The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-08-09
HERMIT OF THE NATIONS.
COIUa a Land Given Over to Soil.
tude.

with age, Tells OF a Race W ell on It's
Downhiu Course.
From the San Francisco Examiner
The very name, Of Corea is suggestive
Of mystery, writes a correspondent from
Gensan, Corea, under date Of May 10.
This little kingdom, way out here atthe
uttermost part of the earth, is still I'M
known, though she stepped out from her
hermit life as long ago as 1882, and en-
tered into treaty relations with the
civilized nations of the world. Corea
has not yet recovered from her air of be-
wilderment at sight of the great outside
world, and those who have visited her,
either as newspaper correspondents or
travellers, seem to have shared in this
same bewildered condition Of mind.
When the traveller comes in sight of this
east coast, instead of beholding country
clothed with beautiful forests of maple,
black walnut, cherry, oak, varnish trees,
red mahogany and every other common
and uncommon wood. as has been repre-
sented, there is presented panorama of
mountains, whose rugged outlines, eXces-
sively steep slopes and severe, wild as
pect, produces grand but melancholy
and iuhospitable impression. 1T seems
forsaken land, given over to solitude"
For the most part it Is utterly treeless,
nude and barren, though here and there
are grOwths of unthrifty, crooked
weather beaten pines. From the lofty
mountain submits, which tower TO the
clouds, to where the foothills meet the
sea, scarce human habitation is TO to be
seen; but on searching more closely, in
unexpected valleys that stretch far into
the hills, we find many villages and ham
lets, surrounded by fertile fields of rice,
millet and other productions that give
a comfortable support TO the Inhabitants.
THE TOWNS OF CoREA
The Corean towns are composed of I'M
attractive collections of houses, low and
ugly These dwellings are small straw
matched mud novels of one or two rooms.
devoid of furniture, where the people sit,
eat and sleep on the floor. The streets
are only narrow, filthy alleys. The mud
floors of the Corean houses, heated by
, tiues from beneath, are called hangs.
They are heated in summer and winter to
degree that would be intolerable to one
not used to il from infancy Fuel
gatherers scOur the country to find means
to feed these primitive furnaces.
All the hillsides are shaven every
autumn with short, strong iron
sickles. They are stripped of every grow
ing thing; every stock and branch
sprouted from the old roots that lie
buried in the rich black soil every chrys-
anthemum and bluebell, every coarse
blade of grass, they cut down and bind
in bundles for fuel. This is all they have
The impression prevailed until recently
that Northern Corea was rich in timber :;
but it is now known that except in tenn
pie grounds, or places sacred to some
deity, or to the memory of some great
no Of
any value. Everything like q stick of
timber is very precious and costly.
Every plank for building every timber
Of the house, is brought by ship from ia
pan. There is not, there need not be, q
saw-mill in all the country, for there is
no wood to saw All bricks for building
are also brought on steamers from Japan
| or China; though clay is abundant, and
coolies are waiting to make brick. there is
no wood TO burn them. No yankee enter
! prise will avail here to tide over these
| difficulties.
EVERYTHING LOOKS OLD.
If age fills one with generation, then
| you find enough here to impress you most
profoundly, for everything your eyes fall
| upon looks old. the rocks are crumb-
ling so that you can break them with
your fingers. And when the rainy season
comes in summer, the mold OF ages
gathers on everything, even to your
gloves and shoes, if you drop out of them
for few days The very air you breathe
at such times seems to be charged with
malaria and old age. II is all made plain
when you are told that this is one of the
oldest countries in the world; that some
of its walled cities date back to King Da-
vid's time; that most OF them are more
than thousand years old.
Welded TO THEIR WAYS.
The Coreans are proudly conscious OF
their antiquity. They say they have
nearly lived out their allotted time, as
people. Their slow sensibilties, ancient
customs, grave language and inert man
ner of life all betit the aged. They speak
of Europe and America as just beginning
life; and in stately way they show they
have no intention of yielding any of their
venerable ideas TO such frivolous youth.
No influence can move them to change
their slovenly fitting white cotton gar
ments for anything of a dark color or bet
ter shape They insist on squatting on th cir
heels when they work in your gar
den, while they use the short
handled, awkward Coreau hoe
of the past ages, instead of the civ
iliZed implement of to-day. This squat,
ting posture is favOrite one with them
We see long lines of squatting men by the
roadside, in the hot sunshine. resting
they seem 10 be perfectly happy, In half
comatose condition, with watery eyes,
after a surfeit Of rice and pickle, dog
chops and soup of garlic, strings of meat
and dough, and some indescribable white
Jumps, neither flesh nor fish, bread nor
fat, that cause a gagging sensation when
you feel them upon your tongue, and that
slide down your throat as though they
might be lizard or snake. This leaves a
fierce burning behind it, and your eyes fill
with tears; you plunge brass spoon full
of rice into your mouth TO put out the fire
of red pepper.
So welded is the Corean 10 his ways
that any change, even IN the smallest
detail of life, seems to him perfectly alb
surd. With as much hope might you in
terfere with the rising and setting of the
sun or try to change the stars Ia their
courses. All his ancestors have sewed up
their fearfully and wonderfully made
trousers, queer stockings, long, flowing
white outer garments, in just the same
painstaking way; and, therefore, the
Corean of to-day refuses our offer TO
stitch the long seams on the sewing ma
chine, rather choosing 10 sit up o.
nights" and rip and sew according TO the
good old custom. They will tell you that
some strange appearance and movement
in the water is caused by a dragon You
need not take the trouble TO deny the ex-
istence Of the winged serpent for they
will adhere to every old superstition.
Our pretty little COrean bride who has
hoe sTtF az cd In m af cob 4