The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-03-30

| uiifO, ouC vi "uOui, tuc cluci, was a
woman of remarkable powers of mind
and body. Through her influence
the present king, who was then boy
of twelve, was nominated sovereign,
and he in 1873 attained his majorii Y
and swayed the scepter. His bride
was chosen for him from the ancient
and illust ious Min family. Epitc-
m Eng Korean politics, we may say
that the government, though nomin
all y monarchy, has, until 1895, been
really sort of compromise and
armed truce between old feudal
clans, the country being divided into
those who hold office or own lands
and those who do not. The Min
clansfolk, with great influence in
China and at the court of Peking,
were strenuous upholders of Chinese
ideas and culture, owned great es-
tates, and had vast influence in the
Government. Now, in 1895, all this
is changed, and we have new Korea.
Fancy, then, the maiden Che But
terfy) of the M family called out
of her girlhood and secluded life 10
be the queen of Great Chosen. Born
in 1851, she was, at the time of her
marriage, in her early twenties. Be-
coming queen and entering The pal
ace grounds, what with her surround
ings and her dignity, she may have
dreamed of happy and peaceful
life. Why not? Her lineage was
noble, her honors were great, her
prospects enchanting, her immediate
surroundings fascinating. Underline
grand old pine trees, amid the beau
tiful flowers, by the side of The lotus
ponds with their great shield Ill e
leaves and massive pink and white
crowns of bloom, on the pebbled
paths, with the great granite peaks
OF Nan San piercing the bright blue
sky by day and seeming to play
among the stars by night. with count
less servants and friends, the country
in profound peace, and the people
loyal and affectionate, what else was
there but happiness? Within the
ken of the soft-eyed young bride
what dangers could lie?
Life of vicissiiudes.
Yet, even though we have Eugene
of France in our minds eye, and
think of others who have found how
stormy and uncertain is the atmos-
phere that envelopes the throne, yet
we question whether any female SOW
ereign in our generation has suffered
such vicissitudes as those of the Ko-
rean queen. OF the long story we
can give only the salient points; for
eign marauders violating the frontiers
of the secluded nation; grave robbers
from Christepdem digging up the
kings ancestors remains to pawn
hallowed treasures; the cannon of
the warhips of France and the United
States making hundreds OF Korean
graves, with few of their own; China
on the west claiming neutral territory
and joining the frontiers of the giant
to those of the pigmy-thus initial
ing Russia that had already pressed
its way on the north; Japan making
the treaty of 1876 and building Le-
cation almost under the palace win
dows; the strange white people coming
from the west, with their treaties and
their residences in the Capital, fol
lowed by native riots and incendiar-
ism, palace plots and bloody battles
between Chinese and Japanese sol
diers in Seoul. All these things were
new and strange to Korean queen.
So far, however, things were more
pleasant than painful. The Edison
light over her head in the palace, the
jewels, trinkets, watches and gloves,
laces and strange feminine attire on
her person or in her boudoir, her
rooms adorned with the western curl
osities, and the things which, coming
from Europe and America, smell as
strangely to an Oriental, even as the
odorous things of the Orient do to
us-these had nothing in them of
tragedy or sorrow. But for new
civilization to jostle an old one means
disturbance. No love was lost be-
tween Japanese and Chinese when
on Korean soil, which both seemed
to think was theirs. So, in the awful
riots of 1882, and again in 1884, the
young queens life was attempted
first by the prisoner and then by the
assassin. Twice she escaped from
death, once by flight in disguise; and
again because love that was stronger
than death suffered vicariously for
her-a palace maid that looked like
her making herself the willing vic