The daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1904-1905, 1904-06-09


BAD respectable. The main brake on
progress is the custom of living upon
more prosperous relative. 1t is calleI |
"soining." No odium attaches to what
we would call sponging. When man
feels overburdened with his own OF
his wife's kindred and has himself DO
litical influence he says to the govern.
ment: Here are some relations OF
mine who cannot make living They
must have political office" And the
Office is granted. The word for worl;
in Korean mslns 'unfortunatc;" to do
nothing is to be genteel. Yet to gain
: living is not difficult. Scratch the
soil and enough to live on springs uD.
Wealth anyway is discouraged. If rel
atives do not swarm about to subsist
upon what a man has earned the gov
eminent steps in to relieve him of lis
| accumulatiOns.
Thus one man dhis happened to &
friend of the editor of the Korean Re
| view who was known to have come
into possession of $1,000 WIS one day
waited upon by an officer of the en-
pire
I Il congratulate you.' said he.
| ''Wny! inquired the man.
! "The emperor has conferred upon you
the Order of Something or Other. and
l am here to give you the insignia and
, to collect the $4,000 which it is Gus
; tomary to pay"
! But have only $4,000 to my name.
Besides, don't care for the decora-
tiea"
" hat! Reject a distinction confer
red by the emperor" exclaimed the
messenger.
ut was leze majesty. The offending
citizen was brought before court. the
magistrate was paid $500 to render
judgment of $1,000, and the man had
to empty his house of goods and yield
up his bank deposit and go pennilcss
into the country to live off the soil.
There is a wooded hill on the en-
peror's farm which it costs head TO
cut tree from. The crime is capital
owing to the tradition that when trees
are all cut there the Korean nation will
disappear. The time is approaching.
1t is declared by persons daily in con-
tact with the cabinet and the emperor
that one Of the things Marquis Ito
|
grant to Japan the mining, forests and
fisheries concessions. Ito lets it be I'M
derstood that his mission was success
, full. He threatened, one hears, that
unless Japan's desires were met there
; would be troops in Korea to enforce
, them, and the wabble kneed emperor
gave in. He has subscribed also to
the Tusan railway, and the crown
princess, who was slashed with Jap
anese sword, has contributed to the
, Japanese Red Cross society. These are
| politics so high and so interesting tina
, | l hesitate to write them till l am sure
| of my facts. Against what would b'
the supposedly human prejudice
against the additionally hated nation
! there is to be weighed the overpoWer
, ing physical presence Of its people an(
+ armed forces Hundreds of new i'm
r migrants recently arrived at Chemulpo
!, | and if the rate keeps up till midsum
| mer KOrea's gentle 100000 inhabit
6 ants will be outnumbered as well a
4 overawed by their aggressive historical
& enemies.
+ Immense works are being pushed III
h der the energetic, strong, peasant band
). from Japan. Hills are being lowere
+ into the valleys to form new rich rio
O fields, and the railway to Phyongyon
l. is being graded and laid by COURSES
y | men with remarkable vigor, even so
4 diers taking picks and spike hammer
J. the wish being to have a road from II
~ san up the peninsula clear to New
% chwang and the Yulu open at once an
., to Picking a little later.
,f Japan is prevailing over Kore
q through sheer self assertion (althoug
- that is a quality which Japan as "
% has no word to express), and Korea
9 pitifully nonresistant. AS one of ii
~ observers in Korea puts it, ITO tai
. over this whole government and cou
: try would be merely like stealing ca