Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1884-05-14
IN COREA.
Customs or tho Country Arrival or tho
First American Missionaries.

Customs or tho C0untry-hrrivai OF tho
First American Missionaries.
The ladies of our party were, so far
Is we could ascertain, the first Amer
can ladies who stepped upon the
EASTERN coast OF Corea Two by two
we walked through the winding lanes,
,ast the walls of mud and cobbleStones
which enclosed the back yards OF a
Corean house, until we came into the
main street, where there were few
shops, but nearly all were houses
These were one-storied, thatched roof,
md fronting the street; had one door
md one window, provided sometimes
with single shutter opening upward,
md sometimes with two shutters open
ing sideways.
There was no glass in the windows.
The floors were smoothly polished.
Occasionally they were covered with
straw mating Or thin layer CT wood.
In the sides of the mud-and-stone
walls of the houses dark, smoky open
lngs could be seen. These openings,
we were told, served for chimneys.
Underneath the floor is an arched
brickwork, in the hollow Of which,
during the cold weather, fire is made
when the heated air warns the en-
tire flooring, and circulates through
the sides of the wall Of the house,
until it escapes at the sooty opening
already mentioned.
The clothing of the men was usual
ly white, and generally made OF home
spun grass cloth. 1t consisted OF a
sort nf jacket and a pair of trousers
made in loose 2ouave fashion. lhelr
head was adorned with a black,
transparent, broad-brimmcd hat OF
horsehair, through which aknot OF hair
about three or four inches high could
be seen. Occasionally this grass cloth
was of light shade Of blue or green.
The women wore very short-waisted
Jackets and full-gathered skirts. Their
hair was parted in the middle ana
smoothly combel. The general ap-
pearance of these COrean women was
more like that of Europeans than either
the Chinese or japanese.
The hair Of the youth and youns
men of Corea is worn parted IN the
middle 50 long as they are unmarried
As soon as they become husbands their
hair is tied in knob on the top OF
their heads just as the Chinese did i'll
their native Ming dynasty, and as inc
Taoist priests in China do to-day
In all towns there are schools, bue
the buildings are small, hardly large
enough to accommodate twenty-five
scholars. Not more than one-tifth OF
4 the bows attend school. The girls do
/ not 90 to school. The roofs OF the
! school rooms are so low that one could
! not stand erect in them if he had his
:, hat on. The scholars had no desks or
/ tables, but wrote on the floor. They
| study the Chinese classics, but not the
i, history of their own country. 1t IS
:, said that there is one history of Corea.
| However, none except officials are al
! lowed to read it, since by reading OF
:, the wrong.doing of others they might
i! be melted to perform wrong acts them
u! selves.
ii Most of their books, whether in Chr
/, nese or Corean characters, are writtor
=, by hand. In Seoul, the capital, there
Il are two book stores-the only ones II
/ all the kingdom-in which books WITT
i ten by hand, as well as those prlnte(
=. from wooden blocks, but not iron
Il. movable types, are to be found.
j, In corresponding with a person o
h ones own or inferior rank they enclos
If the letter in one envelope, but in writ
e ing to one of higher rank the letter
m enclosed in two envelopes.
T, The Coreans, although living be
!, tween China and Japan, do not gene
e. rally drink tea.
In certain ailments one mode o
treatment practised by the medical ira
-. ternity is to insert into that part
w. the body which is ailing an iron needl
~ which is heated red hot.-Chr1st'a
A1rOcdte