The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-09-01
EDUCATION N c0REi.
Grsssh and Progress IL the 6ey-
ernment College.
O~serspss-ss 81 Meet Peculiar ssA
Issesesssrg F~ra Of Exs1-
fraffon.


xas opene4 under the charge of three
Ansssican college graduate sef.' osis,
Il he rss.aeSt 81 the t9re4fs govern
,n.sr By the state department. al
Washington At that time everything
szs ia = state III great political afsesr-
snfnsy. The Gorean government
~taps1 in q very critical position Eec-
o-uize1 virtually a. an INDEPENDENT
r-51~r through her treaties with West
srn y.osefs. she hal, nevertheless, Rot
Z We. performed soEsar of those sovereign
act ~hich are recognized a. putting
+ tseyond dispute the integrity and soy
ersgpsy os any power Every
ore fesf that something remained 10
+ De done. and gnssl then all foreign I'D
{ sritasloas, and among them the gov
eminent college uBder American
patronage. were mere experiments.
depending uTon TIE actual posi-
tios1 that Corea should occupy
among the treaty powers bat tie
pYoulena aas solved once ana tor ri.
ahen tie Corean governments dis
patched 20 Washington and Ia the
European courts her ministers. xho
took RANK with those q any other
power. From that time people vino
were Interested In the advancement Of
Cerea in a line with that oi Japan
looked UPON the Corean star as III the
a-cenuari.. A vigorous foreign poi
icy, an Increase In imports and ex-
,ortS. an Efficient customs service aud
gradual development oi internal
resources have cosssplrcd 10 MAKE u
reasonable 10 expect that CoE.a viii
take every advantage OF her favorable
relations with foreign powers. IL i
in regard TO only one OF the efforts
when Cofea l. making toward a more
enlightened condition that l ~isil To
cali attenfion-ifse government college.
As the three gentlemen began their
work in the autumn OF l,e6 they had
before their minds the niagniiicent
university of Toxic. q constant de-
SPAR. but constant incentive
despair of ever being aoie 10 see .orea
/ honored with such rnagnlnceDt III
7 stituiion-and Yet an incentive, De-
/ cause when Japan was opened the
possibility OF such an Institution there
seemed a. remote a. II Gio IN
Coca when ste signed Ger
treaties. TIE school was started
on plan remotely reSen1ipg
that carried ont at Wet Point, eef- |
IA number of students appointed
bv the government taking up their
abode in the college buildings and
supported a. pubic expense here
tue RESI- mblance ceases, tor the >trlct
discipline of IA Nest Point would be inn
possible. and ungiee II possible, IN
such a country as CoreA
TIE original intention OF the GOV
erntnent vas 10 educate young men
"A 80. ,Nfa
spon >ihilily under the government,
and il was decided that seven years
would he sufficient 10 give them the
training in English and in natural and
nolitiea, sciences which IS necessary
Without dwelling ON the fort ines of
the school. which have, indeed, been
various, because of the opposition of
strong anti.foreign party, ] wish TO |
spea- about the peculiar and interest
ing form Of examination, which has
no precedent. so far as am aware. in
the world. The students all being
froul families of position. with which
the king Is more or less familiar, his
majesty co ceiyed the idea OF examin-
ing the students himself, and therefore
at the end OF each college year an
examination il held at the palace. not
only in the presence of the king.
bu, bv him in person. The
gues ton Immediately arises, how
can he, knowing not word
of English. examine a class
of stuisnts who are able. many of
them. to speak fiuentiv in that tongue
The three high Korean officials who
are the regents ot the college, invented
an ingenious method by which the
difficulty was overcome. Four pom
derous quarto volumes were made, In
Two of which were written large
number of English sentences, begin
ming at the simplest and terminating
ut the most involved and difficult. in
Producing, perhaps, goo words in all
But. instead of being written iii En- |
glish. il is all written With Corean
characters phoneticaily. The torean
aipn lbet Il very perfect Z
one, and one with which almost any
shade of sound can be represented. and
therefore almost the exsct English
sounds can be reproduced. Under
each sentence is written its meaning in
Chinese characters. which are univel-
sally used by the higher classes in
this country.
Rut let me describe the examination
Itself Being summoned into the
royal presence, We entered the hinge
double gate of the inner Enclosure, or
eourt. aud ascending fight of stone
steps. found ourselves in front of q
large open room. as II one side os the
house had been taken down. At the
back of this his majesty was seated be- |
hind small foreign table covered
with handsomely embroidered Can
tonese spread. On one side of the
room was seated the crown prince on
slightly raised dais. The
couriiers were ranged along tho
sides of the room, wearing the
peculiar palace robes which some of
your readers have doubtless seen upon
the members of the Corean legation at
Was hington. After saleting the
king and prince. and after
few complimentary remarks.
We took cur places at the
right of his majesty. and prepared 90
wssch the examination. One of the
students being called UP by the court
marshal, entered the room and fell on
his gnees before the king. A sort OF
vase containing many long strips OF
bamboo was then pushed toward him.
from which he drew one and whatever
number was written on IL. from
that page must he he examined
Then, after the places had
been found for the king and
prince and their books placed before
them. a hook containing the real
Engli h was placed hefare the student,
still on his knees. and be wonid read
what was written and explain what
was meant by IL.
His majesty kept account OF every
mistake IN prom uDciation or lnterpre-
tatinn. and knew just how - grade
the nsn. In every ease he appealed
- us Tor our Judgment a. 10 the
grade which the man deserved aud
afterward he orderei a. he thought
best, There Sere four grades: "foBg.
which meant perfect, wax, whiCh
meant second cbsu. third. and
'poa3. sallure. When the King an
nouucefi what the man Was "a receive.
enc I'd t&e curriers' picked zap biocS
az xuoel on ehIeh VA written ihe
Chinese character for that grade and
placing i on 3 salTer elevated Il ~ fore
the King ana pronounced the name of
the grade la iou1 Voice Then
the student retired and an
other vas csilei us Fer
ihrye DAYS the examination
sent Oh, one cay being ocr-lpssvf in
examining their abisfs to write I'm.
iish at ear ,lic;agion- AZ the eud hs