Comic Opera Existence in Corea
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COREAN WIVE? IRONING.
A COREAN SCHOOL.
(Copyright, 1903, by Mary Gay Humphreys.)
HIT.rc .liimin nml Ttn4sia nre tn:i W-
lng faces at each other across
I Corea. the Iinil of tho Mornlni?
Calm retulus its composure and
pursues an existence conipanible
lo nothing outside of comic opera.
A land in which the dynasty was hatched
from nn egg; In which the men dress like
old women; In which a bachelor, though
an old man, Is regarded as an infant, U
called by a pet name and talked to In baby
talk; In which boys aro invariably married
to women; in which men at nightfall are
expected to stay Indoors and lot th Ir wives
roam the streets and gossip with their
friends; In which the poor take plain pills
and the rich have their plllls decorated and
elided, Is truly the Land of the Libretto.
China Is the parent of Corea. In tho
mists of ages the favorite of the king of
a Chinese province, wandering by the
river, saw a glistening vapor which floated
Into her bosom and became an egg. From
this was hatched a boy, whom the enraged
king threw to the pigs.
But the kindly pigs fed him with their
breath, and the king, believing that heaven
willed that the boy should live, took him
Into the royal household, where he was
called the Light of the East.
The boy was skilled in archery, surpass
ing every one. The king became jealous,
and the boy fled.
Coming to the river Yalu, he shot an
arrow into the stream, and thousands of
fish came and made a bridge of their
bodies that he might pass over. When his
pursuers arrived at the stream the finny
bridge swam away, and they were left
helpless.
The Light of the East found an amiable
people on the other side, who made him
their king. Thus the king of Corea is re
garded today as the Son of Heaven.
In point of fact, ho Is the son of Tai-Won-Kun,
and was appointed to the thro.io
by the Dowager Queen Cho. His father
and elder brother are his subjects, for
primogeniture does not obtain in the Orient.
LI Hsi, as the Corean emperor Is called, Is
an amiable gentleman of 50, at present a
widower if a gentleman with 100 concubines
may be called a widower. Queen Min, who
was murdered by the Japanese, was, the
Americans living in Seoul say, a woman
whose mental powers surpassed even those
of that very remarkable woman, the
emperor dowager of China.
For over thirty years she was the power
behind the throne literally behind the
throne, for the queen, no more than any
other Corean woman, could be viewed by
men other than those of her Immediate
family. The most subtle, diplomacy was
conducted from behind a screen, and so
ably that the only resource of her enemies
was to kill her.
Even this murder had its enlivening
features. The American missionaries, who
were the only people In Seoul that the king
could then trust, took turns In guarding
the king and the crown prince while they
Blept. Another missionary and his wife
cooked all the food that the hapless pair
ate, sending it to them In a locked box,
lest, after the Oriental fashion, they should
be poisoned.
Now enters the I.ady Om, concubine
No. 1. Lady Om announced a venerable
aunt with sudden cramps. It was necessary
that she should leave the palace for her
home, and Lady Om would accompany her.
Two palanquins were ordered, and In
the seclusion of the women's quarters
the king and the crown prince were
bundled In and escaped safely from the
palace, where they were virtually pris
oners, for a haven at the Russian legation.
It must be understood that In Corea not
even tho boldest of secret service men
would dare to look Into a woman's palan
quin. Naturally, ever since, Lady Om hns had
lier hopes of advancement.
It Is not amusing to be a widower In
Corea. For three years the unfortunate
must abstain from all pleasure, and go
bout with a sort of gunny bag veil screen-
,. ... -.-..
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CITT GATE AT SEOUL.
lng his face. Dlscipllno of this Bort facili
tates marriage.
Nevertheless, the king has thus far
evaded the Iidy Om. She has her faction,
which ascribes every national evil to the
king's failure to take unto himself a new
queen, and has memorialized the king in
her behalf.
Memorializing Is otvo of the occupations
of Seoul. In front of tho palace (rates the
sightseer never fails to behold a couple of
men squatting behind a low stool on which
lies a roll of paper. This Is the memorl il.
There are memorials about cveryth'ng
under the sun. Here they sit day after day,
for time is of no conFoquence in Corea.
Perhaps in time the memorial reaches the
king, who In tma responds, perhaps In the
summary fashion in which he responded to
the memorial concerning I.ady Om.
"April 27, 1S97. Reply to Kim Kon Vok
and others. Your views are quite patriotic,
but the government has laws and cere
monies which do not require your sugges
tions. Therefore, you need not confuse us
any more by sending , us memorials. You
are therefore ordered to go away."
The king's tdlcts might be Issued by the
sultan of a comic opera. After the Chines j
JapaneBO war, which gave Corea its inde
pendence, tho king determined to be abreast
of the times.
The army was taken out of Its petticoats
and put into trousers, and the king ordered
that the most sacred object, the topknot,
as their gun-trigger style of hair dressing
la called, be cut off. Thus the edict ran:
"Laws and rules proceed from the king.
Treaty relations must now be observed with
the rest of the world, and changes be In
troduced into politics. We have, there
fore. Introduced a new calendar, a title
of the reign, and changed the style of
dress and cut off the topknot.
"You should not regard us as loving in
novations. Wide sleeves and topknots have
become familiar by linage. The topknots
and hair bands stand in the way of health
as you know.
"Nor is it right in this day of ships and
vehicles that we should stick to these cus
toms." This edict nearly created a revolution.
To cut off the topknot, the Corean evi
dence of dignity, was an abasement; and
the amiable king finally let his own hair
grow out and resumed his topknot.
More permanent Innovations were his
home and foreign oflices, with tlieir Cham
I'an (help to decide) and their Cham Wl
(help to discuss.)
The difficulty of taking the!e dignities
seriously sometimes disturbs the foreign
ers. The secretary of state, as it were,
wnt to see the German consul about somo
disputed mining concession; and the Ger
man pushed him off tb doorstcj) and shut
tho door. The feelings of the official were
so hurt that he went Home and resigned.
The king has abandoned the palace In
which the queen was murdered, and 1.1
building a new palace at the foot of the.
slopes, on which the legations are housed,
and where the frogs crouk by day and
night. Here In an emergency he can climb
over the wall Into the grounds of the Eng
lish resident, or shin Into tho American
minister's compound.
The palace is a collection of Corean
houses for the king's hundred of super
numeraries and Is enclosed by a hinh wall.
Except that he Is allowed to have more
steps the king's houses do not differ
greatly from other houses of the bettor
sort.
Hut unlike other householders the king
can go on to one of his own roofs without
asking hln neighbors' permission; a pro
vision to keep the Corean from looking by
chance at his neighbors' wives.
The Corenn house has some beautiful
features. Chief of these is the roof with
Its re-entering curves.
The roof Is tiled and the tiles rent on a
bed of earth. In this the Moating seeds find
:i place, and in the spring the roofs burst
Into bloom and are gay with tulip, wild
pink, forget-me-nots and riotous foliage.
H'autiful woods and paper windows and
walls are the other materials used.
Nothing could be. more barren than tlui
interiors of theso houres. Caught In a
driving rain, we sought the shelter of a
gate. A little servant ran out and insisted
on our coming indoors.
We were led through various courts until
we reached the women's house. Here were
two wives, whose delight ut our company
was like that of children.
They led us through their empty rooms,
a low bed and a wardrobe furnishing a,
room. Tho furniture, however, was im
posing. The wardrobes were gaily decoruted with
landscapes Inlaid with mother of pearl, and
the hinges and locks were of ornamented
brass. One conspicuous feature wns the
cash tlust to accommodate the Corean
money, of which the for Igncr frequently
pays XJ cash for u sedan shopping excur
sion and l,44io for a day's board.
The Corean women wear a sort of Turk
ish trousers anil several stiffly starched
skirts. Over all tills is u very full skirt
gathered to a band that reaches (he arm
pits, the last garment being a tiny bolero.
The band of the peasant woman Is much
narrower and the Jacket so small that the
baby, which she carries low on the back,
sticks its lu-ud under its mother's arm and
feeds Itself without disturbing her conver
sation. The woman of position never goes abroad
xcept In a. closed palanquin. Then she la
pally painted nnd adorned with Jewels,
liairpltiH being her favorite ornament.
The middle class woman goes out, but
wears over her h- ml a green silk coat.
Which slm holds tightly with one hand so
that her face cannot be seen. This coal hast
sleeves so small that a child could not get
Its arms into them. This Is u cuslom front
time Immemorial, the origin of these use
less sleeves 1 elng unknown.
At home the Corean wife lool :s after the
household, her chief duty being to see that
her or their-husband's white gauze coats
are smooth and shining. Ironing Is, In
deed, a line art In Corea. This Is done wltlt
two rounded sticks which the little women
handle deftly.
When Coreans talk It always seems as If
the air were full of brickbats, eo harsh and
curt is the tongue. Hut a group of Corean
gentlemen on tho street in Ihelr long, white,
shining coats, with their pipes and reti
cules, always suggests a company of spick
and span old women going to u tea party.
Nothing Is ever seen like their head cov
ering. This Is a tall, cylindrical hat, with
wings woven of horsehair, and ho thin that
the topknot can be plainly seen.
This it Is etiquet not to remove. Even at
Minister Allen's last Fourth of July re
ception the Coreans kept on their hats.
When a boy marries he puts up his hair
and assumes this hat. If he does not marry
he must wear his hair braided down his
back In a pigtail, and has only a pet name
and must submit to Itelng tootsle-wootsled
until he is loothUss nnd dies. All Corenn
bo.vs have a feminine appearance. The girls
are never seen.
The Corean gentlemun, unlike his wife,
does not lack for enti rtalnment. He U
devoted to nature, plenli s, fiaiti and the
Corean geishu or gesang that Is to sa.y,
singing girl.
These girls are the necessary accoin
lanlment of a c'.vlKzation that shuts up Us
wives and sisters. As they depend on
their attractiveness, they are taught to
be gooil Matured, always pleasing, to ba
accomplished, witty, to sing and to danoo.
This necessity gives the gesang Incentive
to Ftudy and tlmu for devoting herself to
refined occupations. She dresses modestly,
even when wearing the brilliant silks and
gauzea of her calling, and what seems the
greatest of her privileges, she can go freely
abroad.
After the feast, death Is tho greatest of
Corean functions. Four duys after dying
the departed has u send-off in tho fashion
of a great feast, ills coffin is then pro
vided with money and pieces of rich Bluffs
for the journey.
If he is a person of consequent o, the
geomancer it culled In to determine the
time of his burial. This may not be for
three months.
Tho family graveyards, which occupy
an ino:dinate space of Corean territory,
uro the. occasion of what are known as
graveyard lights, in which the contending
parlies toss out tho sacred unceslors' bones
without ceremony.
Corea Is the leust religious of all the na
tions of the, east. A mild form of Con
fucianism serves for ph.lopophy, and an
cestor worship in the only thing that re
sembles religion.
There is not a temple In Seoul. In the
country there are monasteries, but to the
monasteries tho Corean gentlemen repair
for their high revels.
On the roofs of the Corean houses squat
grotesque imago, intendtd to scare away
evil tiptilLs, and beforo the doors of hovels
are seen wisps of plaited straw and strips
of garments for the same purpose.
There are devil trees, also, on which tiVse
strips hang. The Corean devil is to stupid
that coming across theso strips he fancies
he has the wearer of the clothes.
The cultivated Corean gentleman Is a
delightful acquaintance. He has a charm
ing sense of humor, a lightness of touch
In conversation and a pK-asing gallantry,
all of which make him an eminently social
person. The Coreans are good linguists,
and thosa who speak Engliah do it without
accent. MAHY GAY IJ UMl'UKEYS.
