The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1871-09-16
The Coreans.

Monty, and very poliShed<in man
ners. In state Of subsection for
ayes t0-a foreign yoke, they have
contracted the vices of seryitude.
They are much addicted to pleas
ure, loose, false, aud SD habiua-
ted to cheating and theft that
even the Chinese are taken in by
them. Any Seamel who are Hn-
fortunate enough to suffer ship
wreck on their shore are reduced
TO slavery, a custom to which sew
eral barharous nations have re-
sorted under the iHflaeace of fear.
Diseases of an epidemic nature
have struck such u terror into the
Coreans, that they are in the prac-
tice of carrying their sick out TO
the fields. and leaving them with
out assistance to their fate.
Marriages are prohibited be-
tween relations, within the fifth
degree. Children are married at
seven or eight, and the bride lives
i'll the honse of her father in law.
Poiigamy is allowed, hut the hus-
band cannot take any except the
first wife iuto his house. 1t would
appear that the women, like those
of China, are shut up IN secluded
apartments, and not allowed to
be seen by strangers. w'i
The dead bodies Of persons Of
distinction are often Kept for
three years in a coffin before they
are buried. They make the graves
on high grounds, and by the side
of the defunct they lay arms,
utensils, and varions articles of
which he made use during his life.
The Chinese have introduced
their arts, their sciences, and their
language into Corea. The litera-
Ii of the country form separate
order in the state, anG are distin-
gniShed by two feathers stuck in
their caps. They undergo many
examinations as in China; but
their learning is confined to the
philosophy of Courteous. They
use the Chinese Ian guage and
ehar,ctersj the vernacllar Ian
guage of Corea is wholly different,
and, like that of the Mantchoos,
has a peculiar alphabet They
write with pencils male of VOLTS
hair, and print their books with
wooden blocks. Their language
; is too little known to enable US to
. form any judgment of it's merits
1t contains some b Chinese and
Mantchoo words; bus the greater
8 part Ofitseems to belong to neither
Perhaps it may be a dialect sirni
Lar to that of the japan and K-u
rifle islands; or Core& and Japan
, may have contained an indigen.
: GUS language and nation previous
Is to their having received colo
nies from China and Iantchooria
o 1t is left for future travellers to
elucidate these questionable anG
: undecided points.
Here, as in China, the philoso
ply of Confueius is the prevailing
t doctrine among the great aud thu
learned. But the idCIatrous reli
: gion of Fob or Budhr has many
: followers. The Corean Ambassa
doris told the missionaries at Pc
kin, that the BONES we're Kept il
i a state of degradatioa, and obhg
ed to build their TEN DleS without
the limits of their towns. There
are monastic orders, or religion.
c associations, the members o.
. which lead an austere life, suffei
. with patience the most cruel per
: secutions, observe ;Teat number
of ceremonies, and in recompenc,
= for SO many sufferings ouly NEE
" with universal conten pit. OF these
there are some whose rules obligl
!. them to have the head shaved. t,
e abstain from animal food, and tt
shun the sight of women.
, The CoreanS manufacture a yer,
white and very strong paper from
cotton. They also make fans ant
, painted papers for ornamentin,
. rooms, and very fine lines. TN
other branches of tleir indnstr,
II are unknown. The Chinese pun
: chase their different articles il
" exchange for tea and silks. 1h
st Coreans also carry OF some trad
]. with the japanese. Pu-shan, O
q according to other atcoa1ts, Kir
S; shan, is port to which the Japa
iiese vessels bring their goods
~ such as pepper, fragrant WOOD
1t alum, and buffalo's horns. In e1
change, the Corears give lead
5, cotton, raw silk, and ginsen
" root. Payments are made i