The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1891-05-28
KOREA IN MOURNING.
Millions Of People Clothed in the
Eabiliments Of Woe.
me Recent Death of the Quecn-Dcw-
ager Compels tho Natives to Wear
Sackcloth for Period OF
Three Years.

wearing sackcloth! All business sus-
pended, all festivities stopped, conver-
sation itself at standstilll
This is the condition of the kingdom
OF Korea to-day, says Once Week, and
& is a 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
dowager. There is no land in the world
where filial piety prevails to SO large
IN extent, and there is no country
where mourning is SO terrible as here.
The law requires that every man shall
put on mourning for three years when
his father dies, and the law prescribes
the character of the clothes which shall
be worn. The mourning garb Is a
gown of straw-colored sackcloth, bound
around the waist with q great straw
rope. The mourper must wear hat as
big around as parasol, and he must
hold screen up before his face, so that
no one may look upon his sorrowful
countenance. White is the mourning
color of Korea, and this gown Of un-
bleached cotton is supposed to be white.
The screen is of the same material, and
It he smokes his pipe must be wrapped
with white. The mourner must wear
this costume for three years, and during
that time he can engage in no work or
pleasure. When king or queen dies,
the whole nation is expected to go into
mourning-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 in mourning during that time.
This custom of mourning thus be-
comes very serious national issue, and
It it is not changed Korea can never
take her place as one OF the smart, ac-
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 It is
. 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 pendency of the engagement. The
wedding day must then be put off for
ut least three years, and If at the end Of
this time the young mans mother dies,
he has to wait another three years be-
lore he can get married During my
stay in Korea q year OF two ago !. was
shown a man whom death kept out of
his matrimonial rights for period Of
twelve years. At about tho time that
was set for his wedding day his father
died, and at the end Of the three years
mourning his mother died, thus compel
ling him to wait three years more.
This time death left his family and
went into that of his betrothed, and two
deaths more kept him out Of his bride
for another six years.
The mourning hat Of Korea complete
" hides the head of the mourner. It Is
not etiquette to peep under it nor to
speak to the man who wears it. It Is,
in fact, the most perfect disguise that a
will not arrest mourner, and some
years ago the French missionaries trav-
eled all over the country in this dis
guise; and though the police were after
them, they for 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
the Chinese Of to-day
The Chinese have mourning costumes,
but these do not extend to the hat. The
mourners dress in white and they braid
white thread into their cues, and wear
even white shoes. They pretend to
mourn for a parent for at least three
years, but this period Is cut down to
twenty-seven months. For thirty days
nfter the death Of q near relative they
are not expected to shave their heads or
change their clothes, and there is PEN
atty for the non-observation OF mourn
ing. When Ii Hung Changes mother
died year or SO ago, he asked to be al
lowed to resign from his Office Of viceroy
OF China, and go into mourning for her
for three years. He was too valuable a
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 on white. They tear
the buttons and fringes from their caps,
and do not shave their heads for one
hundred days The people dare not
shave for month, and in 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
d 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 colo,
OF this is blue. The mourner, when he
puts on the white, sends out white
mourning cards written In blue ink te
his friends, stating that no Is over
whelmed with grief. When he goel
into half mourning, he again sends oui
. card on which Is printed his name
with the sentiment: "Grief still terrible
but not SO bitter as before" This givei
hia friends the intimation that he 4