The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1899-08-01
House Furnishings, Agricultural
and Garden Products, Fruits,
Minerals, Etc.
She Dimes With the American
Minister.
The following letter was received
by MIR. II. NJ. Trimble, of this city
SEOUL, KOREA,
1OOO Z

SEOUL, KOREA,
June 5, 1905
DEAR Mr.. TRIMBLE: | assure you
that the missive from your busy hand
was much appreciated 1t was real
JOY TO hear that you had promised to
spend an evening with the dear child
rem. I trust you Ell joyed it SO much
that you have been tempted to do SO
many times,and have not been able to
resist. have not forgotten that l
promised to find answers to your
many questions in regard to the peo-
pile, ETC., and send them to you. 1
shave not YET found them all, but
Twill send you what have, and keep
trying for others. trust you under
stand that we do not, by any means,
know all about the people when we
land in the country. We must be con-
tent to learn little by little, language
and all.
The houses are of two kinds those
rooted with deep thatch of rice straw
and those covered with black tiled
roof. All one story buildings except
q few government and business houses.
The frame work of the roof, to sup
port the heavy thatch or tiles, is well
mortised togsther, and made very
strong, and TO support this well.planed
logs of wood cross the rooms over
head and these rest on pillars erected
at intervals of eight feet. This is all
made before the wall is touched. In
constructing the walls a wicker-work
of twigs is woven, and over this mud
is plaslered this is some times faced
IN stone and some times the white
Y Korean paper is put on the outside as
on the inside. giving a very neat sp.
,pearance to the house. Partitions,
that can be easily removed, are put in
between the pillars, making the rooms
Flight feet square. Larger rooms can
be made by removing the partition,
and thus throwing two or three rooms
together; that leaves the pillar stand
| ing.
The missionaries who use the
Korean houses always enlarge and
remodel the rooms and take the pill
lars out, but have to put in larger
cross-beam. The windows are dou-
bic. The outside ones are lstticed and
swing on hinges. The inner ones
slide in grooves, and both are covered
with tough paper that admits dim
light. In the outer ones is sometimes
inserted pane of glass.
The heating of the rooms was one
of your question. On one side of the
room on the ground is place to make
the fire. Leading out from this are
five or six fues made along on the
ground, and come together on an
other side OF the room in an escape
place for the smoke. They are made
OF stone and mud, and over them is
made floor OF stone and mud. One
this are two layers OF paper pasted !;
the top one is very thick and saturat-
ed with oil, so that it looks something
like brown oilcloth. The shoes are
lett at the door to prevent breaking
the paper and thus allowing the smoke
to come through. The kitchen is
4 made by one room under which there
MS a fireplace. The kitchen has no
IMoor except the ground. Over the
fireplace two or three kettles, in which
the food is boiled, are set in mud and
stone, so that the one fire cooks the
meal and then goes on and heats the
room. They use wood or brush for
fuel. This is carried in from the
country on the back of the pony, or
cow or OK. About hundred sticks
OF wood are bound together with ropes
and then bound on The animals back,
and great bundles of brush are thus
brought to the city. They are bound
up twigs, leaves and all much of it is
pine.
/ remember that You were curious
as to were the natives get their furni-
ture, as l had to bring mine from
} America. They have just two kinds
OF furniture that are made by Koreans.
One is the small round tables about 3