Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-01-19

The king gets a big income out CT Corean
paper 1t is all mace by hand, and II
brings about five cents a sheet, each sheet
containing about as much paper, ] judge
as eight pages of this newspaper. 1 went
through paper factory, which is just out
side of Seoul, along the banks Of a stream
Some paper is made Of bark reduced to
pulp, and all the old paper is worked over.
1t is ground up into a sort of a muSh, and
when 1t is all in bits, bamboo frame is
thrust into the mush, and that which
sticks to the frame makes sheet of pa
GER 1t is bleached in the sun. and is
strong az CLOTH Now, the king gets his
percentage out Of the first sale, and he
makes a big lot of money out Of his ex
animation papers. All offices are supposed
to be awarded by civil service examina-
lions, and at certain times of the year the
students, by the thousand, como from all
parts of the country, each carrying two or
three of these sheets OF paper. They are
admitted into one part of the palace
grounds, and there squat down under UNI
brellas which they bring with them, and
write essays in poetry. They have to wear
a certain kind of a cap. known as scholars
cap, at this time. and each essay COW
ers sheet of this paper. 1t must have
just so many verses and just so many lines
to each verse, and the students don't know
what they are going to write about until
they get inside the grounds. The subject is
hoisted up on a pole just outside of pen
in which the king and the judges sit. After
the writing is through. each student folds
up his essay in a peculiar way and throws
it over the fence of the pen. 1t is carried
up to the king and is spread out on top of
n pile of papers which grows to large pro-
portions before the examination is through.
Only few pass at these examinations. and
the rejected papers are all sold by the king
or by his officials. and there are hundreds
of houses in Seoul which are carpeted with
these old examination papers. I wore a
rain-coat made of oiled paper which had
.ffr,v,4 H., "a
for one Of these essays. and trotted about
through the streets with lot of Confucian
doggerel on my back. The paper stores are
found in different parts of the capital. and
they do a big business. This paper takes
the place of glass. and it forms the WIN
dow coverings of Corea.
The Shoe Stores.
Ore of the largest of the guild halls about
the great bell Is devoted to the selling of
shoes. These are of many varieties, and
some are quite expensive. Those for the
ladies are made Of pink, blue and red
leather, while the men usually wear black
slippers with soles OF white wood about
an inch thick. The common people wear
straw shoes, and these are made by the
bushel, and are carried by porters all over
the country. j took picture of one with
about 800 pairs on n pack on his back, and
l saw peddlers sQuatting down on the road
here and there with these shoes before
them. They cost about one cent per pair,
and the cheapest article of clothing
I'm Corea. Most things are eXtravagantly
dear. General PAX showed me hats which
cost SO apiece. and he bought new gown
in order that he might go about with me
In style which cost him so.
Free Lunch Counters.
Think of free lunch counters in Corea,
Well, they have them in all parts of the
country, and there Is many a dirty little
den in Seoul outside of which a clay oven
is continually cooking free SOUP and where
you can get a bit Of dried fish or a raw
turnip without charge between drinks
The Coreans are less temperate than the
Chinese, and I think. also, than the Japan
ese. They like Intoxicating liquors, and
I met many Keeling through the streets,
and now and then saw ore asleep by the
roadside, dressed in his long white gown
and looking for all the world like corpse
in q shroud. i saw q number of fights and