The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-06-07
THE E0fPERoR OF KOREA.
His Guest at Dinner Tells of What
He Saw.

In the last number of the Tour du
Monde Dr.. Hagen. who has Travelled in
Corea, recounts in a most interesting
way his impressions of the country and
its people. Of especial interest is DR..
Hagen's description of an audience and
OF state banquet at the court of Corea:
When the time fixed for the audience
arrived we entered into a very lofty
room, the carpets of which were by no
means costly Behind a table sat the
emperor with the crown princes and the
eunuchs. The Emperor Li-Hsi thanked
US for our visit and asked US how our
trip was progressing and whether we
intended to remain a long time in
Corea. The crown prince asked US ex-
actly the same questions. He is about
80 years old; he has an inert look, a
beardless, heshy face, and thus he does
not give one the impression of being
healthy and capable of doing much. He
has several wives. but no children; ne
himself is the son of one of Li-Hsi's
concubfnes. He certainly will not
ascend the throne without great deal
OF trouble; the japanese already have
another crown prince in readiness at
Y 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 conversation; even
the simple questions that he asked
We're suggested to him by the leader
u the GuHuCHS- II is scarcely TO De sup
posed that the crown prince will ever
think of shaking himself free from the
influence of that powerful and feared
caste, whose role in Corea, 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
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 cut
lery, glass, linen, flowers and fruits;
the cooking was exquisite and the wines
were many and good. For some years
the imperial household has been man
aged by a lady from Alsace, and she
knows her duty very well. Formerly
the dinner would have cost the emperor
&20 per guest; now each guest costs
him only about ga Corean servants,
wearing the national garb, waited upon
US most attentively and noiselessly. 1t
seemed amusing to US that the emper-
or remained invisible behind a curtain
during the dinner; still he kept himself
informed of all that happened at table
and asked repeatedly what impression
the foreigners were receiving. The
Coreans present were fully acquaintd
with the manners of the west, and they
did not offend either the rules of ETH
quette 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, squat
ting upon the ground. mandolins, gut-
tars and other stringed instruments,
as also drums and tambourines. To
foreigners the Corean music seems to
be only ear splitting. for it has no rules
of melody and is mOnotonous- At first
appeared only two men, clad in very
rich garments to represent lion ana
tiger. They danced around to the music,
rubbed together their noses as they ut
oil ind nj
then they vanished.
''Thereupon about a dozen female
dancers appeared IN beautiful gold
Shimmering cOlOTs, and with their
hats and other head coverings decked
with flowers and with sandals and
well fitting white stockings on their
small feet. Although they We're young
and pretty their faces were much
painted. Round their necks and or
their foreheads they wore pendants.
and their dresses were covered with
hligree. Their names were very
pretty, for they were taken from
flowers and trees. These dancers be-
longed to the deni-monde of Korea.
At first they entered in pairs, went
through various movements and each
crowned her partner with flowers
Then a large screen was opened in the
room and a dancer took her place on
either side of it. Near the top of the
screen a rather large hole had been
made through which a dancer had to
throw a flower to be caught by her
partner on the other side. There were
fixed rules for this pastime; if the
thrower missed the hole but could
pick up the flower before it touched
the ground, then she could begin
again and go on until she managed to
throw it through. When she had done
that a flower was stuck in her hair,
but she at once pulled it out to pre-
sent to one of the audience. If the
flower falls to the ground, then the
thrower has to pay penalty. This
lively game was follOwe dby a panto-
mime. which represented a family
squabble between a man, his wife and
her friend. The evening came to an
end with dancing and singing by the
soldiers of the Pingyang regiment.
To their bravery in the war between
Japan and China these soldiers owe
the permission to wear Korean ma
tiOnal cOstume-that is, the national
hat and the broad white robe-instead
of the cap, trousers and shoes that are
worn by European soldiers. In this
regiment certain musical traditions
are kept up, and these traditions give
the soldiers the honor of being invited
to great court ceremonies. Eight SOL
diers danced to an accompaniment of
a chorus and of tampOurines, while
others gave some scenes in burIesque
of rather a free nature At midnight
we took our leave. London Globe.
Daguerreotype Stories.
Many amusing remarks were made