Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-03-06

| "Corea is the land OF hats" said Prof. OTIS T,
| Mason, of the National Museum, as he stood
with STAR reporter In front of large glass
case in the National Museum. The case was
filled with articles which were collected in CoFea
| by Ensign j. B. Bernadon, and have Just been
sent to the museum. Corea is almost q ne "
| field to the ethnologist, as, until very recent
times, the Coreans have resisted ali intrusion
Within q few years Japanese ambassadors have
paid tor their temerity in pushing their way to
| the Corean capital by decapitation. The nego-
tiations which resulted in the recent treaty
through the agency of q man-of-war. The COL
lection which has been sent TO the museum by
Ensign Bernadou is considered especially val
liable, as it has been secured while the field is
new. After awhile Corean ware will be
manufactured for the museum trade,
now, and doubt will be thrown upon ali
collections offered to the public. Among the
most conspicuous objects in the case are the
mark made By Prof. Mason. On one side si is a
STs .I The ao oSTss s5 ~ sho ps: the
He has much more hat than western ideas of
convenience or sightliness require, but the ex-
perisnSe e Of many generations enables the
and of course the orienta. notion OF style is
quite different from that which prevails on
common people, the bull drivers OF Corea. In
old times 1t was the hat worn by the Buddhist
priests.
THE STORY OF THE HAT
It Is related that at one time the Japanese,
the ancient enemies of the Coreans, gained
access to the cities of the latter by DOMINIC
such hats and pretending to be Buddhist
priests. The Coreans thereupon banished all
Buddhist priests from their land and the hat
was bestowed upon the bull driver, who still
cherishes ana preserves 1t in all its vast pro-
portions The hats worn by Coreans are to
some extent insignia Of the social rank of the
wearers A hat with round top similar to the
cOoie hat Of the Chinese 10 the common hat of
the people: There are two in the collection, one
OF straw for summer wear, and another of
same pattern, but decorated. Another hat.
made of horse hair netting, with a crown and
brm, In shape very much like Quaker hat, is
laborers. This Is a hat in appearance and name
only, AS 1t affords no projections Then there is
IN the collection cap apparently with a
shape, as to accommodate the CHG
of the cap or hat appear two wings of gauze,
which play part in official ceremony. AS
the professor explained it. Corean in SER
with wings extended open, signifying that
his ears were open and ready to receive the
service the gauze ears would hang down, indi-
eating that the wearer was taking a rest The
King himself would wear his ears proudly erect,
as II Is not necessary for SO mighty a potentate
TO listen to anything. The collection contains
also a mitre Of gauze, worn by students, and a
gaudily gilded hat, something like helmet in
shape. worn by courtiers and officials occa-
slons OF ceremony. Then there are little gauZe
mats or nets, which are worn merely to keep the
ms hair us deliberately as any Washington
belle Another hat is conical and made of
mulberry paper which is oiled and water proof
This is II hat for protection from the rain and
is pulled on oyer the other hat or hats for some
times the Corean wears more than one.
MOURNING REGULATED BY THE GOVERN
HRNT.
A mourner wears a hat like the vast head
covering of the bull-driver. The collection
contains mourners full outfit In no coun-
try In the world is the etiquette of mourning
more fully elaborated, or more rigidly enforced
One OF the ministers OF the government is
styled the minister of mourning. He regulates
the grief OF the people. A man mourns three
years for his father and two TOR his wife. The
length OF time required to properly express
ones grief for other relatives of various de-
grees OF cons:tnguinity has been carefully c;lcu-
lated and Is Set down in the royal statute books
Corean mourns in sack-cloth. He wears the
coarse straw nat of tile bull-driVer his trousers
and robe are OF the mcanest cotton material
and his shoes or sandals cheap affairs OF brairied
straw; He has two sticks, between which is
placed piece OF cotton cloth. When he goes
upon the street he holds this cloth against his
lace, SO that he can breath through it, but his
features cannot be seen. All people shun him,
as no one is permitted to break in upon the
deep gloom OF his SORROW. Everything about
his attire Is OF the meanest sort, all vanties of
dress being discarded tor the time.
Inc ordinary shoes OF the peasant class are of
rice straw. There are shoes of i, more elaborate
cniracIer OF cioth ana also wooden clogs or pat
tens Some OF the shoes have heavy hob-nails,
upon which hangs a tale. One of the battles
Oh oden time with the japanese was waged
upon the ice. The Coreans put nails in their
shoes and the japanese did not. The Coreans
consequently were masters of the situation and
won great victory. Since then it.has been
customary to wear hOb-nailed shoes, as they
are associated with the idea OF good luck.
SLOW, BUT DIGNIFIED
A COrean gentlemans dress, according to the
specimens of clothing brought by Ensign Ber-
nadou, is a very baggy affair." The trousers are
large enough for two or three people. A little
there is often considerable of gap between the
bottom of the vest and the top Of the trousers
over ali the Corean will wear a loose flowing
tunic with baggy sleeves falling nearly to the
ground. These sleeves are sewed up partly, SO
as to form a huge pocket, in which the
sometimes the Corean will wear wristlets and
buskins, and the baggy sleeves and trowsers
will be gathered in at the wrists and ankles.
At best the garments are likely to interfere
with rapid movement of the body. This en-
forced slOwness of motion is not, however, re-
garded as hardship by the Corean. The
native name tor Corea is the land of the morn
ing calm 1t is the land OF repOse. The sight
presented by Corean in full native toggery
moving In stately slOwneSS, through the streets
OF SeyOOl, is said to be one of the most interest
ing and delightful spectacles afforded by
oriental CraVel. OlCen the garments OF the
weather. people are OF silk. The collection
contains nothing peculiar to womens attire
The women OF the upper class are not permitted
to be seen by any one outside OF their own
households, and hence they have not cultivated
q taste for 1inery. The peasant women dress in
about the same garments as the men of their
class wear.
The collection comprises specimens of wooden
ware, or cabinet work Of the Coreans, very
metallic boxes indicate the great skill of the
natives in working metals. The boxes are of
iron, but one has been treated with silver and
the other with copper, by q rolling and POLISH
ing process similar to that known as Damas-
cening. A COrean sword exhibited has a
straight blade. The games of the Coreans are
represented by set of ivory dominoes and
set Of chessmen. The chessmen are round fiat
discs, like checkers, the names of the various
pieces being written upon them.
THE COREAN wASH-WOMEN.
There are two stout sticks used by Corean
wash women to beat clothes. Washing is an
important industry in Corea. where it takes 80
many yards of cotton to make suit of clothes
France and other countries by women who
wade into the water of rivers or creeks up to
their knees After drenching the articles to be
washed they beat them on the rocks ON shore
with their sticks. In Japan, where the same
processes are followed by wash-women, these
Sticks or clubs, it Is said, are sometimes used by
the women to assist them in asserting their
fessor as he explained the use of the sticks to
The STAR reporter, told q Japanese story about
them. There were three Japanese husbands
whose lives were made miserable by the shreW-
ish dispositions of their wives, who were en-.
gagged In the laundry business. They held q
HSrwA2 80 49,