The San Saba news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1873-1966, 1888-04-06
COREAN EMBASSY.
AN ACCOUNT OF OUR FRIENDLY
MONGOLIAN VISITORS.
Their Gigantic Hats and Gaudy
Raiment-A Nation OF Gour-
mands-Some OF their
Peculiar Customs

/
A Washington correspondent of the
New York World, writing concerning
the Corean Embassy 10 this country,
SAYS;
1t is the first time Corel has been
represented here as a fixture, and the
Coreans came direct from San Francisco.
They registered their names rs legation,
spelling Corea with X.
But where and what is Coreal It is
peninsula, Of the shape Of Florida or
Italy, and of size not larger than Kan
sas. 1t runs from the continent Of Asia
down between China snd Japan. Tine
country is mountainous and its climate
IS like that of Ohio. It is well watered
and wooded, and it has, DR. Allen tells
me, $4,000, 600 people, or more than
three times as many as the State of New
York. 1t is not twice the size of New
York in area, and it has some large cities
Seoul, the7capital, is twenty even miles
from the seaport aud it contains 800. 000
people. 1t is here that the King lives.
and he has grand palace, aad his power
is almost despotic
There are ten Coreans in the Legation.
and seven of these have blue blood in
their veins There arc distinctive marks
about their dress which tell their rank,
and the Minister has gold button on the
side of his head.
PAX Chung Yang the Minister, is about
five feet five, and his frame is slight
rather than portly. His skin is a pale
| Oranora ar rathar lo,,,n .,f,- a,l L..
eyes just verge upon almond shape They
are black eyes, and the forehead above
them is broad and intelligent. He has
straight and rather fat nose, and his
beard Is very sparse imperial rs head
IS never seen undressed except by his
servants, and he braids his long hair
and fastens it on top of his head. This
he first covers with skull-cap of finely
woven silk and binds silk band around
his foreherd. On the top of this skull-cap
rests the gigantic Corean hat which the
rest Of the legation wear Its crown Is
OF horsehair made over bamboo and silk.
Some of the hats are as black as though
made of papier mache. and the Min
ister's looks like ore OF Oliver Crom-
wells time, though it is made about
three sizes too small for his head. All
Of these Corean hats are too small, and
that is the fashion, Isuppose, in Corea.
On the top of the Minister'S hat is
little button of gold, in which there is
white feather, and his hat seems to
be held on by band of gold beads
which runs around his chm.
The Corean never cuts his hair, and he
wears it in braid down his back until he
Is married, when he has the right to curl
it on the top OF his head A man is not
supposed to be man until he can wear
his hair on the top of his head.
These Coreans eat with their hats on.
They have good manners, and they use
their knives and their forks as though
they had never known any other method
of eating. They wipe their lips with
napkins and appreciate the use of finger
bowls
The dresses of alLthe Legation seem to
be bellied out at the front. Indeed, in
Corea capacious stoma n is an honor
and sign that the owners pocket Is
full. To eat much there is de rigueur,
and the merit of the feast lies in the
quantity, rather than in the quality. of
while eating, and mothers lake pains to
develop the size Of the stomachs of Their
children in infancy. They VIII take
their babies on their knees, says Criifis,
who DR.. Allen tells me, is the best au.
thority on Corea, and, after stulIing them
with rice like the wad Of a gun, will tan
them from time to time with a ladle on
the stomach to see that it is fully spread
out or rammed home, and thew only
cease gorging when it is physically i'm
possible for the child to swell up more.
The COreans eat everything. and
eating matches are common. A quart
of rice is the ordinary portion of a la
borer, and this, when boiled with milk.
makes big bulk. Dog meat is com
mon, and peaches and small melons are
devoured without peeling A good sized
Corean thinks thirty peaches an ordinary
allowance, and beef is only eaten by the
better classes. The Corcans are not fas-
tidious in their eating or cooking. The
lower classes devour raw fish. and even
the intestines pass for delicate viands.
Fishers carry with them a jar of diluted
pepper, and, when they hook good
catch, they seize it between the two
fingers, dip it in the salt and eat it while
squirming. The better classes, however,
live well, but where wages are not over
fifteen cents day, what can you expect
of the poor!
The Corean race Is Monaghan, and it
seems to partake Of the character of that
of China and Japan. Its people are more
progressive than the Chinese. and less
animated with the spirit Of progress than
the japanese. A fair average of intolli-
gence prevails among them, aud nearly
all the people write the Corean. The
Corean language is pollysyllabic, ami it
is of bigger grade than the Chinese.
Every year the King of Corea sends a
present to the Emperor of China. and
the Emperor of China responds by send
ing one back TO Corea.
There are some warriors among this
Corean Legation, and there are over
l, 900, 900 soldiers in Corea. The dress
of the warrior consists of long silk
tunic of pale blue or pink, with deep
pendent sleeves of a bright red This
represents the blood of war, and in his
co irt dress, before and behind. on breast
and on back, he has embroidered two
tigers.
1t is now nearly six years since we
signed our treaty Of peace and friendship
with Corea, aud am told that the King
of Corea feels very friendly to the United
States. The Legation have great hope
of the future of their country, and they
think that the progress is only began
The Color OF the Sea.
Artists always seem at loss to deal
with the color of the sea. and few are