New-York tribune., 1900-08-19
THE LAND OF DEVILS.
COREAs DECADENCE ATTRIBUTED TO
ITS DEGRADING SUPERSTITION.
from The London Morning Herald.

Most people who learn anything about CoFEA
are hopelessly perplexed in view of the utter
weakness of a nation which is physically and
Intellectually qualified to show itself superior TO
both it's neighbors The Coreans are handsomer
than either the japanese or Chinese and there
was time when they were far ahead of both in
civilization. Yet for several centuries the mill
Ions OF this lovely mountain peninsula have
been abJectly at the mercy of China and japan
alternately, and now they are certainly doomed
70 become subjects Of Russia, though not be
fore terrible struggle has ensued between the
Car and the Mikado for this great prize.
Devil worship Of the most abjeCt order is the
secret Of COrean decadence Such expert
scholars as Dr. Lands, Of ChemulpO and the
Rev Herbert Jones' of the same Corean city.
have devoted so much attention to this subject
of the demonOlatry of the Hermit Nation that
they have been able by their researches to di-
Yulge the exact reason for what otherwise must
have been inexplicable. GroveIIing superstition
and fear of countless evil spirits, with the faint
nope OF propttiating a small minority of kindly
demons, must be held accountable for the
miserable degeneration of the people whom Nat
ure did not fail to qualify for a splendid destiny.
Buddhism and Confucianism have both been
oVerthroWn by Shamanism the keynote of
which is always sorcery. Corea is the home Of
the most complex and all pervading witchcraft
the world has ever seen 1t is not cruel like the
fetichsm of the Congo, but it is so servile and
puerie that it has sapped the virility of a stall
wart and attractive race. The COreans are the
most omnivorous and voracious gluttOns
earth. They simply live to eat. The typical
Corean is eating nuts, fruit and confectionery
all day long between his regular meals, imbibing
also great quantities OF wine at intervals; but
he can commonly eat three pounds of meat at
meal, and he eats his portion of flesh all the
more dellghtedly II 1t is black dog that happens
to be in season. What be done to elevate
such people? The national fibre has been de-
stroyed by gross materiaHsn. and the religious
cult has actually helped the deterioration
Wizards and witch doctors are the real
rulers Of COrea. What is most singular, per-
haps, in this degrading system is that parents
are counted particularly lucky II they happen
to have a born blind. He can become a
able to gain a handsome livelihood for the
whole family. The Pan SUI wizards are sup
posed to be gifted with supernatural instead Of
natural vision. The helpers OF the male Sha-
mans are the female sOrcerers, or witches, who
are everywhere in evidence. The function OF
these two classes of Shaman devotees is to pro-
pitiate the spirits which swarm in the air, at
least three fourths of these demons being alto
gether malign. The Pan Su" and the 'Mutang
will not by any means exercise their offices at
low figure. Their fees most eXOrbitant,
and il is computed that Shamanism costs the
country not less than 100000 annually! No
where can the poor Corean escape from the ac-
cursed burden of this lifelong bondage to un-
seen foes. According &c the popular creed the
maIign spirits fill every portion Of space. The
chimney is crowded with them; they live by
thousands in the kitchen; they have their man
sions in the roof: they squat in every jar; they
citizen by thousands when he travels forth
along the road: they dance around him in earth,
air and water. Arithmetic cannot compute
their number, for they exist in thousands OF
billions The "Mutang' or sOrCeress is the most
important sort of woman among the COreans.
she IS everywhere IN as rnuch request as the
blind Pan Su,' and she move about
freely, not being blind as he is, she leads much
active life. Yet, strange 10 say, this all
important parsonage is socially Outcast. The
Coreans hold woman in lower esteem than any
other civilized people, and the 'Mutang'' is
relegated TO the lowest place of all, although
she is the mediator between natural and super
natural agents.
Children are sold to devils by very many fami-
lies. To sell a child to spirit is reCkOned by
COrean father to be the surest method of as
surng its prosperity. The children thus conse-
Grated still live with their parents, but they are
considered to belong to the "Mutang' 1t is eX-
. traOrdinary that a system so unutterably ludi-
crous should prevail Intelligent and
keen witted people. All classes are bewtched
by il. The late Queen, a beautiful and talented
woman was a profound believer in Shamanisn,
and resorted continually TO the demon oracleS-
But they could not save her from her cruel fate.
She fOuIIy murdered by japanese assas-
sins For that crime the Japanese Will be bit
terly hated by Corea for many generation
has become one of the most venerated Of spirit
shrines Most of the spirit shrines in COrea are
grotesque places adorned with gaudy paintings
of gigantic caricatures of humanity, like eX-
aggerared Chinese generals. The inscription
usually is, Il, the spirit dwell in this place"
The Coreans coming to a shrine act as do
the Russians when they catch sight Of hoIy
icon, but they have a habit, in addition or
expectorating before passing on. To sick peo-
a shrine with the confident hope that a
cure will thus be effected. The effect is often
fatal For instance, many typhoid patient is
thus stuffed with pork! Yet the sad result
seems to bring no revulsiOn of opinion For IN
Corea the dark reign Of superstition has
ecIipsed all the light of common sense.