The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-04-26 00:00:00

SUPERSTITION IN COREA.

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A report by Mr. Caries on a journey made last year
in two of the ge_ntral Provinces of Corea has been
issued as a Parliaentaiy paper. "In spite of the
early civilisation of the
.country," says Mr. Caries,
"the only subject of historical interest which we saw in
otir travels was a curious structure reseinabling a rude
altar, consisting Of one massive slab, placecliorizthi;
tally on small blocki Of granite, which sup Ported it on
three sides, leaving the other side open and a hollow
space some 16 feet by ten feet beneath. Of these
quasi-altars several were standing in the valleys; but
though it must have cost immense labour to place
these stones in posit, no legend was current to
account for their ,existence, except one which con-
nected them with the Japanese invasion at the end
tp/ iattlentbigz,oz, tiqn tl illvaoSr9 WV° said
to ha"tritreCted them te suplo-ress the influence
Of the earth. Whatever their origin, they
have been left undisturbed, Of the influence of
superstition safer tbe people constant evidence is seen,
in offerings to the spirits of the mountains in the
shape of rags tied to branches of shrubs, heaps of
stone; on the tops of Ead'untain ridges, long ropes
hanging fail treks, shrines two or three feet high
placed by the r.Ohd side, and, most quaint of all, in
thick planks set in the ground, with one face rudely
hewn and painted to represent a human head, with
teeth fiercely prominent. These figures are said
to be intended to keep foxes out of the vil-
lages, and thus protect the people from their
spells and witchery. Beyond these few objects and a
small Buddhist temple, near a fine figure of Buddha
cut in the rock not far from the North Gate of
Sdul, there was no trace of any religious feelings
having any hold upon the people. Had we
gone a few miles further north we were assured
we should have found at Chin Kang Shang not
only the most beautiful scenery in Corea, but moun-
tains thickly studded with temples, to which pilgrim
throng in summer; but we neither saw any such nor
any trace of religious observances among the people,
even at the new or full moon. We were told, however,
of sacrifices being offered to the mountain spirits
before a mine was opened. Graves as a rule are
placed close together on tke slope of a hill, without
any stone or mark to identify them; but occasionally
ahorseshoe clearing is seen in the woods where some
distinguished person lies buried, whose name and
birthplace are given on a rough slab of stone. The
funerals that we met were of the simplest character,
and at one village the remains of the body of an old
woman, who had been eaten by a tiger, were being
burnt in a fire of brushwood lighted on the spot."

The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens,
Regent's Park, London; during last week included a
pig-tailed monkey from Java, presented by Dr. Ben-
thall ; a weeper capuchin, from Brazil, presented by.
Miss Vincent; a short-eared owl, British, presented by
Mr. Oscar Burrows; a smooth snake, a common viper,
a common snake, a slow-wprm from Hampshire, pre-
sented by Mr. W. H. B. Fain; an alligator, from the
Mississippi; a horrid rattlesnake, from Florida, pre-
sented by Mr. A. Begg ; a philantomba antelope, from
South Africa, deposited; a moose, from North America,
two mute swans, European, a common viper, British,
purchased; six long-fronted gerbilles, born in the
gardens.