New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-04-24
KEW PUBLICATIONS.
THE. uERAfrr NATION.


,,vr TN coprA nv W. T. CARLEs, f. r. O. 4. With
illustrations aua map. vels. PIP xih-3l" 'hso-
MILAN & Coz
n 4, possible for writer who mas mover sou
country TO indte entertaining account 'noreoi
than can be found in tho conscientious narrative Oh
.rs-.,,o~ Who has been all over It, This is strldngy
shown in tho difference between the volume oelofo
n. and the work by Mr.. GriGs, entitled 80 orea INC
uerr,,t Nation, Mr. Cribs did not set foot In Oofea
Mr. Carries has travelled many hundreds OF mics III ''
country Yet Mr.. Carries has not written nan As iu'
,ercsting book Mr. Grifhs succeeded IN oo'ns'
Mr. Carries was III equipped for his unuer'aAhs
coud not speak the language Of the country ne was
o,ne 10 exuloro and consequently he had to rely upon
an constantly and was unable to hoio ico
,r,.rcourso with the people This was not MS oniy
dravbnck The Coreans have not been calico tho
nation without reason and while they have at las. 0on
s.nted 10 bold intercourse with the oetsoe "o'iu ~
n.,,ona fostered by ages Of the closest
~,s.,or has hrra IN them a reticence and suspicion
which render It almost 1mpossioie 70 HaAo 'no" '"N
freely about their own country.
M. Carries was, during part OF his residence III
,orea British yee-Consul, and held COMMISSION
which gave him FREQ TO officials everywhere
But with few exceptions these people, though OK
bibiting as q rule much hospitality, eouid ho' DO
pumped and sesmed to take alarm and retreat INTO
their shells tho moment attempt was maze 10 eioi'
facts and figures from them. Mr. Carries found Corea
n be picturesque and In many parts even beautfai
country inhabited by an amabe, mild peace-ioVing
and intensely old-fsshoned and conservative people
A very poor and unambtious people too' NOT oi!y
laclpe IN all modern aids TO industry and producuon
bnt deliberately rejecting and condemnins such aas
The Coreans however, appeared to Mr. carries 10 10
sipsularly free from pauperism and mendlcancy
There we're very few rich among them. but nearly
all had a sufficiency They are described as manly
and independent compared with other Orentals, ana
tnernsndous tobacco smokers. They use pipes with
brass bowls and stems q yard long, and both men ana
women are addicted to the weed.
The anti-tobacco people would be apt 10 a''riou'e
ths,r defective energy to their iRveterste smoking,
but Il must be remembered that the Corean view OF e
does not run parallel with the Western view Those
primitive people fatty refuse ADMIT that the rush
and hurry and expenditure Of energy seen In the
Western World betokon an advance ia civilization
The, maintain, with tae Chinese. that civizanoh Is
best illustrated by their perennial calm modera
ton ard leisure. Time made for man, according
10 them not man for time; and there Is nothing at
once 80 useless and injurious as hurry So believing
they sit and smoke and let the outside world 90 ring
ing down the grooves OF change They are not GER
tsinly an Intellectual people They appear to have
but scanty literature, of narrow scope and without
any tendency TO development. That the average OF
contentnont is higher with them than with US is
probable; but should say that what satisfies II EN-
d really little moro than would satisfy troop of
jacques Rousseau declared the who thinks to DO
depraved ANIMAL and since there can be no doubt
that tho increase, Of thought does lead
10 the increase OF care and trouble and
aiscontent and struggle, involving every kind OF
social and moral convulson from the Reformation to
the Berkeley Hills Prophecies, and from the French
Revolution the last sympathetic strike: It will
DO perceived that at bottom the question at issue be-
tho Coreans and the Western nations is that SO
inadequately though clevery treated by Mr. Msllock,
nsmsly-"Is Life Worth LvingP
Tho Coreans think it Is in their way. We think it
IS In Neither thinks 1t is according to the view
taken by the other. Probably 1t will take several
generations to thaw out tho hermit nation and as the
country appears TO be not very rich In natural re-
sources no abnormal pressure rom without is likely
be applied. In some respects these long-hidden
people curiously unlike either OF their nearest
neighbors, the Chinese and Japanese For one thing
they carry modesty to fanaticsm almost. Mr. CaTles
gives interesting illustration of this Before any
foreign intercourse permitted an English man.
of-war anchored the coast, opposite village,
and the mon were allowed to bathe Presently boat
put off from the Shore some Corean officials boarded
the ship ard formal protest was entered against tho
indecent behavior of the strangers, which, they were
informed, had compelled all the people OF the
village to shut themselves Up in their houses
until tho shocking exhibition Nor was this
2 mere hypocrical preteuse, for Mr. Carries avouches
that tho Coreans most scrupulous in regard TO
kceping their bodies covered In Japan the jnrikesha
men even now strip themselves nearly naked as soon
ms they got outside town, and the promiscuous bath
ing of the people is a most venerable custom. In
China though the Japanese cleanliness is entirely
wanting, tho general practice about clothing is lax
The Coreans however, never even strip to work in
The fields always retaining the decent, decorous JACKIE
and loose trousers, which is the prevailing costume
Their women are secluded at least from the gaze Of
foreigners. Mr.. Carries says that he never saw a
Corean lady, and never admitted into Corean
domestic circle.
The people not savage at all, and no hostility
10 foreigners seems be entertained By them. Though
quito as stive the Chinese, they evidently
have fewer strong preudices. and are Officially more
advanced. In perhaps distant future such people
may have an important destiny, and the poverty of
their country is likely to protect them from external
sggrcssons during their chrysalis state Mr. Charles
has illustrated his book with some native designs
which do not say much for the art Of COrea-