The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1888-08-31


course rice Rice is legal tender in
Corea. Almost all salaries and pay
ments are estimated in bags of rice.
Besides this there is beef, and fish. and
poultry. There Is u peculiar kind of
pickle resembling sauor-kraut which
goes by the nama OF ''kimehi,n and
while it Is rather offensive to ordinary
Olfactories II is not more SO than the
famous German dish. The Coreans
cat their food highly seasoned with red
pepper, and the brightest spots In a
torean landscape are the roofs of
houses covered with red pepper which
are put there 10 dry in the sun.
In rerard to the position and social
status of women the most various ideas
prevail 1t IS true that the women ~
Corea are secluded, but not more so
than IN some more favored empires.
Turkey, for instance, shows us vastly
more pitiable state Of things in this re-
spect than Corea. Women are not
slaves here. - they have been pictured.
Their seciusion is in some sense a
blessing to them. Their lack OF seclu-
ion in Japan has led to the most
lemo uliZing results In that country.
Il Is impossible TINT women should
,e regarded with the same chivaliic
spirit here that they are In the en-
ightened countries, and their seclu-
ion is painful necessity rather than
IN evidence Of tyranny. And yet as |
lave said. women are not nearly so
ecluded here 0s they are in Turkey.
Is only women of the highest classes
hat are allowed Ia be seen by o. ~ mnn
xcepting her husband and f4ther-in-
aw Thousands Of women can be- seen
IN the streets of Seoul in broad day nj
any time. In walking on any street
lere II good proportion Of the people
,ou meet are women. Many belonging
% the middle class have a sort Of apron
brown over the head and held in front
y the mouth, leaving a space through
which they San see and be seen.
Women of the lower class, the com
mon working class, go entirely un-
allied.
One can not but be struck by the evil
'ences of happy family life ON every
ide. A. the sun is setting and the
evening meal is being prepared the
ather sits out in front of his house
moking his pipe and holding his little
on OF daughter on his lap while he
ellis stories and quaint legends. The
svident affection and confidence be
ween parent and child are beautiful To
see. and one feels that these ignorant
people would not exchange their hum
BILE cottage and their quiet life for a
mansion ON Fifth avenue in New York.
The Coreans are a singularly mild and
notfensivc people. Their language
contains no stronger epithet of hatred
~ anger than "Meechin-nom, which
means crazy fellow. One can go 10
any part of the city or country at any
time without the least fear of molesta-
ion, and You never hear Of knock
down fight or a murder. The criminal
class is extremely small, and vagrancy
and mendicancy are almost unknown.
Now all these points have been brought
up against these people, and they do
tot bear the light of investigation.
But no one seems to have mentioned
| he one great social evil of Corea. and
one which must surely be changed be-
fore Corea can fairly begin any such
| progress as Japan has made.
This evil has to do with the recog-
nized rule of all enlightened nations
| that the individual must be secure in
the lawful possession of his own prop
| erty, and he must be allowed to accu-
| mulate property. In Corea the strong
| prey upon the weak For instance,
/ when man is made an official, which
| is the highest ambition of the Corean,
| certain extent of territory is
| allotted to him. From that terri
| tory he is required TO send a certain
number of bags of rice to the granary
| Of the central government, and for him
| self he has all the rest that he can
| squeeze out of the population. His
| power is unlimited in his own district,
| and he can seize any ones property
| and appropriate it. II he be unscrupu-
| .ous he uses this power TO an extent
| hat is monstrous in its injustice.
! He hears of man who has saved q
score of bags of rice over and above
| what his family needs for the season.
| Soon his minions come down on the
| mans lawful savings and sweep the
whole away. leaving simply enough
! ior the man to struggle through the
| year with.
Can any thing be more deadening tC
enterprise and thrift than this? Who
| can blaze them for saying: I'VE will
raise Just enough rice TO live on and
no more; for why should we accumu
| late property to be swept awayP
| When was about to discharge one o.
my servants he came to me and sale
/ that he had saved some fifty dollars
while in my service. and that when he
went away from my place the servants
of the local magistrates would take
| every dollar of it away from him. anC
he was willing to stay nominally in my
employ without wages rather than go
1t was only by securing him employ
ment with another foreigner that
saved him from being deprived of hi'
earnings.
OF course such system is deadly
enemy to all progress and to al
healthy national life. 1t strikes a
the root of national prosperity, tn,
security of the individual. But l be
lieve that it is exceptional to find ;
magistrate who taxes the people ex
tremely. OF course there is alwayi
more or less injustice, but the patience
of the people is something marvellous
and when the exactions become toe
frequent and too severe the people ris,