New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-09-23


China within the last twenty years that part
81, Cvryor,s narrative seems less useful than
II might be under other conditions; but wheh ne
800. ., Corea he breaks new ground Inc III
80, 4, ,hc war between Japan and CHINA no"
l., rrogress In the Corean peninsula is pracucail!
universal II is felt to be test case oe'"oe"
.,o ,nv,sding conservatism Of China ana Tue
rrror.an civilization adopted by Japan. Inc
,.or, srst question asked by one familiar win '"e
o,,oment Of troops must be as 10 the nature VI
,ho country through which the japanese "oop'
bave had to travel IN order TO WIN theH NiO''''''
Mr. Curzon found that there were no i'ia'e 'o"
IN the country. and that TIE paths p' ""'N"
neople travelled were wide or mario" "O'''
N the extent with which they were "ouu
r-orea is a mountainous country, ana 'hese i'0'
Maths are frequently steep and s'on! III u"
treue and in remote regions the UaVeHer iou'
49,, \. had 70 make his way along the precip-
80. ord reimbursement bed Of a mountain tor-
=, over tagged rocks where only Coreah
,onv could pick It's way. He points 10 '"S "'
n.o ~ roads as one Of the most troupeso''ie
ob.tacIes that stand between Corea ana 'he i"'
endowment OF her advantages. This ai'hoS' "a"
known country has an excellent climate sun W.
more than ordinary fertility, vast tracts u Sun
virgin land and a robust rural popuid'io"
ready she is rising into importance as al,
norter OF rice and beans. but her 'raoe IL "
pered by the lack Of communication oe'"e '
nrod,,cing and the consuming areas and between
the interior and the coast. lhere are nv 80
a. tho country" he adds lin any sense in when
tho word would be understood in EUROPE nc
nacs.road. are mere bridle-tracks when ire
., a.os,erate into rocky torrent-beds OF
precarious footpaths across Inundated swamp
Of, they are never TcpdHcN
r.,snor, unon them Is vere costly and on some
o,oasions absolutely prohibited. NO means ioi
.o,,,ayire the surplus produce OF any area 10 d"
.yavahIe market in tim, of dearth are lort"'
Coming. and one district may be smitten with
AGRA famine while its neighbor. at no great us
,.rc. cannot get rid Of its superfluous gram
He is equally emphatic as TO the oetec's Va
r,yer and coast communication. There are h'e
nayiga BILE rivers in Corea but only on TWO Vi ''e''
do steamboats, attempt to ply. This is par''! uue
IN the shifting of river channeis, Out inc mann
reason is the Incidence OF the popuia'o"' Noa'
wise trade might easily be mace proh'aoe' oO
the Corean Junk is one OF the least my "
or.f,s and even with better shipping he doubts
whether either monopo.ies or bouhues "o"'N
.r oalvarize into activity an under'akihs
owned and worked by such people as 'he ~
reans The climate Of Corea Is SUCH as 10 p'o''hs'
the inhabitants long life anC strength pu' '"'i,
habits Of lite and their morality have rehue'eu
them subject to many forms or aiiihen' anu
disease While most Corean men nave o'i's '.'e
wife they keep as many concubines as 'he" ''
cumstances permit and the lower oroers ha.e an
the vice that accompany the utter lack OIL cream
illness and decency. The subJecuon Oh '"e ps'p'e
n a government which mas never tolerated II"
a,,,,dna, enterprise and has reduced all except
1aaA nNeOn-
n,ainins poverty has lef: the nation inert hs'-
- onatbeti- LAS individuals they
,os.ess MANY attractive characteristics. the
unner classes being polite cultivated FRIEND
To- ~ foreigners and priding themselves on
correct deportment; while the lower ORDERS
are good tempered, though very exctapie'
oh.erfu, and laxative. Beyond certain
noipt however both classes relapse INTO
.,m,,ar Indifference which takes the form OF an
,ndolent protest against action of any KIND. Inc
nolitician in Seoul remains civil, but is "hohs
deaf to persuasion. The cooley WORKS one ia
and dawdles away his wages upon the t"o heN'
The mapu or ostler. takes his own time aoou'
his own and his pack-pony's meals, ana no 'ea
soning or compusion in the world wouid c'stui
hcn from his complacent languor- lhese iu'o
syncrasies may only be interesting TO the unoo"-
cerned student of national character but 'hes
are of capital Importance IN 'heir peai'"e va
national life; when further. they are crys'aiii~eu
into hardness and are nfamed by the haol's oi
an upper and official class-which supsists d!
extortion and prohibits, outside It's own MINIS
either the exercise of surplus activity or the ac-
emulation Of vealth-they explain how II Is
that the Corean people remain poor amid stores
of unprobed wealth. lethargic where there shou'u
otherwise be hundred incentives to diligence,
<aca Ell Of cOnlDptltiOn OF Vi
peril. have seen a Corean cooley carrying
,ysgh@ that would make the stout st OK stagger,
ord ya, I have seen three Coreans laziy en-
,,oved in turning I'D the soil with single
shovel nv an arrangement Of ropes that wasted
tho labor Of three men without augmentlng the
strength of one"
Thu nonuation OF Corea according to the
su,hors observations may be divided into two
classes the vaughan, composed Of officials VINO
cannot work without losing caste, ana the
masses who have TO furnish the means FOR the
oilers to live upon and who are practically forced
TO steal from their own earnings enough 10 Keep
body and soul together. poverty IN the sense
OF restitution there is not, but poverty IN the
sense of having no surplus beyond the pare
means of livelihood and OF the paralysis OF all
enterprise is almost universal Any less mao
lensnpeople might be expected to rebel; ana oc-
casLonal magisterial encroachments beyond the
limits OF practice endurance result In snort
lived spasms Of mutiny, in the course OF which an
offending official is se!zel and perhaps, as nap
nened once in 1881. Is burned alive; but ordinarily
this implies too great an exertion; the people are
unarmed and very helpless and the system Is
mutely acouiesced in. unless pushed 10 intoier-
ah,e extremes" OF course Mr. CurZon founo
that this shiftessness of the people was reflected
in the character Of the army. Though a good
deal Of effort has been expended to raise the
corean soidiery above the ordinary Oriental
standard by means Of drill in Western tactics
the result has apparently not been encouraging
On one occasion the author got view OK the
militia called out to guard the King on gala
day. At an early hour in the morning he found
the infantry lining the roadway, but still asleep