The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1904-10-01
DINED WITH K0REA'S RULER
BESIDES THE FEASTS, WERE
DANCES, GAMES AND MUSIC.
The Emperor Rem ained Invisible Be-
hind Curtain During tie Dinner
Music That is Only Ear-Spiitting
and Monoto ncus.

Music That is Only Ear-Spittlng
and Monotorcus.
When the time fixed far the audi
eEce arrived We entered into a very
lofty room, the carpets of which were
by no means costly. Behind table
sat the Emperor, with the Crown
Prince and the eunuchs. The Empcr-
or Li-Hsi thanked us for our visit,
and asked us how our trip was pro-
crossing and whether We intended
to remain a long time il COrea. III"
Crown Prince asked lis exactly the
same questions. He is about 80 years
of age he has an inert lock, q beard
less, tieshy face, and thus he does
not give one the impra sion OF being
healthy and capable OF doing m&>h
He has several wives. but ~ emil
dren; he himself is the son CT one
of Li-IIsi's concubines.
He certainly will net ascend the
throne without a great deal vi
trouble; the Japanese ALREADY Lave
another Crown Prince in + adiness
at Yokohama. This latter Prince has
joined the Japanese, and he will be
supported by them when the proper
moment comes. The Crown Prince
Joined but very little in the conVersa-
tion; even the simple questions that
he asked were suggested TO him by
the leader Of the eunuC'nS. 1t IS
scarcely to be supposed that the
Crown Prince will ever think Of shak-
ing himself free from the influence OF
that powerful and feared caste whose
rule in CoTea as in China, in olden
times, is noxious At the end of the
audience, which had lasted scarcely
twenty minutes, the Emperor TOOK
his leave of us in a few amiable
words.
Before the dinner We were offered
a glass of vermOuth in the next room.
The dining room was we'll heated, and
furnished with European furniture;
the table was decked out richly with
cutlery, glass. linen, flowers and
fruit; the cooking was exquisite, and
the wines were many and good. For
some years the imperial housesolo
has been managed by lady from
Alsace, and she knows her duty we'll
Formerly the dinner would have cost
| the Emperor 500 per guest; now
each guests costs him only about so.
| Corean servants, wearing the nation
al garb, waited upon us most atten-
lively and noiselessly
It seemed amusing to us that the
| Emperor remained invisible behind a
| curtain during the dinner; still, he
| kept himself informed of ell that hap
| pened at table, and asked repeatedly
what impression the foreigners were
| receiving. The Coreans present were
fully acquainted with the manners OF
the West, and they did not offend
either the rules of etiquette or those
of good form"
After the dinner the room was
turned into a concert hall for the
entertainments that were to be given.
In the outer hall played some thirty
musicians, squatting upon the ground,
mandolins, guitars and other stringed
instruments, as also drums and tam
bourines. To foreigners the Corean
music seems to be only ear-splittlng,
for it has no rules of melody and is
monotonous. At first appeared only
two men, clad in very rich garments,
to represent lion and tiger. They
| yn mn
together their noses as they uttered
all kinds of weird sounds, and Their
they vanished finally.
| Thereupcn about dozen remote
dancers appeared in beautiful gold
shimmering colors, and with their
hats and other head coverings d2ched
with flowers and with sandals and
well fitting white stockings On their
feet. Although they were young and
pretty. their faces were much paint
ed. Round their necks and on then
foreheads they wore pendants. and
tbeir dresses were covered with fill
gree.
Their names were very pretty, 1oi
| they were taken lTou Ho" Sio ohN
trees. These dancers belonged to the
demi-monde Of Corea. At first they
entered in pairs, went through varl
GUS movements, and each crowned
her partner with flowers. Then
large screen was opened in the room
and a dancer took her place on either
side Of it. Near the top OF the screer
rather large hole had been made
through which a dancer had to thro"
a flower to be caught by her partner
On the other side. There were flXet
rules for this pastime; if the throwel
missed the hole but could pick VI
the flower before it touched INK
ground, then she could begin again
and 90 on until she managed to throw
It through. When she had done tina
a flower was stuck in her hair, bu
she at once pulled it out to presen
it to one Of the audience. II th'
flower falls to the ground, then th'
thrower has to pay penalty.
This lively game was followed b.
pantomime, which represented
family squabble between a man, nj
wife, and her friend. The evening
came to an end with dancing an
s;O, re hn n