The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-02-01

n
4 years . ussin pivot 81 information
a politics. 50 that Ar. stead has
spoken OF it as the cockpit Of the far
east it IS as country the sieepiest
hollow OF the Orient The popular cpl
ihet the hermit nation, . was gwen 20
4zorea because OF 4tE stubborn resist
anee to all attempts at intercourse on
The part Of foreigners.
This mysterious exciusiveness was
penetrated by Americans about 1879,
but with less. success than that IF Com
modOre Perry in his mission 70 Japan.
and q conflict ensued. in which Russian,
japanese and French Warships took
part. Nowadays, however. since TIE
war with japan. foreigners are well
come. and, in spite Of the lahospita Die
gss cOasc and poor means Of connu-
nication there are numerous foreign
residents at Seoul.
The capital Of Korea is situated on
the southwestern side. of the peninsula,
about thirty miles inland, with har-
Dor at Chemulpo This is sometimes
spoken Of as the port Of Seoul, but the
trade hardly warrants such 3 dignity,
and the water is SO shallow that no
large ships can enter the harbor.
Like all the cities of Korea, Seoul is
a fortified town. and wall Of solid
masonry twenty feet wide and twenty
I FIVE feet high makes the eity's circuit
among undulating hillsides. In the
! center Of the town is another hill, and
( from the top Of il at night there blazes
/ the only light to be seen in Seoul. Il IS
/ a beacon, and others which answer It
from other nilitops convey signals from
one part Of the domain to another.
/ Since this means OF Intercourse, for
merly the only one, was possible only
at night. the night time came to DC
/ chosen FOR the transaction of official
business. and his majesty's day, which
began about noon, ended at O'Clock III
the morning. Now the telegraph, OF
/ which over 1900 miles are IN service.
/ connects all important points with the
lcapital. and there is cable eommunica-
ton with Japan and the Chinese sys-
Items.
The gates of Seoul are opened at
sunrise and closed with the setting of
the sun, and # q company is out of the
city on an excursion there is much anX-
ietv to return. before the big bell in the
center 0f the town has ceased peaiing
with the last rays of sunlight. At that
hour there is always a scrambiing OF
men. women and children, sometimes
hundreds Of them. on foot and on tiny
IpOuies, and leading laden bulls.
The gates OF the city are of heavy
wood lined with iron, ard when time Is
up. and they are about to close. there
ts3unds the harsh voice OF the gatekeep.
Ter hurrying the weary travellers into the
precincts of the royal city Then the
gates close. and the huge iron padlocks
and bolts are fastened.
Among the upper classes the houses
have. Instead of thatched roofs, 9
quaint thing. and they are built q
stone in, a rambling style Of architec.
lture. with them the same heating ap
paratus is used, but IN place OF ths
mud plaster flooring in the poorer
houses, these are of stone
1t matters not what sort of a hOus'
3 the Korean may live in, out of TIT
ldingiest hovel or the most sumptuou
! house there issues forth the same elab
crate costume which eharacterizss tn
. nation. The common robe of ali is white
s varied only among some of the noble
E with delicate colored silks, andsit !.
( long and flowing, Ike the japanese ki
. mono, girt in at the waist. There az
4 loose trousers OF the same material
= tied in below the knee, white socks o
{ buckskins. and pointed, turned u
| shoes.
d But the hats are the most extraerdi
] nary feature of their costume, an
I these are worn on top of coil Of hail
1 for the men wear the hair Ions an
gathered up in a small knot, or rattle
knob, at the top Of their heads. II ]
I said To be a favOrite place to catch hol
o of in a fight. The only men who do nc
I wear their hair thus are the bachelors
Men >attain the dignity OF manhoo
{ only when they are married, even
Q that is a youthful period, but bachelor
i of whatever age, are regarded as OF II
Z account. Their opinions receive q
e consideration, and they are obliged
wear their hair Drafted down the
ibacks. like schoolgirls. When Marie
their hair is knotted up, and the IND
!. Vidual attaIus sobfiety and very Ion
2 pipe. The whole manner is alteTel
Etheir humor vanishes, and the whole
. their thoughts appear TO be devoted
= tobacco.
'r Peasant men dress in white even
e winter. though at that season they WEI
many gsadded layers Older wome
: wear white, but girls have jackets
dark silk with skirts Of pale green
blue. Their hair is brushed from q
IL face and coiied low at the back of Il
head, where If is held by long silv
s. pins. Little cniidTeA have "pigtails
re and they wear red dresses and eoior'
If sandals made of paper cords. OF re
N yellow and white combined. The M
If / and women have footwear of siinl
le material. but ali of white.
~ Korean dressing is costly. The ha
or Of the mobiles rate higher than the 81
tiles Of New York. For one OF
M horsehair coverings which are wo
Is By young men SIC is not an unusu
~ price. and several hundred dollars
- sometimes invested by these young fl
lows in headgear. Korea Is the land
hats, and a hat indicates one soc
standing and personal feelings
The women are not supposed 10
ever seen by any one outside OF {
IA family. and they used never to go @
.f of doors in the daytime. That custt
= might be To prevent them berg Set
81 though it is more likely that they h
hi no other time than nishtto have ex'
h else for the native women do not IA
in an easy time Of X.
Men tourists in Korea who have =
% a look at the women remark thar IN
M ARE not beautiful. No wonder Il cor
mot be expected of them any more IN
- of Indian squaws. whose entire life
spent ir, hard work for their come
braves.
It has been said of Korea that
native women and the japanese do
Is the work. and certain it is that the
dustry OF these near neighbors IS bel
C. shown everywhere throughout the col
try. while the Korean women engage
field labor. cook and make cloth
IN Most of all. the national custom
wearing white places on them the 81
D. deusome function of washing
= whitening the family garments.
In appearance the Koreans are TAI
land more robust than the Chinese
Japanese, while fully equal to them
re Intelligence and moral qualities II
are simple. honest and good natur
.d and though the national depression
- long since overbardened their spil
. they were once masters of Japan
arts and industries