The Irish standard., 1891-05-09
KOREA In MOURNING.
Millions Of People Clothed in the
Habiliments Of Woe.
The Recent Death or the Queen-Dow-
ager Compels the Natives TO Wear
SackcIoth for Period OF
Three Years.


millions Of men, women and children
wearing sackcloth! All business sus-
pended, all festivities stopped, conver-
sation itself at a standstiill
This is the condition of the kingdom
of Korea to-day, says Once Week, and
At il question as to whether this will
not continue to be its condition for the
next three years TO come
Korea is In mourning for the queen
ylowager. There Is no land III the world
where filial piety prevails TO so large
an extent, and there is no country
where mourning Is SO terrible rs here
The law requires that every man shall
put On mourning for three years when
Ills father dies, and the law prescribes
She character Of the clothes which shall
be worm. The mourning garb is a
gown of stray-colored sackcloth, bound
around the waist with a great straw
rope The mourner must wear hat as
big around as a parasol, and he must
hold asscreen up before his face, so that
no one may look upon, his sorrowful
conntenance. White ii the mourning
color OF Korea, and this gown of I'M
bleaehed cotton is supposed to be white.
The screen is of the same material, and
III he smokes his pire must be wrapped
with white, The mourner must wear
this costume for three years, and during
that time lie can engage in no work or
pleasure. When king or queen dies,
the whole nation IS expected to go into
Enourning-at least this has been the
custom Of the past. and it is said that
once Korea had three different kings
who died within period of ten years,
thus keeping the whole nation inactive
and ia mourning during that time.
This custom Of mourning thus be-
comes very serious national issue, and
if it is not changed Korea can never
take her place as one of the smart, a.
tive and progressive business people Of
the east No business will stand being
neglected for three years at time, and
1t is due to this custom that the hermit
kingdom is as poor to-day as it is. 1t is.
a serious thing as respects the other re
lations of life outside that of business.
A lover may be about to marry his
sweetheart and his father dies during
the tendency of the engagement. The
wedding day must then be put off for
at least three years, and if at the end Of
this time the young mans mother dies,
he has to wait another three years be-
fore lle can get married. During my
stay in Korea a year or two ago ! was
shown a man whom death kept out Of
his matrimonial rights for period of
twelve years. AIT about the time that.
was set for his wedding day his father
4 Al Il - A.,
mourning his mother died, thus compel
ling him to wait three years more.
This time death left his family and
went into that 0f his betrothed, and two
deaths more kept him out of his bride
for another SIX years.
The mourning lat of Korea complete
ly hides the head Of the mourners It is
not etiquette to peep under it nor to
speak to the mar who wears ID. It is,
ia fact, the most perfect disguise that a
man can have in Korea, for the officers
will not arrest a mourneI, and some
years ago the French missionaries trifv-
eled all over the country in this dis
guise; and though the police were after
them, they Tor a long time escaped de-
lection. Many of the mourners carry a
long staff in connection with the hat,
and they bind their fans and ornament
everything connected with their dress
with white. They get their mourning
customs from China, but they carry
them to much greater extremes than do
ahe Chinese of to-day
The Chinese have mourning costumes,
but these do not extend to the hat. The
n 4
white thread into their cues, and wear
even white shoes They Pretend to
mourn for parent for at least three
years, but this period is cut down To
twenty y-seven months For thirty days
after the death of near relative they
are not expected TO shave their heads or
change their clothes, and there is apen-
atty for the non-observation of mourn
ing When Iii Hung Chang's mother
died year on SO. ago, he asked to be al
lowed to resign from his office of viceroy
of China and 90 into mourning for her
for three years lie was too valuable u
man, however, for the emperor to lose,
and he was told that his period Of mourn
Ing must be restricted to three months.
The Chinese have rules of mourning
for the nation in case of the death of an
emperor or empress. When an empress
dies. the officers Take off their gay col
'ored silks and put Oh white They tear
the buttons and fringes from their caps,
and do not shave then. heads for one
hundred days The people dare not
shave for a month, ana ill the case Of an
emperor they must let their hair grow
for a hundred days, and no marriages
must take place during this time, Red
is the lucky color and the festal color of
China, and when the last emperor OF
China died, everything red was taken
out OF the streets Of Pekin and white
was draped everywhere The Chinese
have a half mourning dress, and the color
of this is blue The mourner, when liz
puts on the white, sends out white
mourning cards written In blue ink To-
his friends, stating that he Is over
whelmed with grief When he goes
into half mourning, he again sends out
a card on which Is printed his name
with the sentiment: Grief still terrible.