Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1905-11-08
VANISHING IDOLATRY
PROGRESS Of Oriental People Toward
Higher Form OF Worship.

A lady missionary in China writing
to a friend in Phoenix describes the
progress of the people toward a higher
form of worship than idolatry. She
says:
1T is counted significant of condi-
lions in the east, by leaders in the
Christian churches, and as indicative
of the enlightenment that has come to
the eastern peoples, that some of the
grosser forms of idolatry and super
stition are giving place to more rea-
sonable forms of worship; sometimes
Buddhism or Confucianism, and some
times to Christianity. In Korea there
has been official action taken against
certain forms of idol worship which
have been for ages unmolested. A re-
port of this action has just been re-
ceived here at the office of the Presby-
terrain board of foreign missions, from
one of the representatives of that or
ganization in Korea. The report comes
/ from Seoul, the principal Korean city,
and is in part as follows:
Several times in the last few years
! some one has been appointed chief OF
police here who was ashamed Of the
prevailing superstition and idolatry
and who undertook by force to abolish
! it. "MutangS" or SorceresseS were
! forbidden to perform their incantations
or to beat their gongs as is their wont
when endeavoring to drive the evil
spirits out of the sick.
But the office of chief of police, like
all other political appointments in Ko-
II rea, is short and uncertain. A man
might begin such a campaign and be-
Il fore il was we'll under way another
would have his place, perhaps man
II who had no objection to spirit wor-
ship. Then the "mutangs' and pan
sus' would come out of their hiding
II places and the sound of the gongs and
1 cymbals would once more be heard.
Last summer, while waiting for a
train in a village not far from Seoul,
the Presbyterian missionary heard one
Il Korean say to another: This is a
1 dreadful state of affairs; my brother Is
very sick. and although 1 have tried TO
| get a mutang. no one will come for fear
| of being arrested and punished, so !
| suppose there is nothing for 1t but To
let the Door fellow die" In February
of this year one Shin held the office
of chief of police, and he conducted
a vigorous campaign against the sor-
cerers Policemen were sent to al
shrines in the city, to tear down the
venerated pictures most of these belnG
very ugly, and corcerers, male and fe-
male were arrested ~ the score.
Palace Lady ON (mother OF the
kings Youngest SOM like all the women
of Korea, has been an ardent wor-
shipper of the spirits, and a certain
I mutang went often to the palace tC
consult with her. Even this palace
4 arroStpd and lock
ed UP, so that all practicing the bust
ness were terrified, and many fled from
their homes. 1t was recently told, OF
what seems good authority, that quite
a number of corcerers were executed IL
the city Jail last spring. When frs
! heard, this report seemed incredible, a!
nothing had been said about 1t in tn
4 papers, but. as the informant truly re
4 marked many things are done by TIT
4 government which the papers are no
4 allowed to report" 1t was further saiC
4 that the sorcererS that were executed
4 had been carrying on their work il
q secret, and the authorities felt that al
4 example had to be made of them, il
q order that others might know that tn
3 new laws must be obeyed. Buddhis
2 and Confucian temples have not bee
& affected b. these new rules.
In a large village called Sam Ka
. on the rive- ten u from Seoul, Their
4 was building formerly used as tenn
3 pie to "Kwan Kong" the god of wal
1 The idols and pictures had been re
4 moved by the police, and the hous
q stood vacant. The temple was bull
q many years ago by man named Shir
q who was advised to erect it by sor
q cerer who said that the mans so
a would recover from his illness thereby
4 The boy did recover, and is now grow
q to manhood, but the temple has no'
n been turned over by Mr.. Shin to lit
81 tie company of Christians who wor
ship in the village under the leader
Il ship of a colporteur named Chun.