Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-02-26
THE FATE OF KOREA
HAS NEVER CEASED TO BE A SEP
ARATE KINGDOM.
Koreans Are Physically Finer People
Than Either the japanese or Chi
nese-A Land Of Resources,


From Harpers Weekly.
Korea seems destined to be the sacrifcial
victim in the far eastern struggle. Manchu-
ria has long ceased to be an Independent
political entity. From being the conqueror
of China, when the present dynasty in
vaded and subdued the middle kingdom
In 1914, Manchuria steadily sank to the
status of a somewhat neglected outlying
dependency. the most backward part of
a backward empire. Its hold on the Chi
nese imagination lay in the presence, at
Mukden, of the tombs OF Chinas foreign
conquerors, and as Manchus are even
today an armed and hostile garrison in
China, the relics OF their ancestors are not
very dear to the native Chinese. Korea
has never ceased to be a separate and dis
tlnct kingdom, with a defined social, mo-
raj and political life of its own, in spite
of the rival claims of suzerainty alternately
put forth by China and Japan. Korea has
a heroic history of intense interest and val
ne, and stands as the bringer of light. re-
lgion and art to the Japanese.
Physically. the Koreans finer people
than their neighbors of Japan, and visitors
to the hermit kingdom speak of them as
being much handsomer than the Chinese,
who. in their turn, are in physique superior
to the mikado's subjects. The Koreans
have been devastated again and again by
ruthless Japanese invasions, and to the
last of these all historians unite in ascrib-
Ing the present fallen fortunes and broken
courage of the hermit kingdom. Korea
gave Japan the art of letters, science and
religion, well as the best model and
craftsmen in all those arts of painting and
design which we think of as characteristic
cally Japanese. In return for these great
gifts, the japanese again and again spread
deSOlaton through her fertile valleys. No
eastern people detests another strongly
..Ss tIn Il h. To-
A Land of Beauty.
Korea Is a land of extreme beauty and
fertility. though II has for years suffered
from certain political evils which we may
the more easily understand as they have
analOgies nearer home. 1t has land Ques-
ton almost identical with the Irish land
question, except that, in Ireland, the land
lords were additionally odious represen-
tatives Of foreign conquest and foreign
domination, the rule of an alien race and
an alien faith. But in both Korea and Ire
land. the heart Of the land question, eco
nomically speaking, was the same: year
to-year tenancy, which gave the landlord
the right to raise the rent every time the
tenant improved his holding by clearing.
draining. building or fertilizing. This sys-
tenn in Korea, as IN Ireland. kept the peas
ant class In perpetual poverty, and made
all hope of progress for them impossible.
lords was repeated in Korea. as the
iand-ownins class invariably streamed
to the capital, to take part in its pleasures
and amusements, and to participate in the
court life, which, for splendor of pageantry
and costumes, and for elaborate detail of
etiquet. was close second to the court of
Vienna in the days before Sadowa and the
legislative secession of Hungary.
A second evil, and very serious one in
Korea, we can best realize by what we
have recently read Of Bulgarian Mace
donia under Turkish rule: it is the evil of
tax-farming lined with eXtortion and dis
honesty. A political writer of much acute
ness has spoken of the Constantinople
hierarchy in the Rumania of olden days as
a cascade OF simony;' We might with
some justice, speak OF the governmental
system OF Korea as cascade of extor-
ton. The peasant groans and paws the
bill. just as he does in the practically
feudal India of today. But the Korean
peasant is further the victim of a cruel and
barbarous criminal law. with punishments
as caprictous as they are severe, and here
the Indian ry0t has UNNECESSARILY the ad-
vantage. since, In the British India en-
pire. the law can neither be bought nor de-
layed.
Japan in Korea.
Add to this that the central government
has never assimilated the modern doctrine
that governments exist for the good of
the people. and to develop and distribute
the resources of the country; and that the
Korean army was a costly luxury of the
court. but wholly inefficacious against for
eign foes. and we have a fairly true esti-
mate of the thermal condition of the her
NIT kingdom Nor can 1t be doubted that
Japan was inspired by genuine missionary
zeal, accompanied, without doubt, by feel
ings less diSinterested, In her attempt to
modernize Korea, Immediately before and
during the war in China in 1894. Japan
had then some sixteen years of civilized
existence. IN our modern democratic sense
to her credit, and had certainly done won
ders within that time. Her intentions
towards Korea involved an equally sweep
Ing reformation for the land of Morning
Calm But more than sixteen years of
national life are needed before a kingdom
can safely become the mentor of another
especially II that other strenuously objects
and has already. through fifteen centuries
or calamitous fnvasons grown to distrust
and hate the would-be reformer.
The japanese went at their task with a
certain ruthless vigor. and the imprison-
ment OF the Korean sovereignty and the
murder or the Korean queen were sympto-
matte OF their strenuous methods They
ureW up schemes OF reform which read ad-
mirably. but which took no root among the
koreans, and within three or four years
the whole fabric Of New Korea" thus yjO-
iently born under Japanese auspices. ton
pied ana TEL TO pieces The Japanese had
secured settlements In various parts of
Korea. such as Fusan and Chemulpo and
they had buift the rudiments OF a nostaI
and telegraph system which are undoubt-
edly OF dement,; but, at the same time. they
managed TO add to the keen luminosity with
which the Koreans viewed everything jap
anese. ana the work or civilization In
Korea was thus set back and hindered
70 Try Again
Japan Is now determined to try again. in
spite of all treaties guaranteeing Korean
Independence and sovereignty: and Korea
Is likely to learn some rude lessons con-
corning the modern application of material
forces. Good may result from this to
Korea provided that Japan's tutelage Ia
only temporary. But nothing more hurtful
10 the genius and destiny of the gifted but
unfortunate Korean race could be i'm
agined than n permanent merging of their
Kingdom within the mlkados empire. Nor
IL may De added, could anything be con-
ceiVed less Ike TO benefit the western pow
ers. including the United States: since the
Japanese viii soon make IL as iupossible