The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1897-10-21
NO. a..
AS A COREAN SEES US.
Some OF Prince Kim's Impressions n
Related in His Book,


1t will be remembered that Min-Youp.
dwan, the Corean ambassador, on his
way to the czar's coronation, passed
through this city in May, 1896, staying
for three days at the Hotel Warwick,
on Broadway. His presence was noted
by the New York newspapers, and the
| fact that he and his fellow envoys de-
voured during their sojourn nearly $40
worth of ice cream was variously COM
mented on in easy humor. The party
consisted of the ambassador, two as
sociate ENJOYS, Yun-Chi-Ho and Prince
j. j. Kim-To-Il, and the secretary, Kim
Denk-NienAraisso. Prince Kim evil
IDENTIFY kept his eyes open, for he wrote
long letters to his cousin, YangYu-
Foo, in Seoul, concerning the strange
sights encountered on the journey.
These letters have just been published
in the Corean capital for the benefit
of the citizens who may contemplate
visit to the occident. The second
epistle particularly concerns New York
customs as the prince found them, and
from it his comments are translated.
He writes:
New York, May 10, 1ss6-My Dear
Cousin am now in New York, the great
| est and grandest city in America, If not
| in the universe. The people are very po-
lite and show great courtesy to me every
time l appear in the street. Even the
little boys stop their play and run to
salute me as I pass by. The women are
very beautiful to look upon, and have
soft voices. 1 believe that European or
American women have all that goes to
| make up female beauty-arched eyebrows,
great eyes of various colors, forms agree
able to the sight. fresh compilations and
slender waists. Some persons say that this
| delicacy of the waist is produced by means
| of whalebones and cords. But don't be.
lieve 1T, particularly as have seen hero
| in museum the skeleton of whale.
I'm the cities that have been in. with
perhaps the exception of Yokohama, 1t is
| the custom for women to remain silent
until spoken to; they should not even be
| the first to pass the time of day. But here
in New York women move about among
| the shops unattended and ask Questions
| from whomsoever they please. Just at
evening, or perhaps little later the prin-
| cipal streets of the city are crowded with
beautiful women, who rarely fail to wish
the stranger a pleasant good evening as
he passes by. 1t is a charming custom.
Many times 1 have ventured out for
few moments in front of my hotel, which
IS upon an avenue of tall buildings called
the Broad Way, and. in the cool Of the
evening, have been accosted by many
beautiful women with bright golden hair
and cheeks, crimson as the puka berry,
that grows on the hillsides in the spring,
and with the slender waists about which
l have told you. Possibly it was my
strange dress or my handsome figure, but
they certainly were very polite to me, and,
after giving me the salutation of the day,
would even linger a moment as though
eager to engage in conversation. But al
though I would return their smiles and
bow, I could go no further; then they
would pass on with a smile and few
| words of adieu. 1t was gratifying to me
to notice that received more attention
than any other gentleman on the prom
enade.
"Araisso said in reply to a question from
me that this custom could not be intro
duced in Corea, for the effects would be
| most demoralizing. And l fear that he is
| right, but here the effects cannot be other
wise than elevating, for all is done SO gra-
ciously and modestly; and the bright
smiles of the golden-haired women cheer
the stranger, and evoke within him bet
| ter appreciation of occidental civilization,
| where women are the equals and not the
slaves of the men,
| N Y Times