Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-04-27

OF China or those of Japan. They
- seem to be a cross between the
two, except that they are some-
what taller than either Japanese or
Chinese women. Their dress Is neither
the short gown and wide trousers OF the
Chinese nor the long boomers and
bathrobe-like kmono Of the japanese,
but, again, a sort Of cross between the
two-something like Mother Hubbard.
Koreans of both sexes wear white cotton
clothes. The boon Of soap has never yet
been known In Korea, consequently,
with the best intentions Of the women,
who spend large part Of their lives
laundering, from the time of the first
dip into water Korean garments are
doubtful white, very doubtful.
We have the authority of an encyclo-
pedla that Korean women are not held
In such abject condition as those OF
China, but If any women in civilization
or barbarism are kept down more they
have not appeared Cows and women
are beasts of burden In the Hermit
Kingdom. II Is true the Korean girIs
feet are not dwarfed, but women of the
higher classes seldom see the light Of
the sun in the open air, A man may
have all the wives he can support; but,
though they become the mothers OF 70
daughters, that Korean man Is by him
self and his nelghbors reckoned child
less, whereas one single slckly, deform-
ed, imbecie boy baby will count him a
proud happy and distinguished father.
A Korean girl is such nonentity that
no name is given to her, If she has no
brother, she is simply girl" II she
has brother, she Is known only as that
brothers sister and is thus spoken OF.
When man addresses his Wife, he
calls out, Woman"
Perhaps 1t was from forgotten Ko'
rean ancestors that the American cltl-
zen in certain localities inherited his
habit Of speaking Of his wife as my
woman"
Little Korean girls Of the upper class
are allowed to run and play outdoors
till they are 10 or IL years old. Then
they are caught and Gagged, scarcely
again to breathe the open air or see the
old and withered. Women Of all ages
are however, permitted to take the air
at night. In western nations men 20
out after dark, and women are apt 10
stay at home. In Korea this is exactly
reversed, A woman may not go out
doors by daylight, when the eyes of
man can rest upon her, but she may go
90 Aa xtsha uh ha
seen. She takes her fresh air by moon
light and starlight, During the wo-
mems outing hours, however, 1t Is u
crime, punishable with a logging. for
any man to be on the street, and the Of
fender is caught and the whipping ad-
minlstered Immediately, no matter who
he Ia, He is then kept In till the wo-
mems hours are over and dismissed,
with an admonition never TO do II
again Under this moonlight paradlng
the Korean women never become tan
ned, though the peeping Tom does get
tanned In q lively manner.
The well TO do Korean merchant has
shop about the size of the parlor Of
an ordinary American city fiat. The
rest VI MS HouHt tOiiSislS VI lllg
reception room for the master and his
men friends, a kitchen and three or four
bedrooms just large enough to spread
mats and sleeping rugs in. Bedsteads
are an invention OF the foreign fiends;
consequently not to be tolerated. The
bedrooms open on the kitchen, which Is
smaller than the shop. One sleeping
compartment is larger and more splen-
did than the others. This is for the
master OF the household. In the other
smaller cubbyholes his wives, first, sec
ond, third and fourth-if he have so
many-his mother and his children
must stow themselves as they can. In
the rear OF the little one story house
Is a strip of yard In the kitchen. with
its mud floor; in those cubbyhole bed
rooms, and in the strip Of back yard the
women Of the we'll to do merchant spend
thelrlives, varying the monotony with the
occasional ghost walk under the stars.
II they are obliged sometimes to go
abroad In the daylight, they are cover
ed with heavy wells draped about them
with something OF the grace and beauty
Of a cotton tablecloth. However, "'tls
enough; twill serve" as II covers them
from the eye of man.