The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-06-29
WOMEN IN KOREA.
Lower Glass Must Work, Upper
Glass Must Be Entombed.
Anna Northcnd Benjamin in Ainslcc's.

| Anna Northcnd Benjamin in Ainslcc's
! We may say without hesitation that
| the lot of the Korean woman Is the
most pitiable, just as the position of
| her people is the most deplorable, in
emanating from China is here carried
than a chattel. seldom seen before the
marriage, which is arranged by go
between" Gas in China and Japan,
and after marriage to talk to her even
| is ID degradation for the husband. In
| the lower classes she must work, work,
| work. In the upper classes she must
| be entombed.
A few instances will give point to
| these facts. In the city of Fusan. in
| the southern Korea, there lived a
| the noble, class. She had been reach
| ed in her home, which was her prison,
| by some young women missionaries.
| One night. with the consent of her
| husband, they planned to take her to
| visit the Japanese settlement nearby.
| 1t lay only half mile away, but the
| woman had never seen 1t. This event
| took the place in her life that trip
| for many years she had seen nothing
more than the roof of her husba md s
| house. Now she had something to
| think of until she died.
A Korean girl has no name. She is
| known as So-and-So's mother, when
she becomes married and has a son.
Her husband calls her by her sons
name. A husband in Korea is entitled
n Iirnrna orr pf his fa'
incompatibiity with her mother-in-
law. The professions of sorceresS,
Buddhist nun and dancing girl seem the
| only avenues by which the Korean
woman may escape her bondage.
Though in some cases the adoption of
Christianity has led to better state
of affairs. yet the attempt at innova-
tion seems almost hopeless. A young
Korean couple in Fusan had become
Christians. and the husband. being the
right hand of one of the missionaries,
went with him on long trips into the
country. He had fallen in love with
his little wife--a very unusual thing
and, in his treatment OF her, wished
to emulate the example of his foreign
friend. When he and the missionary
found that they We're to be in a cer-
tain village for few days, they sent
for their wives.
where do you wish to go?" inquir-
ed the father-in-law of the Korean
girl,
ITO see our husband" was the re-
sponse.
Thereupon, he forbade his daughter
in-law to take the trip. saying that his
son would be the laughing stock of the
city, and he could not allow her to
create such a scandal.
On another occasion when this same
Korean husband was away. he wrote
a letter to his wife, but the father-in-
law was ashamed to give it to her,
declaring that it was violation of all
Korean custom.
The women in this country are often
unhappy and intelligent enough to
realize the misery of their position,
In way they are more spirited than
the women of the neIghborng coun-
tries, for they have fits of uncontrolled
anger, during which they tear their
hair, cut themselves and generally
make things fly. At such a time the
husband may use much haste and tact
in getting out of the way or he may
retalate by some effective blows, or
later by a divorce. 1t Is an interesting
fact that, while as nation the kor-
cans are least assertive, individually
they are more apt to give way to
violent outbursts of temper than
either the Chinese or Japanese. When
a Korean woman Is deeply incensed
she reduces everything to simple
equation, forgetting in her fury the
teachings of Confucius, and her cen
tures of subsection. We have 1t in us
TO wish that all Korean womankind
would rise up in simultaneous frenzy
and trample the old order of things to
death under foot. | can imagine the
whole army of Korean men scrambling
! hastily to cover.