The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-10-11

/ other householders the King can go on to
| one of his own roofs without asking his
neighbor's permission. provision to keep
! the Korean from looking by chance at his
neighbors' wives.
The Korean house has some beautiful
features. Chief of these is the roof with
| its re-entering curves. The roof is tiled and
the tiles rest on bed OF earth. In this the
floating seeds find a place. and in the spring
| the roofs burst into bloom and are gay
with tulip. wild pink. forget-me-nots and
riotous foliage. Beautiful woods and paper
| windows and walls are the other materials
used.
Nothing could be more barren than the
interiors of these houses. Caught in a
driving rain we sought the shelter of a
gate. A little servant ran out and insisted
! on coming indoors. We were led
| through various courts until we reached the
women's house. Here were two wives.
! whose delight at our company was like that
of children. They led us through their
empty rooms, low bed and a wardrobe
furnishing a room. The furniture, how
ever. was imposing. The wardrobes were
| gaily decorated with landscapes inlaid with
mother-of-pearl, and the hinges and locks
| were of ornamental brass. One conspicuous
| feature was the cash chest to accommodate
the Korean money, of which the foreigner
frequently pays 400 cash for a sedan shop
ping excursion, and LOO for days board.
The Korean women wear a sort Of Turk
ish trousers and several stiffiy starched
skirts. Over all this is a very full skirt
| gathered to a band that reaches the arm
| pits, the last garment being a tiny bolero.
| The band of the peasant women is much
narrower. and the jacket so small that the
baby. which she carries low the back,
| sticks its head under its mothers arm and
! feeds itself without disturbing her CONVEX
! sation.
The woman of position never goes abroad
except in closed palanquin. Then she is
gaily painted and adorned with jewels.
hairpins being her favorite ornament. The
middle class woman goes out. but wears
over her head green silk coat. which she
grabs tightly with one hand, so that her
| face cannot be seen. This coat has sleeves
| so small that a child could not get into
them. This is a custom from time imme-
mortal the origin of these useless sleeves
being lost.
| At home the Korean wife looks after
the household. her chief duty being to see
| that her-or their-husband's white gauze
coats are smooth and shining. Ironing is.
| indeed, fine are in Korea. This is done
with round sticks which the little ladies
deftly handled.
! When Koreans talk it always seems as If
the air were full of brick bats, so harsh
| and curt is the tongue. But a group of
Korean gentlemen the street, in their
/ long white shining coats, with their pipes
and reticules, always suggests a company
of spick and span old ladies going TO tea
party. Nothing is ever seen like their head
| covering. This is a tall cylindrical hat with
wings woven of horsehair, and so thin that
| the top-knot can be plainly seen. This it is
! etiquette not to remove. Even at Minis
ter Aliens last Fourth of July reception the
Koreans kept on their hats.
| When a boy marries he puts up his hair
and assumes this hat. If he does not
marry, he must wear his hair braided down
| to his back in pig tail, and has only a
| pet name and must submit to being tootse-
wootsied until he is toothless and dies. All
Korean boys look like girls. The girls are
| never seen.
The Korean gentleman. unlike his wife,
does not lack for entertainment. He is
devoted to nature. picnics, feasts and the
Korean geisha, or gesang-that is to say,
singing girl" These girls are the neces-
sary accompaniment of civilization that
shuts up it's wives and sisters. Hence a
class of women trained for this purpose.
They do not fall into it as do their proto-
types in the Occident. Their parents per-
haps assist the Korean geisha to 1t the
best means of earning livelihood. AS they
depend on their attractiveness. they are
taught to be good natured, always pleasing.
to be accomplished. witty. to sing and to
dance This necessity gives the gesang
incentive to study and time for devoting
herself to refined occupations. She dresses
modestly. even when wearing the brilliant
seems the greatest of her privileges. she
can go freely abroad
After the feast, death is the greatest of
Korean functions. Four days after dying
the departed is given send-off in the
fashion of great feast. His coffin is then
provided with money and pieces of rich
stuffs for the journey. If he is a person OF
consequence, the geomancer is called in to
determine the time of his burial. This may
not be for three months.
The family graveyards. which occupy an
:nordinate space of Korean territory, are
l the occasion Oh WHAT are kUOWu DIS grave
yard fights, in which the contending parties
toss out the sacred ancestors bones with
out ceremony.
Korea is the least religious OF all the
| nations of the East. mild form of Con.
fucianisu1 serves for philosophy, and an
cestor worship is the only thing that re-
sembles religion. There is not a temple
in Seoul. In the country there are monas-
teries. but TO the monasteries the Korean
gentlemen repair for their high revels.
On the roofs of the Korean houses squat
Rrotesque images, intended TO scare away
evil spirits. and before the doors of novels
are seen wisps of plated straw and strips
of garments for the same purpose. There
are devil trees also, on which these strips
hang. The Korean devil is so stupid thai
coming across these strips he fancies he
has the wearer OF the clothes.
The cultivated Korean gentleman is a de-
| ightful acquaintance. He has a charming
sense of humor, lightness of touch in
conversation and pleasing gallantry, al
of which make him an eminently social per.
son. The Koreans are good linguists, anC
those who speak English do it without &C
! cent.
Americans are persona grata in Seoul
| This is due to the admirable character
of our diplomats and the devotion of the
American missionaries to Korean interests