The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1882-12-09
About COrca.

The country is a peninsula, and with
its outlying islands is about the size OF
Great Britain or the State of Minnesota.
Its area is between $4,000 and 10000
miles. In general shape and relation to
the continent of Asia it resembles Flori-
da. The Coreans, to make their country
inbospitable and to discourage the for
eigner, have desolated the seacoast and
placed wilderness sixty miles wide be-
tween themselves and China. To form
this desoate space four cities and many
villages were DESTROYED and left in ruins.
Portions of this wilderness have been re
Gently surveyed by Chinese and their
settlements are scattered over it, The
Coreans are unfortunate in their location.
They are menaced by Mantchuria, which
has been the spawning place of the
hordes that have swept over Europe; by
the japanese, who hate this nation, so
closely related to them in language, poll
tics and social customs; and recently by
Russia, which seeks to gain this point of
vantage of on the Asian coast. The
present dynasty of Corea has been on the
throne nearly five hundred years. 1t is
weakin power and the only thing which
saves the country from absorption by
her powerful neighbors is that balance
OF power which has SO long been the sal
walton of Egypt and Turkey.
COrea bears strong resemblance
politically and socially to China. Filial
devotion is the great virtue and this is
carried to greater lengths than in the
Celestial Empire. ''In Corea not to
aVenge ones father is to be disowned, to
prove that one is illegitimate and has no
right to bear the family name; it is to VIC
late, in its fundamental point, the ma
tional religion, which is the worship of
ancestors. If the father has been exiled
his enemy's exile must be secured"
Rival factions get up stories of cOnspira-
cies against the King and secure the over
throw of their enemies on false accuSa-
tons. Feudalism remains in many parts
OF the kingdom, although slavery is de-
creasing. On the large estates in the
interior many serfs are still held, but their
life is easy and they have many advan-
tages over the poor villagers who are free.
The master has the power of life and
death, but he seldom exercises it and an
act of injustice to q serf is generally
brought to the attention of a magistrate.
One of the worst forms of scrfdOm is that
known as Government slavery. The
wife and children of a great criminal,
when he is condemned, become the slaves
of the Judge. This ownership is form,
for their servitude is more CALLING than
service to hard master, for they are
made the drudges OF the various depart
ments of Court, and they are abused by
all the petty officials and servants. They
are held in great contempt, and for an
innocent woman such fate is worse than
death.
Corea is ruled by King and three
Chong, or high Ministers. The chief of
these Ministers rules in case of the mi
nority or inability of the sovereign.
Under the Prime Ministers are the six
Ministers or boards of government which
form the Supreme Council. All the de-
tails of government are copied closely
after the model in Pekin. Each of the
eight provinces is under the direction Of
a Governor. 1t is an amisble fiction
among the Coreans that they have an
enlightened civil service, for theoretically
any male Corean who is able to pass the
Government examinations is eligible to
Office. His diploma is ofno value, how
ever, as he can get an Office of any inn
portance without money or friends. The
Sumptuary laws are very strict, and Ell
quette makes life one long series of
genuliexions. What may be worn and
sat upon is dictated by law. Mobiles
only can wear silk or sit in chairs.
Magistrates keep up their dignity by
ordering the bastinado applied to all
those on the highway who fail to pay
them Difference. A hOrseman is eX-
pected to slide off his beast; if he refuses
he is beaten or mulctcd. They have a
transportation monopoly in Corea. 1t
consists Of 4 guild of porters, largely
made up OF muscular women. These
portors are outside the jurisdiction OF the
local government, and when they are
insulled or receive too low wages they
strike, and the transportation service OF
the kingdom is paralyzed.-From thc
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