Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1896-09-25

\M D. ~
CHIN HE VI PUN, THE NEW KOREAN MINISTER. |
hind the times. That the society people of
the national capital will watch this forced
evolution with great interest goes without
saying. The process will doubtless furnish
"a whole lot of amusement for diplomatic
and official circles
When CHA He vi Pun, for that is his
name, accompanied by his wife and young
son. arrived in America, they were attired
in silks of vivid color made into garments
the like of which has been seldom seen in
the new world They had come by the
way of Vancouver and Montreal to New
York. All the way across the continent
Chin which is Korean for his eXcclloncy,"
kept growing more and more enthusiasts
tic. Even in Canada he would wander
off when the train stopped at "a station, and
he caused more profanity among railroad
men than he can ever atone for. American
beer and ice cream especially appealed to
him, and he consumed great quantities of
each The Korean members of his suit
initiate him, but whether out of compli-
mcnt or from inclination is not known. 1t
was only by strategy that his American
couricrs got him away from New York, for
he got one glimpse of the high buildings
and was completely fascinated.
In Washington Mr.. PUN is established
in a modern house located within the fash
ionable precincts of the famous Iowa circle.
All of the furnishings are of the latest APP
proved style, and there is now nothing ORR
entail in appearance about the Korean le-
CATION except the Koreans themselves, and
this will be changed as soon as Mr.. Pum's
tailor and Mrs Pum's dressmaker finish
! their work and the two Pums find out how
! to wear their new clothes. In order to be
thoroughly civilized Mrs. Pun has an
nounced that she is going to learn to ride
Il bicycle and she may even give Washing
/ ton II shock by appearing in boomers on
Pennsylvania avenue.
Mrs PUN, by the way, is plump, petite
young woman with brilliant eyes, a deli
cate olive skin and coy, coquettish man
ners She acts as if she thoroughly enjoy
ed being il such new and strange sur
roundings and having SO many novel ex-
periences
There is 10 doubt but that Mr.. Pun en-
joys everything hugely especially the beer
and ice cream. This is his first experience
az diplomat, and he evidently does not
intend to withdraw into a shell and fulfill
his duties in Il merely perfunctory manner
He is going to find out all about this great
country of ours, our new civilization, our
business methods and how any or all of
these things can be applied To his own
country, which is just waking up after a
century long sleep
In order u do his work thoroughly Mr..
Pun finds that he has much to learn and
that he must get right at it. He had even
begun to master the English language be
fore he reached Washington and had pro
crossed so far that he could say Good
morning" with great facility and frequen-
cy. Doubtless by this time he has acquired
several more phrases. There is nothing
exclusive about PUN. Although he is i
noble of the first rank in Korea, he seems
to realize that he is in n democratic coun-
try now and to be determined to act ac-
cordingly. He hobnobs with carriage
drivers, elevator boys and porters and looks
with undisguised admiration ut the impe
rious looking head walters in the big no
tells.
1t will be almost too bad, though, if hii
progressive spirit leads him to discard en-
tirely his native dress, for it would lend
picturesqueness to the diplomatic recep
tons that even the Chinese could not sup
ply. Ordinarily he wears suit of whit
silk with flowing sleeves and bloomerlik
trousers. Over this he puts a green or pur
pie jacket of silk and caps his swarthy heaC
with quaint, black hat with sugar lOa
crown. Mrs. Pum's costume is of softe
colored silk, but its construction woulI
puzzle even dressmaker to describe Mas
ter Pun, who is abGNlt 0 years old, is ais
dressed in colored silk and boomers, blu