Durango semi-weekly herald., 1901-01-10
hausted her ammunition In her three
guns and then captured her.
THE KING OF xoaeA's rrousLss


the execution of all the princes and
mandarins would not make the slight
est difference The throne of Korea
has lost its spiritual prop and the king
and his court are In u state of utmos,
concern and despondcncv. The bar.
riers between the hermit nation ana
all the misfortuncs that can he i'm.
agined have been burned away. and
the astrologers and geomancers are
wondering how they cen restore them.
Be it known. 10 begin with. that the
welfare of the sovereign and the peo-
pie of Korea depends upon The friend
| ly disposition of the spirits of the ar.
oestors of the king, and those spirits
nave been kept good.naturcd by adc--
alton at affairs which were erected.
some of them centuries ago, in tn,
temple of ancestral worship in the
palace grounds. Each ancestor had
| his altar and his tablet upon which
mis- virtues were set forth in poetic
| language. and a portrait of each hum
| overhead like pictures of saints thai
you see in churches in this country
and Europe. When anything impor-
tant was contemplated or about to hap
pen, the king and his court, attended
by the priests and other big medicin,
men, went to the temple of ancestral
worship 20 offer prayers and burn
| incense before the altar OF that ances-
| tor to whose department the particu-
lar business belonged. II they wanted
good crops they propitiated one of
/ tlta IJuuo x,,h %
| farmer If they intended 10 make
trade they asked the advice and guild
ance of that particular ancestor wh)
had reputation for making sharp
| bargains. If either OF the kings CON
cubines was in an interesting con
dition they sought the protection of
great-grandfather who raised
large family of children If they were
about to erect a new building they
prayed for the .ntercession of one of
the early kings whose architecture is
still the ornament and the admiration
Of the capital. Thus each one of tho
| ancestors is supposed to have direct
and omniscient influence over certain
events and affairs, and without his ia
'or no one would attempt to do any
Thing important
One Saturday night in November the
ancient temple in which these affairs
and tablets were worshiped almost
daily by the king and the court
caught IRE and burned to the ground
including all the pictures, tablets and
| offerings to the various sovereigns of
the present dynasty. The disaster
occurred in the middle of the night
His gracious majesty was hustled out
| OF bed Just in time to see the relics
oil 20 dead kings disappear in most
hcrrible holocaust. Without waiting
| to do mp his hair or tie on his garters
lie fled from the imperial park through
;he rear sc tcway TO the library build
ing. followed by n frightened crowd
of eunichs. dancing girls sorcerers
| and all sorts of medicine men and at.
tendants. The palace was deserted
by its Mortified occupants. but the
crowd winch was attracted to the park
Ly the hre did not fear the anger ~
the kings ancestors, ard cuolly plum.
dcred the palace and the imperial
storchouses of many Dcartiful objects
OF art and utility that will sooner or
later be offered for sale in the euro
shops of China ard Japan.
Tn next day the frightened king is
sued proclamation closing tho
schools and public Offices for thirty
days, suspending all business. forbid
ding music and all anu ,emcntg, Drc
stribing mourning for the people as
well az the court ard commanding
everybody to hustle around and d
their best to keep the shades of his
| ancestors soodnatnred Until he and
his oficials were able to contrlve
| some method of fixing them perman.
| cLtly. All that was left to the temple
was carefully scraped up and shovele1
ii to carts-charred wool logs, tiles,
old iron, rags, ashes and other debris
and reverentlv carried to Fuddhisf
monastery outside the cast gate Of
| the city to be prayed over ana sacrl.
il'ed to In the hope of s'raightnnlrg
vt the complications an, preventing
the impending disasters that were
-'ife to follow the INDIGNATION of tn
| gods. His majesty has refused to re-
turn to the imperial pa.;.ce, and has
'hken refuge in n foreign building be
| longing to the customs service. where
| MS spiritual advisers are reading ho-
oscopes, casting lots and listening to
the reports of medicine men who have
rec commended that new ten pie b /,
erected In new place, because the
old one is accurscd. The fire would
not have occurred, unless some ances.
tor was dissatisfied with the location.
All the astrologers and geomancers
have b"en looking for new site. and
decided upon the tennis court where
the foreign employees of the govern.
nent take their exercise. These gen
tlemen uttered determined protest.
but the king has offered to give them
any other place in his domain II they
Will allow new temple to his ances-
tors to be built there.
The county commissioners convened
| in rapttlur ungainr