The Portland daily press., 1894-09-01
THE KOREAN WAR.
Mime. Chika Sakuri Gives Clear Ac-
count of Its Causes.

| VIC. T. U. ON OakEstreet were filled with
| ladies yesterday, who gathered to list
en- to Mrs. L. NJ. N. Stevens's guest from
Japan, Nine. Chika Sakuri. The lady
was attired in her native costume and
opened the exercises by reading the BIZ
bic lesson for the day. Then prayer was
| offered, after which Mrs. Stevens intro
duced the speaker, prefacing her re-
| marks with little sketch of the lady,
| and paying very handsome compliment
to the PRESS for it's account of the
meetingsof asts.week.
Nine. Sakuri began by saying that she
had not previously spoken on the subject
that had been announcedsbut she would
address her audience upon today, the
Korean Difficulties between Japan and
| China" She then pro ceeded to say that
her country was about $500 years old.
Where the first king came from is mys-
terry, but tradition has it he descended
from heaven. Way back for over seven
teen centuries there has been bitter
feeling existing between China and Jap
an, as both have claimed Corea as vas
sal state. Over 800 years ago one of the
bloodiest wars in the history of eastern
nations was waged in Korea between the
two countries, that lasted seven years
In that campaign Japan was victorious,
and the King of Korea sent tribute
thereafter to Japan. From that time on
all was peaceful between China and
Japan until 1882, when the old feeling
of 81 I'd
China sent an army into Korea
professedly to meet Russian invasion.
but really to resrain Kora from adopting
western civilization. There were many
bloodysbattles and amany barbarities in
f1icted by the Chinese soldiery. The
Japanese were compelled to retreat with
the loss of their legation and other valu-
able property latter they had been called
in by the Korean king for protection
against the mob. In 1885, ssalthough the
war feeling in Japan was intense, the
Emperor concluded treaty with the
Emperor of China, by which both par
ties agreed to Withdraw their troops and
not again send them to Korea without
formal notice to each other. This peace
policy of Japanscaused the so-calIed Sat-
suma rebellion in that country, in
which $50, 900 lives were lost and $50, 0OO,-
600.
A second cause for the present state of
things in Korea is the misruIe of the
kingdom owing to the corruption of the
officials, who, under royal patronage,
oppressed the peasantry. The opponents
of the officials, or reform party, SO called,
known as the "Tong-Hak", succeeded
last spring in defeating the king and his
troops.
third cause of the war grew out of
the clause in the treaty between Japan
and China which said neither country
should send troops into Korea without
notice to the other. The "Tong- Hakn
party having captured the southern pro-
vinces, the King of Korea called OH the
Emperor of China for help, and the JAP
anese claim. without proper notice ito
the Mix ado. Again the murder of the
great Korean liberal statesman, Kim
Ok-Kium, incensed the Japanese nation.
Kim was involved in the riot in Seoul,
the capital of Korea, when the Japan
csc legation was sacked in 1884. He fed
to Japan, ssbut last spring was decoyed to
Shanghai, and there, by Chin ese sane
ton and Korean authority, murdered,
with all his family, his body discovered
and scattered to the four winds of
heaven.
fifth reason found is in the unrest
| OF in, Of he
Then there are the two parties, as in
other countries, one for and the other
against the government, and it was felt
that foreign war only would prevent
civil one. 1t is necessary to consolidate
the empire at home.
Still another cause is the feeling on
the part of Japan that she has taken
Korea under her wing and opened her
to European education and civiliza-
ton. There are two parties there also,
the conservatives looking to China and
the Progressives TO Japan. Japan be-
lieves-that is the educated classes-that
it is her duty to opel Korea to civiliza-
tion, and the missionaries think SO too.
After Nine. Sakurai had concluded her
chat on the subject of the after noon,
which she discoursed upon in a very
taking manner, and had answered sever
al questions from Mrs. Stevens, Miss
Dow, Mrs. French and others in regard
to it, the lady gave some idea of the
Japanese female costumes and head
dresses, displaying several pictures of
the Japanese method of dressing the
hair
Perhaps one of the most interesting
statements made by Nine. Sakurai re-
lated to the American missionaries in
Japan. She said she didn't think they
ever would be able to reach the upper
classes of that country, andssa great por-
tion Of the peasantry. Her husband,
who had been a Japanese officer, was
despised by his brother officers when he
became Christian, and yet, like civil
lied nations, when in trouble they al
ways sought him for help and comfort.
She though the great mistake in sending
missionaries to Japan arose from the