendl iest in the Far East

,and the fact that the r iver closes

annually abou t the 20 th Of November for about four mon ths,

and that the res iden ts are thrown ent irely 011 the ir own re

sources and on each other , on ly serves to increase that i n terdependence wh ich b inds th is and s im i larly isolated commun it ies so strongly together .

I was most k indly welcomed at the Engl ish Consu late thenand on my return ,

and have most pleasant remembrances ofNewchwang , its cord ial k indness, and cheer ful Bund , and breezyblue sk ies , but at first s ight it i s a d reary , sol i tary—look ing placeof mud

, and muddy waters for ever swallow ing large sl ices ofthe land

,and th reaten ing to engul f i t altogether .

“ Peas,

” real ly beans,

1are i ts ch ief r a z

’

son d’

ez‘

r e, and theirups and downs in pr ice i ts m i ld sensat ions . Pea-boats ,

”

long and narrow,w ith matt ing roofs and one huge sai l , br ing

down the beans from the in ter ior , and m i l l s work ing n ightand day express the ir oil, wh ich is as good for cook ing as forburn ing .

The v iceroyal ty of Manchur ia,in wh ich I spen t the next two

mon ths , is in terest ing as in some ways d ist inct from Ch ina , bes ides hav ing a prospect ive in terest in connect ion w i th Russ ia.Ly ing outside of the Great Wall , i t has a populat ion of severald istinct and m ixed races , Manchus (Tar tars) , G i lyaks , Tungus i , Solons , Daurs , and Ch inese . Along w i th these m ust bem ent ioned abou t Korean fam i l ies , the major i ty of whomhave left Korea Since 1868 in consequence of pol it ical d isturbance and offic ial exact ions .The facts that the dynasty wh ich has ruled Ch ina by r igh t

of conquest Since 1644 is a Manchu dynasty, and that i t im

1 Gly cene fiz’

spz'

des ( D r . Morr ison ) .2According to inform ation obtained by the Russian Diplom atic M ission

in Peking .


posed the shaven forehead and the p igtai l on all Ch inese m en

successfully,wh i le it absolu tely fai led to preven t the women

from cr ippl ing the ir feet , though up to th is day no womanw i th Golden Li l ies ” (crushed feet) is al lowed to enter theImper ial palace , naturally turn attent ion to th is v iceroyalty ,wh ich

,in po in t of i ts area of square m i les, i s larger

than Austr ia and Great Br itain and Ireland put together, wh i lei ts populat ion is est imated at from toonly . Thus it offers a vast field for em igrat ion from the congested prov inces of Nor thern Ch ina , and Ch inese imm igrantsare stead i ly flock ing in from Shan -tung , Ch i -li , and Shen -s i ,

so that Southern Manchur ia at th is t ime is l i ttle beh ind thei nner provinces of Ch ina in dens i ty of population .

It is d ifferen t in the nor thern prov ince,where a cold cl imate

and vast stretches of forest render agr icul ture more d ifficul t .If it had not been for the war and i ts at tendan t compl icat ions,I had purposed to travel through i t from Nor thern Korea .

But i t is unsettled at all t imes . The m ajor i ty of i ts imm igrants consists Of convicts, fugi t ive cr im inals, sold iers whohave left the colors

,and gold and g inseng hun ters . There is

someth ing alm ost com ical about some of the do ings of th isunprom is ing commun i ty .

It compr ises large organ ized bands of moun ted br igands,

well led and armed , who do not hes i tate to come into col l is ionw i th the Imper ial troops , frequen tly com ing off v ictors , andat t imes

,as when I was in Mudken ,

wrest ing forts from the irhands . Dur ing the Ta iping rebel l ion

,when the Ch inese

troops were w i thdrawn from Manchur ia , these bands car r iedhavoc and terror everywhere

,and se izing upon towns and

v i llages , ruled them by r igh t of conquest 1 I n recent yearsthe Government has dec ided to let volun tary colon ists settlein the nor thern prov inces

,and has even furn ished them w i th

mater ial ass istance .St i ll , th ings are bad , and the br igands have come to be t e1 Inform ation received by the Russian D i plom atic M ission in Peking.



d iffer l it tle in appearance from the race wh ich they have subdued . The women

,however , are taller , com lier

,and more

robust in appearance , as m ay be expected from the ir retainingthe natural s ize and shape of the ir feet , and not on ly the ircezfi

'

zcr e but thei r costume is d ifferen t , the Manchu womenwear ing sleeveless d resses from the throat to the feet , overunder dresses w i th w ide embroidered Sleeves . W i th some exceptions , they are less secluded than the ir Ch inese s i sters, andhave an air of far greater freedom .

Most of th e Manchu customs have d isappeared along w i ththe language , wh ich is on ly spoken i n a few remote valleys ,and is apparently only ar t ific ial ly preserved because the rul ingdynasty is Manchu . It is on ly those students who are aspi r

an ts for l i terary degrees and h igh office in the v iceroyalty whoare obl iged to learn i t.People of pure Manchu race are ch iefly met w i th in the

nor th . Manchus,as k insmen of the presen t Imper ial dynasty ,

enjoy var ious pr ivi leges . Every male adul t , as soon as he cans tr ing a shor t and remarkably inflex ible bow (no easy task) ,becomes a Bannerman ,

”c'

. c. he is enrol led in one of e igh tbod ies of i rregulars, cal led Banners from the ir d ist inct iveflags

, and from that t ime rece ives one feel (now about th reesh i l l ings) per month , increased to from five to seven z

‘czelr a

month when on act ive service . These “ Bannermen,

” as arule

,are not spec ial ly reputable characters . They gamble ,

hang about yam en: for odd b i ts of wo rk , in hope of permanen toffic ial employment, and generally sublet to the Ch inese thelands wh ich they rece ive from the Governmen t .It i s a s ingular anomaly that bows and ar rows are rel ied

upon as a means of defence in an empire wh ich buys r ifles andKrupp guns . Later

,in Pek ing

,wh ich was supposed to be

th reatened by the Japanese arm ies , i t was in tended to postBannermen w i th bows and arrows at the embrasures of thewall , and on the Pek ing and Tungchow road I met twentycar ts carry ing up loads of these pr im i t ive weapons for the de

Deported to Manchu ria 19 1

fence of the cap i tal Bow and arrow d r i l l is one of the mostamus ing of the many m i l i tary med iaeval s ights of Ch ina .

The Ch inese Bannermen are descendants of those Ch inesewho , in the seventeen th century , espoused the cause o f theManchu conquerors of China . The whole m i l itary force ofthe three provinces of the v iceroyal ty is m en . Tar targarr isons and Tar tar c i t ies ” ex ist in many of the great prov incial c i t ies of Ch ina , and as the interests of these troops areclosely bound up w i th those of the presen t Tar tar dynasty ,the i r fai thfulness is rel ied upon as th e backbone of Imper ialsecur i ty .

From i ts h istory and i ts audac ious and permanen t conquesto f i ts g igant ic ne ighbor , i ts m ixed populat ion and n umerousabor iginal tr ibes , i ts m ineral and agr icul tural wealth , and acer tain freedom and breez iness wh ich const itute a d ist inct ivefeature

,Manchu r ia is a very interesting viceroyalty , and the

two months wh ich I spen t i n i t gave i t a strong hold upon me .

Mud is a great feature of Newchwang , perhaps the lead ingfeature for som e mon ths of the year , dur ing wh ich no trafficby road i s poss ible , and the Bund is the on ly pract icable walk .

The n ight I ar r ived rain began,and con t inued w i th one hour ’ s

cessat ion for five days and n ights , for much of the t ime comi ng down l ike a cont inuous thundershower . The atmospherewas steamy and hazy , and the mercury by day and n ight waspret ty stat ionary at About i nches of rai n fel l onthose days . The barom eter var ied from 2 9

° to Afterwards , when the ra in ceased for a day , the heat was near lyunbearable . Of course , no boat

’ s crew would star t under suchc ircumstances . Rumors of an extens ive inundat ion camedown the r iver , but these and al l others of purely local interestgave place to an intense anxiety as to whether war would bedeclared , and what the effect of war would be on the greattrad ing port of Newchwang .

CHAPTER XV

A MANCHURIAN DELUGE—A PASSENGER CART—AN ACCIDENT

T surpr ised me much to find that only on e fore ign residen thad v is i ted Mukden , wh ich is only 1 20 m iles d i stant by a

road wh ich is traversable in w in ter, and is accessible by riverduring the summer and autumn in from e ight to ten days . Ileft Newchwang on the 3rd of July , and though var ious c ircum stances were unprop i t ious , reached Mukden in e igh t days ,be ing able to avoid many of the w ind ings of the Liau by sai ling over an inundat ion .

The k indly fore ign commun i ty len t me necessaries for thej ourney

,but even w i th these the hold of a pea—boat ” was

not luxur ious . My camp -bed took up the greater part of i t,and the roof was not much above my head . The descen t in tothe hold and the ascen t were d ifficul t , and when w ind and

rai n obl iged me to close the front , i t was qu i t e dark , cockroaches swarmed

,and the smel l of the bi lge water was horr i

ble . I was very far from well when I star ted , and in two dayswas real ly i ll, yet I would not have m i ssed the spec ial in terestof that journey for anyth ing , or i ts sol i tude , for Wong

’

s lim

i ted Engl ish counted for noth ing and involved no conversational effor t .For some d istance above Newchwang or Y ing-tzfi, as far as

the real Newchwang , there is a compl icat ion of muddy rivershurry ing through vast reed beds, the resor t of w i ld fowl , w i thhere and there a mud bank w i th a mud hovel or two upon i t.At that t ime reed beds and partial ly inundated swampsstretched away near ly to the horizon , wh ich is l im i ted in thefar d istance by the wavy blue outl ine of some low h i l ls .

192



I n that m iserable n igh t there were bark ings of dogs , shoutsof men

,m ewings of cats, and general noises of unrest , and in

the morn ing , of the v i l lage of P iengdo oppos i te to wh ich wehad moored the evening before , on ly one house and a barn remained

,wh ich were shor tly carr ied away . Many of the peo

ple had escaped in boats,and the r emainder , w ith the ir fowls ,

dogs,and cats, were in th e spread ing branches of a large tree .

Al though the mast of my boat was cons iderably in th e way ,and i t was d ifficul t to m ake fast , I succeeded in rescu ing thewhole menager ie and in transferr ing it in two tr ips to a v il lageon the other s ide , wh ich was then 5 feet above the water .

We had reached the most prosperous reg ion of Manchur ia ,a pla in 60 m i les in length

,of deep

,r ich al luv ial so i l

,bear ing

splend id crops; the most lucrat ive of wh ich are the bean , th eoi l from wh ich is th e staple expor t of the coun try , the Op iumpoppy , and tobacco . The great and small m i l let , wheat , barl ey

,melons , and cucumbers cover the ground , mulberry trees

for the s i lkworm surround the farmhouses , and the great plainis an idyl l of boun teousness and fer t i l i ty . Of al l th is not atrace rema ined , except in a few instances the tops of the 8 -feetm i l le t

,wh ich suppl ies th e people not only w i th food , but w i th

fuel,and fodder for the i r an imals .

The r iver bank bur st dur ing the n igh t,and the waters were

raging i nto the plain ,from wh ich I m issed many a brown

roofed v il lage,wh ich th e even ing before stood among i ts wil

low and poplar trees . At 1 1 a fai r w ind sprang up, junks began t o m ove , and my boatmen ,

who had talked of return ing,un t ied and moved too . After an exc i t ing scene at a bend ,where the r iver , l eaping l ike a rapid , thumped the junksagainst the oppos i te shor e , we passed one wrecked v i l lage afteranother , b i ts of walls of houses alone stand ing . The peopleand the ir fowls were in the trees . The women clung to the irfowls as much as to their bab ies . Dugouts

,scows

,and a few

j unks , m ine among them ,were busy sav ing l i fe

,and we took

three fam i l ies and the ir fowls to Sho-wa Ku, a large j unk port ,

A Manchur ian Deluge 195

where a number of houses were s t i l l stand ing . These fam i l ieshad lost all the ir household goods and gods

, as wel l as mules ,pigs , and dogs . On our way we sai led in to a farmyard to tryto get some eggs

,and the junk not replying to her helm ,

thumped one of the underm ined wal ls down . It was a largefarmhouse and ful l of refugees . The water was 3 feet deep inthe rooms , naked Ch i ldren were float ing abou t in tubs

, and

the women , look ing resigned , sat on the tables . The m en

sa id that i t was the last of four houses , and that they m igh tas well be dead , for they had lost al l the ir c rops and the irbeasts .A fear ful sigh t presented itsel f at Sho-wa Ku . There the

r iver , indefin i te as i t had previously been ,d isappeared alto

gether , and the whole country was a turbulent muddy sea ,bounded on the east by a range of h i lls

, and to the nor th and

sou th l im i tless . Under i t lay all th e fru i ts of the t ireless industry and garden cul t ivat ion of a large and prosperous populat ion , and the remorseless waters under the influence of a galewere rol l ing in muddy surges

,

“ crested wi th tawny foam,

”

over the fast d issolving homes .On th is vast flood we embarked to shorten the d istance

,and

sai led w i th three reefs in the sai l for 13 m i les over i t, t i l l wewere brought up by an insurmoun table obstacle in th e shapeof a tremendous rush of water where a bank had g iven way .

There we were compelled to let go two anchor s in the ear lyafternoon . The w ind had become foul , and the rain, wh ichfel l in torrents , was dr iven almost hor izon tal ly . Noth ing thatsuggested human l i fe was in s ight . It m igh t have been “ theDeluge

,

”for the windows of heaven were opened . There were

a m uddy , roll ing sea,and a black sky, dark w i th tremendous

rain ,and the fol iage of trees w i th submerged trunks was alone

suggestive of even vegetable l i fe and of the v i llages wh ich hadbeen destroyed by the devour ing waters .I n 13 m i les just one hab itat ion remained stand ing, a large ,

handsome br ick house w i th entrance arch , quadrangle, curved


roofs , large farm bu i ld ings, and many servan ts’ houses

,som e

of wh ich were‘

toppling , and others were submerged up tothe ir roofs . There was a lookout on the pr inc ipal roof and heha i led us , but as there were several scows about , enough tosave l ife

,I d isregarded h im , and we sa i led on into the

tempestuous sol i tude where we anchored .

The day darkened slowly into n igh t, the j unk rolled w i thshor t plung ing rolls , the rain fel l more tremendously thanever , and the strong w ind , sweep ing through the r igg ing w i tha desolate Screech , only j ust overpowered the clatter on theroof. I was ill. The seas we sh ipped drowned the charcoal ,and i t was imposs ible to make tea or arrowroot . The raindr ipped everywhere through the roof. My lamp splutteredand wen t ou t and could not be rel ighted , bedd ing and clothing were soaked , my bed stood in the water,

~

the no ise wasdeafen ing .

Never in al l my journeys have I fel t so sol i tary . I realized that no other fore ign er was travell ing in Manchur ia , thatthere was no help in i llness , and that there was noth ing to bedone but lie there in saturated clothes t i l l th ings took a turnfor the better .And so they d id . By e ight the next morn ing the scene was

changed . The sky was blue and cloudless , there was a coolnor th w ind

,and the waste of water d impled and gl ittered , the

broken sparkle of i ts m im ic waves suggest ing the ocean after adestruct ive storm has become a calm . After sai l ing overbroad blue water al l day

,and pass ing islands on wh ich the

luckier v i llages were st i ll stand ing, towards even ing we sai ledinto a v i l lage of large farmhouses and made fast to the w indowbar s of one of them

,wh ich

,being of br ick , had not suffered

greatly . Eleven of the farms had d i sappeared , and otherswere in process of d isappear ing . The gardens, farmyards ,and open spaces were under 5 feet of water, the sur face ofwh ich was covered by a bubbly scum . The horses and cattlewere in the rooms of the br ick houses where many human be



foreign devi l,a vague impress of d isaster in my somewhat

dazed brain ,and Wong raging at large ! Then followed a

shady compound ablaze w i th flowers , a hearty welcome at thehouse of D r . Ross, the sen ior m i ssionary of the Scotch U.P .

Church , sweet homel ike rooms in a metamorphosed Ch inesehouse, a large shady bedroom replete w i th comforts , the immed iate arr ival of D r . Chr istie , the med ical m issionary , whopronounced my arm -bone “ spl intered ”

and the tendonsseverely torn , and placed the l imb in splints, . and a t ime ofk ind and ski l led nursing by Mrs . Ross , and of dreamy restfulness , in wh ich the horrors of the hold of the pea-boat and

of the dark and wind -dr iven flood on ly served to emphas izethe comfort and propi tiousness of my surround ings.

PASSENGER CART , MUKD EN.

CHAPTER XVI

MUKDEN AND I TS MISSIONS

UKDEN stands at an alt i tude of 1 60 feet above thesea , in Lat . 4 1 ° 5 1 ’ N . and Long . 1 23

°

37’ E . ,

in thecentre of an immense al luvial plain ,

bearing superb crops andl iberal ly sprinkled w i th farm ing v i l lages embowered in wood ,a wavy l ine of low blue h i l ls at a great d istance l im i ting thehor izon . It is 3 m i les from the Hun -ho, a tr ibutary of theLiau , and w i th in its outer wal l idles along the s i lvery Siao -hoor

“ small r iver ,” w i th a long Bund afford ing a del ightfu l

promenade and an a iry posi t ion for a number of handsomehouses , the res idences of m iss ionar ies and mandar ins , w i thstately outer and inner gates, through wh ich gl impses are ob

ta ined of gardens and flower ing plants and pots . Th is ci ty ofinhab i tants , ow ing to i ts connect ion w i th the re ign ing

dynasty, is the second c i ty offic ial ly in the empire , and the

Peking “ boards ” w i th one exception are nom inal ly dupl icated there . Hence i t not on ly has an army of Ch inese andTar tar offic ials Of al l grades , but a large res ident populat ion ofret ired and expectan t mandar ins , l iving in handsome housesand making a great d isplay in the streets . There is an i n

cessan t movemen t of mule car ts , the cabs of Mukden , wi ththe ir superb an imals and the ir blue canop ies cover ing bothmule and dr iver , offic ial mule car ts dr iven at a trot , wi th fouror more outr iders w i th wh i te hats and red plumes , pr ivatecar ts belonging to young mandar in swel ls , who g ive da i ly en

ter tainm ents at a restauran t on the Bund , m andar ins on horseback w i th runners clear ing the way, car ts wai t ing for “ lotusv iewers

,tall , big

-footed wom en promenad ing wi th their


ch i ldren,their ha ir arranged i n loops on s i lver frames and

decorated w i th flowers , hospi tal pat ients on stretchers and inchairs , men sel l ing melons and cand ies , and beggars who byblowing through a leaf im i tate the cry of near ly every b ird .

Then in the summer even ings , when the mercury has fallen tothe servan ts of r ich m en br ing ou t Splend id pon i es and

mules and walk them on the Bund , and there come the crowdsto stare at the fore igners and hang round their gates . The

presence of well-dressed women is a feature rare in the East .Up to the war people ‘

were pol i te and fr iendly,but progress was

d ifficu lt and the smel l of gar l ic strong . At n igh t the dogs bark ,guns are fired

,drums and gongs are beaten , and th e clappers

of the watchmen r ival each other in making n igh t h ideous .All th is l i fe l ies between the ou ter wall and the lofty quad

rangular inner wall , 3 m i les in c ircu i t , bu i l t of br ick , flankedby lofty towers, and p ierced by e ight gates protected by loftybr ick bast ions . Th is wall

, on wh ich th ree carr iages couldd r ive abreast , protects the commercial and offic ial par t of thec i ty

,wh ich is densely crowded , Mukden , besides be ing a great

gra in empor ium,be ing the cen tre of th e Ch inese fur trade ,

wh ich attracts buyers from all par ts of the world . F ine streets ,though ful l of humps and quagm ires , d iv ide the c i ty in to n inewards or quar ters

,the central quar ter be ing Imper ial proper ty ,

and con tain ing a fine palace w ith much decorat ive yellowt i l ing , the exam ination hall , and a number of palaces and

yam em,al l sol idly bu i lt. To my th ink ing no Ch inese c ity is

so agreeable as Mukden . The Tar tar capi tal is free from thatatmosphere of decay wh ich broods over Pek ing . Its w idestreets are comparat ively clean . It is regularly bui l t , and itsfine r es idences are wel l kept up . It is a busy place , and doesa large and lucrat i ve trade , spec ial ly i n grain ,

beans,and furs .

It has var ious industr ies,wh ich include the tann ing and dress

ing of furs and the weav ing of S i lk stu ffs ; i ts bankers and

merchants are r ich , and i t has great commercial as well assome pol i t ical impor tance .


Mukden and its M issions 20 1

As the old capi tal of Manchur ia and the abode of the Pr inceancestors of the fam i ly wh ich was placed on the Ch inese thronein 1644 , it has Spec ial pr iv i leges , among wh ich are M in istresde Parade ,

”nom inally hold ing the same rank as the actual

m in i sters in Pek ing . Near i t are the superb tombs of the ancestors of th e presen t Emperor , on wh ich grand avenues oftrees converge , bordered by colossal stone an imals after thefash ion of those at the Ming tombs near Peking . Formerlythe Manchu Emperors made p i lgr images to these tombs andthe sacred c i ty of their dynasty , but s ince the second decadeof th is century the Ch inese Emperor ’s portrai t on ly has beensen t at in tervals in solemn procession , the Pek ing road be ingin the meant ime closed to ord inary traffic .

The Governor -General of Manchur ia resides in Mukden ,as

well as the m i l i tary Governor, who is assisted by a c ivi l adm in i strator and by the Pres idents of five Boards . The greatoffices of State are fi l led in dupl icate by Ch inese and Manchus,and cr im inals Of the two races are tr ied in separate cour ts .The favorable recept ion g iven to Chr ist ian i ty is one of the

features of Mukden . The fine pagoda of the Chr ist ian Churchis en evidence everywhere . The Scotch U . P . m iss ionar ies ,who have been establ ish ed there for twen ty-five years, are onfr iendly terms wi th the people , and special ly w i th many ofthe mandar i ns and h igh offic ials

,who Show them tokens of

regard publ icly and pr ivately on al l occas ions . Dr. Chr ist ie,the med ical m iss ionary , is the trusted fr iend as well as themed ical adv iser of many of the lead ing officials and the irw ives

,who

,w i th every c ircumstance of ceremon ial pomp,

have presented com pl imen tary tablets to the hospi tal , and altogether the relat ions between the Ch inese and the m issionar iesare un ique . I attr ibu te th ese spec ial relat ions w i th the upperclasses par tly to the fact that D r . Ross , the sen ior m issionary,and D r . Ch r ist ie , and those who have jo ined them subse

quently,have stud ied Ch inese custom and etiquette very

closely, and are carefu l to con form to both as far as is possible,


wh i le they are not on ly keen -Sighted for the good that is inthe Ch inese , but br ing the best ou t of them .

Thus Chr ist ian i ty , d ivested of the nonchalan t or contemptuons insular i ty by wh ich i t is often rendered repuls ive

,has

made cons iderable progress not on ly in the capi tal bu t in theprovince

,and un t i l the roads became unsafe there was scarcely

a day dur ing my long v i s i t in wh ich there were not deputat ions from d istan t v i l lages ask ing for Chr ist ian workers

,repre

sent ing numerous bands of rural worsh ippers , who, hav ingrece ived some knowledge of Chr ist ian i ty from conver ts

,col

por teurs , or catech ists , had renounced many idolatrous pract ices

,and des ired fur ther instruct ion . Of the profess ing

Chr ist ians , D r . Ross sa id that i t was on ly a very small percentage who had heard the Gospel from Eu ropeans ! Fou rthousand were already bapt ized , and near ly as many againwere inqu i rers w i th a V iew to bapt ism . It was most cur iousto see m en com ing dai ly from remote r eg ions ask ing for someone to go and instruct them in the Jesus doctr ine

,

”for

“ they had learned as much as they could w i thou t a teacher . I n

many par ts of Manchur ia there are now Chr ist ian commun i t iescarry ing on the ir own wor sh ip and d isc ipl ine , and i t is notewor thy that very many of th e conver ts are member s of thoseSecret Soc iet ies whose strongest bond of un ion is the searchafter r igh teousness .The M iss ion Hospi tal is one of th e largest and best equ ipped

i n the Far East,and bes ides do ing a great med ical and surg i

cal work,is a med ical school in wh ich studen ts pass through a

four year s ’ cu rr iculum . There also D r . Chr ist ie g ives i l lustrated popular scient ific l ectures in the w in t er , wh ich are at

tended among other s by a number of sons of mandar ins .Donat ions , both of money and food

,are con tr ibuted to th is

hospi tal both by offic ials and merchants ; and General Tso , amost char i table m an and beloved by the poor , on ly th e n ightbefore he star ted for Korea , sen t a bag of t ickets for ice, sothat the hosp i tal m igh t not suffer for the lack of i t dur ing his



needles in to the body , and g ive up th e case as hopeless i f blooddoes not flow . When death is near the fr iends dress the pat ient in the best clothes they can afford and r emove h im fromthe t ang ( the usual elevated Sleep ing place ) to the floor , or layh im on ashes . As the Sp ir i t depar ts they cry loudly in the ear .

I n connect ion wi th death , i t may be ment ioned that some ofthe most str iking shops in Mukden , after the coffin shops , arethose in wh ich are manu factured and sold adm irable l ifes izerepresentat ions of horses , men , asses , elephan ts , car ts , and all

th e ar ticles of luxu ry of th is l ife , wh ich are carr ied in processionand are bur ned at th e grave , somet imes to the value ofFew ch i ldren under n ine years old are bur ied , and those

only among the r ichest class . When death occurs , the mother ,wai l ing b i tter ly

,wraps the body in matt ing , and throws it

away , t'

.e. she places it where the dogs can get at i t. Th isghastly burden must not be carr ied out of a door or window ,

but through a new or d isused Open ing , in order that the evi lspir i t wh ich causes the d isease may not en ter . The bel ief isthat the Heaven ly Dog wh ich eats the sun at th e t ime of anecl ipse demands the bod ies of ch i ldren , and that i f theyare den ied to him he w i l l br ing cer tain calam i ty on thehousehold .

I have ment ioned the éa fzg ,wh ich is a marked feature of the

houses and inns of Manchur ia,wh ich for i ts lat i tude has the

coldest w in ter in the wor ld,th e mercury often r each ing 1 7

°

F . below zero . The éang is a br ick plat form covered wi thmatt ing and heated econom ically by fines , and is at oncesleeping and si tt ing place . The stalks of th e [ f a/ca r Sorghumare used for fuel . I n w inter

,when the external tem perature

may be a l i ttle above and much below zero for a month at at ime , the Ch inaman , unable to heat h is whole room ,

d rops h isshoes , mounts h is kang ,

s i ts crosslegged on th e warm mat,

covers h is padded socks wi th his padded robe,and there takes

h is meals and rece ives his fr iends in comfor t . When I wasinvi ted to cl imb the éazzg I fel t mysel f a per sona g r am .

Mukden and its M iss ion s 205

The pawnshops of Mukden , w i th the ir h igh outer walls ,lofty gateways , two or th ree well -kept cour ts , fine bu i ld ings,and tal l stone columns at the outer gate , wi th the s ign of thebus iness upon them , the ir scrupulous cleanl iness , and the irarm ies of pol i t e, in tel l igen t Clerks , are as respectable as banksw i th us . They demand for every sum borrowed movable

proper ty to double its amount . If the pledge be not redeemedw i th in two years

,i t fal ls to the pawnbroker . Governmen t

fixes the interest . The propr ietor takes the same pos i t ion as acapital ist own ing a bank in the West, and a ram s/m d ist il lertakes an equal place in local esteem .

The prevalence of su ic ide is a feature of Mukden as of mostCh inese c i t ies . Cer tain pecu l iar i t ies of Ch inese j ust ice renderi t a favor ite way of wreak ing Spi te upon an employer or neighbor , who is haun ted besides by the Spir i t of the sel f-murderer .

Hence servant s angry w i th the ir masters , shopmen w i th theiremployers , w ives w i th the ir husbands, and above al l , daughtersin - law w i th the ir mother s - in - law

, Show their spi te by dy ing onthe ir prem ises , usually by Opium ,

or eat ing the tops of luc ifermatches It is qu i te a common th ing for a person who has agrudge against another to go and po i son h im sel f in h is cour tyard , secur ing revenge firs t by the mandar in ’ s inqu iry and

next by the haun t ing terror s of h is malevolen t Spir i t . Younggir ls were dai ly. po ison ing themselves w i th luc ifer m atches toescape from the tyranny of mothers- in - law and leave unpleasantness beh ind them .

But i t is not the seamy side wh ich is uppermost in Mukden .

CHAPTER XVII

CH INESE TROOPS ON THE MARCH

HE weeks wh ich I spen t in Mukden were ful l of rumorsand exc i temen t . A few words on the or ig in of the war

wi th Japan m ay make the s i tuat ion in tel l igible .The Tong-haks

,as was ment ioned in chapter x i i i . , had on

several occas ions defeated the Royal Korean troops, and after

much hes i tat ion the Korean King invoked the help of Ch ina .

Ch ina repl ied promptly by giving Japan not ice of her intent ion to send troops to Korea on 7th June , 1894 , both countr ies

,under the treaty of Tien ts in , hav ing equal r ights to do

so under such c ircumstances as had then ar isen . On the sameday Japan announced to Ch ina a s im i lar inten t ion . TheCh inese General , Yi , landed at A-san w i th m en , and

the Japanese occupied Chemulpo and Seoul in force .I n the Ch inese despatch Korea was tw ice referred to as our

tr ibutary state .

” Japan repl ied that the Imper ial Governmenthad never recogn ized Korea as a tr ibu tary state of Ch ina .

Then came th ree proposals from Japan for the adm in i strat ion of Korea , to be car r ied ou t j o in tly by herself and Ch ina .

These were Exam inat ion of the financ ial adm in istrat ion ;( 2 ) Select ion of the central and local offic ials ; (3) The establishm ent of a d isc ipl ined army for nat ional defence and the

preservat ion of the peace of the land .

To these proposals Ch ina repl ied that Korea must be left toreform hersel f, and that the w i thdrawal of th e Japanese troopsmust precede any negot iat ions

,a suggest ion rejected by Japan ,

who inform ed Ch ina on 14th July , that she should regard thed ispatch of any more troops to Japan as a bell igeren t act . On

206



Before the end of July , however , the many w i ld rumorswh ich were afloat

, and the con t inual passage of troops on theirway to Korea (war be ing a foregone conclus ion before i t wasdeclared) , produced a general fermen t . I had to abandon

peregr inat ions in the c i ty , and also photography , a host i lecrowd hav ing mobbed me as I was tak ing ” the Gate of V ictory

,i n the bel ief that I kept a black dev i l in the camera

,w i th

such a baleful Cyclopean eye that whatever l iv ing th ing itlooked on would d ie w i th in a year

,and any bu i ld ing or wal l

would crumble awayAfter war was declared on I st August

,1894 , th ings grew

worse rapidly . As Japan had ful l command of the sea, all

Ch inese troops sen t to Korea were compel led to march throughManchur ia , and und isc ipl ined hordes of Manchu sold iers fromKir in , Ts its ihar , and othern nor thern c i t ies poured th roughMukden at the rate of a day , hav ing d ist ingu ished themselves on the sou thern march by se iz ing on whatever they couldget hold of

, r iotously occupy ing inns w i thou t payment , beati ng the innkeepers , and wreck ing Chr istian

i

chapels , not fromant i -Chr ist ian but from ant i fore ign feel ing . The ir hatred offore igners culm inated at Liau -yang

, 40 m iles from Mukden ,when Manchu sold iers

,after wreck ing the Chr ist ian chapel ,

beat Mr . Wyl ie , a Scotch m iss ionary , to death , and attackedthe ch ief magistrate for h is fr iendl iness to the fore i gn devi ls .An t i -fore ign feel ing rose rapidly i n Mukden . The servants

of fore igners , and even the hospi tal ass istants , were insultedin the town , and the w i ldest rumors concern ing fore igners werespread and bel ieved . The fr iendly au thor i t ies, who took th esafety of the three m ission fam i l ies in to ser ious cons iderat ion ,

requested them to give up the ir usual j our neys into the inter ior ,and to avo id go ing in to th e c i ty or outs ide the walls . Nextthe street chapels

” were closed , the nat ive Chr ist ians , a largebody , be ing very apprehens ive for the ir own safety , being régarded as one w ith the fore igner s

,who

,unfor tunately , were

general ly supposed to be “ the same as the Japanese .

”



cr imson s i lk undulat ing in th e breezy sunsh ine , and the ir officer s w ith sable-ta i led hats and yellow jackets r id ing bes idethem .

Those who had r ifles and modern weapons at al l had themof al l makes ; so car tr idges of twen ty d ifferent sor ts and s izeswere huddled together w i thout any attempt at class ification ,and in one open space al l sor ts were heaped on the ground ,and the sold iers were fi tt ing them to the ir arms , somet imestry ing e ight or ten before find ing one to su i t the weapon , andthrow ing them back on the heap There were n ei ther med ical arrangements nor an ambulance corps , Ch inese custombeing to str ip the wounded and leave them ,

“ wounded m en

being of no use .

” The comm issar iat was not on ly total ly inefficient but grossly d ishonest , and where stores had accum u

lated the con tractors sold them for the ir own benefit . Thusthere was l i tt le prov is ion of food or fodder in advance

,and in

a very shor t t ime the sold iers were robb ing at large , and eating the horses and transpor t mu les . The Ch inese sold iers , badas thei r dr i l l and d isc ipl ine are , are r egarded by European offi

cer s as “ excel len t mater ial ,” but the Manchus of the Nor th

(Tar tars) are a shambl ing , d isorder ly , insubord inate horde ,dreaded by peaceable c i t izens

,presum ing on the ir Imper ial

relationsh ip,and in d isturbed t imes l i t t le better than l icensed

br igands .Among the fir st troops to leave the c i ty was the Fengt ien

Ch inese br igade of cavalry 5 ,000 strong , under General Tso ,a brave and exper ienced officer , who was at once feared and

trusted,so that when he fell w i th his face to the foe at PhyOng

yang , h is loss demoral ized the army , and the Japanese showedthe ir apprec iat ion of h im by erect ing an obel isk to his memory. H is br igade was in a state of str ict d isc ipl ine, adm irablydr i l led , and on the whole well armed . The troopers weremoun ted on act ive

,wel l -bu i l t pon ies , a l it tl e over 13 hands

h igh , up to great weigh t . After leav ing Mukden they wereen tangled in a quagm ire wh ich extended for 100 m i les, and

CH INESE SOLDIERS


2 12 Korea and Ne ighbors

my safety,I reached Newchwang five days later

,hav ing en

countered no worse r isk than that of an attack by pirates,who

captured some junks w i th some loss of l ife, after I had eludedthem by travell ing at n ight .

CHAPTER XVIII

NAGASAK I—WLAD IVOSTOK

FTER the collapse of the rumor regard ing the land ing ofthe Japanese i n force on the shores of the Gulf of Pe

ch i l i , wh ich obta ined credence for near ly a for tn ight in theFar East , fluttered every Cabinet in Europe , forced even socool and well - informed a m an as Sir Rober t Har t in to hastyaction , and produced a hurr ied exodus of Europeans fromPek ing and a scare generally among the foreign res idents inNor th Ch ina , I returned from Peking to Chefoo to awai t thecourse of events .The war , its requ iremen ts , and i ts uncer ta int ies d isarranged

the means of ocean trans i t so effectual ly that , after hanging onfor some weeks , in the m idst of dai ly rumors of great navalengagem ents , for a steamer for Wlad ivostok, I on ly succeededin gett ing a passage in a smal l German boat wh ich reluctantlycarr ied one passenger , and in wh ich I spent a very com for tlessfive days

,in stormy weather , var ied by the pleasan t in terlude

of a day at Nagasak i , then in the ful l glory of the Chrysanthem um season

, and aflam e w i th scar let maples . Lighted,

cleaned , and pol iced to per fect ion , w i thout a hole or a heap ,th is tr im c i ty of dwarfs and dolls con trasts agreeably w i th th efi l th

,squalor

,loathsomeness

,and general abom inableness

wh ich are found in near ly al l Ch inese c i t ies ou ts ide the foreignsettl ements .Ch inese moved abou t the streets w i th an a i r as of a rul ing

race , and worked at the ir trades and pursued the impor tan tcal l ing of compr aa’or er wi th per fect freedom from annoyance,the only formal i ty requ ired of them be ing reg istrat ion wh i le

2 13


from Ch ina all the Japanese had fled by the des ire of theirconsuls

,not always unmolested in person and proper ty , and

any stray “ dwar f ” then found in a Ch inese c i ty would havebeen all but cer tai n to lose his l ife .The enthus iasm for the war was st i l l at a wh i te heat . G ifts

in money and k ind fel l in a cont inual shower on the Nagasakiauthor i t ies

,noth ing was talked of but m i l i tary successes

,and

a theatre hold ing was giving the profits of two dai ly

perform ances to crowded aud iences in aid of the War Fund .

The fact that sh ips were only al lowed to en ter the por t by dayl ight

,and were then p i loted by a Governmen t steam - launch in

charge of a “ torpedo p i lot , was the on ly ind icat ion in the

harbor of an except ional state of th ings .It was warm autumn weather at Nagasak i , but when I

reached Wladivostok the h i l ls wh ich surround its superb harbor were powdered w i th the first snows of winter

, and a snowstorm two days later covered the coun try to a depth of 18

inches . Wooded i slands,wooded bays

,wooded h i l ls

,deep

sheltered channels and i n lets,wooded to the water ’ s edge

,

bew i lder a stranger,then comes For t Godobln , and by a

sharp turn the harbor is entered , one of the finest in the wor ld ,two and a half m i les long by near ly one w ide , w i th deep watereverywhere

,so deep that sh ips draw ing 25 feet lie w i th in a

stone ’s throw of the wharves,and moor at the Government p ier .

The firs t v iew of Wlad ivostok (“ Possess ion of the East ” )

is very str ik ing , although the vandal ism of i ts bu i lders hasdepr ived it of i ts natural ly ar t ist ic background of wood .

Otherw ise the purpl e tone of the land and the blue crystal ofthe water rem inded me of some of our Nova Scot ian harbors .There i s noth ing Asiat ic abou t th e aspect of th is Pacificcap ital , and indeed i t is rather Transatlan t ic than European .

Seated on a deeply embayed and apparen tly landlockedharbor , along the shores of wh ich i t straggles for more than 3m i les , cl im b ing audac iously up the barren s ides of denudedh i l ls, irregular , treeless—lofty bu i ld ings w i th bold fronts,


Nagasak i—W ladivostok 2 15

Governmen t House , Kuntz and Albers, the gl i tter ing

domes of a Greek cathedral , a Lutheran church , Gover nmen tAdm in i strat ive Offices , the Adm iralty , the Arsenal , the CadetSchool , the Naval C lub , an Em igrant Home , and the grandand sol id term inus and offices of the Siber ian Rai lway

,r is ing

out of an irregular i ty wh ich is not picturesque, attract and holdthe voyager ’ s atten t ion .

Request ing to be taken at once to the Customs,the bewi l

dered ai r of aston ishmen t w i th wh ich my request was met informed me that Wlad ivostok had up to that time been a ,

freepor t

,and that I was at l iber ty to land unquestioned . After

thumping about for some t ime among a number of stoutramparts in the m idst of an unspeakable Babel , I was hauledon shore by a number of laugh ing, shout ing , d ir ty Koreanyouths

,who , after exchang ing pret ty hard blows w i th each

other for my coveted possess ions, shouldered them and ran off

w i th them in d ifferen t d irect ions,leav ing me stranded w i th the

tr ipod of my camera , to wh ich I had clung desperate ly in them elee. There were d rosk ies not far off, and four or fiveKoreans got hold of me

, one dragging me towards one veh icle,others to another , yell ing Korean in to my ears , t i ll a Cossackpol iceman came and thumped them into order . There werehundreds Of them on the whar f, and except that they wereno is ier and more aggress ive , i t was l ike land ing at Chemulpo .

Gett ing in to a drosky , I said , Golden Horn Hotel ,” in mymost d ist inct Engl ish , then Hotel Corne d ’

or ,”in my most

d ist inct French . The m oaj z’

é nodded and gr inned out of h isfur hood

, and star ted at a gallop in th e Oppos i te d irect ion Iclutched him , and made emphat ic s igns , speech be ing useless ,and he tur ned and galloped in a r ight d irect ion ,

but stoppedat the d isreputable doorway of one of the lowest of the manyd r ink ing saloons wi th wh ich Wlad ivostok is infested .

There al l my Koreans reappeared , voc iferat ing and exc i ted .

I started the m eczlé off again at a gallop , the drosky jumpingruts and bound ing out of holes w i th an energy of elastic i ty

2 16 K orea and H er Ne ighbors

wh ich took my breath away , the Koreans racing . Moregal lops , more stoppages at pothouses , and in th is fash ion Ir eached at last the Golded Horn Hotel—a long , rambl ing ,“ d isjaski t bui ld ing, w i th a shady air of d isreputablenesshanging about i t,—the escor t of Koreans st i l l good -naturedand voci ferous . The landlady emerged . I tr ied her in

Engl ish and French , but she knew nei ther . The m oo/7,12

shou ted at us both i n Russian , a l i t tle crowd assembled , eachm an try ing to put matter s straigh t , and when every momentmade them more en tangled , and th e m oaj z

’

k was gather ing up

his re ins to gallop Off on a further quest , a Russ ian officer cameup

, and in excel lent Engl ish asked i f he could help me , inter

preted my needs to the lady, len t me some leopecé r w i th wh ichto appease the Koreans and the m oaj z

’

k, and gave me the eu

joym ent of l isten ing to my own blessed tongue,wh ich I had

not heard for five days .By a long fl igh t of sta irs , past a great bar and d in ing—room ,

where vodka was much ea evidence, even in the forenoon ,past

a b il l iard -room , occup ied even at that ear ly hour , and througha large , dark , and dusty theatre

,I attained m y rooms , a

par lor and bed room elz saz'

z‘e, openi ng on and look ing out

upon a yard w i th p igst ies . There were five doors,not one of

wh ich would lock . The rooms were furn ished in Lou isQuatorze style

,much g i ld ing and velvet , al l anc ient and

dusty . They looked as i f they had known traged ies , and

m ight know them again . The barr ier of language was im passable , and I must be unsk i l led in the use of s igns , for I qu i tefai led to make any one under stand that I wan ted food .

I went out, cashed a c ircular note at the great German houseof Kuntz and Albers

,the “ Wh i teleys ” of Eastern Siber ia ,

where al l the in form at ion that I then n eeded was given in themost pol i te way , found i t imposs ible anywhere else to makemyself understood in Engl ish or French , fai led in an attemptto buy postage stamps or to get food , del ivered the s ingle letterof introduction wh ich I had somewhat ungrac iously accepted ,



After a snowstorm Splend id weather se t in . The snow preven ted dust blasts, the ord inary d rawback of an EasternSiber ian w in ter , the sk ies were br i l l ian t and unclouded

,the

sunsets carn ivals o f color , the a ir exh i larat ing, the mercury atn igh t averag ing there was l igh t w i thout heat , the mainroad was ful l o f sle ighs go ing at a gallop , the ir bells mak inglow mus ic , al l that is uns ightly was h idden , and th is weathercont inued for five weeks !

“ The Possess ion of the East is noth ing i f not m i l itaryand naval . For ts

,ear thworks

,at wh ich i t is pruden t not to

look too long or in tent ly , great m i l i tary hosp i tals, huge red

br ick barracks in every d irect ion , offices of m i l i tary adm in is

tration ,squads of sold ier s in brown ulsters and peaked pas/za

lz'

és , carry ing pickaxes or spades on the ir shoulders ,1 sappers

w i th the ir tools , i n small par t ies , officer s , mostly w i th por tfol ios or despatch boxes under the ir arms , dash ing about insleighs , and the proh ibi t ion of photography

,al l ind icate i ts

for tress character . Cer tain ly two out of every th ree people inthe streets are in un i form

, and th e Cossack pol ice , whoabound , are pract ically sold iers .Naval i t is also . There are sh ips of war in and out of com

m iss ion , a brand—new adm iral ty , a navy yard , a float ing dock,

a magnificen t dry dock , on ly j ust completed , and a navalclubhouse, wh ich is one of the finest bu i ld ings in Wlad ivostok . No matter that Nature closes the harbor from Chr istmasto the end of March Science has won the v ictory

, and th e

1 The Russ ian sold ier does a great am ount of day labor . Far from

dispor ting h im self in br i lliant un i form before the adm i r ing eyes of boysand servan t gi r ls ,” he d igs, bu i lds, ca rpenters , m akes shoes and harness ,

and does a good civi l day ’s work in add ition to h is m i l itary duties , and ispaid for th is as piecework on a fixed scale , h is da i ly earn ings beingduly en tered in a book . When h e has served h is tim e these are handedover to h im , and a steady

,industr ious m an m akes enough to set h im self

up in a sm all business or on a farm . Vaa’

na and sc/cn aps are the Russian

soldier ’s great enem ies .

Nagasak i—W ladivostok 2 19

por t has been kep t open for the last two w inters by means of a

power ful ice—breaker and the serv ices of the troops in towingthe blocks of ice ou t to sea . Large steamers of the “Volun

teer Fleet ” leave Odessa and Wlad ivostok month ly or for tn ightly . As the eastern term inus of the Trans-Siber ian Ra i lway , Wlad ivostok aspires to be what she surely w i l l be—at

once the G ibral tar and Odessa of the Far East, one of the

most impor tan t of commerc ial empor iums , as the “ d istr ibu

t ing poi n t”for the commerce of that vast area of prol ific

country wh ich l ies south of th e Amur . Poss ibly a branchl ine to Por t Shestakoff in Ham -

gyOng Do may enable theGovernmen t to d ispense w i th the services of the ice-breakerThe progress of th e c i ty is remarkable . The s i te

,then a

forest , was on ly surveyed in 1860 . I n 1 863 m any of thetrees were felled and some shanties were erected . Later thanthat a t iger was shot on th e s i te of the new Government House

,

and a m an leav ing two hor ses to be shod outs ide the sm i thyhad them both devoured by t igers . Gradual ly th e big oaksand pines were Cleared away , and wooden houses were slowlyadded , unt i l 1 8 72 , when the removal Of the naval establ ishmen t of 60 m en from Nicolaeffk on the Am ur to the new settlem ent gave i t a dec ided star t . I n 18 78 i t had a populat ionof I n 1 897 i ts est imated c iv i l populat ion wasinclud ing Koreans , who have the ir own settlemen t am i le from the c i ty, and are i ts draymen and por ters , andCh inese . The latter keep most of the shops , and have obtai ned a m onopoly of th e bus iness in meat , fish , game , fru i t ,vegetables

,and other per ishable commod i t ies , the i r gu i ld be

ing strong enough to squeeze the Russ ians out of the trade inthese ar t icles , wh ich are sold in four large wooden bu i ld ingsby the harbor known as the Bazar There are some goodJapanese shops , bu t the Japanese are usual ly dom est ic servan ts ath igh wages

,and after a few years return to enjoy the ir sav ings

in the ir own country . A natural ized German is the on ly Br it ishsubject

, and my host and h is fam i ly are the only Amer icans .


The capi tal has two subsid ized and two independen t l inesof steamers

, 700 fam i l ies of Russ ian ass isted em igrants en terPr imorsk annually , each head of a household being requ iredto be the possessor of 600 roubles and from to

Ch inese from the Shan -tung prov ince ar r ive everyspr ing to fulfi l labor contracts , return ing to Ch ina in December , carry ing out of the country from 25 to 50 dollars each ,convict labor from the penal settlemen t of Saghal ien havingbeen abandoned as impract icable .

The Ch inese shops , wh ich are a feature of Wlad ivostok, nudersell both Russ ians and Germans , and have an increas ingtrade . Kun tz and Albers , a Hamburg firm of impor ters ,bankers

,sh ipping agen ts , and Whi teleyism in general

,w i th

s ixty clerks , mostly German , w i th a few Russ ians, Danes , andKoreans , conduct an enormous wholesale and retai l businessin a “

palat ial”

pi le of br ick and stone bu i ld ings , and hass ixteen branch houses in Eastern Siber ia

,and the German firm

of Langalutje runs them very closely .

The ra i lway stat ion and offices are sol id and handsome an

adm irably bu i l t ra ilroad , Open to th e Ussur i Br idge , 1 86 m i les ,and progress ing towards the Amur w i th great rapid i ty , po intsto a new commerc ial future ; streets o f shops and dwell inghouses , in wh ich br ick and stone are fast replac ing wood , areextend ing to th e nor th , east , and west , and along the Gulf o fPeter the Great , for fully three m i les ; and new and handsomeoffic ial and pr ivate ed ifices of much pretens ion were beingrapidly compl eted . One broad road , w ith houses somet imeson one

,somet imes on both s ides

,r unn ing along the h i l lside

for 2 m i les at a cons iderable he igh t,is the Main Street ” or

H igh Street ” of Wlad ivostok. Along it are bu i l t most ofth e publ ic bu ild ings , and the great shops and m ercan t i leoffices . It is crossed by pain fully steep roads cl imbing up th eh il l and descend ing w ith equal steepness to the sea . Thereare two or th ree paral lel roads of small impor tance .

The bui lder was at work in al l quar ters, and the cl ink of



Theatr icals,concer ts , and balls fi l l up the w inter season .

Except on the few days on wh ich snow falls , the sk ies are

cloudless,the temperature is not Ser iously below zero , and the

d ryness of the ai r is very inv igorating . I n w in ters , happilysomewhat except ional

,in wh ich there is no snowfall , and the

strong w inds create dust - storms, the cl imate is less agreeable .

Spr ing is abrupt and pleasan t , and autumn is a fine season,bu t

summer is hot , damp , and m i sty .

A fine Greek cathedral , w i th many domes and lofty gi ldedcrosses , wh ich gleam myster iously in the sunset when thegloom of tw i l igh t has wrapped all else , a prom inen t Lutheranchurch

,and a Ch inese joss-house , provide for the rel ig ious

needs of the populat ion . The Governor of the Mar i timeProv ince

,several of the lead ing , and many of the lower offi

cials are of German or igin from the Balt ic prov inces , Lutherans , and poss ibly imbued w i th a few l iberal ideas . But amongthe kindly , cultured , and agreeable people whose acquaintanceI made in Wladivostok one pecul iar i ty impressed me forc ibly

- the absolu te stagnat ion of thought , or the express ion of i t,on pol i t ics and al l matters connec ted w i th them ,

the adm inistration of governmen t , rel igion ,

the or thodox chu rch,d issen t ,

home and fore ign pol icy , etc . It is true that cer tain subjects,

and these among the most in terest ing, are careful ly el im inated

from conversat ion , and that to introduce any one of themm igh t subject the offender to soc ial ostrac ism .

CHAPTER XIX

KOREAN SETTLERS IN SIBERIA.

HE ch i ef object of my v is i t to Russ ian Manchuria was tosettle for myself by personal invest igat ion the vexed

quest ion of the cond i t ion of those Koreans who have foundshelter under the Russ ian flag , a number est imated in Seoul at

It was there persistently said that Russia was ban ishing them in large numbers, and that several thousands of themhad already recrossed the Tum en

, and were in such pover tythat the King of Korea had sen t agen ts to the nor th who wereto settle them on lands in Ham -

gyOng Do .

But in Wlad ivostok th e servant -in terpreter d ifficu lty was absolutely insurmoun table . No effor ts on the par t of my fr iendscould obtain what d id not exi st

,and I was on the verge of

giv ing up what proved a very in terest ing journey , when the

D irector of the Siber ian Telegraph Lines very k indly l iberatedthe sen ior official in h is depar tmen t , who had not had a hol iday for many years , to go w i th me . Mr . He idemann , a Germ an from the Bal t ic prov inces , spoke German ,

Russ ian , andEngl ish wi th near ly equal ease

, and as a Russ ian offic ial wasable to make th ings smoother than they m igh t otherw ise havebeen in a very rough par t of Pr imorsk . He was tall, goodlooking , and verging on m iddle age , very gen tleman ly , neverfai led in any cour tesy , under stood how to m anage m onj z

'

és ,

and was a capable and wi l l ing in terpreter but he was official ,ret icen t

, and un in terested , and gave me the impression of being frozen in to h is un i formFort ified as to my project by the cord ial approval of the

2 23


Governor , the cour tesy of the Teleg raph Depar tmen t , and thes ingular Splendor of the weather , I left Wlad ivostok by a redsunr ise in a sm al l s teamer , wh ich accompl ished the 60 m i lesto Poss iet Bay i n seven hours , land ing us in a deep inlet ofclear water and wh i te sand ,

soon to be closed by ice, at thefoot of low and absolutely barren h i ll s fr ing ing off in to sandyknolls , where Koreans w i th the ir ox -car ts awa i ted the steamer .

A well Spread tea - table at the house of the Russ ian postmasterwas very welcome . Such a strong- look ing fam i ly I had seldomseen

,but afterwards I found that s ize and strength are charac

ter istic of the Russ ian settl ers in Pr imorsk .

Possiet Bay is a large m i l i tary stat ion of fine barracks andstorehouses . It scarcely seemed to possess a c ivi l populat ion ,but there are Korean settlements at no great d istance , fromwh ich much of the beef supply of Wladivostok i s der ived .

We m et a number of strong , thr iv ing—look ing Koreans dr iving60 fine fat cattle down to the steamer.The post wagon

,in wh ich we were cramped up among and

under the mai l -bags,took us at a two hours ’ gallop along

frozen i n lets of th e sea and across frozen r ivers,over grassy

,

h il ly coun try , scarcely en l ivened by Korean farms in the valleys , to Nowo K iewsk, wh ich we reached after n ightfall

, and

were hospitably rece ived by the representat ive of Messrs .Kuntz and Albers

,whose large br ick and stone establ ishmen t

is the prom inen t obj ect in th e settlemen t .Nowo K iewsk is a great m i l i tary post , to wh ich

c iv il ians , ch iefly Koreans and Ch inese , have been attracted bythe prospect of ga in . Koreans indeed form the bulk of th ispopulat ion , and do al l the haul ing of goods and fuel w i th theirox -teams . The centre of the town is a great dusty slope in tersected by dusty and glar ing roads

,wh ich resound at in tervals

from early morn ing t i l l sunset wi th the steady t ramp of brownulstered battal ions . Between Poss iet Bay and Nowo K iewskth ere wer e infantry and ar t i l lery , and at the latter post8 p ieces of field ar t i l lery and 24 two-wheeled ammun i t ion



shallow box is secured , wi th one, two , or even three boards ,cush ioned or not,

“roped across i t for seats . It m ay be

drawn by e i ther two or three horses abreast , one in the shaftsand one or two outs ide, each w i th the most slender attachmen tto th e veh icle , and his head held down and inwards by a t igh tstrap .

Th is outer an imal is trained to a showy gal lop, wh ichnever slackens even though the shaft horse may keep up adecorous trot . The i ar anfass has no spr ings, and , go ing at agallop

,bumps and bounces over al l obstacles, holes, h i l locks ,

ruts and streams be ing al ike to i t.The z

‘

ar anz‘ass of th e Ch ief of Pol ice made noth ing of the

obstacles on the road to Yantch ihe, where we were to hear ofa Korean i nterpreter . The level country , narrow ing into a

valley bordered by fine moun ta ins , is of deep , r ich black so il ,and grows almost al l cereals and roots . All the crops weregathered i n and the land was n eatly ploughed . Koreanhamlets w i th houses of a very super ior class to those in Koreawere spr inkled over the coun try . At one of the largestv il lages

,wher e 140 fam i l ies were settled on 75 0 acres of r ich

land,we called at several of the peasan t farmers ’ houses , and

were made very welcome , even the women com ing out towelcome the official w i th an a ir of dec ided pleasure . Thefarm ers had changed the t im id , suspicious , or cr ing ing mannerwh ich is character ist ic of them to a great exten t at home , foran air of frankness and manly i ndependence wh ich was mostpleasing .

The Ch ief of Pol ice was a welcome v is itor . The Koreanshad noth ing to fear

,un less h is qu ick scent d iscerned an in

san itary odor or his eye an anwarrantable garbage heap Thefarmyards were clean and well swept , and the domest ic an imalswere lodged in neat sheds . The houses

,of strictly Korean

arch i tecture , were large, w i th five or s ix rooms,carefully

thatched , and very neat w i th in , abound ing in such comfor tsand plen ish ings as would only be dreamed of by mandar ins athome . It is ins isted on , however , that , instead of the fines

Korean Settlers in S iber ia 227

wh ich heat the floors vom i t ing for th the ir smoke through manyblackened aper tures in the walls , they shal l un i te in send ing itheavenwards through a hollow tree trunk placed at a shor t d istance from the house . Th is

,and clean ly sur round ings in the

in terests of san i tat ion ,are the on ly restr ict ions on the ir Korean

hab i ts . The cloth ing and dwel l ings are th e same as in Korea,

and the topknot flourishes .A l i t tle far ther on there is the large v i l lage of Yantch ihe,

w i th a neat schoolhouse,in wh ich Russ ian and Korean pupils

s it side by s ide at the ir lessons,a Greek church

,s ingular ly

r ich in in ternal decorat ions, and a pr iest’s house adjo in ing .

Th is is a very prosperous v i l lage . In the neat pol ice station aKorean sergean t wrote down my requ irements and sen t off asmar t Korean pol iceman in search of an in terpreter. Fourhundred Koreans in th is neighborhood have con formed to theGreek Church and have rece ived bapt ism . On ask ing thepr iest , who was more picturesque than cult ivated , and whoselarge young fam i ly seemed oppress ively large for the house ,what sor t of Christ ians they made, he r epl ied suggest ively thatthey had “ a great deal to learn , and that there would bemore hope for the next generat ion .

”

I am not clear in my own m ind as to the cause of the success wh ich has at tended m iss ionary effor t ” at Yantchihe andelsewhere . The statements I rece ived on the subject d i fferedw idely

,and in most cases were made hes i tat ingly

,as if my in

formants were not sure of the ir ground . My impress ion isthat wh i le Russia is tolerant of devi l-worsh ip, or any otherworsh ip wh ich is not subvers ive of the externals of moral ity,con form i ty is requ i red to obtain for the Korean al ien thosebless ings wh ich belong to natural izat ion as a Russian subject .Preparat ions be ing completed for travel l ing to the Korean

front ier,and in to Korea as far as Kyong-heung , a town wh ich

a Trade ~ Convention in 1888 opened to the res idence of Russian subjects in the hope of creat ing a market there after thestyle of Kiachta, I had an in terview wi th Mr. Matun ih , the


Front ier Comm iss ioner , who gave me a very unpleasan t ac~

coun t of insecur ity on the front ier ow ing to the lawlessness ofthe Ch inese troops, and an introduct ion to the Governor ofKyOng

-heung .

A large ta r antass w i th three pon ies and a dr iver , a Koreanon another pony, and the Korean headman of a ne ighbor ingv i l lage

,who spoke Russ ian well , and our saddles were our

modest outfit . The details of the two days ’ j ourney to theTumen are too monotonous for infl ict ion on the reader . Theroad was infamous, and at t imes d isappeared altogether on ah i l ls ide or in a swamp , and swamps are frequent for the firs t

40 ver sts . The tar antass , always attempt ing a gal lop,bounced

,bumped

,and thumped , t i l l breath ing became a ser ies

of gasps . Occas ionally we stuck fast in swampy streams wherethe ice was broken , be ing extr icated by a tremendous , un i ted ,and apparen tly tra ined , j ump on the part Of the pon ies, wh ichcompelled a strong gr ip of the veh icle w i th hands and feet

,

and would have d islocated any other . Mr. Heidemannsmoked c igarettes unceas ingly , and made no remarks .We crossed the head of Possiet Bay and other in lets at a

gallop on th in ice , forded several streams in the aforesaidfash ion ,

and passed through several Korean coast v i l lagesgiven up to th e mak ing of sal t by a rude process , the fin ished

product being car ted away to Hun -chun in Ch ina in basketsof finely woven reeds . These Ch inese car ts are drawn byseven mules each , con stan tly dr iven at a gal lop .

After 30 ver sz‘

s the country became very h i l ly , w i th ruggedmoun tains in the d i stance

,al l wi thout a tree or bush , and covered

w i th coar se and fine grasses m ixed up w i th myr iads of w i thered flower stalks of Composz

'

m and Umoel/zfer a ,and here

and there a lonely , belated purple aster sh ivered in the strongkeen w ind , wh ich made an atmosph ere at zero somewhat hardto face . The valleys are flat and broad

,and the ir r ich black

so i l , the product of ages of decay ing vegetat ion ,is absolu tely

stoneless . Almost al l crops can be raised upon i t. Bes ides



The whole of the Russo-Korean fron t ier , 1 1 m i les in length ,and a broad r iver ful l of sandbanks , pass ing through a deser to f sandh i lls to the steely blue ocean , lay cr imson in the sunset . On a steep bluff above the river a tal l gran i te slab marksthe spot where the Russ ian and Ch inese front iers meet .Across the Tumen , the barren moun tains of Korea loomedpurple through a haze of gold . Three emp ires are seen at aglance . A small and poor Korean v i l lage is s i tuated in a valley below . C lose to the Boundary Stone

,on the h igh steep

bluff above the Tumen , there is a large mud hut from wh ichmost of the wh i tewash had scaled off, w i th thatch held on bystraw ropes , we ighted wi th stones .It was a very lonely scene . A Korean

'

told us that it wasabsolutely imposs ible for us to sleep at the v i l lage . A Cos

sack came out of the hut , took a long look at us , and returned .

Then a forlorn -looking corporal appeared , who also took along look , and having hospi table inst incts , came up and toldu s that the v i l lage was impossible except for th e d r ivers andhorses , but that he could put us up roughly in the hu t , wh ichcons isted of one fair s ized room

,another very smal l one, and

a lean-to.

The latest Engl ish paper s had stated that Russ ia has latelymassed m en on the Korean front ier , and at Hunchun . It is not des irable to make any i nqu ir ies about th e

pos i t ions and numbers of Russ ian troops , and I had prudentlyabstained from ask ing quest ions , and had looked forward w i thi nterest to seeing a great d isplay of m i l i tary force . Th is hutis the m i l i tary post of Krasnoye Celo and the “

army ” ofRuss ia massed on her Korean front ier cons isted of 1 5 menand a corporal , the officer be ing requ i red to endure the i solat ion of the pos i tion for s ix mon ths

, and th e pr ivates for one .

The roar s of laughter wh ich greeted the Engl ish statemen twere not compl imen tary to newspaper accuracy .

The corporal’s small room was of no par t icular shape , and

was furn ished w i th only a deal chair and small table , and a“

Korean Settlers in Siber ia 231

big earthen jar of water, but i t was well warmed , and had ani ron camp -bed in a recess w i th a w ire-wove mattress

,much

broken and “ sagging , ” the sharp po ints of the broken w i resst ick ing up in several places through the one rug w i th wh ich Iattempted to moll ify the ir asper i t ies . Th is recess

,wh ich j ust

contained the bed,was cur tained off for me

,and the corporal

,

Mr . He idemann, and three Korean headmen lay closely packed

on the floor . The corporal , glad to have people to talk w i th ,talked mor e than hal f the n ight , and began again before daybreak . We supped on barrack fare—black bread , bar leybrose , and tea , w i th the add i t ion of a l i ttle kwass , a verysl ightly fermented dr ink , made from black bread

,rais ins

,

sugar,and a l ittle vodka , sclznapr and vodka contain ing 40 per

cent . of alcohol . At 9 R M . I was surpr ised and del ighted w i ththe noble strains of a Greek Li tany , chanted in wel l -balancedpar ts from the barrack-room , th e even ing worsh ip of the Cossacks .My last sunset v iew of the Tumen was of a sheet of ice.

The headmen of the Korean v i l lages of Sajorn i and Krasnoe,who were in counc i l t i l l near m idn igh t , though t i t was im poss ible to get across , and they said that the ferryboat was drawnashore and was frozen in for the w inter , and that two Russ ianComm iss ioners and a General , after wai t ing for three days ,had left the day before , having fai led . However

,y ield ing to

my urgency , they set al l the able-bod ied m en of Sajorn i towork at 2 A.M . to d ig the boat out, and by 7 she had movedsome yards towards the r iver

,wh ich

,however , was st i l l a Sheet

of ice . Later , the corporal sen t 14 of his men to help theKoreans, laugh ingly say ing that I had the “ whole Russ ianfront ier army to get me across . At 9 word came that th eboat was near ly afloat , and we star ted , on horseback , w i th twobaggage pon ies , and rode a m i le over the h i l ls and throughthe prosperous Korean v i l lage of Sajor n i , down to a dazzl ingexpanse of sand through wh ich the Tumen flows to the sea ,there 10 m i les off.


The r iver ice was break ing up in to large m asses under themor n ing sun ,

and between Russ ia and Korea there was muchopen water abou t 600 feet broad . The exper ts said i f wecould get over at al l i t would be between noon and 2

, afterwh ich the ice would pack and freeze together again . Koreansand Cossacks worked w i th a w i l l , break ing the ice, d iggingunder the boat , and mov ing her w i th levers, but it was noonbefore the unwieldy craft , used for th e fer r iage of oxen , movedinto the water , accompan ied by a hearty cheer . She leakedbadly , two men were requ ired to bale her , and th e stern platform , by wh ich an imals en ter her , was car r ied away . Thebaggage was carried in by men wad ing much over the ir knees

,

and then came the tur n of the pon ies , but not the whole Rus

s ian army by force or persuas ion could get those wretchedan imals embarked .

After a whole hour ’s work and any amoun t of k ick ing ,plunging , and injur ies , from gett ing one or two legs over thebulwarks , and struggl ing back , and rol l ing backwards in to theriver, two wer e apparen tly safe in the ferryboat , when suddenly they knocked over the m an whoheld them and jumpedinto the water, one bl ind an imal be ing rescued w i th d ifficulty ,and the other cutt ing h is legs cons iderably . The ice was thenfast form ing , but the sold ier s made on e m ore at tempt , wh ichfai led

,ow ing to what Amer icans would not inapt ly call th e

“ cussedness ” of the Siber ian pon ies . For the first t ime onany journey I had to confess mysel f baffled , for i t was im poss ible to sw im the contumac ious an imals across , owing to theheavy ice floes and the low temperature of the water . I hadsat on my pony watch ing these proceed ings for near ly fourhou rs , watch ing too the grand Korean moun ta ins as they sweptdown to the icy r iver in every shade of cobal t blue , var ied byind igo shadows of the wh i te cloud masses wh ich sai led slowlyacross the heavenly sky . At that po in t from wh ich I most reluctantly turned back , the Tumen has a large volume of water,but above and below sandbanks render the navigat ion so d ifli


Korean Settlers in Siberia 233

cult that i t is on ly in the rainy season that flat-bottomed boatsmake the attempt , and not always wi th success

,to reach the

Korean town of K ’

wan , 80 ver r tr , or someth ing over 50 m i les ,above Krasnoye Celo . The Ch inese

,in the insane not ion

that Japan was about to land a large force on the south bankof the Tumen

,had se ized al l the boats above the Russ ian post .

I photographed the Russ ian army and the barracks aswell as the Boundary Stone , and the corporal slouch ing againstthe scaly for lorn quar ters on the desolate he igh t in an att i tudeof extreme dej ect ion , as we drove away leaving h im to h isusual dulness .The days of the return jour ney gave me a good oppor tun ity

o f learn ing someth ing of the cond i t ion of the Koreans underanother Governmen t than thei r own . So long ago as 1863, 13fam i l ies from Ham -

gyOng D O crossed the front ier and settledon the r iver Tyzen Ho , a l i ttle to th e nor th of Possiet Bay .

By 1866 there were 100 fam i l ies there , very poor , amongwh ich the Russ ian Gover nmen t d istributed cattle and seed forcult ivat ion .

Dur ing 1869 , a year of very great scarc i ty in Nor thernKorea

,Korean s m igrated , hunger -dr iven , into Pr i

mor sk,some of them be ing absolutely dest i tute . These

had to be suppor ted , no easy th ing , as th e ter r i tory, on lyceded to Russ ia a few year s before , was bu t a th in ly peopledw i lderness

,and was also suffer ing from a bad harvest .

I n 1897 there were in Pr imorsk 32 v i l lage d istr icts , z'

.e . v il

lages w i th out ly ing hamlets,d iv ided into 5 adm in istrat ive d is

tr icts . Bes ides these,one v i l lage belongs to th e c i ty of Kha

baroffka on the Amur , and there are large Korean settlemen tsadjacent to Wlad ivostok and Nikolskoye . The total number ofKorean imm igran ts is est imated at from to Itmust be remember ed that several thousands of these were l i terally paupers , and that they subsisted for nearly a year on thechar i ty of the Russian author i t ies , and after that were indebtedto them for seed corn . They settled on the r ich lands of the


Siber ian valleys mostly as squatters, but have been unmolestedfor many years . Many have purchased the lands they occupy

,

and in other cases v i l lages have acqu ired commun i ty r ights totheir adjacen t lands . I t is the inten t ion of Governmen t thatsquatt ing shal l gradual ly be replaced by purchase , the purchasers rece iving legal t itle-deeds .These al ien settlers pract ically enjoy autonomy . At the

head of each d istr ict is an Elder or Headman , w i th from one

to three ass istan ts accord ing to its s ize . The pol ice and the irofficer s are Korean . I n each d istr ict there are two or threej udges w i th the ir clerks , who try m inor offences . The headmen

,who are responsible for order and the collect ion of taxes ,

are paid salar ies , or rece ive var ious allowances . All theseofficials are Koreans , and are elected by the people themselvesfrom among themselves . The Governmen t taxation is 10

roubles (abou t £ 1 ) on each farm per annum . The local taxat ion , settled by the v i llagers in counc i l for the ir own pur

poses,such as roads

,d i tches , br idges , and schools , is l im i ted

to 3 roubles per farm per annum . Men who are not landholders pay from 1 to 2 roubles per annum .

Koreans settled in S iber ia pr ior to 1884 can cla im r ights asRuss ian subjects

,and at th is t ime those who can prove that

they have been settled on purchased lands for ten years can doso , as well as cer tain others , well repor ted of as be i ng of settled l ives and good conduct . Owing to the steady influx ofset tlers from Southern Russ ia

, the r ich lands near the rai lroadare requ ired for colon izat ion

,and fur th er imm igrat ion from

Korea has been proh ibi ted . The send ing of Koreans who aree i ther squatters or of unsettled l ives to th e Amur Prov ince isunder d iscuss ion .

The v il lages between Krasnoye Celo and Nowo K iewsk are

fair average spec imens of Russo -Korean settlemen ts . Theroads are fa ir ly good

, and the d itches wh ich border them wel lkept . San i tary rules are str ictly enforced

,the headman be ing

made responsible for v i llage clean l iness . Un l ike the poor,



ban and the hear tless lounge of th e peasan t . There are manychances for mak ing money , and there is ne i ther mandar in nor

ya ng-ban to squeeze i t ou t of the people when made , and com

for ts and a cer tain appearance of weal th no longer attract therepacious attent ions of offic ials , but are rather a cred i t to am an than a source of insecur i ty . All who work can be comfor table, and many of the farmers are r ich and engage intrade

,mak ing and keeping extens ive con tracts .

Those Koreans who are not settl ed on lands ch iefly in th ed irect ion of the Ch inese fron t ier , and who subs ist by woodcutt ing and haul ing , are less well off, and their hamlets havesometh ing of squalor abou t them .

I n Korea I had learned to th ink of Koreans as the dregs ofa race, and to regard the ir cond i t ion as hopeless , but in Pr imorsk I saw reason for cons iderably mod i fy ing my opin ion .

It must be borne in m ind that these people , who have raisedthemselves in to a prosperous farm ing class , and who get anexcellen t character for i ndustry and good conduct al ike fromRussian pol ice offic ials , Russian settlers , and m i l i tary officers ,were not except ional ly i ndustr ious and thr ifty men . Theywere mostly starving folk who fled from fam ine , and the irprosper i ty and general demeanor give me the hope that the ircountrymen in Korea, i f they ever have an honest adm in i stration and protect ion for the ir earn ings

,may slowly develop

into m en .

In par ts of Western As ia I have had occas ion to note thesuccess of Russ ian adm in istration in conquered or acqu ired

prov inces , and w i th subject races, spec ially her creat ion of anorder ly

, peaceful , and settled agr icul tural populat ion ou t Ofthe nomad ic and predatory tr ibes of Turkestan . Her successwi th the Korean imm igran ts is i n i ts way as remarkable , forthe mater ial is infer ior . She is firm where firmness is neces

sary , but ou ts ide that l im i t al lows extreme lati tude , avo idsharass ing aliens by petty proh ib i t ions and i rksome rules , eucourages those forms of local sel f-governmen t wh ich su i t the

Korean Settlers in Siber ia 237

gen ius and habi ts of d i fferent peoples , and trusts to t ime , educat ion

, and con tact w i th other forms of c ivi l izat ion to amendwhat is reprehens ible in customs , rel ig ion , and costume .A few days later I wen t to H un -chun on the fron t ier of

Ch inese Manchur ia , from i ts posi t ion an impor tant m i l i tary

post, and was most hospi tably rece ived by the Commandantand h is mar r ied az

'

de-de-caznp . There , as everywhere in Pr imorsk , and from the c iv i l as well as the m i l i tary author i t ies , Inot on ly rece ived the utmost k indness

,cour tesy

, and hospi tali ty, but informat ion was frankly g iven on the var ious topics Iwas in terested in , and help towards the at tainmen t of m y oh

jects . Hun -chun is in them idst of moun tainous coun try , denuded of wood in recen t years , and abound ing in r ich , wellwatered valleys inhab ited on ly by Korean s . A wi lder , drearier , and more w ind - swept s i tuat ion i t would be hard to find .

Instead of troops” there were on ly 200 Cossacks

,

housed in a good br ick barrack, one

-hal f of wh ich is a muchdecorated chapel

,bes ides wh ich there are on ly Open thatched

sheds for the ir hardy,act ive Ba ikal horses , a small , well

arranged hosp i tal , a wooden house for the Colonel Commandant, and some terra -cotta mud -houses for the officers andmar r ied trooper s . The whole Russ ian m i l i tary force fromHun -chun to the Amur cons isted of Cossacks , d istr ibutedamong th i r ty fron t ier posts . The Commandan t told me thatthe ir ch ief duty at that t ime was the “ dai ly ” arrest ing ofCh inese br igands who crossed the fron t ier to harry the Koreanv i llages

,and who, on be ing marched back and handed over to

the mandar ins , wer e at once l iberated to repeat their forays .The Ch inese had massed ” several thousand of thei r

Manchu troops at Hun -chun, and they had created such a

re ign of terror that the peasan t farmer s had deser ted thei rhomes over a large area of country . The sold iers , robbed bytheir officers of the ir nom inal pay , and on ly half fed , rel iedon un l im i ted pi l lage for mak ing up the defic i ency , and ne i therwomen nor proper ty were safe from their brutal i ty and violence.


So desperately und iscipl ined were they that on ly a few daysbefore the Secretary and Interpreter of the Russ ian front ierComm iss ioner at Nowo K iewsk, v is i t ing H un -chun on offic ialbus iness, narrowly escaped actual v iolence at their hands, andthe Chinese Governor told them that he had no control at al lover the troops . It was on ly the r igid d iscipl ine of the Cossacks wh ich preven ted scrimmages wh ich m ight have produceda serious conflagration .

KOREAN SETTLERS’ HOUSE .



and steam -heat i ng apparatus . The backs of the seats are

hooked up to form upper ber ths for sleep ing , and as the carsare e ight feet h igh they adm i t of broad luggage shelves abovethese . The eng ines wh ich ran the traffic were old Amer icanlocomot ives

,but those wh ich are to be in troduced

,as well as

al l the roll ing stock , are being manufactured in the Balt ic

provinces . SO also are the rai ls , the i ron and steel br idges ,the water tanks , the iron work requ ired for stat ions , and al lelse .

Large rai lway workshops wi th rows of substan t ial houses forar t isans have been erected at N ikolskoye , 10 2 ver sts fromWladivostok, for the repai rs of roll ing stock on the Ussur i sect ion

,and were already in ful l act iv i ty .

There is noth ing about th i s Ussur i Rai lway of the newnessand prov isional aspect of the Western Amer ican l ines , oreven of par ts of the Canad ian Pac ific Ra i lroad . The trackwas already ballasted as far as Ussur i (32 7 ver sts ) , steelbr idges spanned the m inor streams , and substan t ial stat i onse i ther of stone or decorated wood , w i th buffets at fixed distances , successful ly compare both in stabi l i ty and appearancew ith those of our Engl ish branch l ines . The tank houses areof hewn stone . Houses for the employés , stand ing in neatlyfenced gardens , are both decorat ive and substan t ial

,being

bu i l t of cement and logs protected by five coats of paint,and

contain four rooms each . The crossings are wel l laid and

protected . Culverts and retain ing walls are of sol id masonry ,and telegraph w ires accompany the road , wh ich is workedstr ictly on the block system . The aspect of sol id i ty and perm anence is remarkable . Even the temporary bridge over theUssur i , feet in l ength

,a trestl e br idge of heavy t imber

to r es ist th e impact of the ice, is so mass ive as to make thegreat steel br idge , the handsome abutmen ts of wh ich were already bu i l t , appear as i f it would be a work of supererogat ion .

Up to that po in t there are no ser ious embankments or cutt ings , and the grad ients are easy . The cost of construction

The Trans—S iber ian Rai lroad 24 1

of the Ussur i sect ion i s roubles per ver sz‘

,a rouble at

th is t ime be ing worth about 2 5 . 2d . Th is includes rol l ingstock , stat ions , and all br idges except that over the Amur ,wh ich was to cost roubles , but may now be d ispensed w i th ow ing to the d ivers ion of the route th rough Man

chur ia . Conv ict labor was abandoned in 1894 , and the l inein Pr imorsk is be ing constructed by Ch inese navv ies

,

” whoearn about 80 cent s per day , and who were bear ing the r igorof a Siber ian w inter in wel l-warmed , sem i -subterranean hu ts ,the l ine being pushed on as much as possible dur ing the coldseason . For th e first 10 2 ver s ts , it passes along prett i ly woodedshor es of in lets and banks of streams, and the country is fair lywel l peopled , j udging from the number of sle ighs and thebustle at the s ix stat ions en r oute. The l ine as far as Nikolskoye was opened in ear ly November , 1893, and in a year hadearned roubles . The last sect ion had only been openfor e ight weeks when I travel led upon i t .N ikolskoye , where I Spen t two pleasan t days at the hospit

able establ ishmen t of Messrs . Kun tz and Albers , is the onlyplace between Wladivostok and Ussuri of any present importance . I t is a vi i/age of inhab i tants on a r ich rol l ingpra ir ie

,watered by the Siphun . It has six streets of grotesque

w idth,a ver st and a half long each . There is no pover ty . It

is a place of rap id growth and prosper i ty , the centre of a greattrade in gra in , and has a large flour m i l l owned by Mr . Lindholm

,a Government con tractor . It has a Spacious market

place and bazaar , and two churches . It rem inds me of par tsof Sal t Lake Ci ty , and the houses are of wood , plastered andwh i tewashed

,w i th corrugated iron roofs mainly . A few are

thatched . All stand in plots of garden ground . Ut i l itar ianism is supreme . I drove for 20 m i les in the reg ion round thesettlemen t

,and everywher e saw prosperous farms and farm ing

v i llages on the prair ie , Russ ian and Korean , and found thesettler s k indly and hospi table , and surrounded by mater ialcomfor t . N ikolskoye is a great m i l itary station . There were


infan try and art i l lery to th e number of and there , aselsewhere , large new barracks were be ing pushed to complet ion .

An area of 5 0 acres was covered w i th br ick bar racks, magaz ines , stables , dr i l l and parade grounds , and officers

’ quar ters ,and the m i l i tary club is a real ly fine bu i ld ing . Newness , progress

, and confidence in the future are as character ist ic of Nikolskoye as of any r is ing town i n the Far West of Amer ica .

The far th er j ourney , occupy ing the greater part of two daysand a n ight , except when near the swamps of the Hanka Lake,i s th rough a superb farm ing reg ion . Large v i l lages w i th w indm i l ls are met wi th along the l ine for the first 30 ver sts , as faras the buffet stat ion of Spasskoj e . The stoneless so i l

,a rich

loam 6 feet and more in depth , produces heavy crops of oats ,wheat

,bar ley , maize, rye , potatoes , and tobacco . Beyond

Spasskoj e and east of the Hanka Lake up to the Amur a magn ificent region wai ts to be peopled .

Well may Eastern Siber ia rece ive the name of Russia ’s“ Pacific as i t does the Amur and Mar it ime prov inces

,w i th the ir area of square m i les

,

1 r ichin gold

,copper , iron , lead , and coal , and w i th a so i l wh ich

for a vast exten t is of unbounded fer t i l i ty . When Ch ina cededto Russ ia in 1860 the region wh ich we cal l Russ ian Manchuria

,

She probably d id so in ignorance of its vast agricultural capaci t ies and m ineral wealth .

The noble Amur , w i th i ts forest -covered shores, is nav igablefor m i les , and already 50 merchan t steamers ply upon i t,and i ts great tr ibutary the Ussur i can be navigated to w i th in1 20 m i les of Wlad ivostok. The great bas in of the Ussuri

,it

is est imated , could suppor t five m i l l ion people , and from Khabaroffka to the Tumen

,i t is cons idered by experts that the

land could sustain from 20 to 40 to the square m i le, wh i le atpresen t the populat ion of the Amur and Ussuri provinces isonly gths of a m an to the square m ile

1The area of France i s and that of the Br itish Islessquare m iles.



land along the l ine as far as the Ussur i has been al lot ted , andhouses are rap idly spr inging up , and there is noth ing to prevent th is fine coun try from be ing peopled up to the Amur , ther ivers Sungacha and Ussur i , wh ich form the boundary of Russ iafrom the Hanka Lake to K habaroffka , giv ing a natural protect ion from Ch inese br igandage . I n add i t ion to d irect em igrat ion ,

large numbers of t ime-expired men , ch iefly Cossacks, areencouraged to settle on lands and do so .

It would be shor tsighted to m i n im ize the impor tance of thepresent dr i ft of populat ion to Eastern Siber ia , wh ich is l ikelyto assume immense propor t ions on the open ing of the rai lway ,or the commerc ial value of that colossal under tak ing , wh ich isgreatly enhanced by the treaty under wh ich Russ ia has takenpowers to run the Trans-Siber ian l ine through Ch inese Man

chur ia . The creat ion of a new rou te wh ich w i l l br ing the FarEast w i th in m i les and 16 days of London , and Cheapenthe cost of the trans i t of passengers very cons iderably , cannotbe overlooked e i ther. The ra i lroad is be ing bu i l t for fu tur i ty ,and is an enterprize worthy of the great nat ion wh ich undertakes i t. 1

1 I am very glad to be able to fortify m y opin ion of the solid and care

ful con struction of th is line by that of Colonel Waters , m i litary attaché tothe Br i tish Em bassy at St. Petersburg , who has recen tly crossed Siber ia ,and desi res togive em phatic testim ony to “ the m agn ificent character ofthe great ra i lway crossing Siber ia ,” as well as by that of anoth er recenttraveller , Mr . J. Y . Sim pson , who, in Bla ckwood

’s M aga z in e for January ,

1897 , in an ar ticle The Great Siber ian Iron Road ,” after a long descr iption of the labor ious carefulness wi th wh ich the l ine is be ing bui lt, wr ites

thus : Lastly, one is im pressed with the ex tr em elyfin z'

sked nature of the

work.

CHAPTER XXI

THE K ING ’

S OATH—AN AUDIENCE

EAVING Wlad ivostok by the last Japanese steamer of theseason , I spen t two days at WOn -san

,l i tt le changed

,ex

cept that i ts background of moun ta ins was snow-covered,that

th e Koreans were enr iched by the extravagan t sums paid forlabor by the Japanese dur ing the war , that bus iness was act ive ,and that Japanese sentr ies in wooden sen try-boxes guarded thepeaceful streets . Twelve thousand Japanese troops had passedthrough Won-san on the i r way to PhyOng-yang . At Fusan ,my next po in t , there were 2 00 Japanese sold iers , new waterworks

,and a m i li tary cemetery on a height , in wh ich the

number of graves showed an enormous Japanese m or tal i ty .

Reach ing Chemulpo on sth January , 1895 , via Nagaski , Ifound a singular con trast to the crowd , bustle , and exc i tementof the previous June . I n the outer harbor there were two fore iga warsh ips on ly , in th e inner three Japanese merchan tsteamers . The former predom inant m i l i tary elemen t wasrepresented by a few sold iers , ten large hospi tal sheds , and acrowded cemetery , in wh ich the Japanese m i l i tary dead lie inrows of 60 ,

each grave marked by a wooden obel isk . Thesol id and crowded Ch inese quar ter , wi th i ts roaring trade ,large shops , and no ise of drums , gongs , and crackers , by dayand n ight

,was s i len t and deser ted , and not a single Ch inese

was in the street as I wen t up to I -tai’s inn . One shop had

ven tured to reopen . At n ight , instead of th rongs , no ise ,l ights

,and jollification ,

there was a sol itary gl immer from beh ind a closed shutter . The Japanese occupat ion had been asdestruct ive of that quar ter of Chemulpo as a med iaeval pestflence .


I n the Japanese quar ter and al l along the shore the utmostactivity preva i led . The beach was stacked w i th incom ing andoutgo ing cargo . The streets were on ly j ust passable , not alonefrom the enormous traffic on bulls ’ and cool ies ’ backs, but fromthe p i les of beans and rice wh ich were being measured and

packed on the roadway . Pr ices wer e h igh , wages had morethan doubled , squeez ing was d im in ished , and the Korean swere work ing w ith a w i l l .I went up to Seoul on horseback , snow fal l ing the whole

t ime . So safe was the country that no escort was needed , andI rode as far as Or icol w i thout even a m apu . The halfwayhouse of my first visi t was a Japanese post , and go ing to i t inignorance of the change

,I was very k indly received by the

Japanese sold iers , who gave me tea and a braz ier of charcoal .The Seoul road , pegged ou t by Japanese surveyors for a rai lroad , was th ickly spr inkled for the whole d istance wi th ladenm en and bulls .At Seoul I was the guest of Mr . H il l ier , the Br i t ish Consul

General,for five weeks . The weather was glor ious, and the

mercury sank on two occasions to 7° below zero , the lowestt emperature on record . I rece ived the warmest welcome fromthe k indly foreign commun i ty , and was steeped in Seoul l i fe,th e pol i t ical and other in terests grow ing upon me dai ly ; andhav ing a pony and a sold ier at my d isposal

,I saw the c i ty in

al l i ts turn ings and wind ings , and the charm ing country outs ide the gates , and several of the Royal tombs w i th the ir finetrees , and avenues of stately stone figures .The stagnat ion of the prev ious winter was at an end . Japan

was in the ascendan t . She had a large garr ison in the capi tal ,some of the lead ing m en in the Cabinet were her nom inees,her officers wer e d r i l l ing the Korean army

,changes

,i f not im

provem ents , were everywhere , and the ai r was th ick w i thrumors of more to come . The King

,whose Royal authori ty

was nom inal ly restored to h im,accepted th e s i tuat ion

,the

Queen was cred ited w ith in tr igu ing against the Japanese,but



blue -ulstered Japanese policem e as th e Spec ial protectors ofthe Home M in ister Pak-Yong-

Io, one of the revolut ionaries

of 1884 , agains t whom there was a vow of vengeance , thoughthe King had been compel led to pardon h im , to re instate h isancestors who had been degraded , to recal l him from exi le ,and to con fer upon h im h igh office .The long road outs ide the Palace was l ined w i th Korean

cavalry , who tur ned the ir faces to the wal l and the ir backs andthe ir pon ies ’ tai l s to the King . Great numbers of Koreansold iers carry ing various m akes of muskets , d ressed in rustyblack

,brown

,and blue cotton un i forms

,trousers somet imes a

foot too Shor t , at others a foot too long , wh i te wadded socks ,str ing Shoes , and black fel t hats of Tyrolese style , w i th p inkribbon round the crowns , stood in awkward huddles, m ixed upw i th the newly-created Seoul pol ice in blue European un i forms ,and a number of handsome over fed pon ies of Cour t official s ,w i th saddles over a foot h igh

,gorgeous barbar ic trappings , red

pom pous on the ir heads , and a flow of red m anes . Thepopulace stood w i thou t speech or movement .After a long delay and much speculat ion as to whether the

King at the last moment would res ist the foreign pressure, theprocession emerged from the Palace gate—huge flags on tr iden theaded poles

,purple bundles carr ied aloft

,a stand of s tones

conveyed wi th much ceremony 1 - groups of scar let and bluerobed men in hats of the same colors , shaped l ike fools

’ caps ,the K ing ’s personal servants in yel low robes and yel low bamboo hats , and men car rying bannerets . Then came the reds ilk umbrella, followed not by th e magn ificen t State chair w i thi ts for ty bearers

,but by a plain wooden chair w i th glass s ides ,

in wh ich sat the sovere ign , pal e and dejected , borne by on lyfou r men . The Crown Pr ince fol lowed in a s im i lar chair .

Mandar ins , m in isters , and m i l i tary officer s were then assistedto mount the ir capar isoned pon ies, and each , w i th two attend

1These are ancient m u sical instrum en ts called by the Chinese ck’z'

ng ,

and were in use a t courts in th e days of Confucius.

KOREAN THRONE.



cestors , watch ing and observ ing sublunary cond ition s, reform ing our in

ternal adm in istration , rem edy ing there accum ulated abuses .

We, your lowly descendan t, do now take the four teen clauses of the

Great Char ter and swea r before the Spi r i ts of our Ancestors in H eaventhat we, reverently trusting in the m er i ts bequeathed by ou r ancestors ,W i ll br ing these to a successful i ssue , nor wi l l we dare to go back on our

word . D o you , brigh t Spi ri ts, descend and behold !I . All though ts of dependence on Ch ina shall be cut away, and a firm

foundation for independence secu red .

2 . A rule and ord inance for the Royal House shall be establ ished, inorder to m ake clear the l ine of succession and precedence am ong the

Royal fam i ly .3. The King shall attend at the Great Hall for the inspection of affa i rs,

where , after personally in ter rogating h is M in isters , he Shall decide upon

m atters of State. The Queen and the Royal fam ily are not allowed tointerfere .

4 . Palace m atters and the governm ent of the country m ust be keptseparate, and m ay not be m i xed up together .5 . The duties and powers of the Cabinet and of the var ious M in isters

shall be clear ly defined .

6. The paym ent of taxes by the people shall be regulated by law.

Wrongful add itions m ay not be m ade to the l ist, and no excess collected .

7. Th e assessm ent and collection of the land tax , and the d isbursem en tof expend iture, shall be under the charge and control of the Finance D epartm en t.

8. The expenses of the Royal household shall be the first to be reduced ,by way of setting an exam ple to the var ious M in istr ies and local officials .

9 . An estim ate Shall be drawn up in advance each year of the expen

d i ture of the Royal household and the var ious official establishm ents ,

putting on a firm foundation the m anagem en t of the revenue .

10 . The regulations of the local officers m ust be rev ised in order tod iscr im inate the functions of the local officials.

1 1 . Young m en of intelligence in the country shall be sent abroad inorder to study forei gn science and industr ies .

12 . The instruction of arm y ofli cers, and the practice of the m ethodsof enl istm ent, to secure the foundation of a m i l i tary system .

13. Civil law and cr im inal law m ust be str ictly and clearly laid down ;none m ust be im pr isoned or fined in excess , so that secur ity of l ife and

property m ay be ensured for all al ike.

The K ing’

s Oath —An Aud ience 25 1

14 . Men shall be em ployed w i thou t r egard to the ir or igin , and in seeking for officials recourse sha l l be had to capi tal and country a l ike in orderto widen the avenues for abi li ty.

Official translation of the text of the oath taken by H is

Majesty the King of Korea,at the Altar of Heaven ,

Seoul, on January 8, 1895 .

Though at th is date Korea is be ing reformed under otherthan Japanese auspices , i t is notewor thy that n ear ly every stepin advance is on the l ines laid down by Japan .

Coun t Inouye is repor ted by the Sizz'

nzbnn to

have said regard ing Korea, I n my eyes there were only th e

Royal Fam i ly and the nat ion . Such a conclusion was leg i tim ate in th e early par t of 1895 , and in arr iv ing at it as I d idI am glad to be shel tered by such an unexcept ionable au

thor ity.

Hence i t was w i th real pleasure that I rece ived an invi tat ionfrom the Queen to a pr ivate aud ience , to wh ich I was aecom

pan ied by Mrs . Underwood,an Amer ican med ical m iss ionary

and th e Queen ’s phys ic ian and valued fr iend . Mr . H il l iersent me to the Kyeng -

pok Palace in an e ight-bearer Offic ialchair , escor ted by the Korean Legat ion Guard . I have beenaltogether s ix t imes at th i s palace

,and always w i th increased

wonder at i ts intr icacy , and adm irat ion of i ts quain tness andbeauty .

Enter i ng by a grand three-arched gateway w i th i ts s tonebalustraded stone staircase , and stone l ions on stone pedestalsbelow

, one is bew i ldered by the number of large flagged cour tyards

,huge aud ience-halls

,pavi l ions

,bu i ld ings of al l descr ip

t ions more or less decorated , stone br idges , narrow passages ,and gateways w i th double t iered carved roofs through and

am ong wh ich one passes . A Japanese pol iceman was at thegrand gate . At each of the in ter ior gates , and there are

many, there wer e s ix Korean sentr ies lounging , who pulledthemselves together as we approached and presented arms !What w i th 800 troops , at tendan ts and Offic ials of al l de


scr iptions, cour t iers and m in isters and thei r attendants , secretar ies

,messengers , and hangers -ou , the vast enclosur e of the

Palace seemed as crowded and populated as the c i ty i tsel f.We had near ly hal f a m i le of bu i ld ings to pass th rough beforewe reached a very pretty ar t ific ial lake w i th a decorat ive islandpav i l ion in the cen tre , near wh ich are a foreign palace , bu i l tn ot long before , and the s imple Korean bu i ld ings then ocen

pied by the King and Queen . Aligli ting at the gateway ofthe cour tyard wh ich led to the Queen ’s house

,we were re

ceived by the Cou r t interpreter , a number of eunuchs, two ofthe Queen ’ s lad ies - in -wai t ing

,and her nurse , who was at th e

head of the Palace lad ies—a very pr ivi leged person , m iddleaged

,w i th dec idedly fine features .

I n a s impl e room hung w i th yel low si lk we were enter tainedin cour teous fash ion w i th coffee and cake on arr iv ing, andafterwards at d inner

,the nurse

,

“ suppor ted” by the Cour t

interpreter,tak ing the head of the very prett ily decorated

table . The d inner was adm i rably cooked i n fore ign style,

and included soup ,fish

,quai ls

,w i ld duck

,pheasan t , stuffed

and rolled beef, vegetables , creams , glacé wal nuts , fru i t , Claret ,and coffee . Several of the Cour t lad ies and others sat at tablew i th us . After th is long delay we were ushered

,accompan ied

only by the in terpreter , in to a smal l aud ience - room ,upon th e

dais at one end of wh ich stood the King , th e Crown Pr ince ,and the Queen in fron t of three cr imson velvet chairs , wh ich ,after Mrs . Underwood had presen ted me , they resumed and

asked us to be seated on two chairs wh ich were prov ided .

H er Majesty,who was then past for ty

,was a very n ice

look ing slender woman,w ith glossy raven -black hai r and a

very pale Sk in , the pal lor enhanced by the use of pear l powder . The eyes were cold and keen ,

and the general express ionone of br il l ian t intel l igence . She wore a very handsome , veryful l , and very long sk ir t of mazar ine blue brocade , heav ilypleated , w ith the wai st under the arms

, and a full sleevedbod ice of cr imson and blue brocade

,clasped at the throat by



said someth ing to the K ing , who immed iately took up the conversat ion and con t inued i t for another half-hour . At the closeof the aud ience I asked leave to photograph the Lake Pavi l ion ,

and the King said , Why that “alon e ? come many days andphotograph many th ings ,

” men t ion ing several ; and he added ,I should l ike you to be su i tably at tended .

” We thencur tseyed ourselves ou t, after a very agreeable and in terest inghour , and as i t was dusk , the King sent sold iers with us, and anumber of lan tern -bearers

,w i th float ing drapery of red and

green s i lk gauze .

Two days later the su i table at tendance turned out to bean unw ieldy and em barrassing crowd , cons ist ing of five m i l itaryOfficers , hal f a reg iment of sold iers , and a number of Palaceattendants ! I was greatly impressed by a cer tain grandeurand statel iness in the bu i ld ings

,the vast Hall of Aud ience

resting on a much elevated terrace ascended by a tr iple fl ightof gran i te stairs

,the noble propor t ions of the bu i ld ing , the

r i chly carved ce il ing w i th i ts man ifold ret iculat ions,paintedred , blue , and green , the colossal c ircular pi l lars , red w i thwh i te bases

,and in the d imness of the vast area fron t ing the

entrance,the shadowy splendor of th e Korean th rone . Grand ,

too , in i ts s impl ic ity and sol id i ty , is the Summer Palace or

“ Hal l of Congratulat ions ,”on a stone platform approached

by three gran i te br idges,in a lotus lake of oblong form beaut i

fied conven t ional ly w i th two stone -faced i slands, and by a

broad flagged promenade carr ied the whole way round i t on astone-faced embankmen t . Th i s palace is a noble bu i ld ing .

The upper hall , w i th i ts vast sweep ing roof,is supported on

for ty-e ight gran ite p il lars 16 feet in he ight and 3 feet squareat the base—al l monol i ths . The s ituat ion and the v iews arebeaut i ful .Dur ing the next three weeks I had three more aud iences

, on

the second be ing accompan ied as before by Mrs . Underwood ,the th i rd be ing a formal recept ion , and the four th a str ictlypr ivate interview, last ing over an hour . On each occas ion I



h is m inor i ty , and wh i le he was rece iv ing the usual Ch ineseeducat ion , h is father , th e Ta i -Won -Kun , who is descr ibed bya Korean wr i ter as hav ing bowels of iron and a heart ofstone

,

”ruled as Regen t wi th excess ive v igor for ten years, and

in 1866 put Korean Cathol ics slaughtered . Able,rapac ious , and unscrupu lous , h is footsteps have always beenblood -stained . He even put to death one of h is own sons .From the t ime when his Regency ceased unt i l the murder ofthe Queen

,Korean pol i t ical h istory is main ly the story of the

deadly feud between the Queen and her clan and the Ta iWon-Kun . I was presented to h im at the Palace , and wasmuch impressed by the v i tal i ty and energy of h is express ion ,

h is keen glance,and the v igor of his movements, though he is

an old m an .

The King ’s express ion is gentle . He has a wonderful memory, and is said to know Korean h istory so well that when any

quest ion as to fact or former custom ar ises he can g ive ful l particulars, wi th a prec ise reference to the reign in wh ich any

h istor ic even t occurred and to the date . The office of RoyalReader is not a s inecure , and th e Royal Library , wh ich is contained in one of the most beaut ifu l bu i ld ings of the Kyeng-pokPalace , i s a very extens ive one in Ch inese l i terature . He hasno an t i -fore ign feel ing . H is friendl iness to fore igners ismarked , and in h is man ifold peri ls he has frankly rel ied upontheir aid . At the t ime of my second v is it

,when Japan was in

the ascendan t , the King and Queen showed special attent ionand kindness to Europeans , and even inv i ted the whole foreigh commun i ty to a skat ing par ty on th e lake . The King ’satt itude towards Chr ist ian M iss ions is very fr iendly , and tolerat ion is a real i ty. The Amer ican med ical at tendants of boththe King and Queen , as well as other fore igners , w i th whomthey were in constant con tact

,were warmly attached to them ,

and I th ink that the general feel ing among Koreans is one ofaffect ionate loyal ty , the blame for oppress ive and m istakenact ions being laid on the m in isters .



personal accoun ts were pa id by her self or through the Treas

ury .The affai rs under the con trol of each Secretary of State

were the subject of another ser ies of quest ions .Many quer ies were about the du t ies of th e Home M in i ster ,

the posi t ion of the Prem ier , and h is relat ions w i th the otherM in isters and the Crown . He was very anxious to know ifth e Queen could d ism iss her M in ister s if they fai led to carryout her w ishes , and i t was imposs ible to explain to “

h im

th rough an interpreter , to whom the ideas were un fam i l iar ,the const i tu t ional checks on the Engl ish Crown , and that th esovere ign on ly nom inal ly possesses the r igh t of choosing herM in isters .Just before I left Korea, I was summoned to a farewel l aud i

ence , and asked to take the Legat ion in terpreter w i th me . Iwent in an e ight -bearer chair , and was rece ived w i th the usualhonors

,sold iers presen t ing arms

,etc ! There was no crowd

of attendants and no delay . As I was be ing escor ted down aclosed veranda by several eunuchs and m i l i tary officers , a sl iding w indow was opened by the King , who beckoned to me toenter

,and then closed i t. I found mysel f in the raised alcove

in wh ich the Royal Fam i ly usually sat , but the sl id ing panelsbetween i t and the aud ience—chamber were closed , and as it isnot mor e than 6 feet w ide , i t was imposs ible to make the custom ary profound cur tseys . Instead of th e usual throng

'

of at

tendants, eunuchs , lad ies - i h -wai t ing in s i lk gowns a yard toolong for them ,

and heavy co i l s and p i l lows of ar t ific ial hai r ontheir heads

, and pr iv i leged persons stand ing beh ind the Kingand Queen and crowd ing the many doorways , there were

presen t on ly the Queen’ s nurse and my in terpreter , who stood

at a Ch ink between th e panels where he could not see theQueen , ben t into an att i tude of abject reverence, never l iftingh is eyes from the ground or raising h is vo ice above a wh isper .

Th'e precaut ions , however , fa i led to secure the pr ivacy wh ichthe King and Queen des ired . I was certain that through theCh ink I saw the shadow of a man in the aud ience-room

,and

The K ing’

s Oath—An Aud ience 259

the interpreter ’ s subsequent remark , It was very hard for meto in terpret for H is Majesty to-day was in tel l ig ible when Iheard that the “ shadow ” belonged to one of the M in ister s ofState spec ially d istrusted by the King , and who later had to flyfrom Korea . It was understood that th is person carr ied thesubstance of what the King and Queen said to a foreign le

gation .

I cannot here al lude to the matter on wh ich the King spoke,

but the aud ience , wh ich las ted for an hour , was an extremelyi nterest ing one . On one poin t the King expressed h imselfvery strongly , as he has done to many others . He cons idersthat now that Korea is formally independen t of Ch ina

,she is

ent i t led to a Res iden t M ini ster accred i ted solely to the KoreanCourt . He expressed great regard and esteem for Mr . H i l l ier ,and said that noth ing would be more acceptable to him thanhis appo intmen t as the first M in ister to Korea .

The Queen spoke of Queen Victor ia , and said , “ She has

everyth ing that She can w ish—greatness , weal th , and power.Her sons and grandsons are kings and emperors , and herdaughters empresses . Does she ever in her glory th ink of poorKorea ? She does so much good in the wor ld

,her l i fe is a

good . We w ish her long l i fe and prosper i ty to wh ich theKing added

,

“ England is our best fr iend . I t was real lytouch ing to hear the occupan ts of that anc ien t but shakythrone speaking in th is fash ion .

On th i s occas ion the Queen was dressed in a bod ice ofbrocaded amber sat in , a mazar ine blue brocaded trained sk ir t ,a cr imson girdle w i th five Clasps and tassels of coral , and acoral clasp at the throat . Her head was uncovered , and herabundan t black hair gathered in to a knot at the back . She

wore no ornamen t except a pear l and coral j ewel on the top ofthe head . The K ing and Queen rose when I took leave , andthe Queen Shook hands . They both spoke most kindly, andexpressed the w ish that I should return and see more of Korea.When I d id return n ine months later, the Queen had been


barbarously murdered , and the King was pract ically a pr isonerin h is own palace .

Travellers rece ived by the Korean King have often r id iculedthe aud ience , the surround ings , and the Palace . I must saythat I saw noth ing to r id icule , unless nat ional customs and eti

quette vary ing from our own are necessari ly r id iculous . On

the contrary , there were a s impl ic i ty , d ign i ty , kindl iness ,cour tesy , and propr iety wh ich have left a very agreeable impress ion on me , and my four aud iences at Palace were thegreat feature of m y second v isit to Korea.

KOREAN GENTLEMANI N COURT DRESS .



as we had done that of Egypt , and I bel ieve they would havedone i t had they been al lowed a free hand . It was apparen t ,however , that Coun t Inouye found the task of reformat ion afar harder one than he expected , and that the d ifficult ies inh is way were near ly insurmoun table He said h imsel f thatthere were no tools to work w i th , and in the hope of manufactur ing them a large number of you ths of the upper classwere sent for two year s to Japan , one year to be spen t ineducat ion and another in lear n ing accuracy and “ the firstpr inc iples of honor in cer ta in Government depar tments .Sundry Japanese demands , though conceded at the t ime by

the King , had been al lowed to d rop , and i t was not t i l l Decem ber , 1 894 , that Coun t Inouye obtained a formal covenan tthat five of them should be at once car r ied out . ( 1 ) A ful lpardon for al l the con sp irators of 1884 ( 2 ) That the TaiWon -Kun and the Queen should inter fere no more in publ icaffairs ; 3) That no relat ives of the Royal Fam i ly should beemployed in any offic ial capac i ty ; ( 4) That the number ofeunuchs and Palace lad ies ” should at once be reduced to am in imum (5 ) That caste d istinct ions—patr ic ian and plebeianshould no longer be recogn ized .

Ed icts on some of the forego ing subjects appeared in the

Gazei z‘

e, and large numbers of the eunuchs packed up the irclothes and left the Palace qu ietly in the n igh t , along Wi th the“ Palace lad ies ” ; bti t the K ing in h is vast dwell ing was solonely w ithou t them that the n ext morn ing he sen t an ordercommand ing the ir immed iate return under ser ious penalt ies ,and i t was obeyed at onceThe att i tude of the Korean offic ial class , w i th the except ion

of a small number who were personal ly in terested in th e success of Japan , was al together un favorable to the new r eg im e,

and every change was regarded w i th ind ignat ion . Thoughdest i tu te of true patr iot ism ,

the com mon people looked uponthe King as a sacred person ,

and they were fur ious at th e ind ign i t ies to wh ich he had been subjected . The offic ial class

A Trans it ion Stage 263

saw that reform mean t the end of squeez ing and ill-gottenga ins

,and

'

they , w i th the whole army of paras i tes and hangers -on of yam ens , were al l pledged by the strongest personalinterest to oppose it by act ive oppos i t ion or pass ive res istance .

Though corrupt ion has i ts stronghold in Seoul,every provinc ial

government repeats on a smaller scale the in iqu i t ies of thecapi tal

, and has its own army of d ishonest and lazy offic ialsfattening on the earn ings of the industr ious classes .The cleans ing of the Augean stable of the Korean offic ial

system , wh ich the Japanese had under taken , was indeed an

Herculean labor . Trad i t ions of honor and honesty,if they

ever ex isted , had been forgot ten for centur ies . Standards ofoffic ial rect i tude were unknown . I n Korea when the Japaneseunder took the work of reform there were bu t two classes

,the

robbers and the robbed , and the robbers included the vastarmy wh ich consti tuted officialdom . Squeez ing ” and peenlat ion were the rule from the h ighest to the lowest

,and every

pos i t ion was bough t and sold .

The tran s i t ion stage , down t o 1 2 th February,1895 , when

I left Korea , was a remarkable one. The Official Gazettecur iously reflected that s ingular per iod . One day a decreeabol ished the 3 feet long tobacco p ipes wh ich were the del igh tof the Kor eans of th e capi tal another , there was an en l ightened statu te order ing the plant ing of p ines to r emedy the denudation of the h i l ls around Seoul , th e same Gazelle d irect ingthat duly appo in ted geomancer s should find “

an auspic iousday on wh ich the K ing m ight worsh ip at th e ancestral tablets ! One day barbarous and bru tal iz ing pun ishmen ts werew isely abol ished another , ther e appeared a str ing of vexat iousand petty regulations calculated to harass the Ch inese out ofthe kingdom

,and appo int ing as a pun ishmen t for the breach

of them a fine of 100 dollar s or 100 blowsFai lur e in tact was one great faul t of the Japanese . The

se izure of th e Palace and the King ’s person in July , 1894 , eveni f a dubious pol i t ical necess i ty , d id not excuse the ind ign i t ies


to wh ich the sovereign was exposed . The forc ing of formerconspirators in to h igh office was a grave error , and tactlessproceed ings , such as the abol i t ion of long p ipes, alterat ions inCourt and other dress , many in terferences w i th social customs ,and petty and harassing r estrict ions and regulations, emb i ttered the people aga inst the new r eg im e.

The Tong-haks,who had respect ful ly thrown off al legiance

to the King on the ground that he was in the hands of fore igners , and had appo in ted another sovere ign , had been van

quished ear ly in January , and the i r k ing’s head had been sen t

to Seou l by a loyal governor . There I saw i t in the bus iestpart of the Pek ing Road , a bustl ing market outs ide the “ l i t tleWest Gate , hanging from a rude arrangemen t of three st icksl ike a camp -kettle stand , w i th another head below i t . Bothfaces wore a calm , almost d ign ified , expression . Not far offtwo more heads had been exposed in a s im i lar frame

,but i t

had g iven way , and they lay in the dust o f the roadway , muchgnawed by dogs at the back . The last agony was st iffened ontheir features . A turn ip lay bes ide them

,and some smal l ch i l

dren cut pieces from i t and presen ted them mock ingly to th eblackened mouths . Th is brutal iz ing Spectacle had ex isted fora week .

Three days later , in the sti l lness of th e Korean New Year’

s

Day , I rode w i th a fr iend along a lonely road passing througha fa ir agr icul tural val ley among p ine-clothed knol ls outs ide theSouth and East Gates Of Seoul . Snow lay on the ground andthe gr im sky threatened a fur ther storm . It was cold , and weObserved w i th surpr ise three cool ies in summer cotton cloth ingly ing by the roadside asleep ; but i t was the last Sleep , for onapproach ing them we found that

,though their att i tudes were

those of easy repose , the bod ies were w i thou t heads , nor hadthe headsman ’s axe been merc iful or Sharp . In the m iddle ofthe road were great , frozen , cr imson splashes where the Tonghak leader s had expiated the ir treason ,

cr im inals in Korea, asin old Jerusalem , suffer ing w i thou t the gate .

”



of body or m ind,afterwards g iving the paper to a boy who

burns i t.A more s ingular New Year custom in Seoul is Walking the

Br idges . ” Up to m idn ight , men , women , and ch i ldren crossa br idge or br idges as many t imes as they are years old . Th isis bel ieved to preven t pains in the feet and legs dur ing the year .

Th is day, the Great Fi fteen th Day , concludes the ki teflying and stone fights wh ich enl iven Seou l for the prev i ousfor tn ight, and every Korean i ns ists on keeping it as a hol iday .

Graves are formally v is i ted , and gathered fam i l ies spread foodbefore the ancestral tablets . Cur ious customs prevai l at th ist ime . A few days before, th e Palace eunuchs chan t invocat ions

,sw inging bur n ing torches as they do so . Th is is sup

posed to ensure boun t iful crops for the next season . Peoplebuy quant i ties of nut s

,wh ich they crack

,hold the kernels in

the mouth,and then throw them away . Th is is to prevent

sum m er sores and bo i ls . Also on the Great F i fteen th Day mentry to find out the probable ra infal l for each mon th by spl itt ing a small piece of bam boo , and lay ing twelve beans s ide bys ide in one of the halves , after wh ich i t is closed , and afterbe ing bound t ightly wi th cord , is lowered i n to a well for then ight . Each bean represents a month . I n the morn ing , whenthey are exam ined in rotat ion

,they are var iously en larged , and

the enlargemen t ind icates the propor t ion of rain in that Spec ialmoon . If, on the con trary , one or more are w izened

,i t causes

great alarm , as ind icat ing complete or par t ial drough t in one

or more mon ths . Dogs do not get the ir usual meal on themorn ing of the Great F ifteenth

,

”in the bel ief that the dep

r ivation w i l l keep them from be ing pestered w i th fl ies dur ingthe long summer .

If a boy-has been bor n dur ing the year,poles bear ing paper

fish by day and lanterns by n ight project from the house of theparents . The people at n ight watch the burn ing of candles .I f they are ent i rely burned , the l ife of the ch i ld wi l l be long ;i f on ly par t ial ly bur ned

,i t w i l l be propor t ionately shor ter .

A Transit ion Stag 267

I left Seoul very regretful ly on 5 th February . The Japanesehad introduced j inr z

'

ks/zas,but the runners were unski l led

,and

I met w i th so severe an acc ident in go ing down to Chemulpothat I did not recover for a year. The l ine of steamers toJapan was totally d isorgan ized by the war , and in the weekthat I wa i ted for the [figo Mar a war was uppermost in people ’s though ts . There were some who even then could not

br ing themselves to bel ieve in the even tual success of the Japan ese . The fal l of Wei -hai -wei and the capture of the Ch inesefleet opened many eyes . I was in the office of thewhen the news came

,and the clerks were too w i ld w i th exc i te

ment to attend to me , apolog iz ing by say ing , It ’s anotherv ictory ! Chemulpo was decorated , i l lum inated , and pro

cessioned for v ictor ies , Li Hung Chang was burned in effigy ,and un l im i ted sake for al l comers was suppl ied from tubs atthe street corners .There were ind icat ions of the cost of v ictory , however.

The great m i l i tary hosp i tals were full,the cem etery was fi l l ing

fast,m i l i tary funerals w i th m i l i tary pomp and Sh into pr iest s

passed down the bannered street, and 600 transpor t cool iestramping from Manchur ia arr ived in rags and tat ters , someclothed in raw h ides and raw Sk ins of sheep, thei r feet, hands,and l ips frost-b i tten ,

and w i th blackened stumps of fingers andtoes protrud ing from fi l thy bandages . The Japanese school steach that Japan has a r igh t to demand all that a m an has

, and

that l i fe i tself is not too costly a sacr ifice for h im to lay on thealtar of h is coun try . Undoubtedly the teach ing bears fru i t .Not long before at Osaka I saw the wharves p i led h igh wi thvolun tary con tr ibut ions for the troops , and the Th i rd Armyleave the c i ty am idst an ou tburst of popular en thus iasm suchas I never saw equal led . Most of these cool ies , when they re

ceived new cloth ing , volunteered for fur ther serv ice , and dy ingsold iers on battlefields and in hosp i tals uttered D a i N ippon

Banza i !”(Great Japan forever !) w i th the ir last falter ing

breath .


When I left Korea the cond i t ion of th ings may be sum

m ar ized thus . Japan was thoroughly in earnest as to reforming the Korean adm in istrat ion through Koreans, and verym any reforms were decreed or in contemplat ion , wh i le someevi ls and abuses were already swept away . The K ing

,de

pr ived of his absolu te sovere ignty , was pract ical ly a salar iedregistrar of decrees. Coun t Inouye occup ied the posi tion of“ Res ident , and the Government was adm in is tered in theK ing ’s name by a Cab inet consisting of the heads of ten de

partm ents, in some measure the nom inees of the R esident .” 1

1 I repeat th i s statem ent in this form for the benefit of the reader , andask him to com pare i t with a sum m ary of Korean affairs early in 1897,

given in the 36th chapter of this volum e.

PLACE OF THE QUEEN ’

S CREMATION .



showed h is unfr iendl iness towards Japan , was ass isted by theJapanese M in ister to r ise i n power .

”

I n the despatch in wh ich Count Inouye reported th i s in terv iew to h is Governmen t he wrote

I gave as far as I could an explanation of these things to the Queen ,

and after so a llay ing her suspicion s, I fur ther explained that i t was thetrue and sincere desire of the Em peror and Governm ent of Japan to placethe independence of Korea on a firm basis, and in the m eantim e to

strengthen the Roya l House of Korea . I n t/ze even t of a ny m em ber ofMe R oy a l Fam i ly ,

or i ndeed a ny K or ean,t/zer cfork a ttempt ing tr ea son

aga i n st tae Roy a lHou se,[ ga ve tae a ssu r an ce t/za t tke j apa n ese Gover n

m en t wou ld n ot fa i l to pr otect tae R oy a lHou se even by for ce of a r m s ,

a nd so secu r e tke safety of tae kingdom . These r em arks of m ine seem edto have m oved th e K ing and Queen , and their anxiety for the future ap

peared to be m uch relieved.

The Korean sovere igns would natural ly th ink themselvesj ust ified in r ely ing on the prom i se so frankly given by one ofth e most d ist ingu ished of Japanese statesmen

,whom they had

learned to regard w i th confidence and respect , and i t i s clearto mysel f that when the fateful n ight came

,a month later

,

their rel iance on th i s assurance led them to om i t cer tain poss ible precau t ions , and caused the Queen to neglect to make herescape at the first h int of danger .When the wel l -known arrangemen t between Viscoun t M iura

and the Tai -Won -Kun was r ipe for execut ion , the JapaneseM in ister d irected the Commandan t of the Japanese battal ionquar tered in the bar racks j ust outs ide the Palace gate to fac i l itate the Ta i -Won -Kun ’s en try into th e Palace by arrangingthe d ispos i t ion of the K un -r en -ta i (Korean troops dr i l led byJapanese) , and by cal l ing ou t the Imper ial force to supportthem . M iura also called upon two Japanese to collect th e irfr iends, go to R iong San 011 th e Han , where the in tr igu ingPr ince was then l iving

, and act as h is bodyguard on h is j ou rney to the Palace . The M in ister told them that on the success of the enterpr ise depended the erad icat ion of the evi ls

The Assass inat ion of the Queen 27 1

wh ich had affl icted the k ingdom for twen ty years, and INSTI

GATED THEM TO DISPATCH THE QUEEN WHEN THEY ENTEREDTHE PALACE . One of Miura ’

s agents then ordered the Japanese pol icemen who were off duty to pu t on Civi l ian dress,provide themselves w i th swords , and accompany the COI i Spirator s to the Tai -Won -Kun ’s house .

At 3 A.M . on the morn ing of the 8 th of October they leftRiong San , escor t ing the Pr ince

’ s palanqu in , Mr . Okamoto,to

whom much had been entrusted , assembl ing the whole par tywhen on the po int of departure , and declar ing to them thaton en ter ing the Palace th e Fox ” should be deal t w i th ac

cord ing as exigency m igh t requ i re .

” Then th is procession ,

includ ing ten Japanese who had dressed themselves in un i

forms taken from ten captured Korean pol ice , star ted forSeoul , more than three m i les d istant . Outs ide th e Gate ofStaunch Loyalty they wer e met by the K un -r en -tai , and

then wai ted for th e ar r ival of the Japanese troops , after wh ichthey proceeded at a rap id pace to the Palace , en ter ing i t bythe fron t gate , and after k i l l ing some of the Palace Guard ,proceeded a quar ter of a m i le to th e bu i ld ings occupied by theKing and Queen , wh ich have a narrow cour tyard in fron t .So far I have followed the H irosh ima judgmen t in i ts state

ment of the facts of that morn ing , but when i t has conductedthe combined force to “ th e inner chambers it concludesabruptly w ith a “

not proven ”in the case of al l th e accused

For the rest o f the story , so far as i t may interest my readers ,I fol low the statements of General Dye and Mr . Sabatin of theKing ’s Guard

,and of cer tain offic ial documents .

It is necessary here to go back upon var ious even ts wh ich

preceded the murder of Her Majesty . Trouble arose in October between the K un - r en -ta i and the Seoul pol ice , resultingin the total defeat of the lat ter . The K un -r en -ta i , number ing

were commanded by Colonel Hong, who in 1 88 2 hadrescued the Queen from imm inen t danger,and was trusted bythe Royal Fam i ly . The Palace was in the hands of the Old


Guard under Colonel Hyon , who had saved Her Majesty’s l i fe

in 1884 . I n the first week of October the strength of th isGuard was greatly reduced , useful weapons were qu ietly w i thdrawn

, and the ammun i t ion was removed .

On the n ight of the 7th the K un -r en -ta i , w i th the ir Japanese instructors , marched and coun termarched t i ll they werefound on al l s ides of the Palace , caus ing some uneas inesswi th in . The alarm was g iven to General Dye and Mr . Sabatin early on the mor ning of the 8 th .

1 These officers , look ingthrough a Ch ink of the gate , saw a number of Japanese sold iers w ith fixed bayonets stand ing there

,who , on being asked

what they were doing , fi led r igh t and left ou t of the moonl igh tunder the shadow of the wal l . Skulking under another partof the wall were over 200 of the K un -r en -tai . The two fore igners were consul t ing as to the steps to be taken when heavysounds of battering came from the grand entrance gate , followed by fir ing .

General Dye attempted to rally the Guard , but after five orsix vol leys from the assai lants they broke w i th such a rush as

to sweep the two fore igners past the King ’s house to the gateway of the Queen ’ s . No clear account has ever been given ofthe events wh ich followed . Colonel Hong, the commander ofthe K un -r en -tai , was cu t down by a Japanese officer at th egreat gate , and was afterwards mortally wounded by e ight bullets . The K un -r en—ta i swarmed in to the Palace from al ld irections , along w i th Japanese c iv i l ians armed w i th swords,who frant ical ly demanded the whereabouts of the Queen ,haul ing the Palace lad ies about by the hai r to compel them to

po int ou t Her Majesty,rush ing in and out of w indows , throw

ing the lad ies - in -wai t ing from the 7 feet h igh veranda intothe compound , cu tt ing and k ick ing them

,and brutally mur

der ing fou r in the hope that they had thus secured their vict im .

1General D ye , late of the U . S. arm y,was instructor of the Old Guard.

Mr . Sabatin , a Russian subject, was tem porar i ly em ployed as a watchm an

to see that the sentr ies were at their posts.



was safe, on wh ich a Japanese j umped on her breast and

stabbed her through and through w i th h is sword . Even then ,

though the nu rse whom I former ly saw in attendance on her

covered her face , it is not cer tain th at sh e was dead , but th eJapanese laid her on a plank , wrapped a s i lk qu i l t round her,and she was carr ied to a grove of pines in the adjacent d eerpark

,where kerosene oil was poured over th e body, wh ich was

surrounded by faggots and burned, only a few smal l bones

escaping destruct ion .

Thus per ished , at the age of forty -four,by the hands of for

e ign assass ins , inst igated to the i r bloody work by the M in i sterof a friendly power

,the clever , ambi t ious , in tr igu ing , fascinat

ing, and in many respects lovable Queen of Korea . I n herl i fet ime Coun t Inouye , whose verd ict for m any reasons m ay beaccepted , said , Her Majesty has few equals among hercountrymen for shrewdness and sagac ity . I n the art of conc iliating her enem ies and w inn ing the confidence of herservants she has no equals .A shor t t ime after dayl igh t th e Tai -Won -Kun issued

two proclamations,of wh ich the fol low ing sentences are

spec imens

lst,“The hearts of the people d issolve th rough the presence in the

Palace of a crowd of base fellows . So the National Grand Duke is returned to power to inaugu rate changes, expel the base fellows, restoreform er laws, and vindicate the d ign i ty of H is Majesty .”zud,

“ I have now en tered the Palace to aid H is Majesty, expel thelow fellows, perfect that wh ich wi ll be a benefit, save the country, and introduce peace.

”

The Palace gates were guarded by the mut inous K un -r en -ta i

wi th fixed bayonets , who allowed a constan t stream of Koreansto pass out , the remnan ts of th e Old Palace Guard , who had

‘

thrown off thei r un i forms and h idden their arms, each m an

be ing se ized and searched before his exi t was perm i tted . Nearthe gate was a cr imson pool m ark ing the spot where ColonelHong fell . Three of the M in isters were at once d ism issed

The Assassinat ion of the Queen 275

from the ir posts, some escaped , and many of the h igh offic ialssought safety i n fl ight . Near ly every one who was trusted bythe King was removed , and several of the ch ief offices of Statewere fi lled by the nom inees of the officers of the K un -r en -ta i

,

who,later

,when they d id not find the Cab inet , wh ich was

ch iefly of the ir own creat ion , suffic ien tly subservient, used tothreaten i t w i th drawn swords .Viscoun t M iura arr ived at the Palace at dayl ight

,w ith Mr .

Sug im ura , Secretary of the Japanese Legat ion (who hadarranged the detai ls of the plot) , and a cer tain Japanese whohad been seen by the King apparently lead ing the assass ins ,and act ively part ic ipat ing in the bloody work , and had an

aud ience of H is Majesty , who was profoundly agi tated . HeSigned three documents at the ir b idd ing , after wh ich theJapanese troops were w i thdrawn from the Palace , and the

armed forces,and even the King ’s personal attendan ts

,were

placed under the orders of those who had been concerned inattack . The Ta i -Won -Kun was presen t at th is aud ience .Dur ing the day al l the Fore ign Represen tat ives had aud i

ences of the K ing , who was much ag i tated , sobbed at intervals,and , bel iev ing the Queen to have escaped , was very sol ic i tousabou t h is own safety , as he was environed by assassins , themost unscrupulous of al l be ing his own father . I n v iolat ionof custom

,he grasped the hands of the Representat ives , and

asked them to use the ir fr iendly offices to preven t fur ther outrage and v iolence . He was anxious that the K un -r en -ta i

should be replaced by Japanese troops . On the same afternoon the Foreign Representat ives met at the Japanese Le

gation to hear Viscoun t M iura’

s explanat ion of c ircumstancesin wh ich h is countrymen were so ser iously impl icated .

Three days after the even ts in the Palace , and wh i le theKing and the general publ ic bel ieved the Queen to be al ive , aso—called Royal Ed ict , a more infamous outrage on the Queeneven than her brutal assass inat ion , was publ ished in the OficialGazette. The King on being asked to Sign i t refused , and


sa id he would have h is hands cut off rather , but i t appeared ash is decr ee , and bore the s ignatures of the M in ister of theHousehold

,the Prime M in i ster , and s ix other members of the

Cab inet .ROYAL EDICT.

It is now th ir ty-two years sinceWe ascended the th rone , but Our rul inginfluence has not extended wide . The Queen M in in troduced h er r elatives to the Cour t and placed th em about Our person , whereby sh e m adedull Our senses, exposed the people to extortion , put Our Governm en t ind isorder , sell ing offices and ti tles . Hence tyranny preva i led all over thecountry and robbers arose in all quar ters. Under these ci rcum stances the

foundation of Our dynasty was in im m inent per il . We knew the extrem e

of her wickedness, but could not di sm iss and pun ish her because of help

lessness and fear of her party .We desi re to stop and suppress h er influence. I n th e twelfth m oon of

last year we took an oath at Our Ancestral Sh r ine that the Queen and her

relatives and Ours should never again be a l lowed to interfere in State af

fai rs . We hoped th is would lead the M in faction to m end thei r ways.

But the Queen d id not give up her wickedness , but wi th her partya ideda crowd of low fe l lows to r ise up about Us and so m anaged as to prevent the M in isters of State from consulting Us . Moreover , they haveforged Our Signature to a decree to d isband Our loyal sold iers, therebyinstigating and raising a d isturbance, and wh en i t occur red she escapedas in the I m 0 year . We have endeavored to d iscover her whereabouts,but as she does not com e for th and appear We are conv inced that she i snot only unfitted and unworthy of the Queen ’

s rank , but also that her

guilt is excessive and br im ful . Therefore with h er We m ay not succeedto the glory of the Royal Ancestry. So We hereby depose h er from the

rank of Queen and reduce her to the level of the lowest class .

Signed byV I CHAI-MYON,

M ini ster of the Royal Household.K I M HONG-CHIP , Pr im e M in ister .

K I M YUN-SI K ,M in ister of Foreign Affairs.

PAK CHONG-YANG , M in ister of Hom e Affai rs.

SHIM SANG-HUN, M in ister of Finance.

CHO HEU I-YON, M in ister of War .

So KWANG-POM , M in ister of Justice.

So KWANG-POM , M in ister of Educa tion .

CHONG PYONG-HA, Vice-M in ister of Agr iculture and

Com m erce.



MIURA,DECIDED To MURDER THE QUEEN, and took steps by

collect ing accompl ices m ore than ten others were d irected by these two persons to do away w i th the Queen .

”

Viscoun t M iura was replaced by Mr . Komura , an able d i

plom atist, and shor tly afterwards Coun t Inouye arr ived , bear ingthe condolences of th e Emperor of Japan to the unfor tunateKorean King . A heav ier blow to Japanese prestige and posi t iou as the leader of c ivi l izat ion in the East could not havebeen struck , and the Governmen t con t inues to deserve oursympathy on the occasion . For when the d isavowal is forgot ten

,i t w i l l be always r emembered that the murderous plot

was arranged in the Japanese Legat ion,and that of the Japa

nese dressed as c ivi l ians and armed w i th swords and p istols ,who were d irectly engaged in th e outrages comm i t ted in thePalace

,some were adv isers to the Korean Governmen t and in

i ts pay , and others were Japanese pol icemen connected w i ththe Japanese Legat ion - s ixty per sons in all

,includ ing those

known as Soslu'

, and exclus ive of the Japanese troops .The Fore ign Represen tat ives w i th one except ion informed

th e Cab inet that unt i l s teps were taken to br ing the assass insto just ice

,t i l l the K un - r en -ta i Guard was removed from the

Palace,and t il l the recen t ly introduced members of the

Cab inet who were respons ible for the ou trages had been arraigned or at least removed from office , they decl ined to recogn ize any act of the Governmen t , or to accept as au then t ic anyorder i ssued by i t in the King ’s name. The prudence of th iscourse became apparent later.On 1sth October , in an extra i ssue of the Ofi cial Gazette,

it was announced “ By Royal Command ” that , as the pos itiou of Queen must not remain vacan t for a day , proceedings for the cho ice of a br ide were to begin at once ! Th iswas on ly one among the many insults wh ich were heaped uponthe Royal pr isoner .During the remainder of October and November there was

no improvement in affa irs . The gloom was profound . I n

The Assassinat ion of the Queen 279

stead of Royal recept ions and en ter tainments, the King

,

shaken by terror and in hour ly d read of po ison or assass inat ion , was a close pr i soner in a poor par t of his own palace , inthe hands o f a Cab inet ch iefly composed of men who werethe tools of the mut inous sold iers who were pract ical ly h isj ai lers, compelled to put h is seal to ed icts wh ich he loathed ,the tool of men on whose hands the blood of his murderedQueen was hardly dry. Noth ing could be more pi t iable thanthe cond i t ion of the K ing and Crown Prince

,each dread ing

that the other would be slain before his eyes , not dar ing to eatof any food prepar ed in the Palace , dread ing to be separated ,even for a few m inutes

,w i thout an adheren t whom they cou ld

trust , and w i th recen t memories of i nfin i te horror as food forcon templat ion .

General Dye , the American m i l i tary adviser, an old andfeeble m an , slept near the Palace Li brary , and the Americanm iss ionar ies in twos took it in turns to watch w i th h im . Th iswas the only protect ion wh ich the unfortunate sovereign possessed . He was also v is i ted dai ly by the Fore ign Representat ives in turns , w i th the double object of ascer tain ing that hewas al ive and assuring h im of the ir sympathy and interest.Food was suppl ied to him in a locked box from the Russianor U . S. Legat ions , but so closely was he watched , that i t wasd ifficul t to pass the key into his hand , and a hasty and veryoccas ional wh i sper was the only commun icat ion he could succeed in mak ing to these foreigners , who were his sole rel iance .Undoubtedly from the first he hoped to escape e ither to theEngl ish or Russ ian Legat ion . At t imes he sobbed p i teouslyand shook the hands of the foreigners , who made no attem ptto conceal the sympathy they fel t for the always courteousand kindly sovereign .

Entertainments among the fore igners ceased . The d ismaywas too profound and the mourn ing too real to perm i t even ofthe m i ld gaiet ies of a Seoul w in ter . Every foreign lady , andspec ially Mrs . Underwood , Her Majesty ’s med ical attendant,


and Mme . Waeber , who had been an int imate fr iend , fel t herdeath as a personal loss . Her Or ien tal unscrupulousness inpol i t ics was forgotten in the horror exc i ted by the story of herend . Yet then and for some t ime afterwards people clung tothe hope that she had escaped as on a former occas ion , andwas in h id ing . Among Koreans opin ion was greatly con

cealed , for there were innumerable arrests , and no one knewwhen his turn m ight come , bu t i t was bel ieved that there wasan earnest des ire to l iberate the K ing . A number of fore ignwarsh ips lay at Chemulpo , and the Bri t ish , Russ ian , and

Amer ican Legat ions were guarded by mar ines.

Near ly a month after the assassinat ion of th e Queen , andwhen al l hope of her escape had been abandoned , the cond it ion of th ings was so ser ious under the rule of the new Cabinet ,that an attempt was made by the Fore ign Representat ives toterm inate i t by urging on Coun t Inouye to d isarm the R un

r en -ta i, and occupy the Palace w i th Japanese troops unt i l th e

loyal sold iers had been dr i l led in to an efficiency on wh ich theK ing m igh t rely for h is personal safety . I t w i l l be seen fromth is proposal how completely the Japanese Governm ent wasexonerated from blame by the d iplomat ic agen ts of the GreatPowers . Th is proposal was not received w i th cord ial alacr i tyby Coun t Inouye

,who felt that the step of an armed reoccu

parion of the Palace by the Japanese,though w i th the object

of secur ing the King ’ s safety,would be l iable to ser ious m is

construct ion , and m ight br ing about very grave compl icat ions .Such an idea was on ly to be entertained i f Japan rece ived ad ist inct mandate from the Powers . The telegraph was set towork , a due amount of consen t to the arrangemen t was Ob

tained , and when I left Seoul on a northern journey on Novem ber 7th ,

i t was in the ful l bel ief that on reach ing PhyOngyang I should find a telegram announc ing that th is seriouscoup d

’

état had been successfully accompl ished in the presenceof the Foreign Represen tat ives . Japan , however , d id not undertake the task , though urged to do so both by Count Inouye



and rel ieve H is Majesty from much anxiety These goodwishes were cord ial ly endorsed by h is colleagues .The measures proposed by the King to reassert his lost

authori ty and pun ish the conspirators prom ised very well , butwere rendered abor tive by a “ loyal plot,

” wh ich was formedby the Old Palace Guard and a number of Koreans , some ofthem by no means ins ign ificant men . It had for its objectthe l iberat ion of the sovere ign and the subst i tut ion of loyaltroops for the K un -r en -ta i . Though i t ended in a fiasco twon ights after th is hopeful interv iew,

i ts execut ion having beenfrustrated by premature d isclosu res , i ts resul ts were d isastrous ,for i t involved a number of prom inen t m en

, created grave sus

picions , raised up a feel ing of an tagon ism to fore igners, someof whom (Amer ican m iss ionar ies) were bel ieved to be coguizant of the plot , if not actual ly accessor ies , and brought abouta general confusion , from wh ich , when I left Korea five weekslater

,there was no prospect of escape . The K ing was a closer

pr isoner than ever ; those surround ing h im grew fam i l iar andinsolen t ; he l ived in dread of assass inat ion ; and he had nomore intercourse w i th fore igners , except w i th those who had anofficial r ight to enter the Palace , wh ich they became increasingly unw il l ing to exerc ise .It was wi th much regret that I left Seou l for a j ourney in the

interior at th is most exc i t ing t ime,when every day brough t

fresh even ts and rumors , and a coup d’

etat of great im

por tance was bel ieved to be impend ing but I had very l i ttlet ime at my d isposal before proceed ing to Western Ch ina on a

long-planned journey.

CHAPTER XXIV

BUR IAL CUSTOMS

FTER the in terpreter d ifficulty had appeared as beforeinsurmoun tabl e , I was prov ided w i th one who acqu i tted

h imsel f to per fect ion , and through whose good Offices I camemuch nearer to the peopl e than i f I had been accompan ied bya foreigner . He Spoke Engl ish remarkably well , was alwaysbr igh t , cour teous , in tel l igen t , and good -natured ; he had akeen sense of the lud icrous , and I owe much of the pleasure ,as wel l as the interest

,of my journey to h is compan ionsh ip .

Mr . H i l l ier equ ipped me w i th I m ,a sold ier of the Legat ion

Guard,as my servan t . He had attended me on photograph

ing exped i t ions on a former v is i t , and on the journey I foundh im capable , fai th fu l , qu ick , and ful l of “

go,”—so valuable

and efficien t , indeed , as to take the sh ine ” ou t of any subsequent attendan t . W i th these

,a passpor t , and a kwan -j a or

letter from the Korean Fore ign Office commend ing me tooffic ial help (never u sed) , my journey was made under thebest poss ible ausp ices .The day before I left was spen t in mak ing acquaintance w i th

Mr . Yi Hak In , rece iv ing farewel l v is i ts from many k ind and

helpful fr iends,look ing over the backs and tackle of the pon ies

I had engaged for the j ourney , and i n arrang ing a photograph ic outfi t . I m was taught to make cu rry

,an accom pl ish

men t in wh ich he soon excel led , and I had no other cookingdone on the journey . For the benefit of future travel lers I w i l lment ion that my equ ipment cons isted of a camp-bed and bedd ing

,candles , a large , strong , doubly o i led Sheet, a fold ing

chai r,a kettle , two pots , a cup and two plates of enamelled

iron , some tea wh ich turned out musty,some flour , curry

283


powder,and a tin of Edward ’s “ dess icated soup, wh ich came

back unopened To the oft-repeated quest ion , D id you eatKorean food ? I reply cer ta in ly—pheasan ts , fowls , potatoes ,and eggs . Warm win ter cloth ing , a Japanese kur um aya

’

s hat

( the best of al l travel l ing hats ) , and Korean str ing shoescompleted my Outfit , and I never needed anyth ing I had not

gotThe start on 7th November was m anaged in good t ime ,

w i thout any of the usual delays, and I may say at once that

the m apu , the bugbear and tormen t of travellers usually , nevergave the sl ightest trouble . Though engaged by the day, theywere ready to make long day ’s journeys

,were always w i l l ing

and helpful , and a mon th later we par ted excel lent fr iends .As th is i s my second favorable exper ience , I am incl ined toth ink that Korean m apu are a mal igned class . For each ponyand m an

,the food of both be ing included , I pa id $ 1 , abou t

2S. , per day when travell ing , and half that sum when hal t ing .

Mr . Yi had two pon ies , I two baggage an imals , on one of wh ichI m rode

, and a saddle pony , i .e. a pack pony equ ipped w i thmy s idesaddle for the occas ion .

Star t ing from the Engl ish Legat ion and the Customs ’ bu i ldi ngs , we left the c i ty by the West Gate , and passing the stonestumps wh ich up t i l l lately suppor ted the carved and coloredroof under wh ich generat ions of Korean k ings after the iraccess ion met the Ch inese envoys , who came in great state toinvest them w i th Korean sovere ignty , and th rough the narrowand rugged defile known as th e Pek ing Pass

,we left the un ique

capital and its lofty clamber ing wal l out of s igh t . The daywas Splend id even for a Korean autumn

,and the fr igh tfu l

black pinnacles , serrated ridges , and flam ing corrugat ions ofPuk Han on the r igh t of the road were atmospher ical ly idealized into perfect beauty . For several m i les the road was

th ronged w i th bull s loaded w i th faggots,r ice

,and p ine brush ,

for the supply of the da i ly necess i t ies of th e c i ty ; th en ,except

when pass ing through the vi llages,it became sol i tary enough ,



of g iving the landlord of the inn at wh ich I hal ted 100 cash

for the room in wh ich I rested , wh ich gave great sat isfact ion .

I had my mattress laid upon the hot floor , and as I m , by instinct, secured pr ivacy for me by fasten ing up mats and cur

ta ins over the paper walls and doors , these m idday halts werevery pleasant . Almost every house in these roadside v i llagesand smal l towns has a low table of such food as Koreans lovelaid out under the eaves .Beyond Ko-yang , stand ing ou t in endless solemn i ty above a

p ine wood on the s ide of a steep h i ll , are two of the strangelyfew an t iqu i t ies of wh ich Korea can boas t . These are two

m i r ioks , colossal busts , abou t 35 feet in he igh t , carved ou t ofthe sol id rock . They are supposed to be rel ics of the veryear ly days of Korean Buddh ism , when m en were rel igiousenough to to i l at such stupendous works , and to represent themale and female elements in nature . They are s ide by s ide .One wears a round and th e other a square hat . The Buddh istic calm ,

or rather I should say apathy, rests on the ir hugefaces

,wh ich have looked stol idly on many a change in Korea,

but on none greater than the last year had w i tnessed .

Dur ing the day we saw three funerals , and I Observed thata Japanese detachmen t wh ich occupied the whole road fi led tothe r igh t and left to let one of th e process ions pass , the menraising the ir caps to th e corpse as they d id so . These funeralsgave an impression of gaiety rather than grief. Two m en

walked first , carrying s i lk bannerets wh ich des ignated the

woman abou t to be in terred as th e w i fe of so and so , a marr iedwoman hav ing no name . Next came a man walk ing backwards w i th many streamers of colored r ibbon float ing from h ishat , r ing ing a large bell , and accompany ing i ts clang w ith ad issonance supposed to be s inging . The coffin , under a four

posted domed cover and concealed by gay cur tains , was borneon a platform by twelve m en

,and was followed by a large

par ty of male mour ners,a man w i th a mus ical instrumen t , a

table, and a box of food . None of the faces were composed

Bu rial Cu stom s 287

to a look of gr ief. On th e dome were two myth ical birds resembl ing the phoen ix . The dome and curta ins were bri l l iant lycolored

, and decorated wi th ribbon streamers . Two corpses,

each extended on a board and covered w i th wh i te paper pastedover smal l hoops

,lay in th e roadway at d ifferent places . These

were bod ies of persons who had d ied far from home and werebeing conveyed to their friends for burial . Later we met another funeral

,the corpse carried as before on a platform by

twelve bearers , who moved to a rhythm ic Chan t of the mostCheerful descr ipt ion , the whole par ty being as jolly as i f theywere go ing to a marr iage . There was a cross in fron t of the gayhearse w i th an extended dragon on each arm , and four largega i ly pain ted birds resembl ing pheasan ts were on the dome .

Korean customs as to death and burial deserve a br ief not ice .When a man or woman falls i ll, the m u -tang or sorceress iscalled in to exorc ise the Spi r i t wh ich has caused the i l lness .When th is fai ls and death becomes imm inen t , in the case of aman no women are al lowed to remain in the room but h isnearest female relat ions , and in that of a woman al l men mustw i thdraw except her husband

,father

,and brother . After death

the body , spec ial ly at the jo ints , is shampooed , and when i t

has been made flex ible i t is covered w ith a clean sheet and laidfor three days on a board

,on wh ich seven stars are painted .

Th is board is even tual ly burned at the grave . The “ StarBoard ,

”as it is cal led , is a euphem ism for death , and is spoken

of as we speak of th e grave . Dur ing these days the graveclothes

,wh ich are of good mater ials in red , blue , and yel low

color ing,are prepared . Korean custom enjoins that bur ial

shal l be delayed in the case of a poor m an three days on ly , inthat of a m iddle-class m an n ine days , of a nobleman or h ighofficial three mon ths

,and in that of one of the Royal Fam i ly

n ine months , but th i s period may be abr idged or extended atthe pleasure of the King .

Man is supposed to have three souls . After death one ocenpies the tablet

, one the grave, and one the Unknown . Dur ing


the pass ing of the sp ir i t there is complete s i lence . The undergarmen ts of the dead are taken out by a servant , who wavesthem in the air and cal ls h im by name , the relat ions and fr iendsmeant ime wa i l ing loudly . After a t ime the clothes are thrownupon the roof. When the corpse has been temporar i ly dressed ,i t is bound so t ightly round the chest as sometimes to breakthe shoulder blades , wh ich is interpreted as a Sign of gook luck .

After these last offices a table i s placed outs ide the door, onwh ich are three bowl s of r ice and a squash . Bes ide i t arethree pair of straw sandals . The rice and sandals are for thethree saj as , or Offic ial servants , who come to conduct one ofthe souls to the “ Ten Judges .” The squash is broken ,

theshoes burned , and the r ice thrown away w i th in hal f an hourafter death . Pictures of the Siptai -wong or “ Ten Judges

”

are to be seen in Buddh i st temples in Korea . On a man ’s

death one of h is souls is se ized by the ir servants and carr iedto the Unknown , where these Judges , who through the ir sp iesare kept wel l in formed as to human deeds

,sen tence i t accord

ingly, e i ther to “ a good place ” or to one of the man i foldhells . The influence of Buddh ism doubtless maintains the observance of th i s s ingular custom , even where the idea of i tss ign ificance is lost or d iscred i ted .

The coffin i s oblong . Where intermen t is delayed , i t ishermet ically sealed w i th several coats of lacquer . Un t i l thefuneral there is wai l ing dai ly in the dead man ’ s house at thethree hours of meals . Next the geomancer is consul ted aboutthe s i te for the grave , and rece ives a fee heavy in propor t ion tothe means of the fam i ly . He is bel ieved from long study tohave become acquainted w i th al l the good and bad influenceswh ich are said to res ide in the ground . A for tunate s i tebr ings rank , wealth , and many sons to the sons and grandsonsof the deceased , and should be , i f possible , on the sou therlyslope of a h i l l . He also chooses an ausp ic ious day for thebur ial .I n the case of a rich man

,the grave w ith a stone altar in



posed to regale i tsel f wi th the i r odors . The mourners againprostrate themselves five t imes , after wh ich they eat the offerings in an adjoin ing room . It is customary for friends tos trew the rou t of the process ion wi th paper money .

In th e per iod between the death and the interment s i lencei s observed in th e house of mourn ing , and only those v is i torsare received who come to condole w i th the fam i ly and speak ofthe vi r tues of th e depar ted . It is bel ieved that conversat ion onany ord inary topic w i l l cause the corpse to shake in the coffinand Show other symptoms of unrest . For the same reason theservants are very par t icular in watch ing the cats of th e household i f there are any, bu t cats are not in favor in Korea . Itis terr ibly unlucky for a cat to j ump over a corpse. It mayeven cause i t to stand upr ight . After th e deceased has

been car r ied out of the house, two or three m a -tangs or

sorceresses en ter i t w i th mus ical instruments and the otherparaphernal ia of their profess ion . After a time one becomes“ inspired ” by the Sp ir i t of the dead m an , and accurately impersonates him

,even to h is smal l tr icks of manner , movemen t ,

and speech . She g ives a narrat ive of h is l ife in the first person s ingular, i f he were a bad m an confess ing h is m isdeeds,wh ich may have been unsuspected by h is ne ighbors

,and i f he

were a good man,narrat ing h is vir tues w i th becom ing modesty .

At the end she bows, takes a solemn farewell of those presen t ,and ret ires .After the tablet has been removed to the ancestral temple,

and the per iod of mourn ing is over , meals are Offered in theshr ine once every mon th , and also on the ann iversary of eachdeath , al l the descendants assembl ing , and these Observancesextend backwards to the ancestors of five generat ions . Thusi t is a very costly th ing to have many near relat ions and anumber of ancestors , the expense fall ing on the eldest son andh is he irs . A Korean gentleman told m e that h is nephew,

upon whom th is duty fal l s,spends m ore upon i t than upon h is

household expenses .

Bu r ial Cu stom s 29 1

It is not t i l l th e th ree years ’ mourn ing for a father has ex

pired that h is tablet is removed to th e ancestral temple wh ichr ich men have near the ir houses . Dur ing the per iod of mourning i t is kept in a vacan t room ,

usual ly in the women ’ s apar tments . A poor m an puts i t in a box on one side of h is room ,

and when he worsh ips his other ancestors,str ips of paper

w i th the ir names upon them are pasted on the mud wall . Ihave slept in rooms in wh ich the tablet lay smothered in duston one of the crossbeams . Common people only worsh ip forthe ir ancestor s of three generat ions . The ann iversary of afather ’s death i s kept wi th much ceremony for three years .On the previous n ight sacr ifice is offered before the tablet, andon the fol lowing day the fr iends pay v isi ts of condolence to thefam i ly

, and eat variet ies of food . Dur ing the day they v isi tthe grave and Offer sacr ifices to the soul and the mountainSpi r i t .A w idow wear s mour n ing al l her l ife . If she has no son

she acts the par t of a son in perform ing the ancestral r i tes forher husband . I t has not been cor rect for w idows to remarry .

If,however , a widow inher i ts proper ty she occasionally m ar

r ies to r id hersel f of impor tun i t ies , in wh ich case she is usuallyrobbed and deser ted .

The custom of tolerat ing th e r emarriage of w idows has,

however, lately been changed into the r ig/i t of remarriage .

CHAPTER X XV

SONG-D o : A ROYAL CITY

T grew dark before we reached Pa Ju, and the m apu werein great terror of t igers and robbers . I t is unpleasan t to

reach a Korean inn after n ightfall,for there are no l ights by

wh ich to unload the baggage , and no ise and confus ion preva i l .When the travel ler arrives a man rushes in wi th a brush ,

st irs up the dust and verm in , and somet imes puts down a

coarse mat . Experience has taugh t me that an o i led sheet i s abetter protect ion aga inst vermin than a pony-load of insectpowder . I made much use of the tripod of my camera . Itserved as a candle-stand , a barometer suspender, and an arrangement on wh ich to hang my clothes at n ight out of harm ’

s

way . I n two hours after arr ival my food was ready, afterwh ich Mr. Yi came in to talk over the day , to plan the morrow , to enl ighten me on Korean customs , and to in terpret myorders to the fai th ful I m , and by I was asleepAfter leaving Pa Ju the country is extremely pretty , and one

of the most p icturesque v iews in Korea is from the heigh tover look ing the romant ical ly si tuated v i l lage of I m -j in , clustering along both s ides of a rav ine , wh ich term inates on thebroad I m -

jm Gang, a tributary of th e Han , in two steep rockybluffs , sprinkled w i th the P inus s inensz

'

s , th e two being connected by a fine , double-roofed gran i te Ch inese gateway, inscr ibed “ Gate for the tranqu i l l izat ion of the West .” Theroad pass ing down the vi l lage street reaches th e water ’s edgethrough th is rel ic , one of three or four s im i lar barr iers on th i sh igh -road to Ch ina . The I m -j in Gang , there 343 yardsbroad , has Shallow water and a flat sandy shore on i ts north



Korea five centur ies ago . A c i ty of people, lying tothe sou th of Sang-dan San , w i th a wall ten m i les in c ircumference runn ing irregular ly over he ights , and p ierced bydouble-roofed gateways

,w i th a peaked and spl intered r idge

extend ing from Sang -dan San to the northeast , i ts h ighersumm its at tain ing alti tudes of from to feet, it hasa str ik ing resemblance to Seoul .The great gate is approached by an avenue of trees, and the

road is l ined w ith seun -

tfeung -pi , monuments to good governors and magistrates, fai thfu l w idows , and pious sons . A widestreet

,its apparent w id th narrowed by two rows of thatched

booths,d ivides the c i ty . It was a scene of bustle , act ivi ty ,

and petty trade , someth ing l ike a fair . The women wearwh i te sheets gathered round the ir heads and near ly reach ingthe ir feet . The street was thronged w i th men in huge hatsand very wh i te cloth ing , w i th boy br idegrooms in pink garments and the qua int yellow hats wh ich custom enjoins forseveral mon ths after m arr iage , and w i th mourner s dressed insackcloth from head to foot , the head and shoulders concealedby peaked and scal loped hats , the ident i ty be ing fur ther disgu ised by two -handled sackcloth screens , held u p to the ir eyes .In thatched stalls on low stands and on mats on th e groundwere al l Korean necessar ies and luxuries

,among wh ich were

large quant i t ies of Engl ish p iece goods, and hacked p ieces of

beef w i th the blood in i t, Korean k il led meat be ing enough tomake any one a vegetarian . Goats are ki l led by pull ing themto and fro in a narrow stream , wh ich method is said to destroythe rank taste of the flesh dogs by tw irl ing them in a nooseun t i l they are unconsc ious , after wh ich they are bled. I havealready infl icted on my readers an accoun t of the fate of abullock at Korean hands . It was a busy , d ir ty , poor , meanscene under the hot sun .

The Song -do inns are bad , and a fr iend of Mr. Yi k indlylen t me a house , par tly in ru ins , bu t w i th two rooms wh ichshel tered I m and mysel f, and in th is I spen t two pleasan t days

Song-do : A Royal C ity 295

in lovely weather , Mr . Yi , who was visi t ing friends, escort ingme to the Song-do sights , wh ich may be seen in one morn ing ,and to pay v is i ts in some of the better-class houses. My quarters, though by comparison very comfor table , would not athome be cons idered fi t for the hous ing of a better-class cowBut Korea has a heaven ly cl imate for much of the year. Thesqualor , dust , and rubb ish in my compound and everywherewere inconceivable , though the ci ty is rather a wel l -to-doone . The water supply is atrocious

,offal and refuse of al l

k inds ly ing up to the mouths of the wells . It says someth ingfor the secur i ty of Korea that a foreign lady cou ld safely l ivein a dwell ing up a lonely al ley in the hear t of a big ci ty , w i thno attendan t bu t a Korean sold ier know ing not a word of Engl ish , who , had he been so m inded , m ight have cut my throatand decamped w i th m y money , of wh ich he knew the whereabouts , ne i ther my door nor the compound having any fastening

Points of in terest in a Korean c i ty are few , and the ancien tcapi tal is no except ion to the rule . There is a fi ne bronze bel lw i th cur iously involved dragons in one of the gate towers

,cast

five centur ies ago ,an archery ground w i th official pav i l ions on

a heigh t w i th a superb v iew , the Governor’ s yam en ,

oncehandsome , now ru inous , w i th Japanese sen tr ies , a d ismal temple to Con fucius , and a showy one to the God of War . Out

s ide the crowd and bustle of th e c i ty , reached by a narrowpath among prosperous g inseng farms and pers immon -embowered hamlets , are the lonely remains o f the palace of theKings who reigned in Korea pr ior to the dynasty of wh ich thepresen t sovere ign is the represen tat ive , and even in the ir forlor nness they give the impression that the Korean Kings weremuch statel ier monarchs then than now.

The rema ins cons ist of an approach to the main platform onwh ich the palace stood , by two subs id iary platform s , th e firstreached by a near ly obl i terated set of steps . Four staircases15 feet w ide , of th ir ty steps each , lead to a lofty ar t ificial


platform ,faced wi th h ewn stone in great blocks , 14 feet h igh ,

and by rough measurement 846 feet in length . On th e easts ide there are mass ive abutments . On the west th e platformbroadens irregularly . At the entrance , 80 feet w ide , at thetop of the steps, there are the bases of columns suggest ive ofa very stately approach . The palace platform is in tersectedby m assive stone foundations of halls and rooms , some of largearea . It is backed by a pine-clothed knoll , and is prett i lysi tuated in an amph i theatre of h i lls .Song-do as a royal c i ty, and as one of the so-cal led for

tresses for the protect ion of the capi tal , st i l l retains m any anc ient privi leges . It is a bustl ing bus iness town , and a greatcentre of the grain trade . It has various mercant ile gu i ldsw i th the ir places of bus iness , smal l shops bu i l t round compounds w i th entrance gates . It makes wooden shoes , coarsepottery and fine matting , and impor ts paper , wh ich i t m anufactures w i th sesamum oil into the oil paper for wh ich Koreai s famous , and wh ich i s made in to cloaks , umbrellas , tobaccopouches

,and sheets for walls and floors . I n answer to many

inqu ir ies , I learned that trade had improved considerablysince the war , but th e nat ive traders now have to compete w ithfourteen Japanese shops, and to suffer the presence of fortyJapanese res idents .I have left un t i l the last the commod i ty for wh ich Song-do

is famous, and wh ich is the ch ief source of i ts prosper i tyg inseng . P anax Ginseng or qui

’

nquefolia is , as i ts nameimports , a “ panacea .

” N0 one can be in th e Far East formany days w i thout hearing of th is root and i ts v ir tues . Nodrug in th e Br i t ish Pharmacopoeia rivals w i th us the est imat ionin wh ich th is is held by the Ch inese . It is a ton ic

,a febr i

fuge , a stomach ic , th e very el ixi r of l ife , taken spasmod icallyor regular ly in Ch inese w ine by most Ch inese who can affordi t. It is one of the most valuable articles wh ich Korea exports, and one great source of i ts r evenu e. In the steamer inwh ich I left Chemulpo there was a consignment of i t worth



most profi t when the date is ear ly . On ly two manufacturersare l icensed

,and one hundred and fifty grower s . The quan

t i ty to be manufactured is also l im i ted . In 1895 i t was

ca tties of red g inseng and of “ beards The terms“ beards and “ tai ls are used to denote d ifferen t parts ofthe root , wh ich eventual ly has a grotesque resemblance to aheadless m an It is poss ible that th is l ikeness is the source ofsome of the almost m iracu lous vir tues wh ich are attributed toi t. Everyth ing about the factories is scrupulously clean , andwould do cred i t to European managemen t . The row ofhouses used by what we shou ld call the exc isemen are wellbu i l t and comfor table . There are two offic ials sent from Seoulby the Agr icul tural Departmen t for the “ season

,

’ w i th fourpol icemen and two attendants

,whose expenses are paid by the

manufacturers , and each step of the manufacture and theegress of the workmen are careful ly watched . Mr . Yi was

sen t by the Customs to make spec ial inqu ir ies in connectionw i th th e revenue der ived .

G inseng is steamed for twenty - four hours in large ear then jarsover i ron pots bu i l t into furnaces , and is th en par t ially dr iedin a room kept at a h igh temperatur e by charcoal . The finaldry ing is effected by expos ing the roots in elevated flat basketsto th e rays of the br ight w inter sun . T he human resemblancesurv ives these processes, bu t afterwards the “ beards and

“ tai ls,

”used ch iefly in Korea , are cu t off, and the trunk ,

from 3 to 4 inches long , looks like a p iece of clouded amber .

These trunks are careful ly p icked over , and be ing class ifiedaccord ing to s ize

, are neatly packed in smal l oblong basketscon tain ing abou t five catties each , twelve or fourteen of thesebe ing packed in a basket , wh ich is waterproofed and matted ,and stamped and seal ed by the Agr icul tural Depar tmen t asready for expor tat ion . A basket

,accord ing to qual i ty , is

wor th from to I n a good season the growermakes abou t fifteen t imes h is outlay . G inseng was a Royalmonopoly , but t imes have changed . Th is med ic ine , wh ich

Song-do : A Royal City 299

has such a h igh and apparently par t ially deserved reputat ionthroughout the Far East , does not su i t Europeans

,and is of

l i t tle accoun t w i th European doctors .A Post Office had been establ ished in Song—do under Korean

management, and I not on ly rece ived bu t sen t a letter

,wh ich

reached i ts destinat ion safely Buddh i sm st i l l prevai ls tosome extent in th is ci ty

,and large sums are expended upon the

services of sorcerers . I n Song -do I saw , what very rarely maybe seen in Seoul and elsewhere , a Red Door .

” These are avery h igh honor reserved for rar e instances of faithfulness inw idows , loyal ty in subjects , and p iety in sons . When a w idow

(almost invar iably of the upper class) weeps ceaselessly for herhusband , ma in tains the deepest seclus ion ,

attends loyally to herfath er and mother - in -law

,and spends her t ime in p ious deeds,

the people of th e n eighborhood , proud of her v ir tues , represent them to the Governor of th e prov ince , who conveys the irrecommendat ion to the King , w i th whom i t rests to con fer theRed Door .

” The d ist inct ion is al so g iven to the fam i ly ofan em inently loyal subject, who has g iven h is l ife for theK ing ’s l ife .

The case of a son whose father has reached a great age issomewhat d ifferen t

, and the honor is more emphat ic st i l l . H is

fi l ial v ir tue i s shown by such methods as these . He goesevery morn ing to h is father ’s apar tments , asks h im how h ishealth is, how he has slept , what he has eaten for breakfast ,and how he enj oyed the meal—if he has any fanc ies for d inner

, and if he shal l go to the market and buy h im some ta i

( the best fish in Korea) , and i f he shal l come back and ass isth im to take a walk ? The reader w i l l obser ve how extremelymater ial the p iou s son ’ s inqu ir ies are . Such ass idu i ty cont inned dur ing a course of year s , on being represented to theKing

,may rece ive the coveted red por tal . I n former days ,

these matters used to be referred to the Suzera in , the Emperorof Ch ina . In Song-do , as in the v i l lages , a straw fr inge isfrequent ly to be seen stretched across a door , e i ther pla in or


w i th bi ts of charcoal knotted in to i t. The former denotes thebir th of a g ir l , the latter that of a boy . A g ir l is not Speciallywelcome, nor is th e occas ion one of fest iv i ty

,bu t n ei ther is i t

,

as in some countr ies , regarded as a calam i ty,although

, if it

be a firstborn , the fr iends of the father are apt to wr i te lettersof condolence to h im , wi th the consol ing suggest ion that “ thenext w i l l be a boy .

!

CH IL-SUNG MON, SEVEN STAR GATE .



had no hot floor and the mercury at daybreak was on ly 20°

When we star ted , a strong nor thwester was blowing , wh ich increased to a gale by noon ,

the same fierce gale in wh ich at

Chemulpo H .M .S. E dgar lost her boat w ith for ty—seven m en .

My pony and I would have been blown over a wretched br idgehad not fou r m en l inked themselves together to suppor t us ;and later , on the top of a precipice above a r iver, a gust camew i th such force that the an imals r efused to face it, and one ofthem was as near ly lost as poss ible . By noon i t was impossibleto s i t on our horses , and we fought the storm on foot . WhenI m l ifted me from my pony I fel l down , and i t took severalmen shout ing w i th laughter to set me on my feet again . WhenMr . Yi and I spoke to each other , our voices had a bobberyclatter

, and sen tences broke off hal fway in an insane g iggle . Ifel t as i f there were hardly another shot in the locker ,

” buti f a traveller “ says d ie, th e m en lose al l hear t , so I summoued up al l my pluck , took a photograph after the noon

'

halt,

and walked on at a good pace .

But th e w ind , w i th the mercury at was awful , gr ippingthe hear t and benumb ing the brain . I have not fel t anyth ingl ike i t s ince I encoun tered the dev i l w ind ” on the Zagroshe ights in Pers ia . At some d istance from our dest inat ion Mr .

Yi,I m

,and the m apu begged me to hal t , as they could no

longer face i t, though the accommodation for m an and beastat Tol Maru , where we put up, was the worst imaginable , andthe large v i l lage the filthiest, most squal id , and most absolutely

pover ty-str icken place I saw in that land of squalor . Thehor ses were crowded together, and their baffled attempts atfight ing were on ly less h ideous than the shouts and yells of them apu ,

who were constantly be ing roused ou t of a sound sleepto separate them .

My room was 8 feet by 6, and much occupied by the chattels of the people , bes ides being al ive w i th cockroaches andother forms of horr id l ife . The d ir t and d iscomfort in wh ichthe peasant Koreans l ive are i ncred ible .

The PhyOng-yang Battlefield 303

An un interest ing tract of country succeeded, and some t ime

was occupied in thread ing long treeless valleys , cut up by stonybeds of streams, marg ined by sandy flats

,inundated in sum

m er , and then covered ch iefly w i th w i thered reeds,asters , and

ar tem is ia, a belated aster every now and then d isplay ing i tsun t imely mauve blossom . All these and the dry grasses andweeds of the h i l ls ides were be ing cut and stacked for fuel

,even

brushwood hav ing d isappeared . Th i s work is done by smallboys , who car ry their loads on wooden saddles su i ted to the irs ize . That reg ion is very th in ly peopled

,on ly a few hamlets

of squal id hovels being scattered over i t, and cult ivat ion was rareand unt idy

,except in one fine agricultural val ley where wheat

and barley were springing . No an imals , except a breed ofp igs not larger than Engl ish terr iers , were to be seen .

One of the most d ismal and squal id towns on th i s routeis Shur-hung , a long rambl ing v i l lage of near ly souls

,

and a mag istracy , bu il t along the refuse -covered bank of abr ight

,shal low stream . As if the Crown offic ial were the upas

tree,the town wi th a yam en is always more for lorn than any

other . I n Shur -hung the large and once handsome yam enbu i ld ings are al l but in ru ins

, and so is the Con fucian temple,v isi ted per iod ically , as all such temples are , by the magistrate ,who bows before the tablet of the most holy teacher and

offers an an imal in sacr ifice .

The Kor ean offic ial is the vampire wh ich sucks the l i feblood of the people . We had crossed the Tao-jol , theboundary between the prov inces of Kyong-hwi and Hwanghai

,and were then in the latter . Most offic ials of any stand ing

l ive in Seoul for pleasure and society , leaving subord inates incharge

,and as the ir tenure of office is very br ief, they regard

the people wi th in their j ur isd ict ion rather wi th reference tothei r squeezeableness than to thei r capaci ty for improvement .For ty Japanese sold iers found a draugh ty Shelter w i th in the

tumble-down bu i ld ings of the yam en . As I walked down thestreet one of them touched me on the shoulder, asking my


national i ty,whence I came , and wh i ther I was go ing

, not

qu i te pol i tely,I thought . When I reached my room a dozen

of them came and gradual ly closed round my door , wh ich Icou ld not shut

,stand ing alm ost w i th in i t. A tr im sergean t

raised h is cap to me , and passing on to Mr. Yi’

s room,asked

h im where I came from and wh i ther I was go ing , and on hearing , repl ied , All r ight ,

”raised h is cap to me

,and departed

,

w i thdraw ing his m en w i th h im . Th is was one of severaldom ic i l iary v is i ts

,and though they were usually very pol itely

made , they suggested the query as to the r igh t to m ake them ,

and to whom the mastersh ip in the land belonged . There , aselsewhere

,though the people hated the Japanese w i th an in tense

hatred , they were obl iged to adm i t that they were very qu ietand pa id for everyth ing they got . If the sold iers had not beenin European clothes, i t would not have occurred to me toth ink them rude for crowd ing round my door .

A day ’s r ide through monotonous coun try brough t us toPong-san

,where we hal ted in the d irt iest hole I had t il l then

been in . As soon as my den was comfortably warm , myr iadsof house fl ies , blacken ing the rafters , r enewed a sem i - torp idex istence , dying in heaps in the soup and curry , fi l l ing thewell of the candlest ick w i th th eir s inged bod ies, and crawl ingin hundreds over my face . Next came the cockroaches inlegions , large and small , torpid and act ive , fol lowed by a greatarmy of fleas and bugs

,mak ing l i fe insuppor table. To j udge

from the s ign ificant sounds from the publ ic room ,no one slept

al l n igh t , and when I asked Mr . Yi after h is wel fare the nextmorn ing , he uttered the one word m iserable .” D iscomfortsof th is nature, less or more, are inseparable from the KoreanI nn .

The follow ing day , at a large vi l lage , we came upon theweekly market . It is usual to inqu ire r egard ing the trade of ad istr ict, and as the result of my inqu i r ies , I asser t that“ trade ” in the ord inary sense has no ex istence in a greatpar t of Central and Northern Korea , i .e. there is no exchange



spoons , wh i le the m ain road has its complemen t of merchan ts ,i .e. pedlars , mostly fine, strong , well -dressed m en

, e i ther car

rying the ir heavy packs themselves or employ ing por ters orbulls for the purpose . These m en travel on regular c ircu i ts tothe v i l lage centres , and are industr ious and respectable . A

few put up stal ls , spec ial ly those who sel l Si lks , gauzes , cordsfor g i rdles , dress shoes , amber , but tons , s i lks in skeins , smal lm i rrors , tobacco-pouches , d ress combs of tor to ise-shel l formen ’ s topknots , tape g i rdles for trousers , boxes w i th m irrortops

,and the l ike . But most of the ar t icles , from wh ich one

learns a good deal about th e necessar ies and l uxur ies requ iredby the Korean

, are exposed for sale on low tables or on matson the ground , the merchan t g iving the occupan t of th ehouse before wh ich he camps a few cask for the accommodat ion .

On such tables are st icks of pul led candy as th ick as an

arm , some of i t stuffed w i th sesamum seeds , a sweetmeat soldin enormous quan t i t ies , and p iece goods , sh ir t ings of Japaneseand Engl ish make

,Victor ia lawns

,hem pen cloth , Turkey-red

cottons,Korean fl imsy s i lks , dyes , ch iefly an i l ine , wh ich are

sold i n great quan t i t ies , together wi th saffron , ind igo , and

Ch inese Prussian blue . On these also are exposed long p ipes ,contraband in the capi tal

,and Japanese c igarettes , com ing into

great favor w i th young men and boys , w i th leather cour ierbags and luc ifer matches from the same coun try , woodencombs

,hairp ins w i th t insel heads , and , such is the march of

ideas,purses for s i lver ! Paper , the best of the Korean man

ufactures , in i ts finer qual it ies produced in Chu l-la Do , is honored by stal ls . Every k ind is purchasable in these markets ,from the beaut i ful

,translucent

,buff

,o i led paper, near ly equal

to vellum in appearance and tenac i ty , used for the floors ofm iddle and upper -class houses , and the stout paper for covering walls , to the th in , strong fi lm for wr i t ing on ,

and a beaut i ful fabr ic , a sor t of frothy gauze, for wrapping up del icatefabrics, as wel l as the coarse fibrous mater ial

,used for covering


heavy packages , and intermed iate grades, appl ied to everyimaginable purpose , such as the mak ing of str ing , alm ost al lmanufactured from the paper mulberry .

On mats 011 the ground are exposed straw m ats,straw and

str ing shoes,flints for use wi th steel , black buckram dress hats ,

coarse,nar row cotton cloth of Korean manufactu re

, rope muzzles for horses (much needed ) , sweeping wh i sks , woodens akels , and straw , reed , and bamboo bats in endless var iety .

On these also are rough i ron goods , fam i ly cook ing -pots,

horseshoes,spade -Shoes

,door -rings, nai ls , and carpen ter

’ stools

,when of nat ive manufacture , as rough as they can be ;

and Korean roots and fru i ts,tasteless and un tempt ing, great

hard pears much l ike raw parsn ips , chestnuts, peanuts , pers immons wh ich had been soaked in water to take the acr id ityou t of them

,and g inger . There were coops of fowls and

pi les of pheasan ts , brough t down by falcons , gorgeous b irds ,sell ing at six for a y en (about 4d . each ) , and torn and hackedp ieces of bul l beef.One prom inen t feature of that spec ial market was the nat ive

pottery,both coarse and br i tt le war e

,clay

,w i th a pale green

glaze rudely appl ied , smal l j ars and bowls ch iefly , and acoarser ware , near ly black and sl igh tly i r idescen t , closely resembl ing i ron . Th is pottery is of un iversal use among thepoor for cook ing-pots , water -jars , refuse-jars , receptacles forgrain and pulse , and p ickle -jars 5 feet h igh , roomy enough tohold a m an ,

two of wh ich are a bull ’s load . At that seasonthese jars wer e in great request , for the peasan t wor ld was oc3

cupied ,the m en in d igging up a great hard wh i te rad ish

we igh ing from 2 to 4 lbs . , and the women in wash ing i ts greathead of partial ly blanched leaves

,wh ich

,after being laid

as ide inthese jars in br ine , form one great ar t icle of a Koreanpeasan t ’s winter d iet .Umbrella hats , o i led paper , hat covers , pounded capsicums ,

rice, peas , and beans , bean curd , and other necessar ies of

Korean existence, were there , but bus iness was very dull , and


the crowds Of people were near ly as qu iet as the gentle bul lswh ich stood hour after hour among them . Late in the afternoon

,the pedlars packed up the ir wares and departed en r oute

for the next cen tre , and a good deal of hard dr ink ing closedthe day . I have been thus m inu te in my descr ipt ion becauseth e per ipatet ic merchan t real ly represents the fash ion ofKorean trade, and the wares wh ich are brought to market areboth the necessar ies and luxu r ies of Korean existence .The reader wi l l agree w i th me that , except for a certain

amoun t of ins igh t into Korean customs wh ich can on ly begained by m ixing freely w i th Koreans , the j ourney from Seou lto PhyOng-yang tends to monotony

,though at the t ime Mr .

Yi’

s br ightness , intel l igence , sense of fun , and unvary ing goodnature made it very pleasan t . Among the few features of interest on the road are th e H i l l Towns

,

” of wh ich three arestr iking objects , special ly one on the h i l l oppos i te to themag istracy of Pyeng -san , the h i l ltop be ing sur rounded by abattlemented wal l two m i les in ci rcu i t , enclos ing a tangledth icket contain ing a few hovels and the remains of somegranar ies . Unwalled towns are supposed to possess suchstrongholds

,w i th stores of r ice and soy , as refuges in t imes

of invas ion or rebel l ion,but as they have not been requ ired

for three centur ies , they are now ru inous . The one on a h ighh i l l above Sai -nam ,

where the last Ch inese gate occur s , is im

pos ing from i ts fine gateway and the exten t of ground i t encloses .Two days before reach ing Phyong-yang we crossed the h igh

est pass on th e road,and by a glen wooded w i th such dec id

nous trees , shrubs , and trai ler s as ash , elaeagnus , euonymus ,horn -beam , oak, l ime , Acant/zopanax r icin ifolia , act in id ia w i thscar let berr ies , clemat is , Ampelops i s Vei tclzi i , etc . descendedto the valley of the Nam -chhon

,a broad but shallow stream

wh ich jo ins the Tai -dOng . On th e r igh t bank , where thestream , crossed by a d i l apidated br idge , is 1 28 yards wide , thetown of Whang Ju is p icturesquely s i tuated , 36 li from the sea,



much resulted from the terrified fl ight of more than ofthe inhab i tants .North of Whang Ju are r ich plains o f product ive , stoneless,

red alluv ium ,extend ing towards the Tai -dOng for n ear ly 40

m i les . On these there were v il lages par t ly burned and partlydepopulated and ru inous , and tracts of the superb soi l hadpassed out of cul t ivat ion ow ing to the fl igh t of th e cul t ivators ,and there was a total absence of beasts , th e Splend id bulls ofthe region hav ing perished under the ir loads en r oute for Manchuria .It was a dreary journey that day through par t ially destroyed

v i l lages , relaps ing plains , and slopes denuded of every st ickwh ich could be burned . There were n o wayfarers on the

roads,no movemen t of any k ind , and as i t grew dusk the

m apu were afraid of t iger s and robbers, and we hal ted for then ight at the wretched hamlet of Ko-moun Tar i , where I Obtained a room w i th delay and d ifficul ty

,par tly ow ing to the

unwi l l ingness of the people to rece ive a fore igner . They hadsuffered enough from fore igners , trulyThe conclud ing day ’s march was through a pleasan t country,

though denuded of trees , and the approach to a great c i ty wasdenoted by the number of vi l lages

,daemon sh r ines, and refresh

ment booths on the road,the increased traffic , and eventual ly ,

by a long avenue of stone tablets,some of them under h ighly

decorated roofs , record ing the vir tues of PhyOng -

yang of fic ialsfor 2 50 years !The first view of Phyong -yang del ighted me . The ci ty has

a magn ificen t Si tuat ion,taken advan tage of w i th much sk i ll ,

and at a d istance mer i ts the epi thet “ impos ing .

” It was aglor ious after noon . All the low ranges wh ich gi rdle th e r ichplain through wh ich the Tai -dOng winds were blue and v iolet,mel t ing into a blue haze

,the crystal waters of the r iver were

bluer st il l,brown -sa i led boats dr ifted laz i ly w i th th e stream ,

and above i t the gray mass of the c i ty rose into a dome of nuclouded blue .

The PhyOng-yang Battlefield 31 1

It is bui l t on lofty ground r is ing abruptly from the r iver ,above wh ich a fine wal l cl imbs picturesquely over irregular ,but always ascend ing al t itudes

,t i l l i t is lost among the p ines

of a h i l l wh ich overhangs the Ta i -dOng . The great doubleroofed Tai -dOng Mon (r iver gate) , decorated pav i l ions on thewalls , the mass ive cur led roofs of the Governor

’s yam en,a large

Buddh ist monastery and temple on a he ight , and a fine templeto the God ofWar

, prom inen t obj ects from a d istance , prepareone for someth ing qu i te apar t from the ord inary meanness ofa Korean c i ty .

Cross ing the clear flash ing waters of the Tai -dong w i th ourpon ies in a crowded ferry-boat , we found ourselves in the slushof the dark Water Gate , at al l hours of the day crowded w i thwater -carr iers . There are no wells in the ci ty , the reason ass igned for the defic iency being that the walls enclose a boatshaped area

,and that the d igging of wells would cause '

°

the

boat to s ink The water is carr ied almost ent irely in American kerosene t ins . I lodged at the house of a broker, and hadn ice clean rooms for mysel f and I m

,qu i te qu iet, and w i th a

separate access from the street . It was truly a luxu ry to haveroof, walls , and floor papered w i th th ick o i led paper much re

sembl ing varn i shed oak , but there was no-hot floor , and I had

to rely for warmth solely on the fire bowl . ”

Tak ing a most d iver t ing boy as my gu ide , I went outs idethe ci ty wall , th rough some farm ing country to a Korean housein a very tumble - to -p ieces compound , wh ich he ins isted wasthe dwel l ing of the Amer ican m iss ionar ies ; but I on ly founda Korean fam i ly , and there were no traces of fore ign ocenpat iou in glass panes let into the paper of the w indows anddoor s . Noth ing daun ted

,the boy pulled me through a sm aller

compound,opened a door , and pushed me in to what was m an i

festly posing as a fore ign room , gave me a chair, took one h imself, and offered me a c igaretteI had reached the r ight place . It was a very rough Korean

room ,about the length and w idth of a N.W. Rai lway saloon


carr iage . It had three camp-beds, three chairs , a trunk for atable

,and a few books and wri t ing mater ials , as well as a few

ar t icles of male apparel hang ing on the mud walls . I wai tedmore than an hour , every attempt at departure be ing forciblyas well as volubly resisted by the urch in , imag in ing the devot ion wh ich could sustain educated men year after year in suchsurround ings , and then they came in h ilariously

,and we had

a most pleasan t even ing . I shal l say more of them later. Itwas a we ird walk through ru ins wh ich looked ghostly in the

starl igh t to my curious quar ter s in the densest part of the ci tyby the Water Gate , where at in terval s through the n igh t I heardthe beat of the sorcerer ’s drum and the shriek ing chan t of the

I t may be taken for granted that every Korean w inter day issplend id , bu t the fol low ing day in PhyOng-yang was heaven ly .

Three Koreans cal led on me in the mor ning , very cour teouspersons, but as Mr . Yi and I had par ted company for a t imeon reach ing the c i ty

, the interpretat ion was feeble, and webowed and sm i led

, and sm i led and bowed w i th ted ious i terat ion wi thout com ing to much mutual understand ing , and Iwas glad when the t ime came for see ing the c ity and battlefield under Mr . Moffet t ’s gu idance .

On such an incomparable day everyth ing looked at i ts verybest , but also at i ts very worst , for the br i l l ian t sunsh ine lit updesolat ions s icken ing to con template ,—a prosperous c i ty of

inhab i tan ts reduced to decay and —four—fifthsof i ts houses destroyed

,s t reets and alleys choked w i th ru ins ,

h i l l slopes and vales once th ick w i th Korean crowded homesteads , covered wi th gaun t h ideous remains—fragments ofbroken walls

, kang floors, kang ch imneys

,indefin i te heaps in

wh ich roofs and wal ls lay in unpicturesqu e con fus ion—and

St i l l worse , roofs and wal ls stand ing , bu t door s and w indowsal l gone , suggest ing the horror of human faces w i th thei r eyesput out . Everywhere there were the same scenes , m i les ofthem , and very much of th e desolat ion was charred and



c iv i l authori t ies . The main street on my second v isit had as

sumed a bustl ing appearance . There was much bu i ld ing upand pull ing down ,

for Japanese traders had obtained al l theel igible bus iness si tes , and were transform ing the small , dark ,low,

Korean shops into large , l igh t , airy , dain ty Japanese erect ions

,well stocked w i th Japanese goods , and spec ially w i th

kerosene lamps of every pattern and pr ice , the Defr ies andH inckes patents be ing unblush ingly infringed .

PhyOng-yang has a truly beaut i ful s ituat ion on the right or

nor th bank of the clear,bright Tai -dOng , 400 yards w ide at

the ferry . It occup ies an undulat ing plateau , and i ts wall ,parallel for two m i les and a half, r ises from the r iver level atthe stately Water Gate , and fol low ing i ts w ind ings , moun ts escarped bills to a he ight of over 400 feet , turn ing westwards atthe crest of the cl iff at a sharp angle marked by a pavi l ion ,one of several , and fol lows the western ridge of the plateau ,where i t fal ls steeply down to a ferti le roll ing plain where theone real battle of the late war was fought .Th is wall , wh ich is in excel lent repai r , is a loopholed and

battlemented structure, 20 feet h igh , p ierced by several gatesw i th gate towers . The c i ty

,large as i t was , was once much

larger , for th e old wal l on the west s ide encloses a far largerarea than the modern one . The walk over the grassy undulations w ith in the wal l and up to the nor thern p i ne-clothedsumm i t is entranc ing , and the v iews

,even in w inter

,are ex

quisite—eastwards over a r ich plain to the m ounta in s th roughwh ich the Ta i—dOng cu ts i ts way , or nor thwest to one of i tsaffluents and the great battlefield over wh ich in 1 593 the join tforces of Ch inese and Koreans poured to recover PhyOng-yangfrom the Japanese , or seawards where the clear br igh t waterswind through fer t i le and populous coun try , or the h i l ly areaw i th in the walls where pine-clothed knol ls conceal the devastations , and th e Governor ’s yam en

,temples

,and monasteries

m ake a goodly Show .

Between the c i ty and the Ch inese fron tier is the largest and


r ichest plain in Korea ; to the east where the v iolet shadowslay are the val leys of the two branches of the Ta i -dOng , r ichin s i lk , i ron, and cotton ,

wh i le wi th in 10 m i les there are atleast five coal -m ines , 1 and for all produce there is easy comm un ication w i th the sea , 36 m i les d istant , for vessels of l ightdraught , by means of the r iver wh ich flows below the ci tywall . T imber is rafted down the Tai -dong in summer . ThePek ing road , wh ich I had followed thus far , and wh ich forcentur ies has l inked PhyOng -yang w i th the outer wor ld and

the capi tal , is another element in the former prosper i ty of thec i ty . It was to photograph for the w idow and fam i ly of Gen

eral Tso of Mukden , the commander of th e best -d iscipl inedand best -equ ipped cavalry br igade in the Ch inese army , thescenes connected w i th h is last days and death that I vis i tedthe h i l l w i th in the wall .The r iver wal l of Phyong-yang , after 2 m i les of an undulat

ing ascent , turns sharply at a pav i l ion, outs ide of wh ich theground falls prec ipi tously , to r ise again in a kn i fe- l ike r idge

,

the three h ighest poin ts of wh ich are crowned w i th Ch ineseforts . From th is pavi l ion th e wall , follow ing the lie of theh i l l

,slopes rapidly down to a very picturesque and narrow

gate,the Call-sung Man or Seven Star Gate , after wh ich it

trends in a nor thwester ly d irect ion to the Potong Man .

1There are five coal-m ines at d istances varying from 10 to 30 li from

PhyOng-yang, those of Yang-tang, 15 li away, producing the best qual ity.

Wi th r ich i ron ore close to the r iver bank at Ka i Ct n , about 36 li off,

the elem en ts of prosper i ty are ready to hand . The coal -owners haveno proper appliances for working the coal , r ely ing ch iefly on Koreanaxes , and the “ output ” i s very sm all . Much m oney has been spent in

trying to get the coal , and i n two m ines they cannot proceed any farth erwith thei r presen t tools . The d ifficu l ties of tran sport are great, and therei s no dem and for any quan ti ty in PhyOng -yang i tself, but the m ineral isthere in abundance and of good qua l i ty , and on ly awa its capital and en

terpr ise. A tax of 5 per cen t. is levied on all coal sent away from the

m ines. The total export for 1895 was on ly 65 2 tons, valued at 4 dols.20 cts. per ton ( 9s ) .


I n th e p ine wood , at the h ighest par t of the angle formedby the wall

,General Tso had bu i l t three mud for ts or camps

w i th walls 10 feet h igh . The ground under the trees is dottedw i th the stone—l ined cook ing holes of h is men , blackened w iththe smoke of their last fires . On the after noon of the 15 th ofSeptember , 1894, General Tso and his force , wh ich mustered

m en when it left Mukden , but must have been greatlyd im in ished by deser t ion and death , made his fatal sally, passing through the Clu

'

l-sung Mon and down the steep z igzag descent below it to the plain , meet ing his death probably w i th in

300 yards of the gate . The Koreans say that some of h is m en

took up the body,but were shot by the Japanese wh i le rem ov

ing i t, and that it Was los t in the slaughter wh ich ensued . A

neat obel isk,ra iled round , was erected by the Japanese at the

supposed spot , bear ing on one face th e inscr ipt ion

Tso Pao-kuei, com m ander-in -ch ief of the Feng-tien divi sion . Place of

death .

And on the other

Ki lled wh i le figh ting with the Japanese troops at Phyong-yang .

A graceful tr ibute to the ir ablest foe .

General Tso’

s troops , demoral ized by h is death , soug h tr efuge everywhere from the dead ly fire of the Japanese , a par tflying back to the ir for ts w ith in the wall

,wh i le many

,prob

ably bl inded and desperate , rode along the pine woods wh ichdensely cover the broken ground outs ide , by a path along aw ide dry moat , wh ich , th ree weeks later , when Mr . Moffettretu rned , was piled w i th the dead bod ies of the ir horses .I n the br igh t moon l igh t n igh t wh ich fol lowed that day , th e

Japanese stormed and took by assaul t the th ree Ch inese for tson the three sum m i ts of th e r idge

,wh ich were the key of the

pos i t ion , enabl ing them to throw their shel l in to th e Ch inesefor ts and camps w i th in the wal l . The beaut ifu l pav i l ion atthe angle of the wal l is much shattered , and big fragments ofshell are embedded in i ts pi l lars and richly carved woodwork .



Numbers of the wounded crept in to the deser ted houses andd ied there

,some of the bod ies Show ing ind icat ions of su ic ide

from agony , and throughou t th is mass of human rel ics wh ichlay blacken ing and fester ing in the hot sun , dogs , left beh indby the ir owners , were hold ing h igh carn ival . Even in mywalks over the battlefield , though the grain of another yearhad r ipened upon i t

, I saw human sku lls , Spines w i th r ibs ,sp ines w i th the pelv is attached , arms and hands , hats, belts ,and scabbards .On a lofty knol l w i th in the wall , th e Japanese have erected

a fine monol i th to the m emory of the 1 68 men they lost .They turned the temple of th e God of War in to a hospi tal ,and ther e , cela va sans di r e, the ir wounded were adm i rablytreated , and in another bu i ld ing the Ch inese wounded werecareful ly attended to , though natural ly not t i l l many of themhad d ied of thei r wounds on the battlefield . A ghastly retr ibution fol lowed the neglect to bury the Ch inese dead , fortyphus fever broke out , and i ts ravages among the Japanesetroops may be par t ial ly est imated by the long l ines of gravesin the m i l i tary cemetery at Chemulpo .

Outs ide the wall , in beau t i fu lly broken ground , roughlywooded w i th the P inus s inens is , there are st i l l bull ets in thebranches , many of wh ich were spl intered by the iron hai l , andthe temple at the tomb of K it-ze, th e founder of Korean civ

ilization ,must have been the centre of a deadly fight , for i ts

woodwork is r iddled w i th bul lets and damaged by shell , andon its floor are great dark stains , where , when the figh t wasover

, the Japanese wounded lay in pools of blood .

At some po in ts,spec ially at the mud forts by the ferry , the

Ch inese made a very determ ined stand for ten hours , so thatthe Japanese troops wavered , and were on ly recovered by agallan t dash made by General Osh ima . Probably the battleof Phyong-yang dec ided the fate of th e campaign .

Mr . Yi found an old book in e igh teen vols: for sale , wh ichgives a h istory of th is c i ty . Most Korean matters are lost in


CHAPTER XXVII

NORTHWARD Ho

OR th e northern jour ney simple preparations on ly weren eeded , cons isting of the purchase of candles and two

blankets for I m ,in hav ing two pheasan ts cooked

,in d ispens

ing w i th one pony , leaving us the moderate allowance of twobaggage an imals

,and in depos i t ing most of my money w i th

Mr . Moffett , For there wer e rumor s of robbers on the road ,and Mr . Yi left h is fine clothes and elegan t travell ing gear alsobeh ind .

On a bri l l ian t morning (and when are Korean morn ings notbr i l l ian t passing through the gate out of wh ich General Tsomade his last sally

,and down the steep decl iv i ty on wh ich i t

opens , we travelled for a t ime along the An Ju road , sk irt ingthe base of the h i l l on wh ich the Ch inese cavalry made the irdesperate attack on an in trenched pos i t ion , and near the ru insof two intrenched camps , where they fell in hundreds beforethe merc i less fire of the enemy , and where human bones werest i ll ly ing abou t . But where Death r eaped that ghastly harvestmagn ificen t grain crops had r ecen tly been secured , and themellow sunl igh t shone on m i les of stubble .

Shor tly we turned off on a road un touched by the havoc ofwar , and saw no more of th e gaun t ru ins or charred remainsof cottages . In that pleasan t region ranges of h i l ls w i th pineson the ir lower l pes girdle val leys of r ich s toneless al luv ium ,

producing abundantly cotton , tobacco , caster oil, wheat ,bar ley , peas , beans , and most espec ially , th e red and wh i tem i l le t . Wherever a lateral val ley descends upon the one

through wh ich the road passes , there is a v i l lage of thatched


32 2 Korea and.

H er Ne ighbors

often p iled w i th large sh ingle by the v iolence of streams thenperfectly dry .

By m isd irect ion , m isunderstand ing , or complexi ty or com

plete i l leg ib i l i ty of th e track , we spent much of the day inlos ing and retrac ing our way , scrambl ing up steep rock- ladders,etc .

,and when we reached Kai -pang after dusk we were for

some t im e refused adm i ss ion to th e inn . The owner said hecould not take in any one travel l ing w i th so many m apu ( four)and a sold ier . He was terr ified . He sa id we should go awayin the morn ing w i thou t pay ing him , and should beat h im whenhe asked to be paid ! However , the m apu gave me such an

excellen t character that at last he consented,and I had an ex

cellent room ,—that is, th e walls and roof were cream -washed

,

wh ich gave i t a look of clean l iness . The t im id innkeeper wasold

,and th is brough t ou t th e fact that when a local m igistrate

has aged paren ts , i t is customary for h im to invi te to an entertainm ent everybody in h is d istr ict between the ages of 60 and

100 , and i t is usual for the old m en to take thei r oldestgrandsons w i th them as test imon ies to the ir old age . As everyguest has to be accompan ied fittingly, the company oftennumbers 200 .

At Ka-chang and elsewhere the pigst ies are much moresol id than the houses , be ing regular log cabins w i th substan t ialroofs for the protect ion of the ir inmates from t igers , or in thatne ighborhood from wolves These pigs , of wh ich everycountry fam i ly in Korea possesses some , are of an absurdlysmall black breed , a ful l-grown an imal not weigh ing morethan 26 lbs .Dur ing the two days ’ j ourney from the m arket -place of

Sian-ch iing , we passed the magistrac i es of Cha-san and Un

san , ferry ing the Ta i -dOng just beyond Cha -san,where i t is a

fine stream 31 7 yards broad , and is said by the ferrymen to be47 feet deep . All that region is well peopled and fer t i le .There are no res iden t yang -oa si s in the prov ince of Phyong-an .

Gold is obtained by a s imple process al l round the country ,

Northward Ho 3 323

spec ial ly at Keum san . At Wol -po, a prett i ly si tuated v il lage ,and elsewhere , a quant i ty of the coarser descr ipt ions of paperis made . Paper and tobacco were the goods that were on themove , bound for PhyOng -yang .

Paper is used for a greater var iety of purposes in Korea thananywhere else , and i ts toughness and durab i l i ty render i t invaluable . The coarser sorts are made from old rags and paper,the finer from the paper mulber ry . Paper is the one ar t icle ofKorean manufactu re wh ich is expor ted in any quan t i ty toCh ina , where i t is used for some of the same purposes .Oil paper about a s ixth of an inch in th ickness is pasted on

the floors instead of carpets or mats . It bear s wash ing, andtakes a h igh pol ish from dry rubb ing . I n the Royal Palaces ,where two t ints are used carefully

,i t resembles oak parquet .

It is also used for wal ls . A th inner qual ity is made in to thefold ing , con ical hat-cover s wh ich every Korean carr ies in hissleeve , and into waterproof cloaks , coats , and baggage covers .A very th ick k ind of paper made of several th icknesses beatentogether is used for trunks, wh ich are strong enough to holdheavy art icles . Lan terns , tobacco -pouches , and fans are madeof paper , and the Korean wooden latt iced w indows from th epalace to the hovel are “ glazed ! w i th a th in

,wh i te

,tough

variety,wh ich is translucen t . Much pr ized

,however

,were

my photograph ic glass plates when cleaned . Many a joyfulhouseholder let one into h is window ,

g iving h imself an op

portun i ty of amusemen t and espionage den ied to h i s ne ighbors .The day ’ s journey from Ka -chang to Tok Ct n is through

very attract ive scenery w i th grand moun tain v iews . Aftercross ing a low but sever e pass , we came down upon a largeaflluent of the Tai -dOng , wh ich for wan t of a name I des ignateas the Ko-m op

-so, flow ing as a ful l -watered , green stream between lofty cl iffs of much caver ned l imestone , fantast ical lybuttressed , and between h i lls wh ich throw out rocky spurs ,term inat ing or th inn ing down in to h igh l imestone walls, resembl ing those of ru inous fort ificat ions.

324 Korea and H e r Ne ighbors

Again los ing the way and our t ime , a struggle over a roughpass brough t us in v iew of the Ta i -dong , w i th the characteristics of i ts mounta in course , long rapids w i th gl ints of foamand rocks , long reaches of deep , st i l l , slow-gl id ing j aggedtranslucen t green water broad and deep , mak ing constan tabrupt turns , and by i ts volume suggest ing great powers ofdestruct iveness when it is l iberated from i ts mountain barr iers .I n about a fortn igh t it would be frozen for the w in ter .

D iamond -flashing in the fine breeze,below noble cl iffs and

cobal t mountains, across wh ich cloud shadows were sai l ing inind igo, under a vaul t of cloud -flecked blue , that v iew was oneof those dreams of beauty wh ich become a possess ion for ever .

From that pass the road , if i t can be cal led such , is shut inw i th the Tai -dOng for 30 li . In some places there is not roomeven for the narrowest br idle track

,and the pon ies scramble

as they may over the rough boulders wh ich marg in the water ,and cl imb the worn

,steep

,and rocky steps , often as h igh as

the ir own knees , by wh ich the break-neck track is taken overthe rocky spurs wh ich descend on th e river . It is one of theworst p ieces of road I ever encountered , and it was not wonderful that we d id not meet a Si ngle travel ler , and that thereshould be only about n ine a year ! We made by our utmostefforts on ly a short m i le an hour , and i t took us five hours ofth i s sever e work to reach the wretched hamlet of Huok Kur i ,a few hovels dumped down among heaps of stones and greatboulders , some of wh ich served as backs for the huts . Poverty

-str icken,fi l th y

, squal id , th e few inhabi tan ts subs isted en

tirely on red m i l le t ! Poor Mr . Yi , who had had a wakefuln ight owing to verm in

,said woeful ly as he d ismounted st iffly ,

Sleepy , t ired , cold , hungry,”

-and there was noth ing to eat ,and l i t tle for the pon ies e i ther , wh ich may have been thereason that they got up a desperate fight

,of wh ich they bore

the traces for some days .The track cont inued shut in by the h igh moun tains wh ich

l ine the Tai -dOng t i l l w i th in a m i le of Tok Ct n,forc ing the


Northward Ho ! 325

pon ies to cl imb worn rock - ladders, or to p ick a per i lous wayamong Sharp -po in ted rocks . I had not thought that Koreacould produce anyth ing so emphat ic As the road occasionally broke up in face of some apparen tly impassable spur , weoccasional ly got into impassable places , and lost t ime so badlythat we were benighted when l i t tle more than hal fway , but asthere were no inhab i tan ts we pushed on as a matter of necessity . When we got to better going the m apu , inspired by thedouble terror of robber s and w i ld an imals

,hurried on the

pon ies,yel l ing as they drove

,and by the t ime we reached the

Tok Ct n ferry a young moon had risen, and the mountains

in shadow , and the great ferry -boat ful l of horses , men inwh i te , and bulls , in r el ief aga inst th e s i lvered water, made a

beaut iful n ight scene . I sen t on the pon ies, and I m to pre

pare my room , ful ly expect ing comfor t , as at PhyOng~

yang, forthough I could never find anybody who had been at TokCt n

,i t was always spoken of as a sort of metropol is .

It is indeed a magistracy , w i th a remarkably ru inous y am enand a market-place , and is the ch ief town of a very largereg ion . It is en tered from the r iver by stepp ing-stones

,through

abom inable slush,by a long narrow street

,from wh ich we were

d irected on and on t i l l we came to a wideplace, where th e innsof the town are. There in the moon l igh t a great mascul inecrowd had col lected

,and in the m iddle of i t were our m apu ,

w i th the loads sti l l on the ir pon ies,raging at large

,and I m

rush ing h i ther and th i ther l ike a madman . For they had beenrefused accommodation , and every door had been barredagainst them on the ground that I was a fore igner ! Theysaid

,truly or falsely , that no fore igner had ever profaned Tok

Chhon by h is presence , that they l ived in peace , and d id not

want to be “ impl icated w i th a fore igner”

(all fore igners be ingJapanese) . It is most d isagreeable to force oneself in even thesl igh test degree on any one, but I had been twelve hours in thesaddle

,it was 8 P . M . ,

there was snow on the ground,and it

was freez ing hard The yard door of one inn was opened a


Ch ink for a moment , our m en rushed for i t, but i t was at oncebarred

,and we wer e al l again left stand ing in th e street , the

centre of a crowd wh ich increased every moment .Our m en eventual ly forced open the door of one inn and

got the ir pon ies in . Then the paper was torn off two doors ,and I m was v is ible against the l igh t from w i th in tearing aboutl ike a black daemon . We had then s tood l ike statues for twohour s w i th our feet in freez ing slush , the great crowd preserving a r ing round us , star ing stol idly , but not Show ing any hosti lity. At last I m appeared at an open door , wav ing my chai r ,and we got in to a h igh

,dark lumber -room ; but the crowd was

too qu ick for us , and came tumbl ing in beh ind us t i l l the placewas full . Then the landlord closed the door s

,but they were

smashed in , and he had no better luck when he weakly besought the people to look at h im and not at the stranger , forh is en treaty on ly produced an ebul l i t ion of Korean wit, by no

means compl imentary . An offic ial from the y am en arr ivedand inqu ired i f I had any compla in t to make , but I had none ,

and he sat down and took a prolonged stare on his own ac

coun t,not mak ing any attempt to d isperse the crowd .

So I sat facing the door , Mr . Yi not far off smok ing endlessc igarettes , wh i le I m battled for a room ,

after one he had secured had its doors broken down by the crowd . I sat for twohours longer in that cold

,ru inous

,m iserable place

,two fron t

and three back doorways fi l led up w i th m en ,th e whole male

populat ion of Tok Ct n, and

,never moved a muscle or

showed any Sign of d issat isfact ion Some sat on the doors il l ,l i ttle m en were on th e shou lders of big ones , all , inside andouts ide , clamor ing at once .

The s ituat ion m ight have been ser ious had a European m an

been w i th m e, and the exper iences of Mr . Campbel l of the

Consular Service , at Kapsan m igh t have been r epeated . NoEngl ishman could have kept h is temper in such c ircumstancesfrom 8 P . M . t i l l m idn igh t . He would cer tain ly have knockedsomebody down , and then there would have been a fight . The



m ay be u tter ly d ism i ssed . Small boats can ascend i t at al lseasons to Mon-ch in Tai

,about 140 li lower down , and dur ing

two summer mon ths , when the water is h igh , a few w i th muchd ifficulty get up to Tok Ct n

,and even a few li far ther

, and

at the same season rafts descend from the forests of the YungwOn d istr ict , from 30 to 40 li h igher ; bu t owing to sever erapids

, shallows , and sandbanks wh ich sh ift con t inual ly , theriver is not real ly navigable h igher than PhyOng

-yang , and

al l commerc ial theor ies bu i l t upon it are totally ch imer ical .For 30 li above Tok Ct n the river scenery is far granderthan below

, the perpend icular walls of l imestone rock r is ingfrom 800 to feet

,w i th lofty moun tains above them

,the

peaks of wh ich,even so ear ly as the end of November , were

crested w i th new-fallen snow . I had been assured in PhyOngyang that boats could be h ired at Tok Chhdn , and I hadplanned to descend the r iver ; but there are no boats , excepta few ferry scows

,h igher than Mou -ch in Tai .

Tok Ct n and i ts d istr ict are lamentably poor . ‘ Thepeople said that the war had made the necessar ies of l ifedearer , and that they had on ly the same produce to bar ter orbuy wi th . The reforms wh ich were being carr ied ou t far thersouth had not reached that region

, and squeez ing ” was sti l lcarried on by the officials . R ice

, the ord inary staff of Koreanl ife , is brought from An Ju , but is used on ly by the r ich , i .e.

the officials . The poor l ive on large and smal l m i l let . Po

tatoes and wheat are grown , but th e so i l is poor and stony . A

l i tt le trade , ch iefly in d r ied fish and seaweed,is done w i th

WOn-san . A few s ilk lenos and gauzes of very poor qual i tyare made , the industry having been in troduced by the Ch inese.P iece goods are on ly a few caslz dearer than at PhyOng-yang .

Those d isplayed on th e market-day were near ly al l Japanese .

It was the du llest market I have seen . The pedlar s carr iedaway near ly as much as they brought . The coun try is absolutely denuded of wood . There are no dec iduous trees

,and

the region owes i ts few groves of dwar fed and d istor ted p ines

Northward HO ! 329

to the horseshoe graves on the h i l ls ides . A yam en wh ichon ly hangs together from force of hab i t , a Con fuc ian temple,and a Buddh is t temple on a heigh t are the on ly noteworthybu i ld ings .The d istr ict mag istrate returned wh i le I was in T0k Chhon ,

and the people showed a degree of interest in the event . Run

ners l ined the river-bank by the ferry,blow ing horns , for ty

m en in black gauze coats over the ir wh i te ones,and a few

s inging gi r l s met h is chai r and r an wi th it to the yam en , and afew m en looked on apathetical ly . A more squal id ret inuecould not be imag ined .

Some magi strates had a thousand of such retainers paid byth is impover ished country . I n a s ingle province

,there wer e

at that t ime 44 d istr ict m andar ins, w i th an average staff of

400 men each , whose sole dut ies were those of pol ice and taxcol lect ing , the ir food alone , at th e rate of two dollars permon th , cost ing a year .

1 Th is army of m en,

not rece iving a “ l iving wage,

” “ squeezed ”on i ts own ac

coun t the peasant , who in Korea has ne i ther r igh ts nor pr ivil eges , except that of being the ul timate Sponge . As an i l lustration Of the methods of proceed ing I give the case of av i l lage in a souther n prov ince . Telegraph poles were requ ired ,and the Provinc ial Governor made a requ is it ion of 100 cask

on every house . The local mag istrate i ncreased it to 200,and

h is runners to 2 50 ,wh ich was actually paid by the peopl e , the

runners gett ing 50 cask,the magistrate 100 , and the Governor

100 ,a por t ion of wh ich sum was expended on the Object for

wh ich i t was levied . An ed ict abol ish ing th i s attendance , andreducing the salar ies of m ag istrates , had recently been pro

m ulgated . At Tok Chh iin ,th e ru in and decay of official

bu i ld ings, and the fi l th and squalor o f the private dwell ings ,

could go no far ther .

1My author ity for th is statem ent is Mr. W. K . Carles, form erly H .B.

M.

’s Vice-Consul in Korea.

CHAPTER XXVIII

OVER THE AN-KIL YUNG PASS

INDING the Ta i -dong total ly impract icable,and being

l im i ted as to t ime by the approach of the Clos ing of ther iver below PhyOng

-yang by ice , I regretfully turned southwards , and jou rneyed Seou l -wards by another route , of muchinterest

,wh ich touches here and there th e r i gh t bank of the

Tai -dOng .

As I sat am idst the d ir t , squalor , r ubbi sh , and odd and endism of the inn yard before star t ing , surrounded by anapathet ic , d ir ty, vacan t - look i ng , open -mou thed crowd steepedin pover ty , I fel t Korea to be hopeless , helpless , p i tiable,p iteous , a mere shuttlecock of cer tain great powers , and thatthere is no hope for her popu lat ion of twelve or four teen m ill ions , unless i t is taken in hand by Russ ia , under whose rule ,giving secur ity for the gains of industry as wel l as l igh t taxat ion

,I had seen Koreans in hundreds transformed into ener

get ic , thr iving , peasan t farmers in Eastern S iber ia .

The road , wh ich was sa id , and truly , to be a very bad one ,crosses a smal l plain

, and pass ing under a roofed gateway between two h il ls wh ich are scarred by r emains of fortificat ionsrunn ing east and west

,en ters upon real ly fine scenery , wh ich

becomes magn ificen t in abou t 30 li , at first a fer t i le mountaingirdled basin , whose r im is spotted w i th large v i llages , andthen a nar rowing val ley w i th stony soi l

, and a sparse pcpulat ion , walled in by savage mou ntains of emphat ic forms , swinging apar t at t imes , and reveal ing loft ier peaks and ranges thengl itter ing w i th new-fallen snow .

I n cross ing the pla in at a po in t where th e road was good , I33°


Over the An—k i l Yung Pass 331

was remarking to Mr . Yi what a pleasan t and prosperousjourney we had had , and hop ing our good fortune m ight continue

,when there was a sudden clash and flurry , I was near ly

k icked off my pony , and in a moment we were in the m idst ofd isaster . One baggage pony was on h is back on h is load ,pawing the a ir in the m iddle of a ploughed field

, h is m apu

helpless for the t ime , lamed by a k ick above the knee , sobb ing ,blood and tears runn ing down h is face ; the other baggageanimal

,having d ivested h imsel f o f I m , was k ick ing off the

rest of h is load and I m , who had been th rown from the topof the pack

,was s i t t ing on th e roads ide , ev iden tly in in tense

pain—al l the work of a momen t . Mr . Yi called to me thatthe sold ier had broken h is ankle , and i t was a great rel iefwhen he rose and walked towards me . Everyth ing breakablewas broken except my photograph ic camera , wh ich I did notlook at for two days for fear of what I m igh t findLeaving the m en to get the loads and pon ies together, we

walked on to a hamlet so dest itu te as not to be able to prov idee i ther wood or wadd ing for a spl int ! I p icked up a th ickfaggot , however , wh ich had been d ropped from a load , and itwas th inned into be ing usable w i th a hatchet

,the only tool

the v i l lage possessed , and after padd ing i t w i th a pai r of stockings and mak ing a s ix -yard bandage ou t of a cotton garmen t

,

I put up Im’ s r igh t arm , wh ich was broken j ust above the

wr ist , in spl in ts , and made a sl ing out of one of the two towelswh ich the rats had left to me . I shou ld have been glad toknow Korean enough to rate the goss ip ing m apu ,

three m en totwo horses , who allowed the acc ident to happen .

The an imals always figh t if they are left to themselves, andloads and r iders are nowhere . One day Mr . Yi had a bit of afinger taken off in a fight

, and i f a strange brute had not

k icked my st irrup iron (wh ich was ben t by the blow) insteadof myself, I should have had a broken ankle . When we haltedat m idday the vi l lagers tr ied hard to induce I m to have h isarm “

needled ” to “ let ou t the bad blood,a most r isky


surgical proceed ing, wh ich often destroys the usefulness of al imb for l i fe

,and he was anx ious for it, but y ielded to persua

s ion .

Being delayed by th is acc iden t , it was late when we star tedto cross the pass of An -ki lYung , regarded as the most dangerons in Korea , owing to i ts l iab i l ity to sudden fogs andv iolen t storms , feet in al t i tude , and said to be 30 lilong .

The infamous path traverses a w i ld rocky glen w i th animpetuous tor rent at i ts bottom , and only a few wretchedhamlets , in wh ich the hovels are ind ist ingu ishable from them i l let and brushwood stacks , along i ts length of several m i les.

Pover ty , l imi t ing the people to the barest necessaries of l i fe ,is the lot of the peasan t in that region , bu t I bel ieve that h isd ir ty and squal id habi ts give an impress ion of want wh ich doesnot actually exi st . I doubt much whether any Koreans are nuable to provide themselves w i th two dai ly meals of m i l let , w i thclothes sufficien t for decency in summer and for warmth inw in ter, and w i th fuel (grass , leaves, twigs , and weeds) enoughto keep their m iserable rooms at a temperature of 70° and

m ore by means of the hot floor.To the west the val ley is absolutely closed in by a wal l of

peaks . The br id le-path , a well -engineered road , when i t

ascends th e very steep ridge of the watershed in many z igzags,rests for 100 feet , and descends the western s ide by seventyfive turns . Except in Tibet , I never saw so apparently insurmountable an obstacle , but it does not presen t any real d ifficu lty . The ascent took seventy m inutes . Ra in fel l veryheav i ly , but the superb vi ew to th e nor th east was scarcely ohscured . At the top , wh ich is on ly 1 00 feet w ide, there i s acelebrated shr ine to th e daemon of the past . To him al ltravellers put up pet i t ions for del iverance from the manymal ignan t spiri ts who are wai t ing to inj ure them ,

and for asafe descent . The sh r ine con tains many str ips of paper inscr ibed wi th the names of those who have made spec ial pay



d irec t ion of Pa ik- tu San the character of the scenery changes,

and peaks and prec ip ices of naked rock , and lofty moun ta inmonol i ths , w i th snow-crowned ranges beyond , form by far thegrandest V iew that I saw in th i s land of h i l l and valley .

Then I m had to be attended to , and though I was veryanx ious about h im ,

I could not be bl ind to the picturesquenessof the scene in the hovel , Mr . Yi s i t t ing in my chair hold ingthe candle , the sold ier , w i th h is face puckered w i th pa in,squatt ing on the floor w ith h is swollen arm ly ing on a wr i t i ngboard on my lap , and no room to move . I fa i led there aselsewhere to get a better p iece of wood for the spl int , wh ichwas too shor t, and I could on ly get wadd ing for padd ing i t bytaking some ou t of Im ’s sleeve

,and al l the t ime and after

wards I was very anx ious for fear that I had put the bandageon too t ightly or too loosely , and that my wan t of exper iencewould g ive the poor fel low a useless r igh t arm . He was insever e pain al l that n ight

,but he was very plucky abou t i t,

m ade no fuss,and never allowed me to suffer in the sl ightest

degree from h is acc ident . Indeed , he was even more atten t ivethan before . He sa id to Mr . Yi , The fore ign woman looked5 0 sorry

,and touched my arm as i f I had been one of her own

people , I shal l do my best —and so he did . I had indulgedi n a long perspect ive of pheasan t curr ies , and I must confessthat when the prospect faded I fel t a l i ttle d ismal . To atraveller who carr ies no for e ign food

,

”i t makes a great d if

ference to get a n ice,hot

,st imulat ing d ish (even though it is

served in the pot i t is cooked in) after a ten hour s’ cold r ide .

To my surpr ise , I was never w i thout curry for d inner , andthough before the acc iden t I had on ly cold r ice for tiffin

,after

i t I was never w i thou t someth ing hot .The descen t of An -kil Yung is very grand . The road leads

into a w ide valley w i th a fine stream , one side of wh ich looksas i f the moun tains had dumped down al l the ir availablestones upon it, wh i le the other is r ich al luv ial so i l . Goldwash ing is carr ied on to a great exten t along th is stream ,

Over the An-k i l Y ung Pass 335

wh ich is a tributary of the Ta i -dong , and some of the workings Show more care and method than usual , be ing pi ts neatlyl i ned wi th stone in the ir upper par ts . E ighty cents per day isthe average earn ing of a gold - seeker there . Th is valley term inates in pretty, broken coun try , w i th fine mountain v iews ,and picturesque cl iffs along the r iver , on wh ich the dark bluegloom of p ines was l igh ted by the fad ing scar let of the maple ,and cr imson streaks of th e Ampelops is Vei tcki i br ightenedthe russet in to wh ich the coun tless tra ilers wh ich draped therocks had passed . The increased fer t i l i ty of the so i l was denoted by the number of vi l lages and hamlets on the road , andfoot passengers in twos and threes gave someth ing of l i fe andmovement . But it was remarkable that so soon after the barvest

,and when th e roads were in the ir best cond it ion

,there

were no goods in trans i t except such local product ions as paperand tobacco—no str ings of por ters or pon ies carrying goodsinto the in terior from PhyOng

-yang , no ev idence of trade butthat given by th e pedlars go i ng the round of the market-places .Along that road and elsewhere near the vi l lages there are

tal l poles branch ing at the top in to a V, wh ich are erected inthe bel ief that they w i l l guard the inhab i tants from choleraand other pest i lences . On that day ’s journey

,at a crossroad

,

a small log w i th several holes l ike those of a mouse -trap, oneof them plugged doubly w i th bungs of wood , was ly ing on thepath

,and the m apu were careful to step over i t and lead the ir

pon ies over it, though i t m ight eas i ly have been avo ided . Intothe bunged hole the m i c-tang or sorceress by her ar ts had i hveigled a daemon wh ich was caus ing s ickness in a fam i ly, andhad corked h im up It is proper for passers -by to step overthe log . At n ightfal l i t is bur ied . That afternoon ’s ride wasthrough extremely attract ive coun try—smal l val ley bas ins ofrich stoneless so i l , wi th brown hamlets nestl ing round them incalm , p ine—shel tered folds Of h il ls , wh ich though not h igh are

shapely , and were eth ereal ized in to purple beauty by the s inking sun , wh ich turned the lake - l ike expanse of the Tai -dOng at


Mon-ch in Ta i , the beaut i ful ly Situated hal t ing-place for then ight

,into a sheet of gold .

Wi th a splend id cl imate , an abundant, but not superabundan t

,rainfall

,a ferti le soi l , a measure of freedom from c ivi l

war and robber bands, the Koreans ought to be a happy and

fair ly prosperous people . If squeez ing , yam en runners andthe ir exact ions , and certain mal ign pract ices of offic ials can beput down w i th a strong hand , and the land tax is fairly leviedand collected , and law becomes an agen t for protect ion ratherthan an instrument of inj ust ice , I see no reason why the

Korean peasan t should not be as happy and i ndustrious as theJapanese peasan t . But these are great i fs Secur ity for

tke ga ins of indus try , from whatever quar ter i t comes, w i l l , Ibel ieve

,transform the l imp

,apathet ic nat ive . Such am eliora

t ions as have been made are owed to Japan,but she had not a

free hand , and she was too inexper ienced in the rOle wh ichshe undertook (and I bel ieve honest ly ) to play , to produce aharmon ious working scheme of reform . Bes ides, the menthrough whom any such scheme must be carried out are near lyun iversal ly cor rupt both by trad it ion and hab i t . Reform was

j erky and p iecemeal , and Japan i r r i tated the people by meddlesom eness in smal l matters and suggested interferences w i thnat ional habi ts

,g iv ing the impression

,wh ich I found prevai l

i ng everywhere, that her obj ect is to denat ional ize the Koreansfor purposes of her own .

Travel lers are much impressed w i th the laz iness of th e Koreans , but after see ing the ir energy and industry in Russ ianManchu r ia , the ir thr ift , and the abundan t and comfor tablefurn ish i ngs of the ir houses

,I greatly doubt whether i t is to be

regarded as a matter of temperamen t . Every man in Koreaknows that poverty is h is best secur i ty

,and that anyth ing he

possesses beyond that wh ich provides h imself and h is fam i lyw i th food and cloth ing is cer ta in to be taken from h im by vo

rac ious and corrupt offic ials . It i s on ly when the exact ions ofoffic ials become absolutely intolerable and encroach upon his


CHAPTER XXIX

SOCIAL POSITION OF WOMEN

OU-CHIN TAI is a beau t i fully si tuated vi l lage , and hassometh ing of a look of comfor t . Up to that point

small boats can come up at all seasons , but ther e is almost notrade . The Tai -dOng expands into a broad sheet of water, onwh ich the h i l ls descend abruptly . There is a ferry , and wedrove our pon ies into th e ferryboat and yelled for the ferrym an . After a t ime he appeared on the top of the bank , butabsolutely decl ined to take us over “ for any money .

”He

would have “noth ing so do w i th a foreigner ,

” he said , andhe would not be “ implicated wi th a Japanese ” So we putourselves across , and the m apu were so angry that they threwh is poles into the river.Pass ing through very pretty coun try , and twice cross ing the

Ta i -dOng , we halted at the town of Sun -chhon ,a mag istracy

w i th a deplorably ru inous yam en . All these offic ial bu i ld ingshave seen better days . The ir cour ts are spac ious

,and the

double-roofed gateways , w i th the ir drum towers , as wel l as thecentral hall of the yam en ,

st i ll retain a cer tain look of statel iness

,though pain t , lacquer, and g i ld ing have long ago d isap

peared from the elaborately arranged beams and carved woodof the roofs , and the fretwork screen ing th e interiors is alwaysshabby and broken .

Abou t the Sun-Chhon yam en, and al l others , th ere are crowds

of runners , wr i ters , sold iers in coarse ragged un i forms , youngm en of the yang -ban class in spotless wh i te garments

,lounging

,

or walk ing w i th the sw ing ing ga i t befitt ing their pos i t ion,wh i le

the decayed and for lorn rooms in the courtyard are fi lled wi th

338

Soc ial Pos it ion of Wom en 339

petty offic ials , smok ing long pipes and play ing cards . To judgefrom the crowds of at tendan ts

,the walking h i ther and th i ther

,

the hu rry ing i n var ious d irect ions w i th manuscr ipts, and thed in of drums and fifes when the great gate is opened and closed

,

one would th ink that noth ing less than the bus iness of an emp ire was transacted w i th in the ru inous por tals .Sold iers , wr iters , yam en runners , and m en of th e yang -kan

and l i terary classes com bined w i th the loafers of the town tocompose a crowd wh ich by i ts buzz ing and shout ing , and teari ng off the paper from my latt iced door , gave me a fat igu ingand h ideous two hour s , a Korean crowd be ing only unbearablewhen i t is led by m en of the l i terary class

,who

,as in Ch ina ,

indulge in every sor t of vulgar imper t inence . Even tually Iwas smuggled in to the women ’s apar tmen ts

,where I was vic

tim ized in other ways by insat iable curiosi ty .

The women of the lower classes in Korea are ill-bred and

unmanner ly , far removed from the gracefulness of the sameclass i n Japan or the ret icence and k indl iness of the Ch inese

peasan t women . The ir Cloth ing is extremely d ir ty , as i f th em en had a monopoly of th eir ceaseless laund ry work , wh icheverywhere goes on far into the n igh t . Every brooks ide hasi ts laundresses squatting on flat stones

,d ipp ing the so i led clothes

in the water , lay ing them on flat stones in t ightly rolled bundlesand beat ing them w i th flat paddles , a prev ious process cons isti ng of steeping them in a ley made of wood ashes . Bleachedunder the br i l l iant sun and very sl ightly glazed wi th r ice starch ,after be ing beaten for a length of t ime w i th shor t qu ick taps ona wooden roller w i th club- shaped “ laundry st icks ,

” commonwh i te cotton looks l ike dul l wh i te sat in , and has a dazzl ingwh i teness wh ich always rem inds me of St. Mark ’s words concern ing the raimen t at the Transfigurat ion , so as no fuller onear th can wh i te them . Th is wear ing of wh ite clothes , andespec ially of wh i te wadded clothes in w inter , entai ls very severeand incessan t labor on the women . The coats have to be nu

picked and put together again each t ime that they are washed ,


and though some of the long seams are often j o ined w i th paste,there is t i l l much sew ing to be done .

Bes ides th is the Korean peasan t woman makes al l th e clothing of the household , does al l the cooking, husks and Cleansrice w i th a heavy pestle and mor tar , carr ies heavy loads tomarket on her head , draws water , in remote d istr icts works inthe fields

,r ises ear ly and takes rest late

, Sp ins and weaves , andas a rule has many ch i ldren , who are not weaned t i l l the ageof th ree .The peasan t woman may be said to have no pleasures . She

is noth ing but a d rudge, t i l l she can transfer some of thed rudgery to her daugh ter - i h -law . At th i r ty she looks fifty ,and at for ty is frequen t ly toothless . Even the love of personaladornmen t fades ou t of her l i fe at a very ear ly age . Beyondthe da i ly rout ine of l ife i t is probable that her thoughts neverstray except to the daemons , who are supposed to people ear thand ai r , and whom i t is her spec ial duty to propi t iate .It is real ly d ifficul t to form a general est imate of th e posi t ion

of women in Korea . Absolute seclus ion i s the inflex ible ruleamong the upper classes . The lad ies have the i r own courtyards and apar tments , towards wh ich no w indows from them en ’ s apar tmen ts must look . No allus ion m ust be made by av is i tor to the females of the household . Inqu ir ies after the irheal th would be a gross breach of et iquette

,and pol i teness re

qu ires that they should not be supposed to ex ist . Women donot rece ive any intel lectual train ing , and in every class are re

garded as beings of a very infer ior order . Nature havrng inth e est imat ion of the Korean m an

,who holds a sor t of dual

ph i losophy, m arked woman as h is infer ior, the Youtk

’

s

P r im er , H istor ical Sum m ar ies , and the Li ttle Lea r ning impress th is v iew upon h im in the schools

,and as he beg ins to

m ix w i th m en th is est imate of women rece ives dai ly corroborat i on .

The seclus ion of women was introduced five cen tur ies agoby the present dynasty, in a t ime of great soc ial corrupt ion ,



the women ’s rooms , and th e br ightness wh ich g ir l l ife contributes to soc ial ex istence is unknown in the coun try .

But I am far from saying that the women fret and groanunder th is system , or crave for the freedomwh ich Europeanwomen enjoy . Seclus ion is the custom of centur ies . The i ridea of l iberty is per i l , and I qu i te bel ieve that they th ink thatthey are closely guarded because they are valuable chattels .One in tell igent woman , when I pressed her hard to say whatthey though t of our customs in the matter

,repl ied

,We th ink

that you r husbands don ’ t care for you very muchConcub inage is a recogn ized inst itu t ion , but not a respected

one . The w i fe or mother of a man not i nfrequently selectsthe cuncubine, who in many cases is looked upon by the wi feas a proper appendage of her hushand ’

s means or pos i t ion ,much as a car r iage or a butler m ight be w ith us . The off

spr ing in these cases are under a ser ious soc ial st igma , andunt i l lately have been excluded from some des irable pos it ions .Legally the Korean i s a str ict monogam ist , and even when aw idower marr ies again

,and there are ch i ld ren by the second

marr iage,those of the first w ife r etain spec ial r ights .

There are no nat ive schools for g irl s , and though women ofthe upper classes learn to read the nat ive scr ipt , the numbero f Korean women who can read is est imated at two in a thousand . It appears th at a ph i losophy largely impor ted fromCh ina , superst i t ions regard ing daemons , the educat ion of m en ,

i l l i teracy , a m in imum of legal r igh ts , and inexorable customhave comb ined to give woman as low a status in c ivi l izedKorea as in any of the barbarou s coun tr ies in the wor ld . Yetthere is no doubt that th e Korean woman ,

in add i t ion to

be ing a born intr igante, exerc ises a certain d irect influence ,espec ially as mother and mother—in -law

,and in the arrange

ment of marr iages .Her r ights are few , and depend on custom rather than law.

She now possesses the r igh t of remarr iage , and that of remaining unmarr ied t i l l she is s ixteen , and she can refuse perm iss ion

Soc ial Pos it ion of Wom en 343

to her husband for h is concub ines to occupy the same housew i th hersel f. She is power less to d ivorce her husband , conjugal fidel ity , typ ified by the goose, the symbol ic figure at awedd ing, be ing a fem in ine vir tue solely . Her husband maycast her Off for seven reasons—incurable d isease , theft , ch i ldlessness , infidel i ty, j ealousy , incompat ibi l ity w i th her parentsin -law

,and a quarrelsome d ispos it ion . She may be sen t back

to her father ’s house for any one of these causes . It is believed , however , that deser tion is far more frequen t thand ivorce . By custom rather than law she has cer tain recogn ized r ights , as to the con trol of ch i ldren , redress in case ofdamage , etc . Domest ic happiness is a th ing she does not lookfor . The Korean has a house , but no home . The husbandhas h is l i fe apart common t ies of fr iendsh ip and external interest are not known . H is pleasure is taken in company w i thmale acqua in tances and gesang and the marr iage relat ionsh ipis br iefly summar ized in the remark of a Korean gen tleman inconversation w i th me on the subject , “We marry our wives,but we love our concubines.”

CHAPTER XXX

EXORCISTS AND DANCING WOMEN

T Cha san ,a mag istracy , we rejo ined the road from wh ich

we had d iverged on the nor thward journey . It is aqu iet , decayed place , though in a good agr icu ltural country .

As I had been there before , th e edge of cur ios i ty was blunted ,and there was no mobb ing . The people gave a d istress ing account of the ir suffer ings from the Ch inese sold iers , who robbedthem unscrupulously, took what they wan ted w i thou t pay ing ,and mal treated the women . The Koreans deserted , throughfr ight , the adjacent ferry v i l lage of Ou -Ch in -gang , where weprev iously crossed the Ta i -dOng , and i t was held by 53 Chinese

,be ing an impor tan t post . Two Japanese scou ts appeared

on the other s ide of th e r iver , fired , and the Ch inese detachmen t broke and fled ! At Cha san , as elsewhere , the peopleexpressed intense hatred of the Japanese , going so far as to saythat they would not leave one of them al ive ; but , as in al lother places , they bore unw i l l ing test imony to the good con

duct of the sold iers , and the regulari ty w i th wh ich the comm issar iat paid for suppl ies .The Japanese detachmen ts were being w i thdrawn from the

posts along that road , and we passed several wel l -equ ipped detachm ents , always preceded by bulls loaded w i th red blankets .The m en were dressed in heavy gray ulsters wi th deep furl ined col lars , and had very th ick fel t gloves . They marchedas if on parade , and the ir Officers were r emarkable for the irsmar tness . When they hal ted for d inner , they found everyth ing ready , and had noth ing to do bu t stack their arms andeat ! The peasan t women went on w i th their avocations as

344



Korean post , and the Japanese m i l i tary post and telegraph office absolutely refused to carry messages or let ters for c ivi l ians .Wi ld rumors

,of wh ich there were a goodly crop every hour

,

were the subst i tu te for news .A subj ect of special in terest and inqu i ry at Phyong -yang

was m ission work as carr ied on by American m iss ionar ies . AtSeoul it is far more d ifficult to get in to touch w i th i t , as , be ingolder

,i t has naturally more of rel ig ious convent ional ity. But

I w i l l take th is opportun i ty of say ing that longer and more int imate acquain tance only confirmed the h igh op in ion I ear lyform ed of the large body of m iss ionaries in Seoul , o f thei rearnestness and devot ion to the ir work , of the energet ic , hopeful , and pat ien t sp ir i t in wh ich i t is carried on ,

of the harmonyprevai l ing among the d ifferen t denom inat ions , and the cord ialand sympathet ic feel ing towards the Koreans . The in terest ofmany of the m issionar ies in Korean h istory, folklore , and cu stoms , as ev idenced by the pages of the valuable mon th ly , theK or ean R epository , is also very adm irable , and a traveller inKorea must apply to them for information vain ly sought else~where .

Chr ist ian m iss ions were unsuccessful in Phyong-yang. It

was a very r ich and very immoral c i ty . More than once i tturned out some of the m issionar ies

,and rej ected Chr ist ian ity

w i th much host i l i ty . Strong an tagon ism preva i led , the c i tywas thronged w i th gesang , courtesans, and sorcerers, and wasnotorious for its wealth and infamy . The Method ist M i ss ionwas broken up for a t ime

, and in s ix years the Presbyter iansonly numbered 28 converts . Then came the war , the destruction of PhyOng-yang

,i ts deser t ion by i ts inhab i tants , the ru in

of i ts trade , the reduct ion of i ts populat ion from orto and th e fl igh t of th e few Chr istians .

Since the war there had been a very great change . Therehad been 28 bapt isms

,and some of the most notorious evil

l ivers among the m iddle classes,m en shunned by other men

for the ir exceed ing w ickedness,were lead ing pure and right

Exorc ists and Danc ing Wom en 347

cous l ives . There were 140 catechumens under instruct ion ,and subject to a long per iod of probat ion before rece iv ing baptism , and the temporary church , though en larged dur ing myabsence , was so overcrowded that many of the worsh ipperswere compelled to rema in ou ts ide . The offer tor ies were liberal. l I n the d i lapidated extra-mural prem ises Occupied bythe m issionar ies , th ir ty m en were l iv ing for twenty-one days

,

two from each of fi fteen v il lages,al l conv inced of the truth of

Chr ist ian i ty , and ear nestly rece iv ing instruct ion in Chr ist ianfact and doctr ine . They were study ing for s ix hou rs dai lyw i th teacher s , and for a far longer t ime amongst themselves

,

and had meet ings for prayer , Singing , and informal talk eacheven ing . I at tended three of these

, and as Mr . Moffett inter

preted for me , I was placed in touch wi th much of what wasunusual and in terest ing , and learned more of m iss ions in theirearl ier stage than anywhere else .Bes ides the th i r ty m en from the v i l lages , th e Chri st ians and

catechumens from the c i ty crowded the room and doorways .Two m iss ionar ies sat on the floor a t one end of the room w i tha kerosene lamp moun ted securely on two wooden p i l lows infron t o f them—then there were a few candles on the floor,centres of closely -

packed groups . Hymn s were howled in

many keys to fam i l iar t unes , several Koreans prayed , bow ingthe ir foreheads to the ear th in r everence , after wh ich somegave accoun ts of how the Gospel reached their vi llages ,ch iefly through v isi ts from th e few PhyOng-yang Chr ist ians ,who were scattered abroad , and then two m en , who seemed

1The Seoul C'kr isti an News , a paper recen tly started , gave i ts readersan account of the Indian fam ine , w ith the r esult that th e Chr istians in them agistracy of Chang-yang ra ised am ong them selves $84 for the sufferers

in a land they had hardly heard Of, som e of the wom en send ing the i r solidsi lver r ings to be turned in to ca sk. I n Seoul the native Presbyter ianchu rches gave $60 to the sam e fund , of wh ich $ 20 were collected by a

new congregation organ i zed enti re ly by Korean s . I am under the impression that the libera l ity of the Korean Chr istians in propor tion to theirm eans far exceeds our own .


very eloquent as wel l as fluen t , and r iveted the attent ion of all ,gave narrat ives of two other m en who they bel ieved were possessed w ith devi ls , and said the dev i ls had been dr iven ou t afew months previously by un i ted prayer, and that the “ foulSp ir its were adj ured in the name of _ Jesus to come out

,and

that the m en trembled and turned cold as the devils left them ,

never to return , and that both became Chr istians , along w i thmany who saw them .

A good many men came from d i stant v i l lages one afternoonto ask for Chr ist ian teach ing , and in the even ing one afteranother got up and told how a refugee from PhyOng-yang hadcome to h is vi l lage and had told them that they were bothwicked and fool ish to worsh ip daemons , and that they werewrongdoers , and that there is a Lord of Heaven who judgeswrongdo ing , but that He is as loving as any father, and thatthey d id not know what to th ink, but that in some placestwenty and more were meet ing dai ly to worsh ip “ the H ighest

,

”and that many of the women had bur ied the daemon

fet ishes,and that they wan ted some one to go and teach them

how to worsh ip the true God .

A young m an told how h is father,nearly e igh ty years old ,

had met Mr . Moffett by the roads ide,and hear ing from h im

“ some good th ings, had gone home say ing he had heardgood news ,

” great n ews,

”and had got “ th e Books , and

that he had become a Christ ian ,and l ived a good l ife

,and

had cal led his ne ighbor s together to hear “ th e news,

” andwould not r est t i l l h is son had come to be taugh t in the goodnews

,

”and take back a teacher . An elder ly m an

,who had

m ade a good l iv ing by sorcery,cam e and gave Mr . Moffet t

the instruments of h is trade,say ing he had served dev i l s al l

his l ife , but now he knew that they were w icked spir i ts , andhe was servi ng the true God .

On th e same afternoon four requests for Chr ist ian teach ingcame to th e m iss ionar ies

,each s igned by from fifteen to for ty

m en . At al l these even ing meet ings the room was crammed



On the Sunday I wen t w i th D r . Scran ton of Seoul to thefirst regular service ever held for women in PhyOng

—yang .

There were a number present , al l daemon -worsh ippers,some

of them attracted by the s igh t of a fore ign woman .

” It wasimposs ible to have a formal serv ice w i th people who had not themost elemen tary ideas of God , of prayer , of moral ev i l , and ofgood . It was not poss ible to secure the ir attent ion . Theywere dest i tute of rel igious ideas . An elderly matron , whoacted as a sor t of spokeswoman said , They though t perhapsGod is a big daemon ,

and He m ight help them to get backthe ir lost goods .” That service was m iss ion work ”

in i ts

ear l iest stage .

On return ing from a service in the afternoon where therewere crowds of br igh t i ntell igent-look ing worsh ippers , wecame upon one of the most impor tan t ceremon ies connectedw i th the popular bel ief in daemons—th e exorc ism of an evi lSpir i t wh ich was supposed to be the causeOf a severe i l lness.

Never by n igh t or day on my two v is i ts to PhyOng -yang had Ibeen out of hear ing of the rol l of the sorcerer ’s d rum , w iththe loud v ibratory clash of cymbals as an intermi ttent aecom

pan im ent. Such sounds at tracted us to the place of exorc ism .

I n a hovel w i th an open door a m an lay very ill. The spacein fron t was matted and enclosed by low screens, w i th in wh ichwere Korean tables loaded w i th r ice cakes, bo i led r ice , stewedch icken

,sprouted beans and other del icac ies . I n th is Open

space squatted three old women , two of whom beat larged rums

,shaped l ike hour—glasses , wh i le th e th ird clashed large

cymbals . Facing them was the m a -tang or sorceress , dressedin rose-p ink s i lk

,w i th a buff gauze robe

,w i th i ts sleeves tra i l

ing much on the ground , over i t. Pieces of paper resembl ingthe Sh into gokei decorated her hai r, and a cur ious cap of buffgauze w i th red patches upon i t, completed the not inelegan tcostume . She carr ied a fan

,but i t was only used occasionally

in one of the dances . She carr ied over her left shoulder a st ick,pain ted w i th bands of br ight colors

,from wh ich hung a gong

Exorc ists and Dancing Wom en 35 1

wh ich she beat w i th a s im i lar st ick, execut ing at the same t imea slow rhythm ic movemen t accompan ied by a chan t . Fromt ime to t ime one of the anc ien t drummers gathered on one

plate pieces from all the others and scattered them to the fourWi nds for the Spiri ts to eat , invok ing them ,

say ing,Do not

trouble th is house any more , and we w i l l aga in appease you byoffer ings . ”

The m ic-tang is, of course , accord ing to the bel ief of thosewho seek her serv ices , possessed by a powerfu l daemon , andby means of her incan tat ions m ight induce th i s daemon toev ict the one wh ich was caus ing the s ickness by a id ing herexorc isms

,bu t where the lat ter is par t icular ly obst inate, she

may requ ire larger fees and more offer ings in order that shemay use incantat ions for bring ing to her aid a yet more powerful daemon than her own . The exorc ism lasted four teen hours

,

un t i l four the next morn ing , when the pat ien t began to recover .

A crowd , ch iefly composed of women and ch i ldren , stood roundthe fence , the ch i ldren imbibing dev i lry from their infancy .

I was not at a regular inn in Phyong-yang but at a broker ’shouse

,w i th a yard to myself nom inal ly

,but wh ich was by no

means pr ivate . I m generally , and not roughly , requested thepeople to move on ,

” but he made two except ions one be ingin favor of a madwoman of super ior appearance and apparelwho haunted me on my second vis i t , hanging about the openfron t of my room ,

and following me to the m iss ion -house andelsewhere . She said that I was her grandmother and that shemust go w i th me everywhere , and , l ike m any mad people , Shehad an impor tan t and myster ious communicat ion to m akewh ich for obvious reasons never reached me . She was theconcub ine of a late governor of th e c i ty , and not hav ingescaped before its capture , went mad from hor ror at see ing theCh inese spi tted on th e bayonets of the Japanese . She carr ieda long bodkin

,and wen t th rough d istressing pan tom imes of

runn ing people' through w i th i t 1

The other except ion was in favor of gesang , upon whose


presence I m looked qu i te approvingly , and evidently thought Id id .

Phyong-yang has always been famous for the beauty and

accompl ishments of i ts gesang , Sing ing “

and danc ing g irl s,

resembl ing in many respects the gei skas of Japan , but correctly speak ing they mostly belong to the Government , andare suppor ted by the Korean Treasury . At the t ime of mytwo first sojourns in Seoul , abou t seventy of them were at

tached to the Royal Palace . They were under the control ofthe same Government departmen t as that wi th wh ich the offic ialmus ic ians are connected .

As a poor man gi fted w i th many sons, for whom he cannotprov ide , sometimes presents one to the government as aeunuch , so he may g ive a g ir l to be a gesang . The gesangare tra ined from a very ear ly age in such accompl ishments asother Korean women lack , and wh ich w i l l ensure theirattract iveness , such as play ing on var ious mus ical instruments ,s ing ing

,danc ing

,read ing , rec i t ing , wr i t ing , and fancy work .

As thei r destiny is to make t ime pass agreeably for men of theupper classes , th is amoun t of educat ion is essen t ial , though aKorean does not care how blank and undeveloped the m ind ofh is w i fe is . The gesang are always elegan tly dressed , as theywere when they came to see me

,even through the mud of the

PhyOng-yang streets , and as they have not known seclus ion ,

the ir manners w i th both sexes have a graceful ease . The irdanc ing

,l ike that of most Or ien tal coun tr ies , cons ists ch iefly

of posturing,and i s said by those fore igners who have seen i t,

to be per fectly free from impropr iety .

D r . Al len , Secretary to the US . Legat ion at Seoul , in apaper in the K or ean R epos itory for 1886, descr ibes amongthe dances wh ich spec ial ly in terest fore igners at the en ter tainments at the Royal Palace one known as the Lotus Dance .

”

I n th is , he wr i tes , A tub is brought in con ta in ing a largelotus flower just ready to burst open . Two im i tat ion storksthen come in , each one be ing a m an very clever ly d isgu i sed .



that Korean folklore abounds w i th stor ies of d iscord ar is ing infam i l ies from attachments to gesang , and of arden t and prolonged devot ion on the part of young noblemen to these g irls ,who they are prevented from marry ing by r ig id custom . Thereis a Korean tale cal led Tke Swallow K ing

’

s R ewar ds in wh icha m an is vis i ted w ith the “ ten plagues of Korea

,

” for mal

treat ing a wounded swal low , and in i t gesang are representedalong w i th m a -tang as among the ten curses of the land .

”

D r . Al len , to whom I owe th is fact wr i tes , Doubtless theyare so cons idered by many a lonely w i fe , as well as by thefathers who mourn to see the ir sons wast ing the ir substance inr iotous l iving , as they doubtless

'

d id themselves when they wereyoung .

The house in wh ich I had quar ters was much resorted to bymerchants for whom my host transacted brokerage bus iness ,and enter tainments were the order of the day . Mr . Yi was

invi ted to d inner da i ly, and on the las t even ing en ter ta ined al l

who had inv i ted h im . Such meals cost per head as much as ad inner at th e St. James ’s restau ran t No ise seems essent ial tothese gatherings . The m en shout at the top of the ir vo ices .There i s an enormous amoun t of vi s i t ing and en ter tain ing

among m en in the c i t ies . Some publ ic m en keep open house,

g iv ing the ir servants as much as $60 a day for the enter tainmen t of guests . Men who are in easy c i rcumstances go cont i nually from one house to another to k i l l t ime . They nevertalk pol i t ics , i t is too dangerous , but retai l the latest goss ip ofthe cour t or c i ty and the w i t t ic isms attr ibuted

'

to great men ,and tel l , hear , and inven t news . The fron t rooms of housesin wh ich the m en l ive are open freely to al l comers . I n somec ircles , though i t is sa id to a far less exten t than former ly, menmeet and talk over what we should cal l quest ions of l i terarycr i t ic ism , compare poet ic compos i t ions, the ab i l i ty to com

pose a page of poetry be ing the grand resul t of Korean educat ion , and d iscuss the mean ing of celebrated works—all l i terature being in Ch inese .

Exorc ists and Danc ing Wom en 355

The com mon people meet in th e streets , th e house fronts ,and the inns . They ask each other endless quest ions , of anature that we shou ld th ink m ost imper t inent , r egard ing eachother ’ s business , work , and money transact ions , and for the latestnews . It is every man ’s bus iness to hear or create al l the newshe can . What he hears he embell ishes by l ies and exaggera

t ions . Korea is the coun try of w i ld rumors . What a Koreanknows

, or rather hears , he tel ls . Accord ing to Pere Dallet , hedoes not know the mean ing of r eserve, though he is utterlydevo id of frankness . Men l ive in com pany in each others’

houses . Domest ic l ife is unknown . The women in the innerrooms rece ive female v isi tors, and the g ir l ch i ldren are present .The boys at a very ear ly age are removed to the men ’s apar tments

,where they learn from th e conversat ion they hear that

every m an who respects h imsel f must regard women wi th con

We left Phyong -yang for Po-san in a very small boat inwh ich s ix people and the ir luggage were uncomfor tably packedand cramped . One of the two boatmen was l i terally downw i th fever ,

” but w i th one and th e strong ebb - t ide we aecom

plished 20 m i les in s ix hours,and were well pleased to find the

H ar iong lying at anchor , as we had not been able to get anydefin i te informat ion concer n ing her , and I n ever bel ieved inher t i l l I saw her . The Ta i -ddng has some h istor ic interest ,for up i ts broad waters sai led K i -ja or K i t-ze w i th h is army of

m en on the way to found PhyOng-yang and Korean c ivilization , and down it fled K i -jun ,

the last k ing of the first dynasty from the forces of Wei -m an descend ing from the nor th .

PhyOng-yang impressed me as i t d id Consu l Car les w i th i ts

natural su i tab i l ity for commerce , and th is Ta i -dOng , navigableup to the c i ty for small j unks

,is the natural outlet for beans

and cotton , some of wh ich find the ir way to Newchwang forsh ipmen t , for the rich i ron ore wh ich l ies close to the riverbanks at Kai Chh

'

on,for the gold of Keum-san only 20 m i les

off, for the abound ing coal of the immed iate neighborhood ;

356 Korea and H e r Ne ighbors

for the h ides , wh ich are now carr ied on men ’s backs to Chem ulpo, and for the products of what is said to be a cons iderable s i lk industry .

In go ing down the r iver someth ing is seen of the or iginals ize of PhyOng -yang , for the ear th wall ” on sol id masonry

,

bu i l t,i t is said , by Ki t-ze years ago , follows the r ight

bank of the Tai -ddng for about four m i les before i t turns awayto the north , to term inate at the foot of the h i l l on wh ich is thereputed grave of its bu i lder . Th is extends in that d irect ionposs ibly th ree m i les beyond the presen t wal l .The plain through wh ich the r iver runs is fer t i le and wel l

cul t ivated , though the sh in ing mud flats at low t ide are anyth ing but prepossess ing . Var ious r ivers, enabl ing boats of l ightdraugh t to penetrate the country

,most of them ris ing in the pic

turesque moun tai n ranges wh ich descend on the plain , special ly011 i ts western s ide, j o in the Tai -ddng.

Much had been said of the H ar iong . I was told I Shouldbe al l righ t if I could

’

get the H ar iong , that “ the H ar iong’

s

a most comfor table l i ttle boat—she has ten staterooms, ” and

as we approached her in the m ist, very wet , and st iff from the

length of t ime spen t in a cramped pos i t ion , I conj ured up visions of comfort and even l uxury wh ich wer e not to be real ized .

She was surrounded by Japanese junks , Japanese sold ierscrowded her gangways

, and Japanese officers were d irect ingthe load ing . We hooked on to the j unks and lay in the rainfor an hour

,nobody tak ing the sl igh test not ice of us . Mr . Yi

then scrambled on board and there was another half-hour ’s delay , wh ich took us in to the ear ly darkness . He reappeared ,say ing there was no cabin and we must go on shore . But therewas no place to sleep on shore and it was the last steamer, so Icl imbed on board and I m hurried in the baggage . I t was raining and blow ing , and we were huddled on the wet deck l ikesteerage passengers, Japanese sold iers and comm issariat officers there as elsewhere in Korea

,masters of the s i tuation . Mr.

Yi was fran t ic that he,a Governmen t offic ial , and one from



Seoul to

Tol MaruAn-shung

-

pa Pal

Shur-hung

Hung-shou Wan

Pong-san

Whang JuK ur-m oun Tar i

Ch i -dol~pa PalPhyOng

-yangMor i -ko K a i

Liang-yang ChangCha-san

Shou-yang YiHa-kai Oil

Ka Chang

Hu-ok Kur iTok Chhon

Shur-chong

An -kil YungShi l-yiMou-ch in Ta i

Sun Chht’

m

Cha-san

Siang-yang Chhon

An-ch in Mi r iok

PhyOng-yang

Total land journey

CHAPTER XXXI

THE HA IR -CROPPING EDICT

HE year 1896 Opened for Korea in a gloom as profoundas that in wh ich the prev ious year had closed . There

were small insur rect ions in al l quar ters , var ious officials wereki l led , and some of the r ebels threatened to march on thecap i tal . Japanese influence decl ined , Japanese troops weregradual ly w i thdrawn from the posts they had occupied , theengagements of many of the Japanese advisers and controllersin depar tmen ts expired and wer e not renewed , some of the reforms i nsti tuted by Japan dur ing the per iod of her ascendencyd ied a natural death , there was a d ist inctly retrograde movemen t

,and governmen t was d is in tegrat ing al l over the land .

The general ag i tat ion in the coun try and several of the moreser ious of the outbreaks had a cause wh ich , wh i le to our th inki ng it is lud icrous , shows as much as anyth ing else the in tenseconservat ism of pung—kok or custom wh ich prevail s among theKoreans . The cause was an attack on the Top Knot ” by aRoyal Ed ict on 3oth December , 1895 Th is set the coun tryaflam e ! The Koreans , who had borne on the whole qu ietlythe ascendency of a hated power , the m urder of the ir Queen ,and the pract ical impr i sonment of their King , found the attack ou the i r hair more than they could stand . The topknotis more to a Korean than the queue is to a Ch inese . Thequeue to the latter may be a S ign of subjugat ion or of loyal tyto the Gover nmen t and that is al l , and the smal l Ch inese boywear s i t as soon as h is hai r is long enough to pla i t .To the Korean the Top Knot means nat ional i ty , an t iqu i ty

(some say of five centur ies , other s of year s) , sanct i ty

359


der ived from an t iqu i ty , en trance on manhood soc ial ly and

legally,even though he may be a ch i ld in years , the assum p

t ion of two names by wh ich in add i t ion to h is fam i ly name heis afterwards known ,

and by wh ich he is des ignated on the ancestral tablets , marr iage i s int imately bound up w i th i t, as isancestral worsh ip, and as has been mentioned in the chapteron marr iage , a Korean w i thou t a Top Knot , even i f in m iddlel ife, can only be treated as a nameless and irresponsible boy .

I n a few cases a Korean , to escape from th is stage of d isrespect , scrapes together enough to pay for the Top Knot ceremon ies aud the m ang

-kun,hat , and long coat, wh ich are their

sequence , though he is too poor to suppor t a fam i ly , but theTop Knot in n inety -n ine cases ou t of a hundred is on ly assumed on marriage

,w i thou t wh ich the wearer has the t i tle of

a hal f man bestowed on him

The ceremon ies at th e “ Invest i tur e of th e Top Knot deserve a br ief not ice as among the most impor tan t of the s ingular i ties of the nat ion . When the father and fam i ly have dec ided that a boy shal l be invested

,

” wh ich in near ly al lcases is on th e verge of his marr iage , men

’s clothes , the hat,m ang

-kun ,etc .

,are prov ided to the l im i ts of th e fam i ly purse,

and the astrologer s are consul ted , who choose a prop i t ious dayand hour for the ceremony , as well as the po in t of the compasswh ich the ch ief actor is to face dur ing its progress . The feesof the regular astrologer are very h igh , and in the case of th epoor

,the bl ind sorcerer is usual ly called in to dec ide on these

importan t points .When the auspic ious day and hour arr ive the fam i ly assem

bles , but as i t is a fam i ly matter on ly , fr iends are not inv i ted .

Luck and prosper i ty and a number of sons are essent ial for theMaster of th e Ceremon ies . If the father has been so blessedhe acts as such

,i f not

,an old fr iend who has been mor e lucky

acts for h im . The cand idate for the d ist inct ion and pr iv i legesof manhood is placed in the m iddle of the room ,

seated onthe floor , great car e be ing taken that h e faces the point of the



much decorated , as Obnoxious in trans i t as a lady ’s bandbox .

The keeping on the hat is a mark of respect . Cour t offic ialsappear in the sovereign

’s presence w i th the ir hats on , and theKorean only takes i t off in the company of h is most in timatefr iends . The m ang

-kun is a fixture . The Top Knot is oftendecorated w i th a bead of j ade , amber , or turquo i se , and someof the young swells wear expensive tor to ise-shel l combs as i tsornaments . There is no other s ingle ar t icle of male equ ipment that I am awar e of wh ich plays so impor tan t a par t , or isregarded w i th such reverence , or is clung to so tenac iously, asthe Korean Top Knot .On an “ inst i tut ion so venerated and time-honored ,

and so bound up w i th Korean nat ional i ty ( for the Korean ,

though remarkably dest i tu te of true patr iot ism ,has a strongly

nat ional inst inct ) , the decree of the 3oth of December , 1895 ,

pract ical ly abol ish ing the Top Knot,fel l l ike a thunderbol t .

The measure had been advocated before, ch iefly by Koreanswho had been in Amer ica

,and was known to h ave Japanese

suppor t , and had been d iscussed by the Cab inet , bu t th e changewas regarded w i th such d isgust by the nat ion at large that theGover nmen t was afra id to enforce it. Only a shor t t ime befor ethe decree was issued , three ch ief officer s of the Kun -r en -taz

entered the Counc i l Chamber w i th d rawn swords,demand ing

the instantaneous issue of an ed ict mak ing i t compulsory onevery m an in Governmen t employmen t to have his haircropped , and the M in i sters , terr ified for thei r l ives , al l y ieldedbut one , and he succeeded for th e time in gett ing the issue ofi t delayed t i l l after the Queen ’s funeral . Very Shor tly afterwards , however , the King , pract ically a pr isoner, was com

pelled to endorse i t , and h e , the Crown Pr ince , the Ta i -Won

Kun, and the Cabinent were d ivested of the i r Top Knots, the

sold iers and pol ice follow ing su i t .The fol lowing day the Ofi cial Gazette promulgated a de

cree, endorsed by the K ing , announc ing that he had cut h is

ha ir shor t , and call ing on al l h is subjects , officials and common

The Ha ir-cropp ing Ed ict 363

people al ike , to follow h is example and ident ify themselvesw i th the sp ir i t of progress wh ich had induced H is Majestyto take th is step , and thus place h is coun try on a foot ing ofequal i ty w i th the other nat ions of the wor ldThe Home Office not ificat ions were as follows

Tr a n sla tion

The presen t cropping of the ha i r being a m easure both advantageous tothe preservation of health and conven ien t for th e transaction of busin ess ,

our sacred Lord the King, hav ing in Vi ew both adm in i strative reform and

national aggrandizem ent, has, by taking the lead in h is own person , set u s

an exam ple . All the subjects of Great Korea should respectfully con formto H is Majesty ’s purpose , and the fash ion of the i r cloth ing shou ld be as

set forth below1 . Dur ing national m ourn ing th e hat and cloth ing should , un til the ex

pi ration of the term of m ourn ing , be wh i te in color as before.

2 . The fillet (m ung-nu n ) should be abandoned .

3. There is no objection to the adoption of foreign clothing .

(Signed) YU-K I L CHUN,

A ( ting Hom e M i n ister .

n th m oon ,15 th day.

No. 2

I n the Proclam ation wh ich H is Majesty graciously i ssued to-day ( 1 1th

m oon , 15 th day) are words, We , in cutting Our ha i r , are setting an ex

am ple to Our subjects. D o you , the m u l ti tude , iden tify yourselves w i thOur design ,

and cause to be accom pl ished the g reat work of establish ingequal ity wi th the nations of the ear th .

”

At a tim e of reform such as th is, when we hum bly peruse so Spi r ited aproclam ation , am ong all of us subjects of Great Korea who does not

weep for gratitude , and str ive h is u tm ost ? Earnestly un i ted in hear t andm ind , we earnestly expect a hum ble conform ity with H i s Majesty ’s purposes of reform ation .

( Signed) YU-KIL CHUN,

Ad ing Hom e M in ister

so4th year since the founding of the Dynasty,I I th m oon ,

1sth day.

Among the reasons wh ich rendered the Top Knot decreedetestable to the people were , that pr iests and monks , who , instead of be ing held in esteem ,

are regarded generally as a


nu isance to be tolerated , wear the ir hair closely cropped , andthe Ed ict was bel ieved to be an attempt inst igated by Japan tocompel Koreans to look l ike Japanese, and adopt Japanesecustoms . So strong was the popular bel ief that i t was to Japanthat Korea owed the denat ional iz ing order , that in the many

places where there were Top Knot Riots i t was evidenced byover t acts of host i l i ty to the Japanese , frequent ly resul t ing inmurderThe rural d istr icts were convulsed . Officials even of the

h ighest rank found themselves on the horns of a d i lemma . Ifthey cut the ir hair , they were driven from the ir lucrative postsby an in fur iated populace

,and in several instances lost the ir

l ives , wh i le if they retained the Top Knot they were d ism issedby the Cab inet . I n one province , on the arr ival from Seou lo f a newly-appoin ted mandar in w i th cropped hair , he wasmet by a great concou r se of peopl e ready for the worst , whoin formed him that they had h i ther to been ru led by a Koreanm an

, and would not endure a Monk Magi strate,” on wh ich

he pruden t ly ret ired to th e capi tal .All through the land there were Top Knot complexi t ies and

d ifficul t ies . Coun trymen , merchants , Chr ist ian catech i sts , andothers , who had come to Seou l on bus iness , and had beenshorn , dared not r isk the ir l ives by r eturn ing to the ir homes .Wood and coun try produce d id not come in , and the pr ice ofthe necessar ies of l i fe rose ser iously . Many m en who pr izedthe honor of enter ing th e Palace gates at the New Year fe ignedi l lness

,but were sen t for and denuded of their hair . The

cl ick of the sh ear s was heard at every gate in Seou l , at thePalace , and at the offic ial res idences even servants were notexempted , and some of the Fore ign Represen tat ives wereunable to presen t themselves at th e Palace on New Year ’ sDay , because thei r chairmen were unw i l l ing to meet the shears .A father po isoned h imself from gr ief and hum i l iat ion becauseh is two sons had subm i tted to th e decree . The foundat ionsof soc ial order were th reatened when the Top Knot fel l



lost prerogat ives , wh ich have never s ince been curbed in th esl ightest degree . The i rredeemable Or iental ism of the twofol lowing proclamat ions wh ich were posted over the c i ty w i th ina few hours of his escape warran ts the ir insertion in ful l

ROYAL PROCLAMATION

Tr ansla tion

Alas ! alas ! on account of Our unworth iness and m al-adm in istrationthe wicked advanced and the wise reti red . Of the last ten years , nonehas passed wi thout troubles . Som e were brough t on by those We had

trusted as the m em bers of the body, whi le others, by those of Our own

bone and flesh . Our dynasty of five centur ies has thereby been often en

dangered , and m i llions of Our subjects have thereby been gradually impover ish ed . These facts m ake Us blush and sweat for sham e. But thesetroubles have been brought about th rough Our par tiality and self-will ,g iving r ise to rascality and blunders lead ing to calam ities. Allhave beenOur own fau lt from the fi rst to the last.Fortunately , th rough loyal and fa ithful subj ects r ising up in r igh teous

efforts to rem ove the wicked , there i s a hope that the tr ibulations exper ienced m ay invigorate the State , and that calm m ay return after the storm .

Th is accords with the pr i nciple that hum an nature wi ll have freedomafter a long pressure , and that the ways of H eaven br ing success after re

verses . We sha l l endeavor to be m ercifu l . No pardon , however , shallbe extended to the pr incipal tra i tors concerned in the affai rs of Ju ly , 1894,and of Octobe r , 1895 . Capital pun ishm en t should be thei r due , thus

venting the ind ignation of m en and gods al ike . But to all the rest, offi

cials or sold iers , citizens or cool ies, a gen eral am nesty,free and fu ll , i s

gran ted , i r respective of the degree of thei r offences . Reform your hear ts ;ease your m inds ; go about your business, public or pr ivate, as in tim es

past.As to the cutting of th e Top Knots—what can We say I s i t such an

u rgen t m atter The tra itors , by using force and coercion , brough t aboutthe affa i r . That th is m easure was taken aga inst Our will is , no doubt,wel l known to all. Nor i s i t Our wi sh that the conservative subjectsth roughout th e coun try, m oved to r igh teous indignation , should r i se up,

as they have , ci rculating false rum ors , causing death and injury to one an

other , until the regu lar troops had to be sen t to suppress the d isturbancesby force. The trai tors indu lged thei r poisonous nature in everyth ing .

The Ha i r-cropp ing Ed ict 367

Fingers and hai rs would fa i l to coun t thei r cr im es . The sold iers a re Ourchildren . So are the in surgen ts . Cut any of the ten fingers, and one

would cause as m uch pain as another . Fighting long con tinued wouldpour out blood and heap up corpses, h inder ing com m un ications and traffic.

Alas ! if this continues the people wi ll all d i e . The m ere con tem plationof such consequences provokes Our tears and ch i lls Our heart . We desirethat as soon as orders arr ive the sold iers should return to Seoul and theinsurgents to their respective places and occupations.

As to the cutting of Top Knots , no one sh all be forced as to dress andhats. D o as you please. The ev i ls now afflicting th e people shall beduly attended to by the Governm ent. Thi s is Our own word of honor .Let all understand.

By order of H is Majesty,( Signed) PAK-CHUNG YANG,

Acting Hom e a nd P r im e M in ister .

I 1th day, zud m oon , I st year of Kon-yang.

PROCLAMATION TO THE SOLDIERS

On accoun t of the unhappy fate of Our coun try, traitors have m adetrouble every year . Now We have a docum en t inform ing us of another

conspiracy. We have therefore com e to the Russian Legation . The

Representatives of d i fferent coun tr ies have all assem bled .

Soldiers ! com e and protect us. You a re Our ch i ldren . The troublesof the past were due to the cr im es of chief tra itors . You are all par

doued , and shall not be h eld an swerable . D o your duty and be at ease.

When you m eet the ch ief tra i tors , v iz . Cho-hu i Yen , Wu -

pom Sun ,Y i-tu

Hwong , Y i-pom Nai,Yi -ch in Ho, and Kon-yong Chin , cut off thei r heads

at once, and br ing them ,

You ( soldiers ) attend us at the Russian Legation .

I l th day, and m oon , I st year of Kon -yang .

Royal Sign .

Following on th is,on th e same day, and wh i le thousands of

people were read ing the repeal of th e hair -cropping order ,those of the Cabinet who could be caugh t were arrested andbeheaded in the street—the Pr ime M in ister , who had kept hisplace in several Cabinets , and the M in ister of Agr icul ture andCommerce. The mob, infur iated , and regard ing the Prem ier


as the author of the downfall of the Top Knot , gave i tsel f up tounm i t igated savagery , insu lt ing and mut i lat ing the dead bod iesin a manner absolutely fiend ish . Another of the Cab inet wasrescued by Japanese sold iers , and the other trai torous membersran away . A Cabinet , ch iefly new , was instal led , pr isondoors were opened , and the inmates , gu i l ty and innocent al ike ,were released , str ict orders were g iven by the King that theJapanese wer e to be protected , one hav ing already fallen a

v ict im to the fury of the populace, and before n igh t fel l onSeou l much of the work of the previous s ix months had beenundone

,and the Top Knot had tr iumphed .

1

How the Korean King , freed from the strong influence ofthe Queen and the brutal con trol of h is mut inous officer s ,used h is freedom need not be told here . It was supposed j ustafter h is escape that he would becom e “ a mere tool in thehands of the Russ ian M in ister , bu t so far was th is from be ingthe case

,that before a year had passed i t was greatly des ired

by many that Mr . Wacher would influence him against thebad in statecraft and in favor of th e good , and the cause ofh is determ inat ion not to b ias the King i n any way remains amystery to th is day .

The roads wh ich led to the Russ ian Legat ion were guardedby Korean sold iers

,but e ighty Russ ian marines were quar tered

in the compound and held the gates , wh i le a small p iece ofar t i l lery was very much en evidence on the terrace below theK ing ’s w indows He had an abundan t entour age. For somemon ths the Cabinet occupied the bal lroom

,and on the terrace

and round the K ing ’s apar tmen ts there were always numbersof Cour t offic ials and servan ts o f al l grades , eunuchs , Palacewomen , etc . , wh ile the favor i tes , the lad ies Om and Pak , whoass isted in h is escape , wer e constantly to be seen in h is

v i c i n i ty.

Revel l ing in th e cheer fulness and securi ty of his surround?

lWhen I last saw th e K ing this national adornm ent seem ed to have re

sum ed its form er proportion s.



m iss ioner of Customs , rece ived by Royal decree th e absolutecontrol of al l payments ou t of the Treasury , and hav ing gainedcons iderable ins ight into the complex i t ies of financ ial cor rupt ion

,addressed h imself in earnest to the reform of abuses

,and

w i th most benefic ial results .I n Septem ber a Counc i l of State of fourteen members was

substitued for the Cab inet of M in isters organ ized under Japanese auspices , a change wh ich was to some extent a return toold methods .Many of the attempts made by the Japanese dur ing their as

cendency to reform abuses were al lowed to lapse . The countrywas unsettled

,a R ighteous Army having replaced the Tong

haks . The M in ister of the Household and other Royal favori tes resumed the pract ice of sel l ing prov inc ial and other postsin a most unblush ing manner after the sl ight checks wh ich hadbeen imposed on th is most deleter ious custom , and the sovereign h imsel f, whose Civi l List is ample , appropr iated publ icmoneys for h is own purposes , wh i le , find ing h imsel f personal ly safe

,and free from Japanese or other con trol , he rever ted

in many ways to the trad i t ions of h is dynasty , and in spi te ofattempted checks upon his authori ty , reigned as an absolutem onarch—his ed icts law,

his w i l l absolute . Meanwh i le Japanwas gradually effac ing hersel f or being effaced , and whateverinfluence she lost in Korea , R uss ia gained , but the advantagesof the change were not obvious.

CHAPTER XXXII

THE REORGANIZED KOREAN GOVERNMENT ‘

HE old system of Government in Korea,wh ich , w i th but

a few al terat ions and add i t ions, prevai led from the found

ing of the presen t dynasty un t i l the second hal f of 1894 , was

modelled on that of the M ing Emperors of Ch ina . The Kingwas absolute as wel l in pract ice as in theory , but to ass ist himin govern ing there was a E zei—c/zy eng P u ,

common ly translatedCab inet , composed of a so—called Prem ier , and Sen ior andJun ior M in isters of State , under whom were Sen ior and Jun iorCh ief Secretar ies , and Sen ior and Jun ior Ass istan t Secretar ies ,w i th cer tain m inor funct ionar ies , th e Governmen t be ing conducted through Boards as in Ch ina

, v iz . C iv i l Office , Revenue ,Ceremon ies , War , Pun ishment , and Works

,to wh ich were

added after the open ing of the coun try to fore igners,Fore ign

and Home Offices . Dur ing the presen t re ign the Home Office ,under the Presidency of a powerfu l and amb i t ious cous in ofthe Queen ,

M in Yeng-chyun ,began to draw to i tself al l ad

m in istrat ive power , wh i le Her Majesty ’ s and h is relat ions , whooccup ied the chi ef pos i t ions throughout the coun try, fleecedthe people w i thou t restra in t . Of the remain ing offices wh ich

1The chapters on the Reorgan i zed Korean Governm ent—Education ,Trade , and Finance—and D aem on ism are intended to aid in the intelli

gent understanding of those wh ich precede them . The reader who wishesto go into the subject of the Old and the reorgan ized system s of KoreanGovernm en t wi l l find a m ass of cu r ious and deeply interesting detai l in a

volum e en titled , K or ea n Gover nm en t, by W . H . Wi lkinson , Esq. ,lately

Acting Vice-Consu l at Chem u lpo, published by the StatisticalDepartm en t of the Ch inese Im per ial Mar i tim e Custom s at Shanghai in

March , 1897. To i t I am very greatly indebted.37 I


were seated in the Metropol is the ch ief were the Correct ionalTr i bunal , an office of the first rank wh ich took cogn izance ofthe Offences of offic ials , and the Prefectur e of Seoul wh ich hadcharge of al l mun ic ipal matter s .Korea was d ivided in to eight Provinces , each under the con

trol of a Governor , aided by a Civi l and M i l i tary Secretary .

Magistrates of d ifferen t grades accord ing to the s ize of themag istrac ies were appo in ted under him

,five for tress c i t ies

,

however , be ing independen t of provinc ial ju risd ict ion . Thepr inc ipal tax , the land - tax

,was paid in kind , and the local

governments had very cons iderable control over th e local revennes . There were provincial m i l i tary and naval forces w i thlarge staffs of officers, and Boards , Offices , and Depar tmentsinnum eral under Government

,each w i th i ts leg ion of super

num erar ies.

The coun try was eaten up by officialism . It is not on ly thatabuses w i thou t number prevai led , bu t the whole system ofGovernmen t was an abuse , a sea of corrupt ion w i thout a bottom or a shor e , an engine of robbery , crush ing the l ife out ofal l industry . Offices and justice were bough t and sold l ikeother commod i t ies , and Governmen t was fast decay ing , theone pr inc iple wh ich survived be ing i ts right to prey on thegoverned .

The new order of th ings,called by th e Japanese the Ref

ormat ion,

” dates from the forc ible occupat ion of the Kyengpok Palace by Japanese troops on the a3rd of July , 1 894 .

The con st i tu t ional changes wh ich have subsequen t ly been prom ulgated ( though not always carried out) were ini t iated bythe Japanese M in ister in Seou l , and reduced to detai l by theJapanese advi sers ” who shor tly arr ived ; and Japan is eu

t i tled to the cred i t of hav ing attempted to cope wi th and rem

edy the man ifold abuses of the Korean system , and of havingbequeathed to th e coun try the l ines on wh ich r eforms are now

being carr ied ou t . I t was natural , and is certainly not blame



Gazette, wh ich was furn ished in MS. to offic ials throughoutthe kingdom . The Royal Ed icts when publ ished in th is paperbecame law in Korea .

I n July, 1 894, Mr . Otor i made the useful innovat ion of publish ing the Gazette in clear type , and in the following Januaryi t appeared in a m ixture of Ch inese h ieroglyphs and E n-m nn

,

the vulgar scr ipt ” of Korea, and became intell igible to thecommon people . No spec ial change was m ade at that t ime ,except that the Resolut ions of the Del iberat ive Assembly wereincluded in it . Later changes have ass im ilated i t far ther tothe Gover nmen t Gazette of Japan , and it has gained ratherthan lost in impor tance . Gradual ly a d im inut ion of the powerof the Cour t of Transm iss ion began to show i tself. Its namewas changed to the Rece iving Office, and members of theCabinet and th e Correct ional Tr ibunal began to enj oy d i rectaccess to the King . I n Apr i l , 1895 , a far ther change in aJapanese d irect ion

,and one of great s ign ificance in Korean

est imation,was made

,the date of the Gazette be ing g iven

thus :“ No . r .

—5O4th year of the Dynasty, 4th moon , I st day,

Wood -day .

Two mon ths later far ther changes in the Official Gazettewere announced , and the programme then put forward hasbeen adhered to , pav ing the way for m any of the changeswh ich have fol lowed . It is d ifficul t to make the impor tanceof the Gazette intel l ig ible , except to fore igners who have resided in Ch ina and Korea . The reason for dwell ing so longupon it is, that for several cen turies th e publ icat ion in it ofRoyal Ed icts has given them the force of law and the currency of Acts of Par l iamen t .I n the pages wh ich fol low a br ief summary is given of the

outl ines of the scheme for the reorgan izat ion of the Korean

lWood-day i s the term adopted by the Japanese for Thursday , theirweek , wh ich has now been im posed on the Korean s , being Sun -day,

Moon-day, Fi re-day, Water -day, Wood-day, Metal-day, and Earth-day.

The Reorgan iz ed Korean Governm en t 375

Governmen t , wh ich was prepared for the most par t by theJapanese advisers

,honorary and salar i ed , who have been en

gaged on the task since 1894 , and wh ich has been acceptedby the King .

The first change raised the status of the King and the RoyalFam i ly to that of the Imper ial Fam i ly of Ch ina . After th is ,i t was enacted , follow ing on the King

’ s Oath of January ,1895 , that the Queen and Royal Fam i ly were no longer tointer fere in the affairs of State , and that H is Majesty wouldgovern by the adv ice of a Cab inet , and s ign al l ord inances towh ich h is assen t i s g iven . The Cab inet , wh ich was , at leastnom inal ly

,located in the Palace , had two aspects—a Counci l

of State, and a State Depar tmen t , presided over by thePrem ier.

I .—As THE COUNCIL OF STATE

The m ember s of th e Cab inet or M in ister s of State were thePrem ier

,the Home M in ister , the M in ister for Fore ign Affairs ,

the F inance M in ister , the War M in ister , the M in ister of Educat ion , the M in ister Of Justice , and the M in ister of Agr iculture

,Trade and Industry . A Foreign Adv iser is supposed to

be attached to each of the seven Depar tm ents .M in isters in Counci l were empowered to cons ider—the

fram ing of laws and ord inances est imates and balance—sheetsof year ly revenue and expend i ture publ ic debt

,domestic and

foreign ; internat ional treat ies and impor tan t conven t ionsd isputes as to the respect ive jur i sd ict ions of M in isters ; suchpersonal memor ials as H is Majesty m igh t send down to themsuppl ies not included in th e est imates ; appo intments and promot ions of h igh offic ials , other than legal or m i l i tary ; th e retention , abol i t ion , or al terat ion of old customs ; abol i t ionor inst i tu t ion of offices

, and ,w i thou t refer ence to their

spec ial relat ions to any one M in istry , the ir reconstruct ion oramendment ; the impos i t ion of new taxes or thei r alterat ion ;and the control and managemen t of publ ic lands , forests,


bu i ld ings, and vessels . All ord inances after be ing s igned and

sealed by the K ing requ i red the counters ign of the Prem ier.The second funct ion of the Cabinet as a Department of

State i t is needless to go into .

A Pr ivy Counc i l was establ ished at the close of 1894 to

take the place of the Del iberative Assembly wh ich had collapsed , and is now empowered , when consul ted by the Cab inet ,to inqu ire into and pass resolut ions concern ingI . The fram ing of laws and ord inances .

II . Quest ions wh ich may from t ime to t ime be referred to i tby the Cab inet .The Counc i l cons ists of a Pres ident

,Vice-Presiden t , not

m ore than fifty Counc i l lors , two Secretar ies , and four Clerks .

The Counc i l lors are appointed by the Crown on the recomm endation of the Prem ier , and must e i ther be m en of rank ,or those who have done good serv ice to the State

,or are ex

per ts in pol it ics , law , or econom ics . The Pr ivy Counc i l isproh ib ited from hav ing any correspondence on publ ic mattersw i th pr ivate i nd iv iduals , or w i th any offic ials but Min i sters andVice-M in isters . The President pres ides . Two-th irds of themembers must be presen t to form a quorum . Votes are g ivenopen ly , r esolut ions are carr ied by a major i ty , and any Counc i llor d issen t ing from a resolu t ion so car r ied has a r ight to haveh is reasons r ecorded in the m inutes .In the autumn of 1896 some impor tan t changes were made .

A Decree of th e 24th of September condemned i n strong language the act ion of d isorder ly rebels , who some th ree yearsago revolu t ion ized the Const i tu t ion ,

”and changed the name

of the King ’s adv is ing body . The decree ordained that theold nam e , translated Counc i l of State , “ should be restored ,and declared that new regulat ions would be i ssued , wh ich ,wh i le adher ing to anc ien t pr inc iples

,would confirm such Of

the enactments of the previous th ree years as in the King ’sj udgmen t were for th e publ ic good .

” The Counc i l of Statewas organ ized by the first ord inance of a new ser ies

,and the



pres ides,two - th irds of the members from a quorum

,mot ions

are carr ied by a numer ical major i ty , and final ly a memor ialstat ing in out l ine the debate and i ts i ssue is subm i tted by theChancellor to the King , who issues such commands as mayseem to h im best , for , as previously stated , H is Majesty is notbound to acqu iesce in the dec is ion of the major ity .

The E u i -c/zy eng P u as a Depar tmen t of State through theD irector of the General Bureau ” has three sec t ions

Arch ives, Gazette , and Accoun ts, and is rather a record ingthan an in i t iat ing Office .

The scheme for the reconstruct ion of the Prov inc ial andMetropol i tan Gover nmen ts has in troduced many impor tan tchanges and r etrenchmen ts . The th ir teen Prov inces are nowd ivided into 339 Prefectures , Seoul having a Governmen t of i tsown . The vast entour age of prov inc ial au thor i t ies has beenreduced

,and a Provincial Governor ’ s staff is now l im i ted ,

nom inal ly at least , to s ix clerks,two ch ief constables , th ir ty

pol ice,ten wr i ters , four ushers , fi fteen messenger s , e igh t

cool ies, and e ight boys . Ord inances under the head of Local

Governmen t ” define th e j ur isd ict ion , powers , dut ies, per iodof office , salar ies , and et iquette 1 of al l ofli cials, along w ith

l Oj i ci a l I n ter cou r se. Ord . 45 am ends som e old practices regulatingthe intercourse and correspondence of officials . The etiquette of the

official call by a newly appoin ted Prefect on the Governor , on the whole,is reta ined , although i t i s in som e respects s im pl ified . T he old fash ion

obliged the Mag istrate to rem a in outs ide the yam en gate , wh i le a largefolded sheet of wh i te paper in scr ibed wi th h is nam e

,was sent in to th e

Governor . The latter thereupon gave orders to h is personal attendants orushers to adm i t the Mag istrate . The t

’oin , as they were com m on ly styled ,

cal led out Sa -ry eng ,”to wh ich th e servan ts chanted a reply . The Gov

e rnor being seated, the Magistrate knelt outs ide the room and bowed to

the ground . To th i s obeisan ce th e Governor repl ied by ra i sing h is arm s

over h is head . The Mag istrate was asked h is nam e and age , g iven som e

stereotyped advice , and d ism i ssed . The Gove rnor i s for the future to re

tu rn the bow of the Prefect, and conversation is to be conducted in term s

of m utua l respect, the Magistra te descr ibing h im self as na -noan (“ your

and addressing the Governor by h is title.

The Reorgan iz ed Korean Governm en t 379

many m inor m atters . It is in th is Depar tment tha t the re

forms i nst i tu ted by the Japanese are the most sweep ing . Verymany offices were abol ished , and al l Governmen t proper ty belonging to the establ ishmen ts of the offic ials hold ing themwas ordered to be handed over to officers of the new reg im e.

A Local Government Bureau was establ ished w i th sect ions,

under wh ich local finance in c i t ies and towns and local ex

penditure of every k ind were to be deal t w i th . An Engi neeri ng Bureau deal ing w i th c iv i l eng ineer ing and a Land Survey ,a Reg istrat ion Bureau deal ing wi th an annual census of thepopulat ion and the reg istrat ion of lands

,a San i tary Bureau ,

and an Accoun ts Bureau form par t of the very amb i t ious LocalGovernment scheme

,adm irabl e on paper , and wh ich

,if i t

were honestly carr ied ou t, would str ike at the roots of many ofthe abuses wh ich are th e curse of Korea . The whole prov incial system as reorgan ized is under the Home Office .An importan t par t of the new scheme is the defin i t ion of the

dut ies and j ur isd ict ion of th e M in isters of State . The Cab inetOrders deal ing w i th the du t ies and d isc ipl ine of offic ials atlarge so far i ssued are

°

Order I . General rules for th e conduct of public business.2 . Mem orabi l ia for officials .

3. Resum ption of office after m ourn ing.

4 . Repr im and and cor rection .

5 . Obl igation to purchase the Ga zette.

6. Mem or ials to be on ruled paper .

The managemen t of publ ic offices under the new system ispract ical ly the same as the Japanese .

The Memor abilia for Ofi ciats are as fol lows

( a ) No official m ust trespass outside h i s own jur isdiction .

(o) Where duties have been deputed to a subord inate, the latter m ustnot be continual ly in terfered wi th .

( c) A subord inate ordered to do anyth ing which in h i s opin ion i s ir

regular or i rrelevant shou ld expostu late wi th h is sen ior . I f the latterholds by h is Opin ion , the jun ior m ust conform .


( a’

) Officials m ust be straigh tforward and outspoken , and not give out

ward acqu iescence wh i le pr ivate ly cr i ticis ing or h inder ing the i r super iors .

( e) Officials m ust not l isten to suggestions from outsiders or talk withthem on Officia l bus iness.

(f ) Officials m ust be frank wi th one anoth er , and not form cliques .

(g ) N0 official m ust wi lfully spread false rum ors about another or

lightly credi t such .

( b) No Official m ust absent him self from office wi thout perm ission during office hours, or frequen t the houses of others.

Resolut ion 88 , passed some months earl ier,was even more

expl ic i t

Officials are thereby forbidden to d ivulge official secrets even when witnesses in a cour t of law,

unless specially perm itted to do so or to show

despatches to outsiders . They ar e not al lowed to becom e d i rectors or

m anagers in a public com pany ; to accept com pensation from pr ivate ind ividuals or g ifts from th e i r subord inates ; to undertake, wi thout perm iss ion , extra work for paym ent ; or to put to pr ivate u se Governm ent horses .

They m ay rece ive honor s or presen ts from fore ign Sovere igns or Governm ents only with the special sanction of H is Majesty.

An ord inance restored the use of the un i forms worn pr ior toth e Reformat ion ,

” whether Cour t dress , ful l dress, halfdress

,or undress , and announced that n e i ther officials nor

pr ivate persons were to be compelled any longer to wear black .

Each Depar tmen t is pres ided over by a M in i ster,who is em

powered to i ssue Depar tmental Orders , as Instruct ions to thelocal offic ials and pol ice , and Not ificat ions to the people . H is

jur isd ict ion over th e pol ice and local offic ials is concu rrentwi th that of his col leagues , who must also be consulted byh im before recommend ing to the Throne the promot ion or

degradat ion of the h igher offic ials of his Depar tmen tal Staff.Under the M in ister is a Vice -M in ister

,empowered to act for

h im on occas ion , and , when do ing so , possess ing equal pr iv ileges . The Vice -M in ister is usual ly the head of th e M in ister ’sSecretar iat , wh ich deals w i th “ confident ial matters , promot ions , custody of the M in ister ’s and Departmental Seals , receipt



connected w i th the remodelled system of taxat ion and the

salar ies and expenses of offic ials are very numerous and m inute .

The appropr iat ion actual ly in money for the Sovereign’

s Pr ivyPurse was fixed at

WAR OFFICE

The M in ister for War, who must be a general officer, hascharge of the m i l i tary adm in i strat ion of an army lately fixedat men , and the ch ief con trol of m en and matters inthe army , and is to exerc ise superv is ion over army d ivis ions ,and al l bu i ld ings and for ts under h is Departmen t . The newm i l itary arrangemen ts are very elaborate .

M INISTRY OF EDUCATION

In th is impor tan t Depar tmen t , bes ides the M in ister and

V ice-M in i ster and heads of Bureaux and Sect ions,there are

th ree spec ial Secretar ies who act as Inspectors of Schools , andan official “special ly deputed to comp i l e and select text-books .Bes ides the M ini ster ’ s Secretar iat

,there are the E ducation

Bu r eau ,wh ich is concer ned w i th pr imary , normal , intermed i

ary, fore ign language , t echn ical and industrial schools , and

s tuden ts abroad ; and a Comp i la tion Bur eau , concerned w i thth e select ion

,translat ion , and compi lat ion of text-books the

purchase,preservat ion

,and arrangemen t of volumes , and the

pr in t ing of books.Under th i s Depar tment has been placed the Con fuc ian Col

l ege , an inst i tu t ion of the old r egim e, the purpose of wh ichwas to attend to the Temple of L i terature

,in wh ich , as in

Ch ina , the Memor ial Tablets of Con fucius , Menc ius , and theSages are honored , and to encou rage th e study of the class icalbooks . The subjects for study are the “ Three Class ics ,

”

“ Four Books and Popular Commentary , Ch inese Compos i tion ,

Outl ines of Ch inese H istory—Of the Sung , Yuan ,and

M ing Dynast ies . To meet the r eformed requ irements , th isCollege has been reorgan ized

,and th e studen ts

,who must be

The Reorgan iz ed Korean Governm ent 383

between th e ages of twen ty and for ty,

“ of good Character,

persever ing , intel l igen t, and wel l acquain ted w i th affa ir s ,”are

in add i t ion put through a course of Korean and foreign an

nals, Korean and foreign geography,and ar i thmet ic .

M INISTRY OF JUSTICE

The M in ister of Just ice has charge of jud icial matters, pardons and restorat ions to rank , instruct ions for publ ic prosecut ion , and supervi s ion over Spec ial Cour ts , H igh Cour ts , andD istr ict Cour ts ; and the Depar tmen t forms a H igh Cour t ofJust ice for the hear ing of cer tain appeals .

M INISTRY OF AGR ICULTURE , TRADE, AND INDUSTRY

The M in ister of Agr icul tur e has charge of al l matters relat ing to agricul ture , commerce , industr ies , posts , telegraphs ,sh ipp ing , and marine officers .In th is Departmen t

,bes ides the M in i ster ’s Secretar iat , there

are Bureaux of Agr icul ture, Commun icat ions , Trade , I h

dustry, M in ing , and Accoun ts . The Bureau of Agr iculturecon ta ins Agr icul tural

,Forest

,and Natural Products sect ions ;

that of Commun icat ions , Post , Telegraph , and Mar ine sect ions ; and that of Trade and Industry deals w i th Commerce ,Trad ing Corporat ions , We igh ts and Measures , Manufactures ,and Factories . The M in ing Bureau has sect ions for M inesand Geology

, and the Bureau of Accounts deals w i th the inventor ies and expend i ture of the Department .

THE VILLAGE SYSTEM

Bes ides the Reorgan izat ion of these impor tan t Departmentsof State , a des ign for a “ Vi l lage System ,

” organ ized as follows

,is to super sede that wh ich had decayed wi th the general

decay of Governmen t in Korea .

The country is now d ivided in to d istr icts (K un ) , each K un

contain ing a number of myen or can tons, each of wh ich ineludes a number of ni or v i llages . The old posts and t i tles are


abol ished,and each v i l lage is now to be provided w i th the fol

low ing officersI . Headm an—He must be over th ir ty year s of age

, and

is elected for one year by the householders . The office ishonorary .

2 . Clerk—He holds office under the same cond i t ions asthe Headman , under whom he keeps the books and issuesnot ices .

3. E la’er .—Nom inated by the householders , he acts for the

Headman as occasion demands .

4 . Ba ilif .—Elected at the same t ime as the Headman he

per forms the usual dut ies of a servant or messenger , and holdsoffice for a year on good behavior .

The correspond ing officers o f the canton (commune ) are a

Mayor , a Cler k, a Ba ilifi”

,and a Comm unal Uslzer who is ir

r emovable except for cause g iven , and is, l ike the other officials, elected by the canton .

A Vi l lage Counc i l is composed of the Headman and one

man from each fami ly , and is empowered to pass resolutionson matters connected w i th educat ion , registrat ion of households or lands , san i tat ion , roads and bridges, communal grainexchanges , agr icul tural improvements , common woods and

dykes , payment of taxes , rel ief in fam ine or Other calam i ty ,adj ustmen t of the cor uée, sav ings assoc iat ions, and by-laws .The Headman

,who acts as chairman , has not on ly a cast ing

vote , but th e power to veto . A resolut ion passed over the vetoof the Headm an has to be referred to th e Mayor , and over theveto of th e Mayor to the Prefect . If passed tw ice over theveto of the Prefect , reference may be made to the Governor .All resolu t ions , however , must be subm i tted tw ice a year tothe Home Office , through the Prefect and Governor ; and i t

is incumben t on the Prefectural Counc il to sit at least tw icein th e year .

Taxes are by a law of 13th October, 1895 , class ified as LandTax , Scutage, M in ing Dues , Customs Dues, and Exc ise . Ex



Superfluous Paraphernal ia abol ished . School of Instruction inVacc inat ion . Hair -cropping Proclamat ion . Solar Calendaradopted .

“ Dr i l led Troops ” (K un -r en -ta i ) abol ished . Legalpun ishments defined . Slaugh ter-Houses licensed . Comm i t teeof Legal Revis ion appoin ted . Telegraph Regulat ions . PostalRegulat ions . Rai lways placed under Bureau of Comm un icat ions . These ord inances are a select ion from among severalhundred promulgated s ince July , 1894 .

Of the reforms not ified during the last three and a half yearsseveral have not taken effect and concern ing others there hasbeen a d ist inctly retrograde movemen t

,w i th a tendency to

rever t to the abuses of the old reg im e ; and others wh ich weretaken in hand earnestly , have gradual ly col lapsed , owing inpar t to the l impness of the Korean character

,and in par t to

the oppos i t ion of al l in office and of al l who hope for Office toany measures of reform . Some, adm irable in themselves , atpresent ex ist only on paper ; but , on the whole , the reorganized system ,

though in many respects fragmentary, is a greatimprovemen t on the old one and it may not unreasonably behoped that th e young m en , who are now being educated in eu

l ightened ideas and not ions of honor, w i ll not repeat the iniquities of their fathers.

CHAPTER XXXIII

EDUCATION AND FOREIGN TRADE

OREAN educat ion has h i ther to fai led to produce patriots,

th inkers, or honest m en . It has been conducted thus .I n an ord inary Korean school the pup i ls , seated on the floorw i th the ir Chinese books in fron t of them

,the upper par ts of

the ir bod ies sway ing v iolently from s ide to s ide or backwardsand forwards , from dayl igh t ti l l sunset

, voc i ferate at the

h ighest and loudest p itch of the ir vo ices thei r assigned lessonsfrom the Ch inese class ics , comm i tt ing them to m emory or rec i t ing them aloud , wr i t ing the Ch inese characters , fi l l ing theirrecept ive memor ies w i th fragments of the learn ing of theCh inese sages and passages of myth ical h istory , the begoggledteacher , erud i te and superc i l ious , rod in hand and w i th a bookbefore him , now and then throw ing in a word of correction instentor ian tones wh ich r ise above the d in .

Th is educational m i l l gr ind ing for ten or more years enabledthe average youth to aspi re to the l i terary degrees wh ich wereconferred at the Kwa -

ga or Royal Exam inat ions held in Seoulup to 1894 , and wh ich were regarded as the stepping -stones toofficial posi t ion , the great object of Korean amb ition . Therei s noth ing in th is educat ion to develop the th ink ing powers orto enable the studen t to understand the wor ld he l ives in . The

effor t to acqu i re a d ifficul t language, the knowledge of wh ichg ives him a m astery of h is own , is in i tsel f a desi rable m en tald isc ipl ine

, and the eth ical teach ings of Confuc ius and Mencius ,however defect ive , con tain much that is valuable and true, butbeyond th i s l i ttle that is favorable can be said .

Narrowness,grooviness

,conce i t , superci liousness, a false

387


pr ide wh ich desp ises manual labor , a selfish ind iv idual ism ,

destruct ive of generous publ ic Sp ir i t and soc ial trustfulness , aslavery in act and thought to customs and trad i t ionsyears old , a narrow intellectual view , a shal low moral sense ,and an est imate of women essent ially degrad ing , appear to bethe products of the Korean educat ional system .

W i th the abol i t ion of the Royal Exam inat ions a change asto the methods of Governmen t appo in tments the work ing ofthe Western leaven the increased prom inence given to E n

m un , and the slow entrance of new ideas into th e coun try ,some of the desire for th is purely Ch inese educat ion has passedaway

,and i t has been found necessary to st imulate what

threatened to become a flagging interest in al l educat ion bynew educat ional methods and forces, the influence of wh ichshould rad iate from the capi tal .There are now (October, 1897) Governmen t Vernacular

Schools , a Governmen t School for the s tudy of Engl ish , Foreign Language Schools, and M iss ion Schools . Outside theVernacular and M iss ion Schools there is the before-ment ionedRoyal Engl ish School , w i th 1 00 studen ts in un i form ,

regular lydr i l led by a Bri t ish Sergean t of Mar ines, and crazy abou t footbal l ! These young men

,in appearance, manners , and rapid

advance in knowledge of Engl ish , reflect great cred i t On theiri nstructors . After th is come Japanese, French , and Russ ianSchools, at presen t ch iefly l ingu ist ic . Mr . Birukoff, in chargeof the Russ ian School , was a captai n of l ight ar t i llery in theRuss ian army , and in both the Russian and French schools thestudents are dr i l led dai ly by Russ ian d r i l l instructors .

Undoubtedly the establ ishment wh ich has exerci sed and isexerc is ing the most powerful educat ional

,moral

, and intellectual influence in Korea is the Pai Chai College Hal l forthe rear ing of Useful so named by the King i n 1 88 7 .

Th is, wh ich belongs to the Amer ican Method ist Ep iscopalChurch , has had the advantage of the services of one Pr incipal , the Rev . H . G . Appenzeller

,for eleven years . It has a



in E u -m un . They aim at provid ing a primary education forthe ch i ldren of Korean converts .The boys in the Orphanage are taught E u-m un only, and at

th irteen are adopted by Roman Cathol ics in Seou l or the country

, and learn ei ther farming or trades , or, assum ing their ownsuppor t

,en ter a trade or become servants . The elder girls

learn E n-m un ,sew ing , and housework , and at fifteen are mar

r ied to the sons Of Rom an Cathol ics . At R iong San nearSeou l there is a Theological Sem inary for the train ing of cand idates for the pr iesthood .

Besides these there is a school establ ished in 1896 by the“ Japanese Fore ign Educat ional Society ,

” wh ich i s composedch iefly of “ advanced Japanese Chr ist ians. The course ofstudy embraces the Ch inese classics , E u -m un , composi tion ,th e study of Japanese as a med ium for the study of Westernlearn ing

,and lectur es on sc ience and rel igion . Th i s school

was intended by i ts founders to work as a Chri st ian propaganda.

I n 1897 there were in Seou l nearly 900 students, ch ieflyyoung m en

,in M iss ion and Fore ign Schools , inclusive of 100

in th e Royal Engl ish School , wh ich has Engl ish teachers . I n

the major i ty of these the studen ts are trained in Christianmoral i ty

,fundamental science , general h istory , and the princi

ples o f patr iot ism . A cer tain amoun t of denat ional ization isconnected w i th most of th e Boys ’ Schools, for the studentsnecessar i ly receive new ideas

,though ts

,and views of l ife,

wh ich cannot be shaken ou t of them by any local c ircumstances , chang ing thei r standpoints and the texture of the irm inds for l ife . When they replace the elder generat ion betterth ings may be expected for Korea .

The Korean reformed ideas of education , wh ich had thei ror igin during the Japanese r eform era , embrace the creat ion ofa pr imary school system

, an effic ien t Normal Col lege , and I nterm ed iate Schools . Actual ly exi st ing under the Depar tmen tof Educat ion are a rev ived Con fucian School , the Royal Eng

Education and Fore ign Trade 391

l ish School, and the Normal Col lege , placed in May , 1897,under the very efficien t care of the Rev. H . B . Hulber t

,M .A. ,

a capable and scholar ly man , some of whose contr ibut ions toour knowledge of Korean poetry and mus ic have enr ichedearl ier chapters of these volumes . Text -books in E u—m un and

teachers who can teach them have to be created . It is hopedand expected that supply w i l l fol low demand

, and that in afew years the larger provincial towns wi l l possess Intermed iateor H igh Schools , and the vi l lages attain the advantages of elementary schools , al l us ing a un i form ser ies of text-books in thevernacular . Ch inese finds i ts place in the curr iculum ,

but notas the med ium for teach ing Kor ean and general h istory , orgeography and ari thmet ic , wh ich must be acqu ired throughthe native tongue .In sp i te of the somewhat spasmod ic and al together unscien

tific methods of the Educat ion Depar tmen t , it has succeededin gett ing the rev ived Normal College under way, as well as afair number of pr imary schools , where over boys are

learn ing the elemen ts Of ar i thmet ic , geography , and Koreanh istory

,w i th brief outl ines of the systems of government in

other c ivi l ized coun tr ies. Seventy-seven youths are study ingin Japan at Governmen t expense

,and have made fair progress

in languages, but are said to Show a lack of mathemat icalapt i tude and logical power . Al together the Korean educational outlook is not w i thou t elemen ts of hopefulness .Though the Foreign Trade of Korea on ly averages some

th ing less than annual ly,the poten t ial commerce

of a coun try w i th not less than of people , al l cotton -clad , ought not to be over looked . The amoun t of foreigntrade wh ich exists is the growth of th ir teen years only , butwhen we remember that Korea is a purely agr icultural countryof a very pr im i t ive and backward type , that many of her finest valleys are pract ical ly i solated by moun tain ranges, traversed by near ly impassable roads , that the tyranny of customis strong , that the Korean farmer is on ly j ust learn ing that a


profitable and almost unl im i ted demand ex ists for his r icc andbeans across the sea

,that th e ser ious cost of h is cotton cloth

ing can be kept down by impor t ing fore ign yarn or pieée goods,and that h is comfort can be increased by the introduction ofart icles of fore ign m anufacture , and that such facts are onlyslowly entering the secluded val leys of th e Herm i t Kingdom ,

the actual bulk of the trade is rather surpris ing , and i ts possibilities are worth cons idering . The net imports of foreigngoods have increased from the value of in 1886 to

in Measured in dol lars , the trade of 1896

exceeds that of any previous year except 1895 , when the occu

pation of Korea by Japanese troops, w i th the ir large follow ingof transport cool ies , created an art ific ial expansion .

Among Korean expor ts , wh ich ch iefly consist of beans, fish

(dried manure) , cow-h ides , ginsengppaper , rice, and seaweed ,there are none wh ich are l ikely to find a market elsewhere thanin Ch ina and Japan ,

but Korea , so far as rice goes , is on the

way to become the granary of th e latter country , her export in1890 having reached the value ofWi th imports , European coun tries , Ind ia , and Amer ica are

concerned . Wi thou t , I th ink , be ing over sangu ine,I an t ic i

pate a t ime when , w i th improved roads , rai l roads , and en l igh tenm ent, together w i th secur i ty for the earn ings of labor fromofficial and patric ian exact ion s, the Korean w i l l have no furtheroccasion for protecting h imself by an appearance of squal idpoverty , and when he w i l l become on a largely increased scalea consumer as well as a producer

,and wi l l surround h imsel f

w ith comfor ts and luxur ies of fore ign manufacture,as h is breth

ren are already do ing under the happier rul e of Russ ia . Underthe improved cond i t ions wh ich i t is reasonable to expect

,I

should not be surpri sed i f th e value of the Fore ign Trade ofKorea were to reach in another quar ter of a century , and the share wh ich England is to have of i t is an importan t quest ion .

1 For deta iled statistics of Korean Foreign Trade, see Appendix C.



main ly due to causes wh ich I have seen in operat ion in Persiaand Central As ia as well as in Korea, and wh ich embrace notonly imper fect knowledge of the tastes and needs of customers ,bu t the neglect to act upon informat ion suppl ied by consularand d iplomat ic agents , a groovy adherence to Br i t ish methodsof manufacture , and the ignor ing of nat ive des ires as to colors ,patterns

, and the Widths and makes wh ich su i t nat ive cloth ingand treatmen t , and the s ize of bales best su ited to nativemethods of transport . I do not al lude to the charge oft timesmade against our manufacturers of supplying Infer ior cottons ,because I have never seen any ind icat ions of its correctness,nor have I heard any complaints on the subj ec t e i ther in Koreaor Ch ina, but of the ignor ing of the requ i rements of customersther e is no doubt . I t is everywhere a gr ievance and source ofloss

,and is l ikely to lose us the prospect ive advantages of the

Korean market .The Japanese success

,putt ing the advantages of proximi ty

as ide,is

, I bel ieve , main ly due to the accuracy of the informat ion obtained by their keen -w itted agents , who have vis ited al lthe towns and v i l lages in Korea, and to the carefulness w i thwh ich their manufacturers are study ing the tastes and requ irements of th e Korean market . The ir goods reach the shore inmanageable bales , wh ich do not requ ire to be adapted afterarr ival to th e m inute Korean pony , and their pr ice , w idth ,length , and texture commend them to the Korean consumer .The Japanese unders tand that cotton 18 inches w ide is th eon ly cot ton from wh ich Korean garments can be fash ionedw i thou t very considerable waste , and they supply the marketw ith it ; and on the repor t o f th e agents of the impor t ingfirms , the weavers of Osaka and other manu factur ing townsw i th ad ro i tness and rap id i ty closely adapted the texture , w idth ,and length of the ir cottons to those of the hand -loom cottongoods made in South Korea , wh ich are deservedly popular fortheir durab i l i ty , and have succeeded not on ly in produc ing an

im itation of Korean cotton cloth,wh ich stands the pound ing

Education and Foreign Trade 395

and beating of Korean wash ing , but one wh ich actual ly deceives the Korean weaver s themselves as to i ts or ig in

,and

wh ich has won great popular i ty w i th the Korean women . IfKorea is to be a Br i t ish market in the future , the lost groundmust be recovered by work ing on Japanese l ines

,wh ich are

the l ines of commercial common sense .To sum up

,I ven ture to express the opin ion that the c ircum

stances of the large populat ion of Korea are dest ined to gradualimprovement w i th the aid of e i ther Japan or Russia

,that for

eign trade must increase mor e or less stead i ly w i th increasedbuy ing powers and improved means of transpor t , and that theamoun t wh ich falls to the share of Great Br i tain w i l l dependlargely upon whether Br i t ish manufacturers are w i l l ing or notto adapt the ir goods to Korean tastes and conven ience .

As instances of the apt i tude of the Koreans for tak ing tofore ign art icles wh ich su i t their needs , it; may be ment ioned ,on the author i ty of a repor t from the Br i t ish Consul-Generalto the Br i t ish Fore ign Office on Trade and Finance in Koreafor 1896, presented to Par l iamen t July , 1 897, that the impor tof luc i fer matches reached the figure of £1 1 ,386,

l wh i le thatof Amer ican and Russ ian kerosene exceededI n 1896 the expor t of gold increased , and was

one m i l l ion dollars ’ wor th being expor ted fromWon -san alone .The gold export included , the excess of Korean impor ts overexpor ts was on ly abou t and as i t is est im ated thaton ly one half of the gold actually leaving the coun try is declared , it may be assumed that Korea is able to pay for a largersupply of fore ign goods than she has h i ther to taken . The stat istics of Korean Fore ign Trade wh ich are to be found in theAppend ix are the latest r etur ns , suppl ied to m e by the cour tesyof the Korean Customs ’ Depar tmen t ,

2 the returns of sh ippingand of princ ipal ar t icles of expor t and impor t be ing taken from

1This seem s incred ible , and com pels one to suppose that i s a m is

pr int for2 See Appendix B .


Consul -General ’s Repor t for 1896, presented toParl iamen t July , W ith reference to the sh ipping re

turns, i t must be observed that the Bri t ish flag is pract ical lyunrepresented in Korean waters , even a char tered Br it ishsteamer be ing rarely seen . The monopoly of th e carry ingtrade wh ich Japan has enj oyed has on ly lately been brokenin to by the establ ishment of a Russ ian subsid ized l ine as acompet i tor .In add it ion to the trade of th e three ports open to Foreign

Trade in 1896, to wh ich the returns g iven refer exclus ively ,there i s that carr ied on by the non -treaty ports , and on theCh inese and Russian front iers .In conclud ing th is br ief not ice of th e Foreign Trade of

Korea,I may remark that Japanese compet i t ion

,so far as i t

cons ists in the ab i l i ty to undersel l us owing to cheaper labor ,is l ikely to d im in i sh year by year , as th e cond i t ions underwh ich goods can be manu factured gradual ly approximate tothose wh ich ex ist in England ; the rapidly increas ing pr ice ofthe necessar ies of l i fe in Japan , the demand for more than al iv ing wage ,

”and an apprec iation of the advan tages of comb i

nat ion al l tend ing in th i s d irect ion .

On th e subject of F inance th ere i s l i ttle to be said . Thepr inc ipal i tems of revenue are a land tax of six dollars on afert i le ky el, and five dollars on a moun tain nyel, a house tax of60 cents annually

,from wh ich houses in th e capi tal are ex

empt , the ginseng tax , and the gold dues , mak ing up a budgetof abou t dollars , a sum am ply sufficien t for the le

gi tim ate expend i tur e of the country . The land tax is extrem ely l igh t . On ly about a th ird of th e r evenue actuallycol lected reach es th e Nat ional Treasury

,partly owing to th e

infin i te cor rupt ion of the offic ials th rough whose hands i t

passes , and par tly because prov inc ial income and expend i tureare to a cer ta in exten t left to local managemen t . If the Governm ent is in earnest in the al l impor tan t matter of educating

1 See Appendix C.



loan of three m i l l ion s was repaid to Japan , and there is everyprospect that the remain ing indebtedness m igh t be paid off ou tof income in 1899, leaving Korea in the proud pos i t ion of acountry w i thou t a nat ional debt, and w i th a surplus of incomeover expend i tureThe prosperous financ ial conclusion of 1 896 is al l the more

remarkable because of cer tain except ional expend i tures. Twonew reg iments wer e added to the army , the old Arsenal , a d isused costly toy

,was put i nto working order , wi th al l neces

sary modern improvements , under the supervision of a Russ ianmach in ist

,the Kyeng-wun Palace was bu i l t , costly ceremon ies

and works connected w i th the late Queen ’s prospect ive funeralwere paid for, and a cons iderable area o f western Seoul wasrecreated .

“

All c iv i l Governmen t employe'

s (and they are legion ) , as well as sold iers and pol ice , are paid regular ly everymonth , and s inecures are very slowly d isappear ing .

A Korean s i lver, Copper , and brass coinage , conven ient aswel l as ornamen tal , is com ing in to general c irculation , and as

i t gradual ly d isplaces cash , is sett ing trade free from at leastone of the cond i t ions wh ich hampered it, and increased banking fac i l i t ies are tend ing in the same d irection.

CHAPTER XXXIV

DE MONISM OR SHAMANI SM

OREAN c i ties w i thout priests or temples ; houses w i thout god shelves vi l lage festivals w i thou t a m inoslzi

or idols carried in festive procession ; mar r iage and burialw i thout priest ly bless ing ; an absence of rel ig ious ceremon ialsand sacred books to wh ich real or assumed reverence is paid ,and noth ing to show that rel igion has any hold on the popularm ind , const i tute a s ingular Korean character ist ic .Putt ing as ide Buddh ism w i th i ts gross supersti t ions, prac

tised ch iefly in remote places, and the magister i al homage before the Confucian tablets to the memory of the Great Teacher ,the popular cu l t—I dare not cal l i t a rel igion—consists of anumber of Observances d ictated by the dread of bod i lessbeings created by Korean fancy

,and representing ch iefly the

mysterious forces of nature . It may be assumed , taking trad it ion for a gu ide, as certain of the l i tan ies used in exorc ismand invocat ion were introduced along w i th Buddh ism fromCh ina, that Korean imaginat ion has grafted its own fancies onthose wh ich are of foreign origin , and wh ich are of by nomeans d istan t kinsh ip to those of the S/zam anism of northernAsia .The external evidences of th is cu lt are ch iefly heaps of stones

on the tops of passes, rude shrines here and there contain ingtawdry pictures of myth ical beings

,wi th the name in Ch inese

characters below , str ings from wh ich depend smal l bags ofr ice, worn-out straw shoes , str ips of d irty rags , and , thoughrarely , rusty locks of black hai r . Outs ide of many vi l lagesare high posts (not to be con founded w i th the d istance posts)

399


w i th the ir tops rudely carved in to h eads and faces hal f human ,half daemon ic , from wh ich straw ropes , w i th dependen t strawtassels

, recall ing the Sh into ism of Japan , are stretched acrossthe road . There are large or d istor ted trees also

, on wh ichrags

, r icebags , and old shoes are h ung , and under wh ich areheaps of stones at wh ich i t is usual for travellers to bow and

expectorate . On the r idge poles o f royal bu ild ings and c i tygates

,ther e are rows of grotesque bronze or ch ina figures for

the purpose of dr iv ing away ev i l daemons, and at crossroads

a log of wood per forated l ike a mouse-trap, and w i th one holebunged up

,over wh ich travel lers step carefully , may some

t imes be seen . I n c i t ies the beat ing of drums accompan iedby the clash ing of cymbals v ies w i th th e laundry s t icks inbreaking the otherw ise profound st il lness of n igh t , and in

travell ing through the coun try,the m u -tang or sorceress is con

stantly to be seen go ing through var ious mus ical and danc ingperformances in the m idst of a crowd in fron t of a house wherethere i s s ickness .I have referred to these th ings in earl ier chapters, but the

subject is such an important one,and the influence on Korean

l ife of the bel ief in daemons is so strong and inj urious, that Ifeel j ust ified in laying before my readers at some length suchdetai ls of D cem on ism as have h i therto been ascer tained . Thereis an unw i l l ingness to speak to foreigners on th is topic , andinqu irers may have been pu rposely m isled , but enough hasbeen gained to make i t l ikely that fur ther inqu iry w i l l be productive of very valuable r esul ts .1 The super sti t ions alreadyment ioned , however tr ivial in themselves , point to that wh ichunder l ies al l rel igion , th e bel ief in someth ing outside ourselveswh ich is h igher or mor e power fu l than ourselves.

1 I desire again to express m y indebtedness to the Rev. G . Heber Jones,of Chem u lpo, for the loan of, and the l iberty to use , his very careful andpainstaking notes on the subject of Korean daem on ism , and also to a paper

on Tbe E x or ci sm of Sp i r i ts i n K or ea, by D r . Landis of Chem ulpo.

Apart from th e researches of these two Korean scholars , the resu l ts of m yown inqui ry and observation would scarce ly have been worth publishing.


402 Korea and H er Ne ighb

D aem on ism in i ts ear ly stage was marked by human sacrifices .Sham ans in the train of royal ty , and as a par t of the soc ialorgan izat ion of the Pen insula , figure in very ear ly Koreans tory

,and they appear to have been the ch ief, if not the on ly ,

“rel igious instructors .One class among the Sham ans is i ncorporated into one of

those gu i lds wh ich are the Trades Un ions of Korea, and the

Government has imposed registrat ion on another class .1 Thereare now two princ ipal classes of Sham ans , the P an -su and the

m a -tang . The P an -su are bl ind sorcerers, and those parents

are for tunate who have a bl ind son, for he i s certain to be able

to make a good l iving and suppor t them in their old age . The

P an -su were formerly persons of much d ist inct ion in the k ingdom , but the i r social posi t ion has been lowered dur ing thepresen t dynasty , though in the presen t reign the ir influence inthe Palace , and spec ial ly w i th the late Queen

,has wrought

much evi l . The ch ief offic ials of the P an -su Gu i ld in Seou lhold the offic ial t i tles of Chum -

pan2 and Seungy

’

i from the

Governmen t,whi ch g ives prest ige to the whole body. In

order to guard their profess ional interests , the P an -su have localgu i lds, and in the various sect ions clubhouses bu i lt ou t oftheir own funds . The central office of th e P an -su gu i ld inSeoul was bu i l t and maintained by Governmen t , and the twoch ief offic ials of the gu i ld hold , or held , quas i -official rank .

It appears that adm iss ion in to the fratern i ty is on ly grantedto an appl ican t on h is giving proof of profic iency in th e knowledge of a cumbrous body of oral ly transm i tted Sham an tra

d i t ion , w isdom and custom ,much of i t bel ieved by the people

to be year s old,and embrac ing scraps of superst i t ion

1What i s true in Korea to day m ay be untrue to-m or row. One m onth

there was a pol ice rai d in Seoul upon the m u -ta ng or sorceresses, another

the sisterhood was flour ish ing , and so th e pendulum swings.

2 Chant-pa n i s a title of officials of a certain rank in Governm ent D epartm ents in Seoul , and m igh t be rendered Secretary of Departm ent.Seungy

'

i probably has the sam e m eaning.

D aem on ism or Sham an ism 403

from the darkest arcana of Buddh ism,as well as fragmen ts of

\

Confucian ism . The neophyte has to learn of the existence,

nature , and power of daemons , the ir relat ions w i th m an,the

efficacy of exorc ism th rough a magic r i tual,and the genu ine

and certain character of the results of d ivination .

” He mustmed i tate on “ the customs , hab i ts , and weaknesses of everyclass in Korean soc iety in order to deal know ingly wi th h iscl ients . A sl igh t acquaintance w i th Confuc ian ism must enableh im to give a flavor of learning to h is speech

,and he must

be wel l dr illed in the methods of exorc isms, incantations ,

magic spells , d ivination , and the manufacture of charms and/amulets .”

The services of sorcerers or geomancers are invariably calledfor in connect ion w i th the cho ice of Si tes for houses and

graves , in certain con tracts, and on the occas ion of unusualcalam i t ies

,Sickness, b irths, marr iages , and the purchase of

land . The ch i ef funct ions of the Sham an are, the influencingof daemons by ri tual and magical r i tes, propi t iat ing them byoffer ings , exorc isms, and the procur ing of oracles . In the irmethods , danc ing , gest iculat ions , a real or fe igned ecstasy,and a drum play an impor tant part . The fees of the Sham an\are h igh , and it is bel ieved that at th e lowest computation ,D aem on ism costs Korea two m i l l ion five hundred thousanddollar s annual ly ! In order to obtain favors or avert calam it ies

,i t is necessary to employ the Sham ans as med iators, and it

is their fees , and not the cost of the offer ings wh ich press so/

heavi ly on the people .Among the reasons wh ich r ender the Sham an a necessi ty are

these . In Korean bel ief, ear th , air , and sea , are peopled by L

daemons . They haunt every umbrageous tree , shady ravine,crystal spr ing , and moun tain crest . On green h i l l Slopes, inpeaceful agr icultural val leys , in grassy dells, on wooded up

lands,by lake and stream , by road and r iver , in north , south ,

east,and west they abound , mak ing mal ignant sport out of

human destin ies. They are on every roof, ce i l ing , fireplace,


hang and beam . They fi l l the ch imney , the shed , the l ivingroom

,the k i tchen—they are on every Shelf and jar . I n thou

sands they waylay the travel ler as he leaves h is home , besideh im ,

beh ind h im ,danc ing in front of h im , wh irr ing over h is

head,cry ing out upon him from ear th , air , and water . They

are numbered by thousands of billions,and i t has been wel l

said that the i r ub iqu i ty is an unholy travesty of the D ivineOmn ipresence .

1 Th is bel ief, and i t seems to be the on ly onehe has

,keeps the Korean in a perpetual s tate of nervous appre

hens ion ,it surrounds him w i th indefin i te terrors , and i t may

truly be said of h im that he passes the t ime of his sojourn inghere in fear .” Every Korean home is subject to daemons,here , there , and everywhere . They touch the Korean at everypo int in l ife , mak ing his wel l-be ing depend on a cont inualser ies of acts of propi t iat ion , and they avenge every om issionw i th merc i less sever i ty , keeping him under th is yoke of bondage from b irth to death .

The phrase daemon -Worsh ip as appl ied to KoreanSham anism is somewhat m islead ing . These leg ions of Sp iri tswh ich in Korean bel ief peopled the world

,are of two classes

,

the first alone answer ing to our concept ion of daemons . Theseare the sel f-existen t Spiri ts , unseen enem ies of m an ,

whose des igns are always mal ignant or mal ic iou s , and Spiri ts of depar ted persons, who , having d ied in pover ty and man ifold d istresses , are unclothed , hungry , and sh iver ing vagrants , bringi ng un told calam i t ies on those who neglect to supply the irwan ts . h is true , however , that about 80 per cent . of thelegions of Spir i ts are mal ignant . The second class consistsalso of sel f-existen t Spiri ts

,whose natures are partly k indly , and

of depar ted Spiri ts of prosperous and good people , but eventhese are eas i ly offended and act w i th extraord inary capriciousness . These , however , by due in tercess ions and offer ings , m ay

be induced to ass ist m an in obtaining h is desires , and may aidh im to escape from the afflictive power of the evi l daemons.

1 Rev . G. H . Jones.



the P an-su . A Spec ial wand , made of an eastern branch of apeach tree

,wh ich has much repute in expel l ing daemons

,is

taken,and is held on a table in a vert ical posi t ion by an as

sistant. The P an-su rec i tes a farther part of h is magic r i tual ,i ts power being shown by acute movemen ts in the wand in spi teof attempts to keep i t steady . A parley takes place wi th theChang

-

gun , the spir i t who has been summoned to find out h isobjects . He prom ises to catch the Chang -hun , the mal ignan tdaemon , and after preparat ions and offerings have beenmadehe is asked to search for h im . The m an who holds the wandis v iolently dragged by a supernatural power out of the houseto the place where th e Chang -hun is . Then the Chang -

gun is

supposed to se ize him , and the wand-holder is dragged backto the house .

4 . A bottl e w i th a w ide mouth is put on the floor , andalongside i t a p iece of paper inscr ibed w i th the name of theunclean daemon , wh ich has been obtained by d iv ination andparl ey . The paper be ing touched w i th th e magic wand jumpsin to the bottle, wh ich i s hast i ly corked and buried on the h i l ls ide or at the crossroads .Th is Singular form of exorc ism has a long and un intel l igible

ri tual , in the cases of those who can afford to pay for i t, occu

pying some days , and at greater or lesser length is repeateddai ly by the Sham ans throughou t Korea . It is usual ly succeeded by a form known as the R i tual Pacification ,

wh ichtakes a whole n igh t . Th is is for the purpose of restor ingorder among the household daemons

,who have been m uch up

set by the previous proceed ings , clean ing the house , and comm i tt ing i t and its inmates to the protect ion of the most powerful members of the Korean daem on iacal h ierarchy .

The instruments o f exorc ism used by the P an -su are offeri ngs to be made at var ious stages of the process , a drum ,

cymbals , a bel l , a d ivinat ion box , and a wand or wands .The Sham ans claim to have der ived many of thei r very

numerous Spel ls and formulas from Buddh i sts,who on the ir

D aem on ism or Sham an ism 407

Side assert that daemon-worsh ip was practised in.

Korea longbefore the in troduction of Buddh ism , and a rel ic of th is worsh ip is pointed ou t in the custom wh ich prevai ls in the Koreanmagistraci es of offering to guard ian sp ir i ts on stone al tars onthe h i l ls , pigs , or occas ional ly sheep , before sow ing time andafter harvest, as well as in case of drought , or other generalcalam i ty . This sacr ifice is offered by the local magistrate inthe king ’s name , and though ident ical in form w i th that offeredto H ananim ( the Lord of Heaven) , is al together d istinct fromi t. Most of th e formulae rec i ted by the Sham ans have thereputation of being unsafe for ord inary peopl e to use , but inconsiderat ion of the possibi l i ty of a great emergency , one isprov ided , wh ich is pronounced absolutely safe . Th is cons istsof fifty

-s ix character s wh ich must be reci ted forwards , backwards, and Sideways, and is cal led The twenty-eight starsformula .

” 1

D ivination is the second funct ion of the P an-su, and con

s ists in a forecast of the future by means of ri tuals, known onlyto h imself, assoc iated w i th the use of certain paraphernal ia .

Th is is used also for find ing out the result of a venture , or thecause of an ex isting trouble , and for cast ing a man

’s horoscope,

i .e.

“ The four columns o f a man ’s fu ture ,” these being the

hour, day , month , and year of his b ir th , or rather their fourcombinations . Thi s horoscope is the crown ing function ofd ivinat ion . I n these four columns ” the secret of a man ’sl i fe is h idden , and their relat ions must govern him in al l hisactions . When a horoscope con tains an ar row , wh ich denotesill- luck , the P an-su corrects the m isfortune by formulae usedw i th a how of peach , w i th wh ich during the reci tal he Shootsarrows made of a cer tain reed in to a non -proh ibi ted quarter . One of the great dut ies of d ivinat ion is to cast the horoscope of a bride and br idegroom for an ausp icious day for the

1The twenty-eigh t constellations, or stellar m ansions, referred to in theShu K ing , one of the Ch inese classical books, showing the close connec

tion between Chinese and Korean superstition ,—W. C. H .

J


wedd ing , for an unlucky one would i ntroduce daem ons to theru in of the new household .

The great strongholds of d ivinat ion are the Ftog-Boxesand d ice boxes

,manufactured for th is purpose. The frog box

15 made l ike a tortoise , having movable l ips, and contains threecash, over wh ich the P an-su repeats a very ancient invocat ion ,wh ich has been translated thus Wi l l al l you people gran tto reveal the symbols .” The co ins are thrown three t imes ,and the three fal ls presen t h im w i th the comb inat ions ofcharacters

,ou t of wh ich he manufactures h is oracle . The

second implement of d ivinat ion is a bamboo or brass tubeclosed at both ends, but w i th a smal l hole in one to al low of

the ex i t of smal l bamboo Spl in ters of wh ich it contains e igh t .The same th ing is to be seen on innumerable altars in Ch ina .Each spl inter has from one to e igh t notches on i t , and standsfor a symbol of cer tain s igns on that d ivin ing table yearsold , called the Ho-

pa i , wh ich is impl ic i tly bel ieved in bythe Ch inese . Two of these spl in ters g ive two sets of characters, e igh t being connected w i th each symbol . When theP an -su has obtained these he is r eady to evolve his oracle .Great rel iance is placed on the charms wh ich the P an -su

make and sel l . P roabably there are few adul ts or ch i ldrenwho do not wear these as amulets . They are general ly madein the form of insects

,or cons ist of Ch inese characters . They

are wri t ten on Spec ial ly prepared yel low paper in red ink, andare regarded as be ing efficacious against i l lness and other calam i ties . Amulets are made of the wood of trees struck byl ightn ing, wh ich is supposed to possess mag ical qual i ties.



obeys the cal l ! alone . Her posi tion from that hour is a

pecul iar one, for wh i le She is regarded as ind ispensable to thecommun i ty she is soc ially an outcast . I n the curious relationsof the Sham anate, the P an -su is obviously the Master of theDaemons , gain ing power by cabal istic formulae or ri tual to drivethem off

, or even bury them , wh i le the m a -tang suppl icatesand propi t iates them . It is impossible to l ive in a place wh ichhas not a m u -tang Sham an .

The funct ions of the m a -tang are m ore varied than those ofthe P an -s u, but on a par w i th h is exorc isms may be placed herK auts or Pacifications and Propi t iat ions of daemons , wh ichare d ivided into the occasional and per iod ic, the lat ter be ingDaemon Fest ivals, one publ ic the other private . The publ icone is a trienn ial festa celebrated ei ther by a large v i llage orby an aggregat ion of hamlets , and occupies three or four days.

Its object is the tu telary daemon of the neighborhood , and i tsmethods are sacr ifice , pet i t ion , worsh ip , and thanksgiving.

The v i l lagers choose two of the ir number to take ent ire chargeof the fest ival , and by them a tax for expenses is levied on thev ic in i ty . They also choose the festival day

,h ire the m u-tang ,

and arrange for the parapher nal ia and the offerings to the

daemons . It is essen t ial that th e fest ival day shou ld be chosenby d ivinat ion , by e i ther a Son -li or a P an -su acquainted w i thmagic , and that the sorcerers Should bathe frequently and ahstain from an imal food for seven previous days .

The v i l lage daemon fest ival has a resemblance at some pointsto the Sh in to m atsur i of Japan . On th e festa day a booth ,m irch decorated w i th tags of br i l l ian t color

,is erected near

the daemons ’ Shr ine , and w i th an accompan iment of m u -tang

mus ic , danc ing , and lavi sh and outland ish gest iculat ions, theoffer ings are presen ted to the Sp ir i ts . The popular bel ief isthat the daemons become incarnate in the m a -tang , who utteroracles cal led K ong

-s i t Na -ta , and the people br ing them bowlsof uncooked r ice , and plead for a revelat ion of their futureduring the follow ing three years . A common “ test ” at th is

Notes on D aem on ism Concluded'

4 1 1

fest ival is the burn ing a tube of very th in wh i te paper in abowl . Its upper end is l ighted by the m u -tang ,

who recitesher spells as i t burns. When i t r eaches the r im of the bowl ,i f the augury for the future be un favorable , the paper burnsaway in the bowl , i f favorable , the paper l ifts i tself and isblown away .

The private festa , the Chol-m ur i K aut,one of thanksgiving

to the household daemons , is necessary to secure a con t inuanceof their good offices . The expend i ture of the fam i ly resourceson th is occasion is so lav ish as frequently to impover ish thehousehold for a whole year . Th is fes ta may be bienn ial ortrienn ial . At the t ime a pig i s sacr ificed , offer ings are m ade,m a -tang are h ired , and the fetishes of the daemons are renewedor cleaned . The Ri tual for these occas ions

,i f unabbreviated

,

lasts several days , bu t among the poor only a select ion from i tis used . Its stages consist of r i tuals of invocat ion

,peti t ion ,

offer ing , and pur ificat ion . Wh i l e these are being reci ted ahousehold Spir i t becomes incarnate in the m u -tang , and throughher makes oracular revelat ions of the future . At another stagedeceased parents and ancestors appear in the m u -tang , and herpersonat ion of them is descr ibed by an eyew i tness as bothpathet ic and lud icrous .” At Seoul th is fest ival is observedby fam i l ies at the daemon shrines outs ide the ci ty walls, andnot in pr ivate houses .One of the very common occasions wh ich requ ires the pres

ence of a m a -tang is th e ceremon ial known as the R i te of Pur ification , defilem ent being contracted by a bir th or death orany action wh ich br ings in an unclean daemon , whose obnox

ious en trance moves the guard ian or fr iendly daemons to leavethe house . A wand cut from a p ine tree to the east of thehouse is used to bring abou t the ir return . It is set workingby the muttered utterance of special spells or formulae by them a -tang , the m ont-gar i , or tutelary sp ir i t is found , and bymeans of prayer s and offer ings is induced to resume h is place,and the unclean daemon is exorci sed and expelled . The beat


ing of a drum and the frequent sprinkl ing of pure water areport ions of th is ri te.

The u tterance of oracles is another great function of them u

tang . In Sp i te of the low opin ion of women held by the K0

reans, so strong is the bel ief in th e complete daem oniacal possess ion of the m a -tang , and the ir consequent elevation abovetheir sex

,that the Koreans refer ful ly as much to them as to

the P an—su for informat ion regard ing the outcome of commercial ventures , and of projects of personal advancement , as wel las for the h idden causes of the loss of weal th or pos i tion

,or

of advers i ty or i l lness . The m ic-tang , by an appeal to herfam i l iar daemon , in some cases obtains a d irect answer, and inothers a r eply by the d ivin ing ch ime, or the r i ce d ivination .

The latter Cons ists of throw ing down some grains of rice on atable and not ing the comb inat ions wh ich resul t . The d i vi n

ing ch ime is a hazel wand w i th a c i rcle of bells at one end .

These are Shaken v iolen tly by the m u -tang , and in th e d inthus created she hears the u tterance of the daemon .

The arranging for the sale of ch i ldren to daemons is afar ther funct ion of the m a -tang , and is carried on to a verygreat exten t . The Korean father desires prosperi ty and longl i fe for h is boy (a gir l be ing of l i t tle accoun t ) , and the sale ofthe ch i ld to a Spir i t is he bel ieves the best way of at tain ingh is object . When the so-cal led sale has been dec ided on

, the

father consults the sorceress as to when and where i t Shall bem ade . The place chosen is usual ly a boulder near home

,and

the ch i ld is there consecrated to the daemon by the m a

tang wi th fi tt ing r ites . Thenceforward , on the 1 5 th day ofth e I st moon , and the 3rd day of the 3rd moon , worsh ip andsacr ifice are offered to the boulder . After th is act of sale thename of the daemon becomes part of the boy

’ s name . It isnot an unusual th ing for th e sale to be made to the nut -tanghersel f, who as the proxy of her daemon accepts the ch i ld incase she learns by a magic r i te that She may do so . She takesin its stead one of i ts r ice bowls and a spoon

,and these , to


Notes on D aem on ism Concluded 4 13

gether w i th a piece of cotton cloth on wh ich the facts concerning the sale of the ch i ld are wr i tten

, are la id up in her ownhouse in the room devoted to her daemon . There is a famousm u -tang , whose house I have been in just outs ide the southgate of Seoul, who has many of these , wh ich are placed on

tables below the painted daubs of daemons ord inar i ly , butwh ich , on great occasions, are used as banners . At the Per iod ic Fest ivals offerings are made on behalf of these ch i ldren ,

who , though they l ive w i th the ir parents,know the sorceress

or m a -tang as Shin , and are considered her ch i ldren .

The m u -tang r i tes are special ly l inked w i th the house daemonand wi th Mam a the smallpox daemon . The house daemon ison the whole a good one , be ing supposed to br ing heal th and

happiness , and i f invi ted w i th due ceremony he is wi l l ing totake up h is abode under every roof. He cannot always keepoff d isease , and in the case of contag ious fevers, etc . he d isappear s un t i l the r i te of purification has been accompl ishedand he has been asked to return . The ceremon ies attend inghis recal l deserve not ice . On th is great occasion the m u -tang

in office t ies a large sheet of paper round a rod of oak,holds

i t upright , and goes out to hun t h im . She may find h im near,

as i f wait ing to be invi ted back,or at a considerable d istance ,

but in e i ther case he makes his presence known by shak ingthe rod so v iolen tly that several men cannot hold it st i ll , andthen retur ns w i th th e m u -tang to the house , where he is t eceived w i th l ively demonstrat ions of joy . The paper wh ichwas round the st ick is folded , a few cash are pu t into i t, i t issoaked in w ine , and is then thrown up against a beam in th ehouse to wh ich i t st icks , and is followed by some r ice wh ichadheres to i t. That spec ial spot is the ab id ing place of thedaemon . Th i s ceremony involves a fam i ly in very cons iderable expense .

The un iversal bel ief that i l lness is the work of daemons renders the services of a P an -su or m a -tang necessary wherever i tenters a house, and in the case of smallpox, the un iversal


scourge of Korean ch i ldhood , the daemon , instead of be ing exorcised , bott led , or bur ied , is treated wi th the u tmost respect .The name by wh ich the d isease is cal led , Mam a ,

”is the

daemon ’s name . It is said that he came from South Ch ina,

and has only infested Korea for years . On the d iseaseappear ing , the m u -tang is called i n to honor the arr ival of theSp iri t w i th a feast and fi tt ing ceremon ial . Li tt le or no work isdone

,and if there are ne ighbors whose ch i ldren have not had

the malady,they rest l ikew ise, lest , d ispleased w i th the ir want

of respect,he Should deal hardly w i th them . The parents do

obe isance (worsh ip) to th e suffer ing ch i ld , and address i t at al lt imes in honor ific terms . Danger is supposed to be over afterthe 1 2 th day, when the m a -tang is aga in summoned , and afarewell banquet is g iven . A m in iature wooden horse is prepared

,and i s loaded for th e Sp ir i t ’s journey w i th small bags of

food and money , fervent and respectfu l ad ieus are spoken , andhe receives hear ty good w ishes for h is prosperous return to hisown place !In the course of many centur ies the office of the m u -tang

has undergone cons iderable mod ificat ion . Former ly her powerconsisted in the foretel l ing of even ts by th e movemen ts of atur tle on the appl icat ion of hot iron to his back , and by thefal l ing of a leaf of cer tain trees . Her presen t vocat ion is

ch iefly med iator ial . It is also becom ing par t ially hered i tary,

her daughter or even daugh ter - in - l aw tak ing up her work .

The cal l ” is cons idered a grave calam i ty . Ord inari ly thesewomen are of the lower class . They are frequently worsh ippers of Buddha , after the gross and debased cul t wh ich ex istsin Korea , and place h is p icture along w i th those of th e daemons in the smal l temples in the ir h ouses .Tak ing the m ale and female Sham anate together

,th e Sha

m ans possess immense power over the people,from the clever

and amb i t ious Korean queen,who resorted constan tly to th e

P an -su on behal f of the future of th e Crown Pr ince,down to

the humblest peasan t fam i ly . They are in in t imate contact



ceeded in relegat ing them to the class of such myths as th eW i l l 0’ the W isp

, and Jack o’ Lantern , elevated , however, in

Korea to the status of genu ine dev i ls w i th fet ishes of theirown . They are regarded as having human or ig inals in thesouls of those who have come to sudden or violen t ends . Theyare bred on execu t ion grounds and battlefields , and wherevermen perish in numbers . They go in overwhelm ing leg ions ,and not on ly dwell in empty houses but in inhab i ted v i l lages

,

terri fy ing the inhabi tan ts . They i t was who,by tak ing posses

s ion of the fine Aud ience Hal l of the Mulberry Palace I n

Seoul , rendered the bu i ld ings un tenable, fr ightful tales be ingtold and bel ieved of nocturnal daemon orgies am idst thosedoleful splendors . People leave the ir houses and bu i ld newones because of them . The ir fet ishes m ay be such th ings as am opu

’

s hat or the cloak of a yam en clerk , rotten w i th age andd irt , enshrined under a small straw booth . Bes ides the dev i lryattr ibuted to the Toh -

gahi they are accused of many pranks ,such as plac ing the covers of i ron pots ins ide them , andpound ing doors and w indows all n igh t

,t i l l it seems as i f they

would be smashed , yet leav ing no trace of their work .

The actual ly unclean spir i ts, the Sugem ,the cr im inal class

of the vast “ D cem oneon ,

”in fest Korean l ife l ike verm in ,

wander ing abou t embracing every opportun i ty of hur t ing andmolest ing man . Against these both P an -su and m a -tang wagecon t inual war by the ir enchan tments

,the P an -su by the ir ex

orcism s, ei ther dr iving them off or catch ing them and bury i ngthem in d isgrace , wh i le the m u -tang prop i t iate them and sendthem off in honor .Another great group of daemons is the San -Shin Ryang—th e

Spir i ts of the mountains . I found thei r shr ines in al l the h il lycoun try , along both branches of the Han

,by springs and

streams , and spec ially under the Shade of big trees, and on

ampelops is covered rocks , a flat rock be ing a special ly appro

pr iate s i te from i ts su i tab i l i ty for an al tar , and thus Specially“ fortunate.

” The daemon who is th e tutelary Spir i t of g in


seng , the m ost valuable expor t of Korea, is greatly honored .

So also is the patron daemon of deer hunters , who is invar iably represented in h is shr ine as a fierce looking elder ly manin offic ial dress r id ing a t iger. Surround ing h im are altars tohis harem , and there are also female daemons , m ountain Spirits,who are pictured as women , frequently Japanese .The tiger wh ich abounds in Central and Nor thern Korea is

understood to be the confident ial servan t of these mountaindaemons , and when he comm i ts depredat ions , the people, bel ieving the daemon of the v ic in i ty to be angry

,hurry w i th

offer ings to h is nearest shr ine. The Koreans consider it a

good omen when they see in the ir d reams the moun tain daemon , e i ther as represen ted in h is Shr ine, or under the form ofhis represen tat ive , the t iger . These mountain daemons areSpec ial ly sough t by recluses , and people oftt imes ret ire intosol i tary mountain glens , where by bath ing , fast ing, and offerings they str ive to gain the i r favor. These Spiri ts, bel ieved tobe very powerful

,are much feared by farmers , and by vi l lagers

l iving near h igh mountains . They th ink that if when they areout on the h i l lsides cutt ing wood they forgot to cast the firstspoonfu l o f rice from the bowl to the daemon , they wi l l bepun ished by a severe fal l or cu t , or some other accident .These spiri ts are capricious and exact ing , and for every l ittleneglect take vengeance on the members of a farmer ’s householdor on h is crops or cattle .

The Long-shin , or Dragon daemons, are water spirits.

They have no shrines , but the Sham ans conduct a somewhatexpensive ceremony by the sea and rivers ides in wh ich theypresen t them w i th offer ings for the repose of the souls ofdrowned persons .The phase of D aem onolatry wh ich is the most common and

the first to arrest a traveller ’s attent ion is also the most obscure .The Song I

/Vhoang D an (altar of the Holy Prince ) , the greatKorean altar, rudely bu i l t of loose stones under the shade of atree

,from the branches of wh ich are suspended such worthless


ex votos as str ips of paper , rags , smal l bags of r ice , old clou ts,and worn -ou t shoes , look less l ike an al tar than a decay ingcairn of large s ize .

1 A pecu l iar i ty of the Song Whoang D an

is that they are generally supposed to be frequen ted by var iousdaemons , though occas ional ly they are crowned by a shr ine toa s ingle Spir i t . Korean travel lers make the ir Spec ial plea to atravellers’ daemon who i s supposed to be found th ere

,and hang

up strips of the ir goods in the overhanging branches , and thesa i lor l ikew ise regards the altar as th e shr ine of his guard iandaemon , and bestows a bit of old rope upon i t . Further thanth is , when some spec ial b ird or beast has destroyed insects in ?

jur ious to agr iculture , the people erect a shr ine to i t on thesealtar s or cai rns , on wh ich may frequen tly be seen the rudedaub of a b ird or an imal .Two Spir i ts , the To-ti -chi Shin and the Chon-Shin, are re

garded as local daemons, and occupy spots on the moun tains ides . They rece ive worsh ip at funerals

,and a sacr ifice

sim i lar to that offered in ancestral worsh ip is made to thembefore the body is laid in the ear th . Two Sham ans pres ideover th i s , and one of them in tones a ri tual belonging to theoccasion . The Shrine of Chon -Shin is a local temple, a smalldecayed erect ion usual ly found outs ide v i l lages . I n Seoul h ehas a mud '

or plaster shrine is wh ich h is picture is enshrlnedw i th much ceremony

,bu t in the coun try h is fet ish is usual ly a

straw booth set up over a pai r of old shoes under a tree. Forthe Observances connected

’

with h im al l the res idents in ane ighborhood are taxed . He may be r egarded as the ch iefdaemon in every d istrict

,and i t is in his honor that the m u

tang celebrate the tr ienn ial festival former ly descr ibed .

The Household Sp ir i ts are the last d ivis ion o f the KoreanD a m oneon . SOng Ju, the Spirit of the r idge pole who pre

1 Mr . G . H . Jones suggests the idea that these uncouth heap of stoneswere or ig inally m un itions of war over wh ich tutelary daem ons were

'

sup

posed to brood, and thinks that the transition to an altar would be a verynatural one.



0p f u , the k i tchen daemon , is the th i rd of the tr io wh ichis permanently attached to the house . H is fet ish is ap iece of cloth or paper nai led to the wal l above the cookingplace .After these come the daemons who are attached to the fam ily

and not the house, the first of them be ing Cho Wang , a Spiritof the constellat ion of the Great Bear, a very popular Sp iri t .H is Shr ine is outs ide the wall , and his feti sh , to wh ich worsh ipis paid , is a gourd ful l of cloth and paper. Cho Wang is oftenthe daemon fam i l iar of a m u -tang .

Ti j u ,No . 2 , is the fate or luck of the fam i ly , and every

household is amb itious to secure h im . H is fet ish is a strawbooth three feet h igh , in wh ich is a flower pot contain ing somerice covered w i th a stone and paper .The greatest of the fam i ly daemons is an anci en t and his

tor ical daemon , Cho'

i Soh , who is regarded as the grand fatherof San Chi n -cho

'

i Soh , the daemon of nat ivi ty . H is fet ish , unless it becomes rotten or is acc idental ly destroyed , descendsfrom father to son . He has several fet ishes, and when he receives homage at the Tr ienn ial Fest ival , the m a -tang puts onthe dress of an offic ial . He is the daemon of nat ivi ty and theg iver of posteri ty , and is a tr iple daemon . Korean womenhearing of the Chri st ian Tr in i ty have been known to say thatSan chin enables them to under stand the mystery He is believed to have the control of al l ch i ldren up to the age of four.He avenges ceremon ial defilem ent such as the sight by an ex

pectant mother of a mourner or a dead object , and ou ts ide ahouse where there has been a recen t b ir th , a not ice warn ingvis i tors not to en ter is often pu t up on h is behalf. He imposeson plebeian mothers a period of seclusion for twen ty-one daysafter a birth , but for noble m others one hundred days , forwh ich per iod the rays of the sun are rigidly excluded fromboth mother and ch i ld .

P a -m ul, the daemon of riches , is the Japanese D a ihohu and

the Br i t ish Mamm on . He is worsh ipped in the granary , and


thanks are offered to h im as wel l as pet i t ions . H is fet ish is apaste jar set up on two decorated bags of r ice . A m an in

Chemulpo , now a Chr ist ian , had a very famous fetish , wh ichwas originally a jar of beans , but these were changed in to clearwater

,and a myster ious improvemen t in the for tunes of the

fam i ly set in from that date , the jar becom ing an object ofgrateful worsh ip . One day it was found broken and the waterlost

, and from that t ime his fortunes decl ined .

Kol -lip is the daemon who takes charge of the external fortunes of the fam i ly , and is also the mercu ry of the householddaemons . H is fet ish is enshr ined over the gate house

,and

cons ists of a mass of rubb ish , old straw shoes for wear ing onh is travels , cash for Spir i tual funds , and a fragment of grasscloth for travel l ing outfi t . There is also the daemon of the gatewhose fet ish hangs over the entrance .Dr. Land is has classified the Korean daemons as fol lows

Sp i r i ts h igh in r ank

Spi r i ts of the Heavens.

Spi r its of the Ear th .

Spi r its of the Moun ta ins and H ills.Spi r its of the Dragons .

Guard ian Spi r its of the D istr ict.Spir i ts of the Buddh ist Faith (P)

Sp i r i ts of the Hou se

7. Spi r it of the r idge pole . Th is is the ch ief of all the Spirits of the

House .

8. Spi r i t of goods and furn i ture .

9. Spi r i t daem on of the Yi fam i ly.I O . Spi r it of the kitchen .

I I . Attendan t Spir its of No. 9 .

12 . Spi r its wh ich serve one’s ancestors.

13. The Guards and servan ts of No. 9.

14 . The Spir its which a id jugglers .

I 5 . Spi r its of goods and chattels, l ike No. 8, but Infer ior in rank .16. Spi r its of sm allpox .17. Spir its wh ich take the form s of an im als.


18. Spiri ts which take possession of young girls and change them intoexorcists.

19. Spir i ts of the seven stars which form the D ipper.20. Spi r its of the houSe s ite.

Va r iou s h ino’s of Sp i r i ts

2 1. Spi r its which m ake m en brave .

2 2 . Spi r i ts wh ich reside in trees. Any gnarled shrub or m alform edtree is supposed to be the residence of one of these Spir i ts. Spi r its wh ichcause person s to m eet either a v iolent death or to die young. Any one

who has d ied before reach ing a cycle ( i .e. 60 years) i s supposed to haved ied owing to the influence of one of these spir its. It is needless to say

that they are all evi l.23. Spir its which cause tigers to eat m en .

24 . Spi r i ts wh ich cause m en to die on the road .25 . Spir its which roam about the house causing all sorts of calam i ties.26. Spir its wh ich cause a m an to die away from hom e.

27. Spi rits wh ich cause m en to d ie as substitutes for others.28 , Spir i ts wh ich cause m en to die by strangulation .

29. Spi ri ts wh ich cause m en to d ie by drown ing.

30. Spi r its wh ich cause wom en to d ie in ch i ldbi rth .

31. Spir its which cause m en to die by suicide.

32 . Spir its which cause m en to d ie by fire .

33. Spir its wh ich cause m en to d ie by being beaten .

34. Spi rits which cause m en to die by falls .

35 . Spi r its wh ich cause m en to die by pestilence.

36. Spi r its wh ich cause m en to die by cholera .

The bel ief in the efficacy of the per formances of the m utang is enormous . In sickness the very poor half starve themselves and pawn the ir cloth ing to pay for her exorc i sms . Her

power has been r iveted upon th e coun try for hundreds,i f not

thousands , of years . The order is said to date backyears , to have been called in Ch ina , where i t was underofficial r egulat ions , m a -ham . F ive hundred years ago the

founder of the present dynasty proh ib i ted m a—tang from l ivingw i th in the wall s of Seoul—hence the ir houses and temples arefound outs ide the c i ty walls .Women are not m u -tang by bi r th , but of late years i t has

become customary for the g ir l ch i ld ren of a sorceress to go



After th is ceremon ial has been observed the m ic-tang , fullypossessed by a daemon , beg ins to exerc ise her very importan t andlucrative profess ion . Her equ ipment consists of a number ofdresses

, some of them very costly , a drum shaped l ike an hourglass

,four feet in length , copper cymbals, a copper rod , w i th

tinklers suspended from i t by copper chains, str ips of si lk andpaper banners wh ich float round her as she dances

,fans , um

brellas, wands , images of men and an imals , brass or coppergongs, and a pa ir of telescope-Shaped baskets for scratch ing ,ch iefly used in cases of cholera, wh ich d isease is supposed toresul t from rats cl imbing abou t in the human in terior. Thescratch ing sound made by a pecu l iar use of these baskets,wh ich resembles the noi se made by cats, is expected to scareand drive away these rodents .

The prel im inaries of exorc ism are that the m a -tang mustsubject hersel f to certain restrain ts vary ing from a month tothree days, during wh ich t ime she must abstain from flesh andfish

,and must part ially fas t. Before an exorcism ashes are

steeped in water and the sorceress takes of th is, and sprinklesi t as sh e walks round the house, afterwards tak ing pure waterand going through th e same ceremony .

The almost fabulous sums squeezed by the m a -tang out of

the people of Seoul are given in a previous chapter . It w i llbe observed that in Korea s ickness is always associated w i thdaem oniacal possess ion , and that th e services of the P an-su ,

or m u -tang , are always requ isi t ioned . European med icineand surgery are the most successful assai lants of th is barbarousand degrad ing system wh ich holds the whole nation , in manyrespects h ighly c iv i l ized , in bondage , and the influence ofboth as pract ised in connect ion w i th Med ical M issions is

tend ing i ncreas ingly in the d irect ion of emanc ipat ion .

I t would be imposs ible to say how far the m u -tang is sel fdece ived . I n some of her dances , espec ial ly in one in wh ichshe exorc ises The daemon of the Yi fam i ly ,

” one of them ost power ful and mal ignan t of the daemon hierachy, she

Notes on D aem on ism Concluded 425

works hersel f into such a del ir ious frenzy that She falls downfoam ing at the mouth

,and death is occas ionally the result of

the fran t ic exci temen t .The Daemon of the Yi Fam i ly is invoked in every dis

tr ict once in three years by the m u -tang in a formula wh ichhas been translated thus—“ Oh Master and M istress of ourKingdom

,may you ever exist in peace . Once in every three

years we invoke you w i th m us ic and dancing . Oh make th i shouse to be peaceful . ” If th is m al ignan t spiri t arrives at ahouse he can on ly be appeased by the death of a m an

,an ox

,

or a pig . Therefore when the m a -tang becomes aware that hehas come to a house or neighborhood , a pig is at once ki lled ,bo i led , and offered up en ti re—th e exorc ist takes two kn ivesand dances a sword dance

,work ing hersel f in to a fine

frenzy ,” after wh ich a box I S made and a Korean offic ial hat

and robes are placed w i th in i t, as well as a dress su i table for apalace lady . The box is then placed on the top of the fam i lyclothes chest , and sacr ifices are frequen tly offered

'

there. Th isdaemon is regarded as the Spir i t o f a rebell ious Crown Pr ince,the sole object of whose daemon ex istence is to inj ure al l w i thwhom he can come into contact .A man sometimes marr ies a m u -tang , but he is invar iably “a

fel low of the baser sor t ,”who des ires to l ive in idleness on the

earn ings of h is w ife . If,as is occas ionally the case , the m u

tang belongs to a noble fam i l y , she is on ly allowed to exorciseSpiri ts in her own house

, and when she d ies sh e i s bur ied in ahole in a mountain Side w i th the whol e paraphernal ia of herprofess ion . Some m u -tang do not go abroad for purposes ofexorci sm . These m ay be regarded as the ar istocracy of thei rprofess ion

, and many of them are of much repute and l ive inthe suburbs of Seoul . Those who des ire their services sendthe necessary m oney and offer ings , and the m a -tang exorc isethe Spiri ts in their own houses .The use of straw

,ropes

,and of p i eces of paper resembl ing

the Sh into gohei , dur ing incantat ions, w i th a cer tain s im i lar i ty

426 Korea and'

H er Ne ighbors”

between the Sh in to and the Sham an ceremon ies , m ight Suggest acommon or ig in , but our knowledge of the D aem on i sm of Koreais so completely in i ts in fancy , that any specu lat ions as to itsk insh ips can be of l i ttle value , and i t is on ly as a very sl igh tcon tr ibution to th e sum of knowledge of an obscure bu t veryinterest ing subject, that I venture to present these chapters tomy readers .The Koreans , i t must he remarked , have no single word for

D aem on ism or Shaman ism . The on ly phrase in use to expressthe ir bel ief in daemons who requ ire to be prop i t iated is, K ur

s in zoi han -nan [ fit ( th e worsh ip of Spiri ts) . P ulto is Buddh ism ,

Yuto Confucian ism , and So'

nto Taoi sm,but the term i

nat ion To, doctrine,”has not yet been affixed to D aem onism .



customary ri tes at the Sp iri t Shr ine , to wh ich the fragmentaryremains of the murdered Queen had been removed , to wai t unt i lthe geomancers cou ld dec ide on an ausp icious Si te for hergrave

,the one wh ich had been prepared for her at an enormous

expense some m i les outs ide the c i ty having j ust been pronounced “ unlucky .

”

A few days after my arrival the King went to the Kyengwun Palace to receive a Japanese prince, and courteously arranged to give me an aud ience afterwards , to wh ich I went ,attended , as on the last occasion , by the Bri t ish Legat ion interpreter . The entrances were guarded by a number of Slouching sentr ies in Japanese un i forms. The ir hair, wh ich hadbeen cropped at the time of the abol i t ion of the topknot ,had grown again , and hung in heavy shocks beh ind the ir ears ,giving them a semi -barbarous appearance . At the second gate Ial ighted , no chair being perm i tted to en ter , and walked to avery s imple aud ience hal l , then used for the first t ime , about20 feet by 1 2 feet, of wh i te wood , w i th latt ice doors and windows , both covered w i th fine wh i te paper, and wi th fine wh itemats on the floor .The K ing and Crown Pr ince , both of whom were in deep

mourning , i .e. in pure wh i te robes w i th sleeveless dresses ofexqu is i tely fine buff grass-cloth over them

,and fine buff crino

l ine hats , stood together at the upper end of the room,sur

rounded by eunuchs, cour t lad ies , includ ing the re ign ingfavor i tes , the lad ies P ah and 0m , and Cour t funct ionar ies , al lin mourn ing , the whole g iving one an impress ion of absolutespotlessness . The waists of the volum inous wh ite sk irts of thelad ies , wh ich are a yard too long for them al l round , were ash igh up as it is possible to place them .

The King and Crown Pr ince bowed and sm iled . I m adethe requ ired three curtseys to each , and the interpreter adoptedthe deportmen t requ ired by Cour t et iquette , crouch ing , lookingdown , and speak ing in an awe-struck wh i sper . I had not seenthe King for two years , a per iod of great anx iety and vicissi



in one m inute , and after his former exper iences poss ib i l it ies ofescape must be h is first cons iderat ion . The smal l bu i ld ings ofth is new palace were already crowded l ike a rabbi t warren

,

and when completed w i l l contain over people,includ

ing the bodyguard , eunuchs, and Court offic ials innumerable,wr i ters , readers , palace lad ies , palace women , and an immenseestabl ishment of cooks , runners , servants , and all the superabundant and useless entour ge of an Easter n Sovereign , to whomcrowds and movement represen t power . Th is conger ies ofbu i ld ings was careful ly guarded

,and even the Korean sold ier

who attended on me was not al lowed to pass the gate .The King had g iven me perm iss ion to take his photograph

for Queen Victor ia, and I was arranging the room for the pur

pose when the interpreter shouted H is Majesty ,”and almost

before I cou ld step back and cur tsey,the King and Crown

Pr ince entered , followed by the Officers of the Household and

several of the M in isters , a posse of the newfangled pol iceCrowd ing the veranda ou ts ide . The Sovere ign , always courteous, asked if I would l ike to take one of the por trai ts in hisroyal robes . The r ich cr imson brocade and the gold em broidered plastrons on h is breast and shoulders became h im well ,and h is pose was not defic ien t in d ign i ty . He took sometrouble to arrange the Crown Pr ince to the best advantage butthe resul t was unsuccessful . After the Operat ion was over heexam ined the d ifferent parts of th e camera w i th interest , andseemed spec ial ly cheer ful .At a farewell aud ience some weeks later the King r’everted

to the subject of a Br i t ish M in ister,accred i ted solely to Korea ;

and the in terpreter added , as an as ide , H is Majesty is veryanxious about th is .” He hardly seemed to real ize that even i fa change in the represen tat ion were con templated

,i t could

scarcely be carr ied out wh i le Sir Claude Macdonald , who isaccred i ted to both Cour ts , rema ins M in ister at Peking .

The K ing was for more than a year th e guest of th e Russ ianLegat ion , an arrangement most d istasteful to a large number

THE K ING OF KOREA.



Educat ion ! The K ing , freed from the control of the m ut inous officer s and usurping Cab inet of 8 th October, 1895 , fromthe Queen ’ s strong though often unscrupulous gu idance

, and

from Japanese ascendency , and find ing h imsel f personally safe,

has rever ted to some of the worst trad i t ions of his dynasty,and in Sp i te of cer tain checks h is ed icts are again law and h is

w i l l absolute . And i t is a w i l l at the mercy of any design ingperson who gets hold of h im and can work upon his fears andhis des ire for money—of the lad ies P ah and Om ,

who assistedh im in h is fl ight , and of favor i tes and sycophants low and

many, who sel l or bestow on members of their fam i l ies officesthey have l i t tl e d ifficulty in obta in ing from h is pl iable goodnature . W i th an ample C ivi l Li st and large perqu is i tes he isthe most impecun ious person in h is dom i n ions, for in commonw i th al l who occupy offic ial pos i t ions in Korea he is sur

rounded by hosts of grasping paras i tes and hangers—ou, forever clamor ing G ive , G ive .

”

Men were thrown in to pr ison w i thout reason , som e of the

worst of th e cana ille were made M in isters of State, the murderer of K im Oh -

yun was appo in ted Master of Ceremony ,and a conv icted cr im inal , a man whose l i fe has been one

career of sord id cr ime , was made M in i ster of Just ice . Con

sequen t u pon the surrept i t ious sale of offices , the seizure ofrevenue on i ts way to the Treasury , the appo in tment of m en to

office for a few days , to g ive them “ rank ” and to enablethem to quar ter on the publ ic purse a host of impecun ious relations and friends

,and the custom among h igh offic ials of

resrgnm g office on the occas ion of th e smal lest cr i t ic ism , theadmin istrat ion is in a state of constan t chaos , and the oftt imeswell -mean ing but always vaci l lat ing Sovere ign, absolute w i thou t an idea of how to rule

,the spor t of favor i tes usual ly un

wor thy, who work upon h is am iabi l i ty , the prey of greedyparas i tes , and occas ionally the tool of fore ign adventurers ,paralyzes all good government by destroy ing the elements ofpermanence , and renders economy and financial reform d iffi

Seou l in 1897 433

cul t and spasmod ic by consent ing to schemes of reckless extravagance urged upon h im by in terested schemers . Neverhas the King made such havoc of re ign ing as Since he regained h is freedom under the roof of the Russian Embassy .

I regret to have to wr i te anyth ing to the King ’s d isadvantage . Personal ly I have found him truly cour teous and k ind ,as he is to al l fore igners . He has am iable characteristics

,and

I bel ieve a cer tain amoun t of patr iot ic feel ing . But as he isan al l- importan t elemen t of the present and future cond i t ionof Korea, i t would be m islead ing and d ishonest to pass overwi thou t remark such character i st ics of h is character and ruleas are d isastrous to Korea

,bear ing in m ind in extenuat ion of

them that he is the product of five centur ies of a dynast ic trad i t ion wh ich has pract ical ly taugh t that publ ic bus iness andthe interests of the country mean for the Sovere ign s imply getting offices and pay for favor i tes , and that statesmansh ip cons ists in playing off one M in ister against another.Novel t ies in the Seoul streets were the fine phys ique and

long gray un i forms of Colonel Putiata and h is subord inates ,three officers and ten dr i l l - instructors , who arr ived to dr i l land d isc ipl ine the Korean army , the Amer ican m i l i tary ad

v iser having proved a fai lure , wh il e the troops dr i l led by theJapanese were mut inousand rapac ious

,and the Japanese dr i l l

instructors had r et ired wi th the rest of the r eg im e. Th isM i l i tary Comm iss ion was do ing i ts work w i th character is

tic vigor and thoroughness , and the flat-faced , pleasant-looking , non -comm i ss ioned officers , w i th the ir dr illed slouch ,serviceable un i forms , and long boots were always an attract ionto the crowd . A novelty

, too, was the sigh t of the Koreancadet corps of th irty-seven young m en of good fam i l ies andseven officers , march ing tw ice da i ly between the dr i l l groundof the Korean troops close to the Kyeng-pok Palace and the irown barracks beh ind the Russ ian Legat ion , w i th drums heating and colors fly ing . These young men , who are to receivea two years ’ m i l itary educat ion from Russian officers, are um


der severe d isc ipl ine , and were greatly surpr ised to find thatservants were a proh ibi ted luxury , and

'

that the ir train ing involved the clean ing and keep ing br igh t of the i r own r ifles andaccoutrements

,and hard work for many hours o f th e day .

The army now cons i sts o f m en in Seoul , 800 of whomare dr i l led as a bodyguard for the King , and in the

provinces , in Japanese un iforms , and equ ipped ( so far as theygo) w i th Berdan r ifles presented by R ussia to Korea.The dr i l l and words of command are Russian .

A stand ing army of men would have been suffic ientfor al l purposes in Korea

,and as far as her need goes an army

of is an unblush ing extravagance and a heavy d rain onher resources . It is most probable that a force dr i lled and

armed by Russia , accustomed to obey Russ ian orders and an i

mated by an in tense hered i tary hatred of Japan , would provea valuable corps d

’

arm ee to Russia in the event of war wi ththat amb i t ious and restless empire .The old hesu or gens d

’

arm es w i th their picturesque dressesand long red plumes are now on ly to be seen

,and that rarely

,

in attendance on officials of th e Korean Government . Seoulis now pol iced , much overpol iced , for i t has a force ofm en , when a quar ter of that number would be sufficien t forits orderly populat ion . Everywhere numbers of slouch ingmen on and off duty, in Japanese sem i -m i l itary un iforms , w i thshocks of hair beh ind the ir ears and swords in n ickel -platedscabbards by their sides , suggest useless and extravagant ex

penditure. The sold iers and pol ice,by an unw ise arrange

ment made by the Japanese , and now scarcely possible to

alter, are enormously overpaid , the sold iers rece iving five dollars and a hal f a mon th

,

“ al l found,

”and the pol ice from

e ight to ten , on ly find ing thei r food . The Korean army isabout the most h igh ly paid in the wor ld . The average Korean in h is great baggy trousers , h igh , per ishable , broadbr immed hat , capacious sleeves , and long flapp ing wh i te coat ,is usually a doci le and harmless man ; but European clothes


Seou l in 1897 435

and arms transform h im in to. a truculen t,insubord inate

,and

oftt imes brutal person , w i thout c ivic sympath ies or patr iot ism ,

greedy of power and spo i l . Detachments of sold iers scatteredth rough the coun try were a terror to the people from the irbrutal i ty and maraud ing propens it ies ear ly in 1897, and un lessRuss ian officers are more successful than their predecessors ind isci pl in ing the raw mater ial , an overpaid army , too large forthe requ irements of the country , may prove a source of weakness and frequen t d isorder .Seou l in many par ts , Specially in the d irect ion of the south

and west gates , was l iterally not recogn izable . Streets,w i th a

m in imum w idth of 5 5 feet, w i th deep stone- l ined channels onboth Sides

,br idged by stone slabs

,had r eplaced the fou l al leys ,

wh ich were br eed ing-grounds of cholera . Narrow lanes hadbeen w idened , sl imy run le ts had been paved , roadways wereno longer “ free coups ” for refuse

,bicycl ists “ scorched ”

along broad , level streets , “ express wagons” were loom ing

in the near future , preparat ions were being made for the bu i lding of a French hotel in a fine si tuat ion , shops w i th glass fron tshad been erected in numbers

,an order forbidd ing the throw

ing of refuse in to the streets was enforced ,—refuse matter isnow removed from the c i ty by offic ial scavengers , and Seoul ,from hav ing been the foulest is now on i ts way to being thecleanest ci ty of th e Far EastTh is extraord inary metamorphos i s was the work of four

mon ths,and is due to the energy and capaci ty of the Ch ief

Comm iss ioner of Customs , ably seconded by the capable andintel l igen t Gover nor of the c i ty

,Ye Cha Yun ,

who had ac

quainted h imself wi th the work ing of mun ic ipal affair s inWash ington , and who w i th a rare modesty refused to take anycred i t to h imsel f for the c i ty improvements

,say ing that it was

al l due to Mr . M ’

Leavy Brown .

Old Seoul , w i th i ts fester ing alleys , i ts w in ter accumulationsof every species of fi l th , i ts ankle deep mud and i ts foulness ,wh ich lacked the redeem ing elemen t of p icturesqueness

,is


be ing fast improved off the face of the ear th . Yet i t is ch ieflya restorat ion , for the dark , narrow al leys wh ich l ingered on t i l lthe autumn of 1896 were bu t th e resul t of gradual encroachments on broad roadways , the remains of the marginal channels of wh ich were d iscovered .

What was done (and is be ing done) was to pull down th ehouses

,compensate thei r owners , restore the old channels , and

Insist that the houses should be rebu i l t at a un i form d istancebeh ind them . Along the fine broad s treets thus restored t i ledroofs have largely replaced thatch

,in many cases the lower

par ts of the wal ls have been r ebu i l t o f stone i nstead o f wattle,

and attempts at decorat ion and neatness are apparen t in manyof the house and Shop fronts, wh ile many of th e sm oke-holes ,wh ich vom i t for th the smoke of the hang fires d irectly i n to thestreet

,are now fit ted w i th gl i tter ing ch imneys

,constructed ou t

of Amer ican kerosene t ins .Some m i les of broad streets are now avai lable as promenades

,

and are largely taken advantage of; bus iness looked muchbr isker than former ly , the shops made more d isplay, and therewas an air of greater prosper i ty , wh ich has been taken ad

vantage of by the Hong-Kong and Shanghai Bank , wh ich hasopened a branch at Chemulpo , and w il l probably erelong appear in the capi tal .It is not , however, on ly in the mak ing of broad thorough

fares that the improvement cons is ts . Very many of the narrowlanes have been w idened , their roadways curved and gravelled

,

and stone gutters have been bu i l t along the s ides,in some cases

by the people themselves . Along w i th much else the pungent,

pecul iar odor of Seoul has van i shed . San i tary regu lat ions areenforced , and c iv i l ization has reached such a he ight that theremoval of the snow from th e fron t of the houses is compulsoryon all householders . So great is th e change that I searched invain for any remain ing representat ive Slum wh ich I m igh tphotograph for th is chapter as an i l lustration of Seou l in 1894 .


Seoul in 1897 437

It must he remarked , however , that the capi tal is be ing reconstructed on Korean l ines , and is not be ing European ized .

Chong-dong , however , the quar ter devoted to Fore ign Le

gations , Consulates , and M iss ion agencies , would have nearlyceased to be Korean had not the King set down the Kyengwon Palace w i th its crowded outbu i ld ings in the m idst of theforeign res idences . Most of the nat ive inhabi tan ts have beenbought out . W ide roads w i th foreign Shops have been constructed . The French have bu i l t a Legat ion on a height

,

wh ich v ies in grandeur w i th that of Russ ia, and the American

Method ist Episcopal M iss ion has fin ished a large red br ickchurch , wh ich , l ike the Roman Cathedral

, can be seen fromall quar ters .The p icturesque Peki ng Pass

,up and down whose narrow ,

rugged pathway generat ions of burdened baggage an imalsto i led and suffered , and wh ich had seen the splendors of successive Ch inese Imper ial Envoys at the accession of theKorean K ings , has lost i ts iden t i ty . Its rock ledges

,holes,

and boulders have d isappeared—the rocky gash has beenw idened

,and the s ides ch isel led in to smoothness

, and underthe ausp ices of the Russ ian M in ister a broad road , w i th retaining walls and fine culverts , now carr ies the traffic over thelowered he ight .Many other changes were not iceable . The Tai -won Kun ,

for so many years one of the ch ief figures in Korean pol it ics ,was pract ical ly a pr i soner in his own palace . The Eastern andWestern Palaces , w i th the ir enormous accommodat ion and im

mense pleasure -grounds,were deser ted , and were already be

g inn ing to decay . The Japanese sold ier s had vacated thebarracks so long occupied by them close to the Kyeng-pokPalace , and , reduced to the modest number s of a Legat ionguard , were quar tered in the Japanese settlement ; par t ies ofm iss ionar ies who had h ived off from Chong-dong were occupying groups of houses in var ious par ts of the cap i tal , and therewas a s ingular boom ” in schools, accompan ied by a m i li tary


craze , wh ich affected not the scholars on ly , but the boys ofSeoul generally .

But i t must he remarked in connect ion w ith educat ion inKorea that so lately as th e close of 1896 a book , called Con

fucianist Scholar s’

H andhooh of the Latitudes ana’ Longi

tua’es

,had been ed ited by Sin K i Sun

,M in ister of Educat ion ,

prefaced by two Counc i l lor s of th e Educat ion Departmen t,

and publ ished at Government expense , in wh ich the follow ingsen tences occurP . 5 2

“ Europe is too far away from the centre of civilization ,

i .e. the M iddle Kingdom ; hence Russians, Turks ,Engl ish , French , Germans , and Belgians look more l ike birdsand beasts than men , and their languages sound l ike the ch irping of fowls .

”

Again “ Accord ing to the views of recen t generat ions ,what westerners cal l the Chr ist ian Rel igion is vulgar, Shallow ,

and erroneous,and is an instance of the vi leness of Barbar ian

customs , wh ich are not wor thy of ser ious d i scussion .

They worsh ip the heaven ly Spi r i ts , but do not sacr ifice to paren ts , they insul t heaven in every way , and over tu rn the soc ialrelat ions . Th is is truly a type of Barbar ian v i leness , and isnot worthy of treatmen t in our review of fore ign customs ,espec ial ly as at th is time the rel igion is somewhat on the

wane .

Europeans have plan ted the ir spawn in every coun try ofthe globe except Ch ina . All of them honor th i s rel igion ( l ) ,bu t we are surpr ised to find that the Ch inese scholars andpeople have not escaped con tam inat ion by i t.

”

On p . 4 2 i t is said : “ Of late the SO-cal led Ye Su Kyo

(Ch r ist ian i ty) has been try ing to contam inate the wor ld w i thi ts barbarous teach ings . It deceives the masses by its stor iesof Heaven and Hell : i t inter feres w i th the r i tes of ancestralworsh ip , and interd icts the custom of bow ing before the godsof Heaven and Ear th . These are the rav ings of a d isorderedintellect , and are not wor th d iscussing .

”



h im the v ict im of every rumor set afloat in the cap i tal , can ap~

preciate the Sign ificance of th is step and its probable effect inenlighten ingx the people , and in creating a publ ic opin ionwh ich Shall Sit in j udgmen t on regal and official m isdeeds. Itis already fulfil l ing an important funct ion in unearth ing abusesand dragging them into dayl igh t , and is creat ing a desire forrat ional educat ion and reasonable reform ,

and is becom ingsometh ing of a terror to evi l -doers . Dr . Jaisohn (So Ch iaP

’il) is a Korean gentleman educated in America, and has the

welfare of his country thoroughly at heart .The s igh t of newsboys passing through the streets w i th bun

dles of a newspaper in E u -m un under the ir arms , and of menread ing them in the ir Shops , is among the novel t ies of 1897.

Bes ides the I ndependent, there are now in Seoul two weekl iesin E u—m un the K or ean Chr is tian Advocate, and the Chr i stianNews and the Korean Independence Club publ ishes amon th ly magaz ine , The Chosen , deal ing w i th pol i t ics , sc ience ,and fore ign news , wh ich has subscr ibers . Seoul hasalso a paper , the K anj o Shim bo, or Seoul News , in m ixedJapanese and Korean scr ipt , publ ished on al ternate days, andthere are newspapers in the Japanese language , both i n Fusanand Chemulpo . All these , and the adm i rable K or ean R e

pos itory , are the growth of the last th ree years .The facul ty of combinat ion

,by wh ich in Korea as in Ch ina

the weak find some measure of protect ion against the strong ,is be ing turned to useful account . Th i s Kyet, or princ iple ofassoc iat ion , wh ich r epresen ts one of th e most notewor thyfeatures of Korea , develops in to insurance compan ies , mutualbenefit assoc iat ions , money- lend ing synd icates , tont ines , m ar

r iage and bur ial clubs , great trad ing gu i lds, and many others .W i th i ts innumerable associat ions

,on l y a few of wh ich I

have alluded to, Korean l i fe is s ingular ly complex ; and the

Korean business world is far more ful ly organ ized than our s ,near ly al l the traders in the coun try be ing members of gu i lds,powerfully bound together , and having the common feature of

Seoul in 1897 44 1

mutual helpfulness in t ime of need . Th is habi t of un i tedact ion , and the measure of honesty wh ich is essen t ial to thesuccess of combined under takings , supply the framework onwh ich various jo int-stock compan ies are be ing erected , amongwh ich one of th e most impor tan t is a tannery . Korean h ideshave h i ther to been sen t to Japan to be manufactured , ow ingto caste and supersti tious prejud ices against working in leather .

The establ ishmen t of th is company , wh ich brought over Japanese instructors to teach the methods of manufacture , has noton ly made an end of a fool i sh prejud ice , in the cap ital atleast , but is open ing a very lucrat ive industry, and others arefol low ing .

As may be expected in an Or iental coun try, the adm in i stra

tion of law in Korea is on the whole in famous . It may be saidthat a body of law has yet to be created , as wel l as the j udgeswho shal l adm in ister i t equably . A m ixed Comm i ttee of Rev ision has been appo inted , bu t the Korean members show amarked tendency to drop off, and no legal reform

,solely the

work of foreigners,would carry weigh t w ith the people . Mr .

Greathouse , a capable lawyer and legal adviser to the Law De

partm ent, has been able to preven t some infamous transact ions ,but on the whole the Seoul Law Cour t does l it t le more than ad

m in ister inj ustice and rece ive br ibes . Of the two Law Cour tsof the cap i tal the Supreme Court , under the supervi sion of theM in ister and Vice-M in i ster of Just ice , and in wh ich the foreignadviser s i ts w i th the j udges to advise in impor tan t cases , is themost hopeful yet one of the most d i sgracefu l of late appointments has been in connect ion w i th th is depar tmen t . The outrageous dec is ions , the gross br ibery , and the actual atroci t iesof the Seoul Cour t are l ikely to br ing about i ts abol i t ion , andI w i l l not en large upon them .

One of the most str ik ing changes introduced into the Seoulof 1 897 is th e improvemen t in the pr ison , wh ich is greatlyow ing to Mr . A. B . Str ipl ing , former ly of the Shanghai Pol ice ,who

,occupying a pos i t ion as adviser to the Pol ice Depar tment,


is carry ing out prison reforms , or iginal ly suggested by the

Japanese,in a humane and enl ightened manner . Torture has

d isappeared from the great c i ty pr ison , but there were darkrumors that some of the pol i t ical prisoners, so lately as January

, 1897, were subjected to it elsewhere .My experience of Eastern pr isons , ch iefly in Asia M inor,

Ch ina , Pers ia , and a gl impse of a former prison in Seoul , haveg iven me a v ivid impress ion of the con trast presen ted by thepresen t system . Surround ing a large quadrangle

,w i th the

ch ief jai ler ’ s house in the centre,the rooms

,not to be cal led

cells , are large, airy, l igh t, and well ven t i lated , w i th boardedfloors covered w i th mats

, and plenty of air space below. It istrue that on the day I vis i ted them some of the prisoners weresh iver ing , and sh ivered more v igorously as an appeal to mycompass ion , but then the m ecury was at 18 0 F and th is i snot a usual temperature . They have a large bathroom w i th astove on the Japanese plan . Their d iet consists of a p i nt ofexcel len t soup tw ice a day

,w i th a large bowl of r ice , and

those who go ou t to work get a th ird meal . Th is ample d ietcost 1%d . per day .

There were from twelve to eighteen prisoners in each ord inary room

,and fifty were awai t ing tr ial in one roomy hall . A

few under sen tence , two of th em to death , wore long woodencangues , but I d id not see any fetters . They are al lowed tobr ing in their own mattresses

,mats

,and pi l lows forextra com

for t . On the whole they wer e clean , cleaner than the ord inarycool ies ou ts ide . A per forated wooden bar attached to thefloor , w i th another w i th correspond ing per forat ions above i t,secures the legs of th e pr i soners at n igh t . The s ick were ly ingth ickly on the hot floor of a room very imperfectly l igh ted ,but probably the well would have been glad to change w i ththem .

There were 2 25 pr isoners al together , al l men . Class ifica

t ion is sti l l in the fu ture . Murder er s and pi l ferers occup iedthe same room , and colonels of regiments accused of a serious


KOREAN POLICEMENOld Reg i m e

New R eg i m e

CHAPTER XXXVII

LAST WORDS ON KOREA

HE pat ien t r eader has now learned w i th me someth ing ofKorean h istory dur ing the last three year s

,as well as of

the reorgan ized methods of Governmen t,and the educat ion ,

trade , and finance of th e country . He has also by proxytravel led in the in terior

,and has l ived among the peasant

farmers , see ing their industr ies , th e huckster ing wh ich passesfor trade , someth ing of the ir domest ic l ife and habi ts, and thesuperst it ions by wh ich they are enslaved , and has acqu iredsome knowledge of the offic ial and patr ician exact ions underwh ich they suffer. He has seen the Koreans at home

,w i th

thei r l impness , laziness , dependence , and pover ty, and Koreansunder Russ ian rule raised in to a thr ifty and prosperous populat ion . He can to some exten t j udge for h imself of the pros

pee ts of a country wh ich is incapable of stand ing alone , andwh ich could support double i ts presen t populat ion ,

and of thevalue of a terr i tory wh ich is poss ibly coveted by two Powers .Having acted as h is g u ide so far , I Should l ike to concludew i th a few words on some of the subjects wh ich have beenglanced at in the course of these volumes .Korea is not necessar ily a poor coun try . Her resources are

undeveloped , not exhausted . Her capaci t ies for successfulagr iculture are scarcely explo i ted . H er cl imate is superb , herrainfal l abundan t , and her so i l productive . Her h i l ls and

val leys contain coal,i ron

,copper , lead , and gold . The fish

er ies along her coast - l ine of m i les m igh t be a source ofuntold weal th . She i s inhab i ted by a hardy and hospi tablerace

,and she has no beggar class .

445


On the other hand , th e energies of her people lie dormant .The upper classes

,paralyzed by the m os t absurd of soc ial obl i

gations, spend their l ives in inact ivi ty .

- To the m iddle classno careers are Open there are no ski l led occupat ions to wh ichthey can turn their energies . The lower classes work no harderthan is necessary to keep the wolf from the door, for very suffic ien t reason s . Even in Seoul , the larges t mercan t i le establ ishments have hardly r isen to the level of Shops . Everyth ing inKorea has been on a low, poor, mean level . Class pr iv i leges

,

class and offic ial exact ions , a total absence of j ustice , the insecur i ty of al l earn ings , a Government wh ich has carr ied outthe worst trad i t ions on wh ich al l unreformed Or ien tal Governments are based , a class of official robbers steeped in intr igue ,a monarch enfeebled by the seclusion of the palace and thepettinesses of the Seragl io , a close all iance w i th one of the mostcorrupt of empires, the mutual j ealousies of in terested foreigners , and an al l -pervad ing and terror iz ing superst i t ion have donetheir best to reduce Korea to that cond i tion of resourcelessnessand dreary squalor in wh ich I formed my first impress ion ofher .Never theless the resources are there, in her seas , her so i l ,

and her hardy populat ion .

A great and un iversal curse in Korea is the habi t in wh ichthousands of able-bod ied men indulge of hanging , or sorning ,

” on relat ions or fr iends who are better off than themselves . There i s no shame in the transaction

,and there is no

publ ic op in ion to condemn i t . A man who has a certain income , however small , has to support many of h is own kindred ,h is w i fe ’s relat ions

,many of his own friends , and the fr iends

of h is relatives . Th i s par tly explains the rush for Governmentoffices , and their pos i t ion as marketable commod i t ies . To am an burdened w i th a horde of hangers-ou ,

the one avenue ofescape is official l ife , wh ich , whether h igh or low , enables himto prov ide for them ou t of the publ ic purse . Th is accountsfor the con tinual creat ion of offices

,w i th no other real object



or to dress respectably. Ther e are innumerable peasan t farmerswho have gone on reducing the ir acreage of cul ture year byyear

,ow ing to the exact ions and forced loans of mag istrates

and yang-hans , and who now on ly ra ise what w i ll enable them

to procure three meals a day . It is not wonderful that classeswhose man i fest dest iny is to be squeezed , should have sunkdown to a dead level of i nd ifference , inert ia, apathy, andl istlessness .I n Spi te of reforms , th e Korean nat ion st i l l cons ists of but

two classes,the Robbers and the Robbed

,—the official class

recru i ted from the yang -bans , the l icensed vampires of thecountry , and th e [ I a - in

,l i terally “ low m en ,

” a residuum offul ly four -fifths of the populat ion , whose r a i son d

’

etr e is to

supply the blood for the vampires to suck .

Out of such unprom i sing materials the new nat ion has to beconstructed , by educat ion , by protecting the produc ing classes ,by pun ish ing d ishonest Offic ials , and by the impos i t ion of alabor test in all Governmen t offices , i .e. by pay ing only forwork actually done .That reforms are not hopeless , i f carr ied out under firm and

capable fore ign supervis ion ,is shown by what has been ac

compl ished in the Treasury Depar tment in one year . No KOrean office was in a mor e chaot ic and cor rupt cond i t ion , and

the ram ificat ions of its corrupt ion were spread al l through theProvinces . Much was hoped when Mr . M ’

Leavy Brown ac

cepted the thankless pos i t ion of F inanc ial Adviser , from h isknown force of character and remarkable financ ial capac i ty ,but no one would have ventured to pred ict what has actual lyoccu rred .

Al though his efforts at financ ial reform have been thwartedat every tur n, not alone by the rapaci ty of the King ’s maleand female favor i tes

, and th e measur eless cunn ing and craft ofcorrupt offic ials, who inc i te the Sovere ign to act ions concerning money wh ich are subver sive of the fairest schemes offinanc ial rect i tude , but by ch icane , fraud , and corrupt ion in

Last Words on Korea(449

every department by the absence of trustworthy subord i

nates by infamous trad i tional customs and the fact thatevery man in Office , and every m an hOping for office

,is

pledged by his personal in terest to oppose every effor t at reform act ively or passively, Korean finance stands thus at theclose of 1897.

In a few months the Augean stable of the Treasury Departm ent in Seou l has been cleansed the accounts are kept on aun i form system , and w i th the u tmost exact i tude ; value received precedes payments for work an army of drones ,hang ing on to al l depar tments and subs isting on publ ic money ,has been d isbanded ; a part ial estimate has been formed ofthe revenue wh ich the Provinces ough t to produce ; superflu

ous offic ials unworth i ly appo inted find that the ir salar ies arenot forthcom ing ; every m an ent i tled to receive payment ispaid at the end of every mon th noth ing is in arrears greatpubl ic improvemen ts are carried out w i th a careful supervis ionwh ich ensures r igid economy the accounts of every Depar tment undergo str ict scrut iny ; no detai l is thought unworthyof atten t ion , and instead of Korea be ing bankrupt, as both herfriends and enem ies supposed she would be in July , 1896 , she

closed the financial year in Apri l , 1897, w i th every accountpaid and a m i l l ion and a half in the Treasury , ou t of wh ichshe has repa id one m il l ion of the Japanese loan of three m ill ions . I f fore ign adv isers of s im i lar cal ibre and capac i ty wereattached to al l the depar tments of State Sim i lar resu lts m ightin t ime be obtained .

One th ing i s certa in , that the war and the period of the energetic ascendency of Japan have g iven Korea so rude a Shake ,and have so thoroughly d iscred i ted var ious customs and inst itutions previously venerated for their ant iqu i ty , that no retrograde movements , such as have been to some exten t in progressin 1897, can replace her in the old grooves .Seoul is Korea for most practical purposes, and the.working

of the Western leaven,the new impulses and modes of thought


introduced by Western educat ion , the inev itable contact w i thforeigners , and the influence of a free Press are through Seoulslowly affecting the nat ion . Under the shadow of Ch inesesuzera in ty the Korean yang -han enjoyed pract ical ly unl im i tedopportun i t ies for the extor t ions and tyrann ies wh ich were theatmosphere of patr ic ian l ife . Japan in troduced a new theoryon th is subj ect , and pract ical ly gave the masses to understandthat they possess r ights wh ich the classes are bound to respect ,and the Press takes the same l ine .

It is slowly dawn ing upon the Korean peasan t farmerthrough the med ium of Japanese and Western teach ing, thatto be an ul t imate sponge is not hlS Inev i table dest iny

,that he

is en t i tled to c ivi l r ights,equal i ty before the eye of the law ,

and protection for h is earn ings .The more impor tan t of the changes during the last three

years wh ich are benefic ial to Korea may be summar ized thusThe connect ion w i th China is at an end , and w i th the v ictoriesof Japan the Korean bel ief in the unconquerable m i l i tarypower of the M iddle Kingdom has been exploded , and theal l iance between two pol i t ical systems essent ial ly corrupt hasbeen severed . The d i st inct ion between patr ician and plebe ianhas been abol ished

,on paper at least

,along w i th domest ic

Slavery , and the d isabi l i t ies wh ich rendered the sons of concub ines inel igible for h igh office . Brutal pun ishments and torture are done away w i th

,a conven i en t coinage has replaced

cash , an improved educat ional system has been launched , ad isc ipl ined army and pol ice force has been created

,the Ch i

nese l i terary exam inat ions are no longer the test of fi tness foroffic ial employment , a smal l measure of j ud icial reform has

been granted , a rai lroad from Chemulpo to the cap ital is be ingrapidly pushed to comple t ion , the pressure of th e Trades Gui ldsis relaxed , a postal system efficien tly worked and command ingconfidence has been introduced i nto al l the Provinces , thefinances of the country are be ing p laced on a sound basis , thechange from a land - tax paid in k ind to one wh ich is an assess



reservation . Whoever does not heed this edict will be pun ished according to th e law.

1

Though the Koreans of to-day are th e product of centuriesof d isadvan tages , yet after near ly a year Spen t in the country,during wh ich I made i ts people my ch ief study , I am by nomeans hopeless of the ir fu ture , in spi te of the d ist inctly retrograde movements of 1897. Two th ings, however, are es

sential.

I . As Korea is incapable of reform ing hersel f from wi th in ,that she must be reformed from w i thou t .II . That the power of the Sovereign m ust be placed under

stringen t and permanen t const i tu t ional checks .H i therto I have wr i tten exclus ively on Korean internal

affairs , her actual cond it ion , and the prospects of the socialand commerc ial advancement of th e people . I concludew i th a few remarks on the pol i tical possib i l i t ies of theKorean future, and the relations of Korea w i th certain otherpowers.

The geograph ical posi t ion of Korea, w i th a frontier conterm inous w i th those of Ch ina and Russia, and d ivided fromJapan by only a narrow sea , has done much to determ ine herpol i tical relat ionsh ips . The ascendency of Ch ina grew naturally out of terri tor ial connect ion , and i ts durat ion for manycentur ies was at once the cause and effect of a commun i ty inph i losophy, customs , and to a great extent in language and re

ligion . But Ch inese control is at an end , and Ch ina can

scarcely be regarded as a factor in the Korean s i tuat ion .

Japan having ski l fully asser ted her claim to an equal i ty ofr ights in Korea , after several d iplomat ic tr iumphs and markedsuccess in obtain ing fiscal and commerc ial ascendency

,even

tually, by the overthrow of her rival in th e late war, securedpol it ical ascendency l ikewise and th e long str i fe between the

1 The good intentions of the Korean Sovereign , as well as the weaknesswh ich renders them ineffective, are typically i llustrated in these two pathetic docum ents .

Last Words on Korea 453

two empires , of wh ich Korea had been the unhappy stage ,came to an end .

The nom inal reason for the war , to wh ich the Japanese Governm ent has been careful to adhere , was the absolute necessi tyfor the reform of the inter nal adm in istrat ion of a State too nearthe shores of Japan to he suffered to s ink annually deeper intoan abyss of m i sgovernment and ru in . It is needless to speculate upon the ul t imate object wh ich Japan had in v iew in

undertak ing th is unusual task . It is enough to say that sheentered upon i t w i th gr eat energy ; and that , wh i le the suggest ions she enforced introduced a new r eg im e

, struck at thehear t of pr ivi lege and prerogat ive , revolut ion ized social order ,and reduced the Sovere ign to the pos i t ion of a salariedautomaton ,

” th e remarkable ab i l i ty w i th wh ich her demandswere formulated gave them the appearance of Simple andnatural adm in istrat ive reforms .I bel ieve that Japan was thoroughly honest in her efforts ;

and though She lacked exper ience , and was ofttimes rough and

tactless , and aroused host i le feel ing needlessly , that she had noi ntent ion to subjugate , bu t rather to play the role of the protector of Korea and the guaran tor of her independence .

For more than a year,in sp i te of certain m istakes

,she m ade

fa ir headway , accompl ished some useful and impor tan t reforms ,and ini t iated others and i t is on ly just to her to repeat thatthose wh ich are now be ing car r ied out are on the l ines wh ichshe laid down . Then came Viscount M iura ’

s savage coup ,wh ich d iscred i ted Japan and her d iplomacy in the eyes of thec ivi l ized wor ld . Th is was fol lowed by the wi thd rawal of hergarr isons , and of her numerous advisers , controllers , and dr i l li nstructors , and th e subst i tut ion of an apparently la is sez -fa i r e

pol icy for an act i ve d ictatorsh ip . I wr i te “apparently , be

cause i t cannot for a moment be supposed that th is sagac iousand amb i t ious Emp ire recogn ized the unfor tunate c ircumstances i h Korea as a final ity

,and ret ired in despair !

The land ing of Japanese arm ies in Korea, and the subse


quen t declarat ion of war w i th Ch ina , wh i le they gave thewor ld the shock of a surpr ise, wer e, as I endeavored to po intout br iefly in chapter xi i i . , ne i ther the resul t of a sudden impulse

,nor of the shakiness of a M in i stry wh ich had to choose

between i ts own downfall and a foreign war . The latter viewcould only occur to the most superficial student of Far Easternh istory and pol i t ics .Japan for several centuries has regarded herself as possessing

vested r igh ts to commercial ascendency in Korea . The harvestof the Korean seas has been r eaped by her fishermen

,and for

300 years her colon ies have sustained a more or less prosperousexistence at Fusan . Her resen tment of the pretensions ofCh ina in Korea , though debarred for a considerable t ime fromact ive exerc ise

,first by the pol icy of seclus ion pursued by the

Tokugawa House,and n ext by the necessi ty of consol idat ing

her own in ternal pol i ty after the restoration , has never sl umbered .

To depr ive Ch ina of a suzerain ty wh ich , i t must be ad

m itted , was not exerc ised for the advan tage of Korea to consol idate her own commerc ial supremacy ; to ensure for hersel ffree access and spec ial pr ivi leges ; to establ ish a v ir tual protectorate under wh ich no fore ign d ictat ion would be toleratedto reform Korea on Japanese l ines , and to substi tu te her ownl iberal and en l ightened c ivi l izat ion for the ant ique Or ientalconservat i sm of the Pen insula , are aims wh ich have been keptstead i ly in v iew for for ty years, replac ing in part the des ignswh ich had existed for several previous cen tur ies .In order to j udge correctly of the act ion or inaction of

Japan during 1 896 and 1897 , i t must be bor ne in m ind noton ly th at her d iplomacy is secret and ret icen t , but that i t issteady ; that i t has not h i ther to been affected by any greatpol i tical cataclysms at home ; that i t has less of oppor tun ismthan that of almost any other nat ion

,and that the Japanese

have as much tenac i ty and fix ity of purpose as any other race .Also , Japanese pol icy i n Korea is st i l l shaped by the same re



the Russ ian flag,and that at his request a Russ ian M i l i tary

Comm iss ion arr ived to reorgan ize and d r il l the Korean army ,that Russia presented Berdan r ifles to Korea , that aRussian financ ier spen t the au tumn of 1896 in Seoul invest igat ing the financ ial resources and prospects of the coun try ,and that the King , warned by d i sastrous exper iences of betrayal, prefer s to trust his personal safety to his proximi ty tothe Russ ian m i l itary quarters.

But “ Russ ian Ascendency,in the sense of Contr ol in

wh ich Japanese ascendency is to be understood , h as neverexisted . The Russ ian M in ister u sed the undoubtedly influential pos it ion wh ich c ircumstances gave him w i th unexampledmoderat ion, and on ly brought his influence to bear on the Kingin cases of grave m isrule . The influence of Russ ia

,however ,

grew qu ietly and naturally , w i th l i t tl e of external m an ifes

tation , up to March , 1897, when the publ icat ion of a treatyconcluded ten months before between Russ ia and Japan ,

caused someth ing of a revuls ion of feel ing in favor of the latter country

,and Russ ia has been slowly los ing ground . Her

policy is too pac ific to allow of a quarrel w i th Japan, and a

quarrel would be the i nevi table result o f any present attemptat d ictatorsh ip in Korea . So far

,sh e has pursued a strictly

opportun ist pol icy , tak ing no s teps except those wh ich havebeen forced upon her ; and even i f the Korean pear wereready to drop in to her mouth

,I greatly doubt i f she would

shake the tree .

At al l events , Russ ia let the Opportun i ty of obtain ing ascendency in Korea go by . It is very l ikely that She never des ired it. It may be qu i te incompat ible w i th other aims , atwh ich we can on ly guess . At the same t ime

,the influence of

Japan i s qu ietly and s tead i ly increas ing . Certa inly the greatObject of the triple interven t ion in the treaty negot iat ions inSh imonosek i was to preven t Japan from gain ing a foothold onthe mainland of the As iat ic Cont inen t ; bu t i t does not seem

See Append ix E.

Last Words on Korea 457

al together impossible that , by play ing a wa i t ing game and

profit ing by prev ious m istakes , she , w i thout assum ing a formalprotectorate , may be able to add , for all pract ical purposes ofcommerce and em igrat ion ,

a ma in land prov ince to her Emp i re . Forecasts are dangerous th ings ,1 but i t is safe to saythat i f Russ ia

,not con ten t w i th such qu iet

,m i l itary develop

ments as may be in prospect,were to man i fest any aggressive

des igns on Korea , Japan is power ful enough to put a brake onthe wheel ! Korea

,however, i s incapable of stand ing alone ,

and unless so d ifficul t a matter as a jo in t protectorate could bearranged , She must be under the tu telage of ei ther Japan orR uss ia .

If Russia were to acqu ire an actual supremacy, the usual

resu lt would fol low. Preferent ial dut ies and other impostswould pract ical ly make an end of Br i tish trade in Korea w i thal l i ts large potent ial it ies . The effacement of Br i t ish pol i ticalinfluence has been effected ch iefly by a pol icy of la i ssezfa ir e,wh ich has produced on the Korean m ind the double impress ion of ind ifference and feebleness , to wh ich the dubious andhazy d iplomat ic relat ionsh ip naturally contr ibutes . If England has no con t ingen t interest in the pol i t ical future of acoun try rich in undeveloped resources and valuable harbors,and whose possess ion by a host i le Power m igh t be a seriousper i l to her interests in the Far East , her pol icy dur ing thelast few years has been a sure method of evidenc ing her uhconcern .

Though we may have abandoned any pol i t ical interest inKorea , the fu ture of Br i t ish trade in the country remains animpor tan t quest ion . Such influence as England possesses ,be ing exerc ised through a non -official channel , and thereforenecessari ly ind irect , i s Owing to the ab i l i t ies , force , and d iplomat ic tact of Mr . M ’

Leavy Brown ,th e Ch ief Comm issioner

1AS “ i t is the unexpected wh ich happens, i t would not be surpr ising

i f certain m oves , osten sibly wi th the object of placing th e independence ofKorea on a firm basis , were m ade even before these volum es are published.


of Customs , former ly of Ch inese Consular Service .

So long as he is in control at the cap i tal , and such uprigh t andable m en as Mr . Hunt , Mr . Oiesen ,

and Mr . Osborne are

Comm iss ioners at the treaty por ts (Append ix D) , so long wi llEngland be commerc ial ly impor tan t in Korean est imat ion .

The Customs revenue , always increas ing , and collected at acost of 10 per cen t . on ly , is th e backbone of Korean finance ;and everywhere the abi l i ty and in tegr i ty of th e adm in istrat iong ive the Comm i ssioners an influence wh ich is necessari ly infavor of England , and wh ich produces an impress ion even oncorrupt Korean offic ialism . That th is service should remain inour hands is of the utmost pract ical impor tance . I n the daysof Japanese ascendency there was a great des ire to upset the

presen t arrangemen t , bu t i t was frustrated by the tact andfirmness of the Ch ief Comm i ss ioner . The next danger is thatit should pass intoRussian hands , wh ich would be a severeblow to our pr estige and interests . Some of the lead ing Russ ian papers are agi tat ing th is quest ion , and the Novoie Vr em ia

of 9th September,

1 897, in wr i t ing of the open ing of thepor ts of Mok-po and Ch i -nam -

po to foreign trade , saysThese encroachmen ts are ch iefly due to th e cleverness of theBr i t ish offic ials who are at the head of the F inancial and Customs Depar tmen ts of the Korean adm in istrat ion .

” It adds,

“ If Russia tolerates any further increase in th is pol icyGreat Br i tain w i l l convert the country into one of her bestmarkets .” The Novoie Vr em ia goes on to urge “ the Russ i anGovernment to exerc ise

,before it is too late, a more search ing

surve i l lance than at present,to take steps to reduce th e num

ber of Br i tish offic ials in th e Korean Government ( the Customs) , and to compel Japan to w i thdraw what are pract icallythe m i l itary garrisons wh ich She has establ ished in Korea .

”

Such , in br ief ou tl ine , is the pos i t ion of pol i t ical affa irs inKorea at the close of 1897. Her long and close pol i t ical connection w i th Ch ina is severed ; She has rece ived from Japana g ift of independence wh ich she knows not how to use ;


APPENDIX ES

AP PEND I X

M ISSION STATISTICS

E OF MISSION.

— fl_ _

can Presby terission (Nor th ) 1884 11 2 5 4

an Presby teri ss ion (South ) 1892 4 2 2 3

13 8 5 10 635 3 2 5 10l ian Presbyteri ss ion 1891 1 3 1

1889 1

an Meth . Epi s.on (Nor th ) 1885 8 7 7 5 7 5 88 2 266

can Meth . Epi s.on (South ) 1896

h ing Mem orialon (Bapti st) 1895 1 1

for th e P ropa

1 of the Gospel 1890

des M i ssionsgeres 19 466 18 5 15

Besides m uch in labor and in contribu tions for suppor t of native evangel i sts,462


464 Append ix B

APPENDIX B

D IRECT FOREIGN TRADE OF KOREA ,

( i .e. net value of fore ign goods imported in fore ign , or foreigntype

,vessels in to th e Treaty Ports , and taken cogn izance of

by the fore ign Custom s ; and of nat ive goods sim i larly exported and re-expor ted from the Treaty Ports to foreigncountries . )

Net im or ts of Fore i nGoods (lilo. exclus ivegot Exports and Re-expor ts ‘

Year . Foreign Goods re-expor ted Of Native G°°d § to Tota l .to Foreign Countr ies ) . Fore i gn 0011111118 8 .

Nata—The increase in the foreign trade of Korea between 1886 and

1896 m ay not have been so great as the above figures wi thout explanationwould im ply . It is generally stated that side by Side with the trade inforeign vessels at the Treaty Ports a considerable traffic has been carr iedon by junk between non-Treaty ports in Korea and ports in China and

Japan . This junk trade was probably m uch larger in the earlier years ofthe per iod the figures of which are com pared , and the rapid developm entShown in the table m ay be partly due to the increasing transfer of trafficfrom native craft to fore ign -type vessels which Offer greater regular ity andsafety and less delay.

1 i .e . in clud ing nat ive goods im ported from another Korean port and t e-expor ted to

a fore ign coun try .

Appendix B

COMPARATIVE TABLE OF THE NET DUES AND DUTIES COLLECTEDAT THE THREE PORTS FOR THE YEARS 1884-

96

Year . I mpor t Dut ies . Export Duties . Tonnage Dues . Tota l .

COMPARAVI VE STATEMENT OF THE JAPANESE AND NON-JAPANESE COTTONGOODS IMPORTED INTO KOREA DURING THE YEAR 1896

J apanese . Non-J apanese . Total .Class rli cat ion

D escr i ption of

(iii

i

irn Quant i ty . Va lue. Quanti ty . Value. Quanti ty . Va

h i r t i n g s—Gray

Plai nbi t tings—Wh i te-Clothsr i l lsurkoy-Red Cloth sheetings

otton F lannelotton Blankets Pai rsotton Yarn and

Th read P iculs

Valueotton Goods

, Unclassed

Total Value 346

Ch iefly narrow-width cloth, g ray or wh i te, checked or plain . Including Chinese CottonS.

466 Appendix

APPENDIX C

RETURN of Pr inc ipal Art icles of Export (net) to Foreign Countries for the Years 1896—95

Chem ulpo. Fusan . Won-san .

Ar ticles.

Bean sF i sh (d r ied m anure) 639 312Cowh idesGinseng 575P aper 24 9R ice 549Seaweed 5 5 40Sundr ies

Total

Cur rency . Ster l ing . Cur rency . Ster l ing .

Total exports from Korea


Append ix C

an

?“

Swdu

awe

.

Nad

a

Sm.

Ro

i

m

fi

u

Ea

c

h.

caog

o

M

5&2

s

ad

age-o

z

0

8

c552m

da

sh

e

s—as

Appendix D 469

APPEND IX D

The population of the th ree Korean treaty ports was as follows in Jan:uary, 1897

TotalEstim ated native population

TotalEstim ated native population of Fusan Ci ty and the

Prefecture of Tung -na i

Chem ulpo Settlem ent.

404

I SX2

470 Append ix

TotalEstim ated native population

W6n-san Settlem ent.

I 1299

39

8

3

z

z

2

r

1


472 Append ix E

one atWOn-san , each com pany not to exceed two hundred m en . These

troops wi ll be quartered near the settlem ents, and shall be wi thdrawn as

soon as no apprehension of such attacks could be entertained .

For the protection of the Russian Legation and Consulates the RussianGovernm en t m ay also keep guards not exceed ing the num ber of Japanesetroops at those places, and wh ich wi ll be wi thdrawn as soon as tranquillityin the inter ior is com pletely restored .

(Signed) C. WAEBER,

Repr esen ta t ive of Ru ss ia .

J . KOMURA ,Repr esen ta tive of yapan .

SEOUL, I 4tfiMay , 1896.

PROTOCOLThe Secretary of State, Pr ince Lobanow-Rostovskey, Foreign Minister

of Russia, and the Mar shal Marqu is Yam agata, Am bassador Ex traordi

nary Of H is Majesty the Em peror of Japan ,having exchanged thei r views

on the situation of Korea, agreed upon the following articles

I

For the rem edy of the financial d ifficulties of Korea, the Governm entsof Russia and Japan wi ll advise the Korean Governm ent to retrench all

superfluous expenditure, and to establish a balance between expenses andrevenues. I f, in consequence of r eform s deem ed ind ispensable, i t m ay be

necessary to have recourse to foreign loans, both Governm ents shall bym utual consent give thei r suppor t to Korea.

I I

The Governm ents of Russia and Japan shall endeavor to leave to Korea,as far as the financial and econom ical si tuation of that country will perm it, the form ation and m aintenance of a national arm ed force and policeof such proportions as will be sufficient for the preservation of the in

ternal peace, wi thout foreign suppor t.

I I I

With a view to faci litate com m un ications with Korea, the JapaneseGovernm ent m ay continue ( con tz

'

nu er a ) to adm in i ster the telegraph l ineswh ich are at present in i ts hands.

It i s rese rved to Russia ( the r igh ts) of bui ld ing a telegraph line between Seoul and her frontiers.

These d i fferent l ines can be repurchased by the Korean Governm ent,so soon as i t has the m ean s to do so.

Appendix E 473

IV

I n case the above m atters should requi re a m ore exact or detailed explanation , or i f subsequently som e other points should present them selvesupon wh ich i t m ay be necessary to confer , the Representatives of bothGovernm ents shall be author ized to negotiate in a spi r it of fr iendsh ip.

( Signed) LOBANow.

YAMAGATA.

Moscow, on? June, 1896.

The following is the exact translation of the reply sent to the JapaneseM in ister by the Korean M inister of Foreign Affairs, concerning the RussoJapanese Convention

M INISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS,M a r . 9m, 2nd y ear of K u n -

y ang

SI R—I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your despatch of

the 2nd instant, inform ing m e that, on the 14th day of May last, a m em o

randum was Signed at Seoul by HE . Mr . Kom ura, the form er JapaneseM in i ster Resident, and the Russian M in ister , and that, on the 4th of Juneof the sam e year , an Agreem ent was s igned at Moscow, by HE . MarshalYam agata , th e Japanese Am bassador , and the M in ister for Foreign Affa irsof Russia ; and that these two docum en ts have been la id publicly beforethe Im per ial D iet. You further inform m e that on the 26th ultim o your ece ived a telegram from your Governm ent, pointing out that the abovem entioned Agreem ent and m em orandum in no way reflect upon , but, onthe contrary , are m ean t to strengthen , the independence of Korea,—thisbeing the object which the Governm en ts of Japan and Russia had in

view,—and you cher ish the confiden t hope that m y Governm ent will not

fai l to appreciate th is intention . I n accordance with telegraph ic instructions received from the Im per i al M in ister of Foreign Affai rs you encloseCopies of the Agreem ents referred to.

I beg to express m y Sincere thanks for your despatch and the inform a

tion it conveys . I would observe, however , that as m y Governm en t has

not joined in conclud ing th ese two Agreem ents, its freedom of action as

an independent Power cannot be restr icted by their provisions .—I have,

etc.,

(Signed) YE WANYONG,M in ister of Sta tefor For eign Af a i r s.

H .B. MR. KATO,

M in i ster of 7 apan , ete.


476 Index

Buddh i stic leg en ds , 145 .

Bu ddh i s t m on a ste ry and tem

ple . 63. 76. 79. 84. 319.

B u l l, Korea n , a s a bea st of

bu rden 36, 110 ; u sed for

p lough i ng ,162 .

B u r ia l cu s tom s , 63, 204 ,2 86.

2 88—291 .

Bu r ia l p la ces , 36 , 61 .

Bu tch ers , m e thods of, 172 .

Cab ine t , th e , 371 , 374 , 375 ; m in

i s ter s ,e xecu tion of, 367 .

C am pbel l , Mr . ,133, 826.

C a r les , Con su l , 130 , 329 , 35 5 .

Cava lry , Ch i nese ,Gene ra lTso’

s

b r ig ade ,2 10 .

Ca ve , a r em a rkable , 99.

C ham -su -ki , 95 , 96 ; tree , 96.

C ha ng -an Sa ,137 , 141 , 142 ,

143,

Ch a rm s , 408 .

Cha -sa n , 322 , 344 .

Che -chO’

n,106.

C hefoo,a r r iva l at , 185 ; re tu rn

to ,2 13.

Ch em u lpo , 20 , 3o, 33 ; wa r ex

c i tem en t a t,1 78 ; e xodu s of

Ch i nese from ,1 82 re turn of

a u thoress to ,245 ; acciden t on

t h e way to , 267 ; a r r i va l a t,

35 7 ; r a i lroa d from to th e capi ta l

, 450 ; leave from , 4 59 ;banks a t , 32 , 436; cem eter ya t

, 318 ; Ch inese settlem en ti n

, 31 , 245 ; Japanese se ttlem en t in , 31 , 1 81

,246 ;Korean

qua r ter , 33; occupa t ion of, byJ apanese , 206, 245 ;popu la tionof, 469 ,

tra de in , 33.

C h i ld ren , non-bu r ial of in Man

ch u r i a, 204 ; sa le of daem on s ,

4 12 .

Ch i l-sung Mon , the , 31 5 , 316.

Ch ina , d iplom a tic rela t ion s wi thKorea ,

19 , 1 82 .

Ch in ese i n Korea , 1 2 , 20 , 1 82 ;

p redom inan t influence of, 22 ,

4 52 ; th e i r settlem en t in Chem ulpo, 31 ; th e colon y a t

Seou l , 44 ; con sterna tion in

Ch inese colon y , 182 ; conn ec

tion w i th Kor ea seve red, 4 58 .

Ch inese Man ch u r ia , 237 , 244.

Ch in -nam -po ,19 , 357 , 458 .

Ch ino-Japan ese Wa r , or ig in of

the , 206.

Cho’

i Sok daem on , 420 .

Chol-m u r i Kau t , the , 4 1 1 .

ChO'

I -yong -To , 23.

Chong -dong , 42 7 , 437.

Cho’

n g -pho’

n g ,town of, 90 , 93 ,

94; fem a le cu r ios i ty a t , 94.

Chong -so’

p (abbots) , 141 .

Chon -sh in daem on s , 418 .

ChOn -ya ing ,88.

C/zosen M agaz i ne, Tbe, 440 .

Cho Wa ng daem on , 420 .

Ch r i stian i ty,p rog ress of, 201 202 .

Ch r i stian m i ss ion s ( s ee M i ss iona r ies and th e M i ss ion s) .

Ch r i stia n s , n a ti ve ,65 , 227.

Ch r i stian work i n Seou l , 63; i nKor ea , 65 ; Korean e s tim a teof, 438 .

Ch r i stie , D r . , 198 , 201, 202 , 2 1 1 .

Chu -la,2 5 , 306.

Chun -ct n , 109 .

Chung -Chong-D o

, 75 , 84 .

Ch yu -ph a Pa ss , th e , 129 .

C la ss pr iv i leges , 101 , 446 , 450 .

C lim a te , h ea l th y cha racter of,16 ; a t Mukden , 20 1 .

Coa s ts , ch aracter of, 1 5 ; tou ra long ,

1 50.

Coi nag e of, 20 , 66 , 398.

Concubinage ,a recog n ized in

s ti tu tion , 342 .

Con fucian college , the , 382 ;tem p les , 76 , 83, 94 ,

103.

Con fucian i sm in Korea , 2 1 , 22 .

Con jug a l fide l i ty , 1 16, 34 1 , 343.

Con sp i ra cies , frequency of, 447.

Con sti tu tiona l changes , 371—386.

Con ven tion s wi th Ch ina , t e

n uncia tion of the , 207 .

Cookery of th e Korean s , 1 54 .

Corfe . B ishop.33. 37. 49. 63. 64.66 , 68 .

Corfe M iss ion at Seou l, 30 , 33,

64 , 68 .

Cor ruption , 431 , 448 .

I ndex

Cos sa cks , Ru ss ian , r ig id d i scipl in e of, 238 .

Costu m es , 26, 27 , 4 5 , 46 .

Counci l of S ta te , form a tion of

a , 370 1 375 °

Cou n ci l of Sta te (Kor ean ) , or

g an i za tion of, 375 .

Cou r t functiona r ies , 428 , 430 .

C rown Pr ince , th e ,2 53, 2 73,

362 , 365 , 428 ; Pr incess , th e ,2 73.

Cu stom s , Kor ea n , 59 , 78 , 101,

Cu s tom s r even u e the ba ckboneof Korea n fin an ce , 4 58 .

Cu rzon , th e Hon . G . W . ,138 .

Daem on fes tiva ls , 4 10 .

Daem on s , cla ss i fica t ion of, 42 1 .

Dae m on Wor sh ip , 79 ; fea r of

daem on s , 12 7 , 129 ;dmm on ism ,

399 . 404 . 409. 4 17Da lle t ’s H i s toi re d e l ’ Eg l i s e deKorée ,

1 1 ; quoted I n r eg a r d toth e pos i t ion ofwom en

Da n cing wom en , 344 , 35 2 .

Dea th , cu stom s con n ected wi th ,

63.

De lug e , a Man ch u r ia n ,193.

D iam on dMou n ta in Mona s te r ies,

133.

D iam ond Mou n ta i n , th e , 74 , 75 ,103. 129 . 133, 140 .

D isci ples , Fi ve ,Hu nd red , Tem

ple to ,1 70 .

D i s ti nction s be tween Pa tr iciana nd P lebe ia n abol i sh ed , 385 .D i v i na tion

, 407 , 408.

D og -in fes ted Seou l , 47.

D og m ea t , u se of, 1 54.

130g s . 47. 72 .

Dolm en s , 131Dom est ic an im a ls , few , 161 ;l i fe u nknown , 35 5 ; sla ves , 47.

Dom ici l ia ry v i s i t , 304 .

D ragon daem on s , 41 7.

D ru nken ness com m on, 91 .

Dwe ll ing s , 77.

D ye , Gene ra l , Am er ican m i l ita r y a dv i ser , 2 71 , 272 ,

2 77 , 2 79 .

Dynas ty , Korean , worn ou t , 2 5 5 .

4577

Ea stern Si be r i a,m a r i t im e p rov

i n ces of, 242—244 .

Eas te rn S ibe r ian , d r ift of popula tion to , 244 .

E dga r , H . M . S . , 302 .

Ed icts . See Roya l .Educa t ion , 143, 203, 387 , 438;the m in i str y of, 382 , 39 1 .

Educa t ion a nd For e ig n Trade ,

387 .

Edu ca tion i n th e h am le ts , 79 .

E igh t V iews , th e 1 5 5 .

Elm trees , fin e , 93.

Eng l i sh m i ss ion , th e first , 63.

En g l i sh -speak i ng Kor ean s a t

Seou l , 49 .

E ter n a l Rest , Tem ple of,134 .

Eu i -chyen g P u (th e cab in e t) , 371 ,377Eu ropea n s , Korea n e s tim a te of

,

438 .

Exam i n a t ion s for official pos it ion

,1 5 2 ; roy a l exam s . abol

i sh ed , 388 .

Exor ci s ts a nd Exor ci sm,

1 14 ,

344. 350. 400 . 40 5 . 423Expor ts a nd Im por ts , 392 ; r e

tu r n s Of, 466 , 467 .

Ex tor t ion s a nd ty ran n ies, 450 .

Fa lcon r y , 74.

Fa rm er s , 447 , 450 .

Fa u n a of, 16.

Feng tien Ca va lr y B r iga de ,2 10.

Ferg u son Co. , Messr s . , 1 85 .

Ferm en ted l iquor s, 9 1 , 92 .

Fe r r ies , 104 .

Fer r y boa t , a n ingen iou s , 131 .

Festi va l s , 4 10—413.

Feti shes , 4 16 , 42 1 .

Fever , a tta ck of, 193.

F i n an ce , 396.

F i re D r agon Pool , the 145 .

F i sh a nd F ish in g , 1 58 .

Fi ve Hun dred D i sciples ,tem ple of the ,

1 70.

Flood s in Manchu r ia ,193.

F lora of, 1 7 .

Forced labor , 337.

For e ig n Good s , trade in ,24 , 387

478 Index

For e ign l iquor s ,love of, 91 ;

Office , th e , 38 1 .

For es t wea lth ,1 7.

Form osa ,tran sfer of, 269 .

For tress , a n a ncien t , 10 5 .

Fou r Sa g es ,” Ha l l of th e ,

136 .

Fox .Mr . , 37. 39

F ren ch clocks , rag e for a t Yo

Ju , 90 , 91 .

Fr escoes , cu r iou s , 60 , 319 .

F r iend ly ch ar a cter of peop le , 80 .

Frog -boxes ,” 408 .

Fu n erals ,obs erv an ces a t , 62 , 286.

Fu san ,20

,23 , 24 , 2 5 ; i ts Japan

e se ch a ra cte r , 26; m a rke ts of,28; Eu ropea n s i n , 1 78; Japan ese sold ier s i n

,245 , 4 54;

popu la t ion of, 469 .

Ga le , M r . ,167 , 173; Mr s . ,

1 73.

Gam e , 1 74 .

Gap Pa ss , th e , 36 ,1 81 .

Ga rdner , Mr . (a cting con su l) , 35 ,1 83; Mr s . a nd M i ss , 37 .

Gau tam a,a sh r ine of, 137.

Geog ra ph i ca l pos i t ion determ in es Kor ea ’s pol i ti ca l re lat ion s h ips , 4 52 .

Geolog y a nd th e g eolog ica l form a t ion , 1 5 .

Gesang ,The

, (s ing ing and da n ci n g g i r ls) of P hyOng -yan g ,

35 2 . 353G in seng , th e e l i x i r of l i fe ,

296

e x ten t of i ts cu lti va t ion,297 ,

p r epa r a tion for m arke t , 298 .

G i r l-bab ies , not specia l ly welcom e in a fam i ly , 300 , 341 ,

G i r ls , seclu s ion of, 1 19 .

Godobi n ,For t , 2 14 .

God ofWa r , tem ple to th e , 319 .

Gold-d igg in g ,108

, 322 , 324 .

Gold-du s t e xpor ts , 108 .

Golden Sa nd , th e r i ve r of, 80 .

Gold or n am en ts , 108 .

Gorg e , a g ra n d , 95 .

Gover nm en t depa r tm en ts (Kor ean ) reorg an ized , 38 1 .

Gover nm en t Gazette, the , 373, 374 ,

377Gover nm en t Hosp i ta l the ,

64.

Gr ea t F ifteen th D ay , th e 266.

Grea thou se,Genera l

, 76.

Gr ea thou se , Mr . , 44 1 .

Greek Ch u rch i n Siber ia , 229 ;i ts Li ta n y

,231 .

Ha -ch in , i ts ug ly wom en , 9 7.

Ha Ch’

i sty le of m u s ic , 166.

Ha -in cla ss . th e , 448 .

H a i r-cropp in g ed ict, 359 , 363.

Ha lf-way Pla ce ,

”th e , 9 1

Ha l l of th e Fou r Sages ,1 36 .

Ham -gyOn g D o ,2 19 , 223, 233.

Ham -g yon g Prov ince ,1 56 , 163.

Ha nka Lake ,242 ,

244 .

Han Kan g , v i llag e of, 68 , 70 , 76.

Han R iver . 35 . 36. 40 . 68.

75 . 77. 80.85 . 92 . 99 . 103. 106.

1 10 ; a ch eap a nd con ve n i en th ighwa y , 1 1 1 ; descen t of th e ,

10 5 ; fa u n a a n d flora of, 7 1 , 72 ,

98; ra p ids of. 75 . 92 . 93. 10 1 .

102, 10 5 , 1 10

,1 1 1 ; scen e r y

a rou n d th e , 7 1 .

Ha n va l ley , in hab i ta n ts of th e ,

76 , 78—79 ; cu l t iva t ion of th e ,

100 ; l im estone cl iffs of th e ,

104 ; school s in th e, 79 ; tem

pera tu re of th e ,8 1 .

Ha rbor s of Fu san and Won -San ,

I 4. 30

Ha r t , S i r Rober t , 2 13.

H a ts , m on st rou s, 345 .

He i dem an n, Mr . ,

223, 228 , 231 .

H em p cu l ti va t ion , 95 .

H erm i t Ci ty , th e , 37.

He rm i t Na tion ,

”th e , Ope ned

by th e tr ea tie s of 1 883 , 1 1 .

H i ll ier , Mr . ,183, 246 , 2 5 1 , 2 59 .

269 , 2 81 , 2 83.

H i l ls , denu da t ion of, 1 7.

H i ll Town s ,” th e , 308 .

H i rosh im a , tr ia l of a ssa ss in s a t ,2 77 .

Hoa -chun g ,1 5 1 , 1 52 .

Hoa ng -chyO’

ng San ,1 53.

Hom e Office , th e , 381 .

Hom esteads of th e Han Va l ley ,79Hong , Colonel , 2 71 , 2 72 , 2 74 .

Hon -jO,293.

Ho-

pa i ,or d iv in ing table , the ,408.


480 Index

p ing , 363; power of th e , 371 ,

375 . 378 .

K i ng ’s oa th , th e“Korean ,

249.

K i ng s , pa la ce of th e , 295 .

Ki t-ze i n troduces the e lem en tsof Ch in ese ci v i l iza tion i n th e

1 2 th cen tu r y , h i s tom ban d tem p le , 31 8 , 319.

Kobe,1 75 .

Kol-lip daem on, 42 1 .

Ko-m op-so r i ver , th e 323.

Ko-m oun Ta r i , 310 .

Kom ura , Mr . , 2 78 , 281 .

Kong -wOn D o , 74 , 1 5 5 .

Kon g -wdn ,107 .

Kor ea ,i ts g eog r aph ica l pos i tion ,

1 1,14 ; th e chu r ch of, 1 1 ;Open

ed fi rst by the tr ea ties , 1 1 ;

popu la t ion ,13; r i vers , lakes ,

a nd h a rbor s , 14; volca noes ,14; g eolog y , 1 5 ; m ou n ta i n s ,1 5 ; cl im a te

,16; fa u na ,

16;forest wea l th ,

1 7; flor a , 1 7 ;m i n e ra l s

,1 7 ; r u ler s of, 1 8 ;

cabin e t m i n i ster s , 18 ; a rm y ,19 ; p rov inces of

, 19; th e r ev

enue and i ts sou rces , 19 ; treat ies w i th

,19 ; th e coi n ag e ,

19 ,20 ; tr ea ty por ts , 20 ; langu ag e ,

20 ,2 1 ; re l ig ion , 2 1 , 64 , 399;

socie ty , 22 ; n e ig hbor s of, 23;for e ign wom en i n

,28 ; r ebel

l ion in Sou th e rn ,1 79 ; Jap

a n ese proposa ls for i ts ad

m in i stra t ion ,206; th e K i ng ’s

oa th,249 ; dyn a s ty of, wor n

ou t,2 5 5 ; a da rk ch ap te r in i ts

h i stor y,2 71 ; la s t words on

,

445 ; h er r e sou rces , 445 ; cla ssp r iv i leg es in ,

101 , 446 , 450 ;d i s

sa ti sfa ction i h ,2 81 ;fa rm er s in ,

447 , 450 ;Japan ese in fluence i n ,

2 5 . 31 . 359 . 431 . 449. 452 ;law .

a dm i n i stra tion of i n, 441 ;m a r

ke ts in , 2 8 ; m i ss iona r y m ethods in

,2 8—30 , 64 ; m oney of

,

66 , 67 , 78 ; prov i ncia l gove r nm en t of

, 372 , 378; roadsi n

, 20 ,1 2 8 ; secu r i ty in , 295 ;

tr a de i n . 24 . 32 . 304. 307. 391 ;wi n ter i n

, 36.

Korea n a n im a ls, 73; bu lls , 36,

1 10,162 ; cu stom s , 59 , 65 , 78 ,

101 . 1 14. 1 20. 127. 283. 35 5 .

359 ; dog s . 47. 73; dwell in g s .77; edu ca tion ,

142 , 387;fin a nce

, 396 ; g ra ves , 36 , 61 ;i nn s , 1 24-1 28 ; nobles a nd

officia l s , 46 ; p ig s , 73, 162 , 32 2 ;

pon i es , 36 , 54 , 1 2 1 , 162 ; roa d s ,20

,12 8 ; sh eep , 72 , 163 ; sol

d ier s , 56 , 209 ; stree ts , 2 7°

tra ve lle r s,

1 2 7; v i llag es , 77162 , 2 2 5 , 234 .

K or ean Cit r i s tian Advoca te, and

Ckr i sti an N ews,th e , 440 .

K or ean Repos i tory , th e , 1 1, 168,

346 . 352 . 440

Kor ean s , th e , tr aces of Man chu

r ian con qu est on ,1 2 ; u n i form

i ty of th e i r costum e ,12 ; ph y

s iognom y of,1 2 ; a h a n d som e

r a ce , 1 2 ;h e igh t of, 13;m en ta1ca l ibr e of, 13;possess Or ien talv ices , 13; seclu s ion and i nfe

r ior pos i t ion of wom en ,13,

4 5 , 339—343; th e i r cor r uption

a nd br u ta l m e thod s of pun

i shm en t , 33; squ a l id cha ra cterof ord i na r y Kor ea n l i fe , 52 ,

330 ; encum ber ed w i th debt ,78 ; a d r u n ken peop le , 92 ;voraci ty a nd om n ivo rou s ch a ra cter , 1 54 ; the i r m u s ic,

164 ;se tt ler s in S i ber ia ,

223; a ttachth em se lves to th e Gr eekChu r ch ,

229 ; u nder M u scov i teg overnm en t , 233; ra ce im

p roved by se ttlem en t i n Si

ber ia , 236 , 336; i n dependenceof secu r ed by Japa n e se , 247.

K owsni ng ,th e tra n spor t , 207.

Ko-ya n g ,285 , 286 .

K ra snoye Celo, 230 ,233, 234 .

Ku -m u -n io,1 10 .

Ku n -r en -ta i , th e pa lace g u ard ,2 70 ,

2 71 , 2 72 , 2 75 , 2 78 , 2 80 ,

2 8 1 , 282 , 362 ; abol i t ion of th e ,

386 .

Ku n tz and Alber s , Mess rs . , 2 16 ,

Ku r-dong , th e , a u n ique bu t

Index

n ow r a r e cerem on ia l, 5 1 , 60 ,

6 1 , 1 19 ,247 .

K’

wa n , 233.

Kwa n -j a , th e , (officia l pas spor t) ,

Kwan -y i n ,

143; im ag e of,137.

Kwa ss , 231 .

Kye i , or a ssocia tion s , 440.

Kyeng -pok Pa lace , 2 5 1 , 2 56,

365 . 369. 433. 437 .

K yeng -wu n Pa la ce , th e , 369,398. 428. 429. 437 .

K yo‘ ng -h eu ng ,2 2 7 .

Kyo'n g -hw i Prov in ce, 303.

Kyo'n g -kwi D O , 75 .

Kyo’ n g -ku -kyOng , 14 1 , 146 .

K yOng -san g Prov in ce , 2 5 , 30 .

Kyong -wo’

n D O, 75 .

La kes , 14 .

La n d i s,D r 400 , 41 5 , 42 1 .

Lang u ag e of th e Korea n s , 2o,1 73.

La u ndr esses , 45 , 339 .

La va -fields , 16 ,131 .

Law i ts adm i n i stra t ion i n fa

m ou s , 441 .

Lia u r i ver , th e ,1 86

,193, 199 .

Li H s i , th e K i n g , roy a l p rocess ion of a t Seou l , 5 5 ; i n seclu

s ion a t ou tb reak of wa r , 1 83.

Li Hung Ch a ng ,267.

L indholm , Mr 24 1 .

L ion S ton e , th e ,145 .

L i quor d r in k i n g , 9 1 .

Li ta n y , a Gr eek , 231 .

Li tera r y swe lls , 104 , 339 ,

L i tera tu re , th e Tem p le Of, 382 .

Lone-tr ee H i ll , th e . 45 .

Long -sh i n daem on s , 4 1 7 .

Lotu s da n ce , th e , 35 2 .

Lu ci fer m a tch es , 168 .

Lyn ch law,am a teu r

,104 .

Ma cdona ld , S i r Claude , 430 .

Ma -ch a To’

ng lake ,1 56 1 5 8.

Ma -ch a i, 85 , 106 , 1 1 1

Ma g i stra te , a n in terv I ew w i th a ,86 .

Ma -ha -ly -a n Sa m on a ster y , 143.

Mak-pa i Pa ss , th e ,

1 50 .

Ma -kyo , 106.

48 1

Mam a, or th e sm a llpox daem on

,

4 13. 414Man ch u h ead-dres s

, 200; sol

d ie r s,208 , 2 10 .

M an ch u ra ce , th e ,190.

Ma n chu r ia , br ig ands in ,188 ;

Ch in ese im m ig ran ts to,1 88 ;

Gove r nm en t of, 201 ; im m i

g ra t ion s from ,1 2 ; popu la t ion

of , 1 87 ; tra de of, 1 89 ; v iceroya l ty of, 1 87, 191 ; au thor essdepa r ts to , 1 86 ; sojou rn a t v iceroya lty of, 1 87; a de lug e i n ,

193; old cap i ta l of, 20 1 ; pr a et ice of m ed i cin e in , 203; les shosti le to fore ig ner s , 207: v is i tto Ru s s ian

,2 23.

Ma n da r in s a nd th e i r re ta in ers,

329 .

Man g -kun , th e , 1 14 , 360.

Man -pok-Tong , th e ,

145 ; fea r

of tig er s , 132 , 292 , 302 , 32 5 ;super s t i tion of, 1 29.

Ma n u fa ctures , 1 8 .

Ma -pu , 35 , 40 ,

68 , 1 81 .

Mapu s , or g room s , 12 1- 132 ,164 ,

2 84 , 2 85 , 293, 302 .

Ma rble pagoda of Seou l , th e , 43.

Ma -r i Ke i , 132 .

Ma rke t,a Kor ean

,28

, 306 , 307.

Ma r r i ag e cu stom s , 1 14 , 342 .

Ma r r i ag e ,ear ly , p roh ib i ted , 385 .

Ma tu n in,Mr . ,

2 2 7 .

Mea ls, 79 ; by th e way , 82 , 83.

Med ici n e , p ra ctice of i n Man

ch u r ia,203; m ed i ca l m i ss ion s

in Korea , 424 .

Mesozoic a nd m etam orph ic

rock s . (See Geolog y . )M i l ler , Mr . ,

a you n g m i ss ion a ryfellow-tr a ve l le r , 66 , 70 ,

83, 8 7 ,

M in e ra l wea lth of, 1 7 , 1 8 , 2 5 108 .

M i ss ion ar i es an d th e Mi s s I On s ,2o, 2 1 , 29 , 30, 63, 64 ,

65 , 1 72 ,19 8, 20 1 , 346 , 390 ; s ta tistics ofM i ss ion s , 462 , 463 .

Mona r ch y,ch a racter of th e ,

1 8 .

Mona s ter ies , D iam ond Moun ta in ,

133.

Mon a ster y of Sok-Wa n g Sa ,169 .

482

Mongol ian eye , obl i qu i ty of i nth e Kor ean s , 1 2 .

M i lle t , th e u se of, 32 1 .

M in clan , th e ,261 .

M ing tom bs , th e ,20 1 .

M in i ster s , execu t ion of, 367; of

Sta te ,du t i e s of, 379 .

M in i stres de Pa rade ,

”20 1 .

M in Yen g -chyun , 371 .

M i r iang ,2 5 .

Mi r ioks , 76 , 1 1 1 , 286.

Mi r iok Yang Pa ss , 32 1 .

M i ss ion ar y work , 2 2 , 29 , 30 ,63

65 , 1 72 , 20 1,207 , 2 27 , 346;

s ta t is t ics of, 462 .

M i ss ion Hosp i ta l , a fine , 202 ;serv ice ,

a, 350 .

M i ura ,Gene ra l V iscou n t , 269 ,

2 70. 2 75 . 2 77. 4 53. 45 5Moffe t , Mr . , 76, 312 , 313, 316,

320. 347.

Mok-po, 4 58 .

Mok-po r ive r , 14 , 19 .

Mon ey , 66 , 78 .

Monks , 133- 149; ignoran t and

super s ti tiou s , 142 .

Mon um en ts , 294.

Mon -ch in Ta i , 328 , 336 , 338 .

Mound s , u sed for i n term en t ofth e l iv i ng ,

1 75 .

Mou n ta inou s ch a racte r of the

coun tr y , 1 5 ; of Seou l , 45 .

Mou r n i ng costum e,63.

Mukden , an t i -fore ig n feel ing i n ,

208,2 11 ; cabs of, 199 ; m i ss ion

h osp i ta l , 202 ;pawn shops , 205 ;su i cides i n

,20 5 ; system of

m ed icin e,203; tra de of, 200 ,

2 1 1 ; ci ty of, 192 , 199 ,200 ; i ts

su ccessfu l m i ss ion s , 201 , 202 ,208 .

Mu lber r y g arden s of Seou l ,43.

M u lbe rry pa lace of Seou l , 45 ,247. 4 16.

M u s i c, d iscordan t ch a ra cter of

the n a t ive ,164 ,

165 ; voca l , 166.

Mu ra ta r ifle ,th e

,209 .

Mu -tan g , beli ef in , 422-426.

Mu -tan g sorce ror s , 1 14 , 129 ,

164 . 287. 290. 312 . 335 . 35 1 .

Index

400 , 408; as ora cles , 412 ; r i tesof, 413; m ar r iage wi th , 42 5 .

M yo-ki l Sang , the , 145 .

Nag a sak i , Ch i ne se town of, 23,

Na i Kak , th e , 377.

Nak tong , 64 .

Nak-Tong r i ver , 14 , 2 5 .

Nam Chhon va lley a nd r ive r ,Nam Han for tress , 83, 84 , 105 ,

1 8 1 .

Nam -San , 4 5 , 68 , 163, 169 ; for

tress , 10 5 .

Nam San m oun ta ins , 39 , 43, 4 5 ,68

. 97Na ng-chon ,

106, 1 10 ,1 12 .

N an iwa , the cru i se r , 207.

Na tion a l l i fe of Kor ea ex i s tson ly a t Seoul, f 59 .

Newchwa ng , ci ty of, 1 75 , 186 ,1 8 7, 191 , 192 , 2 12 , 35 5 ;por t of,1 89 .

Newspaper s i ssued a t Seou l ,440

Nicolaeffk , 2 19 .

N igh t , a h ideou sly m em orable ,

1 5 7 .

N ikolskoye ,m i l i ta r y sta tion of

,

240 , 24 1 ; Korean settlem en tsn ea r , 233.

N i ne ty-n i ne Turn s,

th e , 1 52 .

N ippon Yu sen Ka ish a ,s team er s

of, 1 75 , 1 81 .

Noble s , th e i r i d leness , 46; a

p r i v i leg ed class,

101 ; ex a c

t ion s of,102 .

Nor th br a n ch of the Han,voy

a ge ou ,106.

Nor thwa rd ho! 320 .

Nowo Kiewsk , Ru ss ian m i l i ta rypos t , 2 24, 225 , 234 , 238.

Nun s , 14 1 .

pa ss of

O-bang -chang-kun daem on s ,415 .

O'

Conor,Lady

,1 86.

Officia l s , su perbly dressed , 46 ,

54 ; r esen t th e n ew rég im e i n

a ugu ra ted by the Japanese ,


484 Index

P rov inci a l Gover nm en t , 372 ,

378.

P uk-ban for tr ess , 105 .

P uk-h an m ou n ta in s , 39 , 247, 284.

Pun i shm en t , br u ta l cha ra cter of,am ong Kor ean s , 33;abol i shedby th e Japa n ese ,

263.

Pu r ifica t ion , th e r i te of, 4 1 1 .

P u t ia ta , Colonel , 433.

Pyeng -San , 308.

Fyo‘k-chol , tem ple of, 84.

P’

yo-u n Sa m onaster y , 138 , 139 ,

143. 144

Queen of Korea , a u d ience w i th ,

2 5 1 ;descr iption of, 2 5 2 ;d ressof, 2 59 ; a ssa ss ina tion of, 2 71 ,2 73, 45 5 ; r em ova l of th e t e

m a in s Of, 369 , 428 .

Ra in fa l l,161

,191 .

Rap ids of th e Han , 92 ,101 , 105 .

Rebe llion i n Sou the rn Korea ,

1 79 .

Red Door , d istinct ion of th e ,

299.

Reform s in Korea p ressed by th eJapa n ese , 2 5 7 ; par tia l acceptance of, 386 , 448 , 4 52 .

Re l ig ion , no n a tiona l , 2 1, 63,

399R e l ig iou s sh r ines , 76 .

R eorga n i zed Korean governm en t , 371 .

Revenu e,th e , a nd i ts sou rces ,

19.

Revolu t ion s , frequen cy of, 447.

R ice cu l ti va t ion , 1 5 5 , 16 1 .

R ice tra de of Ch em u lpo i n Japanese h an d s , 32 , 33.

R ice w in e par taken to e xcess ,9 1 , 92 .

R ichofen,Ba ron , h i s work on

Ch i na,1 2 .

Ride , a long , hot , 1 56.

R iong San , 2 70 ,2 71 , 390 .

Ri tu a l of i n voca t ion , etc . , 4 1 1 .

Ri ver s , lakes a nd h a r bor s of

Kor ea , 14 ,2 5 .

Roads , bad ch aracter of, 20 ,123,

128.

Rom an Chu rch a nd M i ss ion s inSeou l

, 64 , 65 .

Ross , D r . and Mrs . , 198 , 202 , 2 1 1 .

Roya l ci ty , a ,292 .

Roya l Ed ict , a fr au du len t , 2 76;la te r ed ict s , 2 81 , 366 , 45 1 .

Roya l ex am ina t ion s, abol i tion

of, 388 ; Libra r y , th e , 2 56.

Roya l tom bs of Seou l , 62 .

Roya l ty , an au d ience wi th , 245 .

Ru le r s of Korea ,1 8.

Ru ss ian hom es , 235 ; adm i n i s

tr a t ion ,236; lega tion a t Seou l ,

431

Ru ss ian in terven t ion ,281 ;Man

chu r ia ,2 23, 243; sold ier , the ,

2 18 .

Ru ss ia ’

s New Em p i re a nd

m a r i tim e p rov ince , 242 , 243;a scenda ncy of, 430 ; h e r g a in si n Kor ea , 45 5 ; h er a scen da ncy lost , 456.

Ru sso-Ch in ese fron tie r , 230;Japan ese Trea ty , 47 1 ; Koreanfron t ier

,230 ; Korean se tt le

m en ts , 2 2 5 , 226,2 29 ; hosp i

ta l i ty of, 235 .

Ryeng -a n Sa ,tem ple ,

of,84.

Saba t io , Mr . ,2 71 , 2 72 , 2 77.

Sa dd le,twe lve hou r s in th e , 32 5 .

Sag em daem on s , 416.

Sagh a l ien ,220.

Sa i -kal-cha i , th e ,1 50 .

Sa i -n am , g a tewa y a t , 308.

Sajorn i , 231 .

Sakyam un i , im ag e of, 136.

Sa l t indus tr y , the , 1 5 8 , 228 .

Sam pan s , 70 , 75 .

Sa -m un,2 5 .

San Ch i n-chor So’

k daem on , 420 .

San g-ch i n ,

2 5 .

Sang -dan San , 294 .

Sang-nang Dang ,

1 29 .

Sa n i ta r y r eg u la tion s , 436.

Sa n -kak-San m oun ta in , 38.

San -Sh in Ryo'ng daem on s, 4 16.

Saretch je , 2 29.

Sa r-p an g Kor i , 123 126, 129 .

Sa tow, S i r E . , 68

Scotch m i ss iona r i es , 201 , 207.

Index

Scran ton ,D r . , 350 .

Sea of Japan , 74 .

Seou l-Fusa n ra i lwa y , p roj ected ,2 5 .

Seou l , por t of, 14 , 19 ; th e cap i

tal, 35 ; m ode of tra n s i t a nd

app roach to , 36; m ean a rch i

tectu re of, 37; popu la tion a nd

fin e s i tua tion of, 38; beau t i fu la nd sa fe en v i r on s of, 39 ; fou ln ess of th e in tr a -m u ra l ci ty ,40; la ter san i ta r y im provem en ts in

, 40 ; th e shops and

th e i r wa r es, 41 ; th e g rea t ci v ic

b ron ze be l l, 5 1 ; beau ty

of th e a n cien t Ma r ble Pagoda ,

43; i ts horde s of m a ng y dog s ,47 ; wom en of, fr ee to take ex

e r ci s e i n th e s tree ts on l y aftern igh tfa l l , 47 ; the [ f u r -dong fest ival

, 5 1 ; sea t Of gover nm en ta nd cen tre of officia l l i fe

, 59 ;

g ra ve s Of th e cap i ta l , 61 ; roya ltom bs of, 62 ; th e M i ss ion sa nd Protestan t Ch u r ch es , 63;a u thor ess ’s sojou r n in

, 246;lea ves i t , 267; a ssa ss ina t iono f th e Qu een a t , 2 73; m i ss iona n d for e ig n schools i n ,3go;da

m on festi va ls a t , 41 1 ;th e ci tyi n 1897 , 42 7; m etam orphos i sof. 435 ; n ewspaper s of. 439.

440 ; bank in g fa ci l i tie s i n ,20 ,

32 ;beacon -fire in , 97 ; Boa rd ofR i te s a t , 14 1 ; bu r ia l clu bs i n ,

62 ;Ch in ese colon y i n ,44;cl ima te of, 16; edu ca tion in

, 387 ,

390 ; e n v i ron s of, 68 ; fi r st imp re ss ion s of

, 35 , 48 ; for tresseso f

,84 ; g a tes of, 39 ; hou ses of,

40 , 436; Japan ese a scen den cyi n

,247 , 261 ; Japa n ese colon y

i n, 4 5 ; la va fie lds n ea r

,16;

m a rble pagoda in , 43, 84 ; m i s

s ion a r ies i n , 64 ; Mu lber ryPa lace

, 43; New Yea r ’ s D ayin , 264 ; occu pa tion of, by Ja

pan ,206; pol ice of,

pol i tica l con d i tion s i n ,

Pr efectu re of, 372 ; sa n i tar yr egu la t ion s i n , 436 ; shops i n ,

4 1 , 59 , 168; s ing ing and danci ng g i r ls a t , 35 2 ;s tree ts of, 435 ,436; tr ade of

, 60 , 75 ; to WOnsan

, roa d from ,129; wa lls of,

39Set tlem en ts

,2 23, 238.

Seu n -tj eu ng -p i , or m on um en ts,

294 .

Seven S tar Ga te,th e

, 315 .

Sh am a n i sm,2 1

, 63, 401 , 402 .

Sh am an s, 40 1 .

Shan gha i , 175 .

Shan -tu ng ,1 88 , 220.

Sheep , 72 , 163.

Sh en -s i , 1 88.

Sh es takoff, Por t , 1 74 , 2 18 .

Sh im onos ek i , tr ea ty of, 269 .

Sh i n -Ch an g ,or daem on g en era ls ,

4 1 5 .

Sh ipp ing vesse ls e n te r i n g Ko

r ea n por ts , r etu rn of, 468.

Shou -yang -y i , 32 1 .

ShO-wa Ku,194 , 195 .

Sh r i n es . 77. 1 29. 133. 149. 333.

Shu r -h u n g , 303, 4 1 5—41 8 .

Sian -chOn g , 322 .

S iao-ho r i ver , 199.

Siber ia , Kor ean settle rs in ,2 23,

234 ; cu ssedn ess ” of S i be

r i an pon i es , 232 .

S i-jo s ty le of m u s ic , 165 .

S i l l , Mr . ,269 , 2 8 1 .

S im pson ,Mr . J . Y . , 244 .

Sin -g an g Kam,109.

S in K i Sun , 438 .

Sin -kye i Sa m on aster y , 149.

Siphu n r i ver,24 1 .

S ip ta i -wong , th e , or Ten J ud

g esfi’

288 .

Six G rea t Roads , th e ,1 2 8 .

Slav er y abol ish ed , 385 .Sm i th , Mr . Ch a r les , 2 1 7.

Socia l pos ition of wom en , 338.

Soci e’

te’

des M i ss ion s E tr anger es ,

389So-i l

, 95 .

SOk-wa ng Sa m on a ster y , 169 ,

1 70 .

Sold i er , the Kor ean , 56 , 434 ;

th e Ch inese ,209; th e Ru ss ian ,

2 18.

.4Ek3

Sol-rak San m oun ta in , 100.

Song-do , v i s i t to th e ci ty of, 293.

Song , e xam p les of na tive , 166.

So’

ng Ju daem on, 4 18 .

So’

n g Whoan g D an a l ta r,41 7 ,418.

Sen -tong ,141 .

Sor ce r er s a nd g eom ance r s , 403.

Sor n ing (spong ing) on rela tion s,

Span i sh ches tnu ts ,g roves ot, ro8 .

Spasskoj e ,242 .

Sp in sterhood , 1 1 5Sp i r i ts , ev i l , clas s rfied , 42 1 , 422 .

Spi r i t sh r ine , a ,129 ,

133.

Sp i r i t worsh ip , 22 ,63, 95 , 96 .

“Sta r Boa rd ,” the ,

287.

S t. Pete r , Sister s of, 64.

S t . Pe ter the Grea t , Gu lf of, 220.

S traw fr i ng es , u se of, 299.

S tree ts , 27 , 435 .

Str ipl i ng ,Mr . A . B. , 441 .

Su -ch ung D a i , 1 5 5 .

Sug im u ra , Mr 2 75 , 277.

S u icide , p re va lence of i n Muk

d en,20 5 .

Sun -ct n , 338 .

Sungacha r iver,244 ,

Su r uga M a r i e, th e s . S . , 269 .

SwallowK i ng’

s Rewards , T/te,354.

Swing s , 164 .

Sword an d Dragon Dan ce , th e ,

353.

Syo-im ,1 59 .

Table ts , s tone ,103.

Ta i -don g r i ver , 14 , 1 7 , 108 , 308 ,

310.314. 31 5 . 322 . 324.32 7. 330.

35 5 .

Ta i p I ng r ebe l l i on ,1 88.

Ta i -won -Ku n, th e , 37 , 207 , 2 5 5 ,

437.

Taku for ts,th e ,

186.

Ta n n in g in du s tr y , th e , 441 .

Tan -

pa-R yo’ ng Pa ss , th e , 132 ,

Tan -yan g . 94. 97. 98. 106.

Tao—jol, th e , 303.

Ta -ra i , 1 1 1 .

Ta r an ta ss (Ru ss ian veh icle) , the ,

22 5 , 2 26 , 228.

I ndex

Ta-r i -m ak , 163, 168 .

Ta xa tion, bu r den of

,102

, 384 .

Tebya -Ch ich an g Pa ss , 1 52 .

Tem pera ture , h igh ,1 5 7 ,

1 72 , 191 , 193;low ,204 , 246 , 302 .

Tem p le , in ter ior of a , 87 .

Tem p le of th e God ofWar , 60.

Tem ple of th e Ten Judges ,136.

Tem p les.“Ten Ju dges , the , 288 .

Thong -ct’

n , 1 5 5 .

Th row ing th e ba ll , 353.

Tien ts in ,1 75 ; trea ty of

,206.

Tig er-hun te rs , 73, 12 7 , 1 50.

T ig er s , Korean a nd Man chu

r ia n , 73 ; th e h un ting of, 73,1 50 ; d r ea d of, 12 7; t iger onth e bra i n , 132 .

Ti Ju de m on , 419 , 420 .

Tok-Ct’

n , 323, 32 5 , 327 , 328°

squa lor of dwe ll i ng s a t , 329

333. 345Tol Ma r u

, 302 .

Tom ak-na -da l i , 85 .

Tom bs . 77 .

Tong -h arks , th e ,29 , 80 ,

1 77 , 1 80 ,

1 81,206 , 264 , 370 .

Ton g -kn ,131 .

Top-kn ot , th e , 359 , 360 , 361 ,

362 ; p roclam a tion reg ard i ng ,

366.

Tornado,a ,

130.

To-tam , 99 ,100 , 10 1 .

To-t i-ch i Sh i n de m on s, 4 1 8 .

Toys , 168 .

Tra de . 24. 2 5 . 31 . 32 . 304 . 308.

391 396 , 4 50 ; sta t is tics , 462 ,

466; fore ign ,e x ten t of

, 39 1 ,

Trag edy , a pa lace , 273.

Tr a ns-S iber ian r a i l road , 1 74tr ip over easte rn section of,239 ; con struction of, 244 .

Tran s i tion s tag e ,a,in Korean

an na ls , 261 .

Tra ve l lers , 1 2 7 .

Trave ll i ng , a r rangem en ts for ,

Trea su r y depa r tm en t a t Seou l ,381 ; clean s ing of

, 449 .


488 Index

Ya lu r i ver,th e , 14.

Yam en,a,86, 93, 104 ,

1 12 , 163,262 . 303. 338 ; r u n n erS . 5 1 . 5 7.

Yan g -ba n s . 59. 77—79. 87. 10 1.

102 , 1 14 ,1 16

,12 7 , 235 , 322 ,

338. 448. 450

Ya ng -kun,83.

Yan g tz e r ap ids , the , 106.

Ya n g -WOI , 103.

Ya n tch ih e ,2 26 , 227.

Ye Cha Yu n , 427 , 435 .

Ye l low Sea , th e , 14 , 30 .

Yen, the J apanese , 30 5 .

Yi fam i ly,de m on of th e , 42 5 .

Yi,Genera l , 206 .

Yi Hak I n , Mr . ,283,

294. 298. 302 . 304 . 308. 312 .

318. 320. 324. 326. 331 . 334.

354 . 356 .

V i Kyong -j rk ,

2 73.

Y ing -tz i i , 186.

Yo Ju , town of,86, 87;au thoress

an obj ect of cu r ios i ty a t , 89 .

Yong -Chh un , 75 , 76 , 102,103,

104 ,106 ; r apid s of, 105 .

Yon g -W651, 78 .

YOn -y u ng P a -da , 35 7.

Yu a n , Mr . , 44, 183; b ig be l l a t ,147 .

Yu -chom Sa Monaster y , the ,

Yu l-s a , th e m onk , 135 .Yung -h in g ,

1 73.

Yun g -wOn, 328.

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