The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1884-10-23
Life in COrea.

Life in Corea.
The meetings held at Philadelphia
during the past week by the association
for the advancement of science have
been traught with matters of the most
absorbing interest to the world OF science
and some OF the papers read before the
association will be found invaluable as
conveying information relative to mat
tiers of which little has heretofore been
known. This is especially the case with
regard to paper read by Pref. Edward
Morse and entitled, Interviews With a
Korean
The Koreans are a singular race of
people to whom have been attributed the
baser characteristics of the Chinese, with
very few, if any, OF the virtues of tEat
| nation. The paper of Prot. Morse pre-
sents them in an entirely different light
According TO him, the relations be-
tween father and son In Korea are strict
and severe. When the son comes into a
room where has father sits, he must stand
| with his hands folded until invited to
sit. He sweeps his fathers room, makes
the bed and rises early TO build the fire,
even at midnight. Ii the son wakes up
at night hungry or cold he inquiries if
his parents are not hungry or cold also.
Boyhood lasts until fifteen or until mar
ried. All property belongs to the father
until he dies, no matter how much the
son earns. If the son lives in a separate
house then he has his earnings; but if
his father should have no money he can
sell his sons house. After the death of
the father the money goes to the eldest
son. The daughters are perfectly free
| about the house. They are familiar
| with the father and their brother and act
q good deal like spoiled childrea. Male
and female servants do not sit down TO-
gether in the same room. Servants are
| Inherited. They are bought and sold.
LOYAL servants work and support their
masters when poor. The higher classes
employ private tutors for the education
of their children. Five rules are drilled
into them from the earliest age: To
obey their father, respect their elder
brothers, be loyal to the king, respect
| full to the wife and true to their friends.
They also compo:e letters, study history,
Confucius and Chinese letters. A man
| will have classics for winter, study poe
try writing for spring, and study Office
| in winter.
The king appoints judges, sometimes
three. sometimes as many as twelve, to
examine candidates for Office. The
| student Is locked up IN room without
books Tor three days, during the exam
iDation. Subjects tor examination are
| generally taken from ancient poetry. In
| olden times there were public schools
| IN Corea. The schools of the country
are now of q private character. COreans
eat rice, soup and fluid with spoon.
In this respect they are different from
other Asiatic tribes the Chinese, Japan,
ese and Manchurians, who employ, as q
rule. chop sticks. At the table they never
speak, and they eat always slowly. In
passing dishes both hands must be used.
To use only one is considered impolite
After going to bed Coreans do not speak
Arched doorways or windows are moi
allowed, except in the kings house. AL
openings must be square. There is q
prohibition against decorating the out
side OF private houses. Streets are named
after trees, men, historical events and
attributes. Mourning clothes consist OF
a hat of large size coming down on tbs
shoulders. which also covers the face
The mourning color was formerly
white; 1t is now yellow. No one
ever interrupts or Rccosts q person il
priests have often availed themselves o.
the use of mourning clothes as a dis
guise. The commercial ways of tht
Coreans, Prot. Morse from his talk with
his friend, thought to be of the mos
primitive. Peddlers are called "burdeI
merchants. They have no houses, anC
are accompanied ON their wanderings By
their families.
The position of women in Core is de
graded and unhappy to the last degree
Among the better classes the never at
tempt To go out, and seldom visit ever
their relatives. Under the customs OK
/ latino hau a1inunA 81
greater freedom. Among the CoreaL
supeTstitlons are a dislike to have a Ca
approach a dead person. If such an &C
cident happens the corpse will stand
upright and the body has TO be knock
ed down with q broom. In eating
rice, which Is always eaten will
! aspoon, if the first spoonful is dropped
il is considered a sign of bad luck. I'm
like Europeans, they believe the mum
Der of thirteen to be lucky, but the!
agree with them in considering horse
shoe over the door as bringing good lucl
with it. They also, like people do here
get over bad dreams by saying tina
dreams go by contrary. In occupying
new house the first thing they do Is 4
have q woman carry in q bunch o
matches. This insures prosperity
If the ear itches, it is a sign tina
some one is talking about you. If 1t !
the chin, that cake will be received. l
: Coresn dreams of Buddhist priest b
considers himself in danger OF being
poisoned. The hoOting of an owl l
thought tn announce the death OF tn
master of the house. Money found 1
considered bad luck. as it lie gained with
out labor and every evenly balanced &C
rean will spead It before he enters
house. This, he thinks, will avert C
lamity.