St. Paul daily globe., 1895-12-15
HYWEN IN c0REA.
WHEN THE KING WANTS A WIFE
r MATRIMONY CEASES TEM-
PORARILY.
FAST OF FORTY DAYS
THE KING WILL SEEK A NEW
WIFE FROM THE WHOLE
KINGDOM.
VERY ODD MARITAL CUSTOMS.
The COrean Wife the Slave of
Her Husband and His Rel
atiVes.

country the other day that an i'm
perial edict had been issued in Corea
prohibiting all marriageable girls
between the. ages of thirteen and
eighteen from contracting a matri-
monial alliance for period of forty
days. This edict was issued because
the King of Corea is in need of a
wife, and, in consequence, must have
the pick of the kingdom.
Like everything else in the Hermit
Kingdom, the marriage ceremony is
very interesting. Marriage in Corea
amounts almost to an industry, as
fathers and mothers raise their girls
particularly to marry them off. For
this reason it can be easily imag-
ined that the imperial edict just is
sued is causing a pretty fiutter
throughout the entire kingdom and
thousands of demure little girls are
hoping that the royal choice may
fall upon them.
Even if marriage arrangement
had already been made for her and
blocked by the kings order, it would
not worry the Corean girl if she
thought there was any chance of
her being chosen. An American
| girl of the right sort would be loyal
to her first lover, even if a king tried
| to step between them, but a Corean
| maid has no scruples on this point
simply because she has never been
permitted to fall in love. Affection
| rarely figures in her wedding; it is
simply the result of a business ar
fangement. But for all that, the
| Corean girl usually makes a good
wife, as wives go in that country,
| and the breath of scandal seldom
| touches her
In the Oriental countries woman is
considered the inferior of man, and
the people of Corea carry this idea to
an exaggerated degree. One of the
results of this is peculiar law by
! which men are not allowed to go out
at night, this privilege being accord
! ed to women alone. An explanation
is found in the fact that, according
I to primitive belief, man belongs to
] the masculine principle of the uni
| verse, the sun, and therefore to the
day, while woman belongs to the fem
mime principle, the moon, and there
fore to the night
The life of the girl is regarded like
a piece of machinery. So it does not
really matter who the king chooses,
! for he will get the same kind of a
wife in any event, except as to the
! matter of looks. The little girls en-
joy. a species of liberty up to the
7age of seven, and they have games
much like American children. They
play house, using shells as table
utensils, and they make their own
| dolls. They cut a section of bamboo
stem, 5 inches or so in length, and in
the top they put long grass, which is
fixed like a woman's hair. No face
is made. The stick is dressed in
clothes like those worn by the
women.
GIRLS ARE IGNORED.
But the girls are not of much i'm
portance, even to their parents. They
do not even think it necessary to
| give her name. They give her a
nickname, which she loses at the
age Of twelve. This is not a simple
usage; the laws are formal in that
| respect, and do not make any differ
ence between a woman and domes-
tic animal.
When woman is called to court
as a witness the judge acknowledges
/ her by nickname. At the age of
l seven, especially among the rich fam
lilies, the girls are separated from
the boys and relegated to the wom-
ans department. The exaggerated
morals of Confucius are applied with
all severity by parents and teachers
consequently family life does not ex.
ist in Corea.
Her life in the woman's apartment
of the house is most uneventful, but
not altogether an idle one. partieu.
larly if her parents belong to the
better class. Etiquette of the peculiar
kind practiced by the country is
drilled into her day after day. From
the age Of seven she is taught the
duties and responsibilities of mar
ried life, and these are manifold il
Corea. At any time after clever
years she may suddenly be called
upon to leave her fathers home fol
that of her husband.
The young girls are taught to read
to write, to count, to do different kind.
Of needlework, for which they are very
capable; they study the Confuciar