The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-12-16
SOME QUEER KOREAN WAYS.
The Night Uproar of Washing Clothes
 -The Marriage Ceremony.

The N1ght uproar or washing CIothes
 The Marriage Ceremony.
 One of the latest studies of Korea is by Frenchman. It is entitled "En- Coree," and the author is Emile Bour- daret. The Koreans are a strange people, not only from the point of view of our civilization. but even from that of their near neighbors, the Japanese, and M. Boirdaret describes with abun- dance of detail their habits, morals and daily. life .~.,
 The first night stranger passes in Seoul is one of painful surprise. It he be fatigued and hopes for several hours of restful sleep he is promptly dislllusionized. He is kept awake by weird noise, ceaseless and prolonged. It continues from dark until dawn. It opens with a low rumble, increasing in volume until it becomes an internal gallop. .s ss
 | This uproar comes from the washing of clothes, which is carried on exclu- sively at night. Koreans are not dis turbed by it; nothing ever gets upon their nerves; but to one unaccustomed to 1t 1t is a formidable menace to health. The noise is cause by the method employed to cleanse clothing. The garment is wrapped about a cylindrical stone and pounded with two clubs, which resemble those carried by 1 policemen. Only a small quantity of water is used, but the process gives glaze and finish peculiar to Korean cotton linen.
 Forty thousand of these stones may be hammered in unison, but the Korean sleeps on undlsturbed. Nothing interrupts his sleep. He may be seen lslumbering on the trunk of a slender tree in the full blaze of sunlight, mouth open, 1evoured by a multitude of flies, absolutely inotionless, unconscious of annoyance.
 | The marriage ceremony in Korea is conduct under conditions that are practically tests of endurance. On the day of his marriage a Korean has the right, if he can afford it, to assume the costume of any official of the imperial court. Usually he selects that of a minister of state. In this guise, borne by six bearers in highly decorated chair, preceded by two red parasols, the insignia of the official he is copy | ing, he leaves his fathers house and proceeds to that of the bride. He finds her ready to receive him, her face elaborately painted, her eyelashes gummed together temporarily blinded so that she may not see his features until night: S '
 | When the bridegroom enters the brides house he retires to a corner, where he makes oath to be a good hus- band. He then approaches the bride who, being unable to see is informed of his proximity by an atendent.
 The bride and bridegroom are now bound together with long blue and red strings by woman, part sorceress and part. servant. Wine of friendship is tasted by the couple in turn. Then follows grotesque scene. Its inten- tion is to test the earnestness of the bride. The young man may laugh but this is strictly forbidden to the gir If she succumbs to the temptation tc laugh, the marriage is then and there annulled. The bride having safely passed through this ordeal, she is now tested for capacity to remain silent.
 The young man tries every device tc make her speak: If unsuccessful ht cries out that he will not marry 2 dumfb woman. Usually the girl is proof against the temptation, but ii she is resentful and makes retort that is sufficient to annul the marriage This happens when the girl is opposed to marrying the man. She adopts tha
 method of escape. Generally the bride
 goes to live with her husbands par ents, where she becomes the slave ot
 the mother-in-law; the Korean specie:
 being considered the most terrible O the whole world.-New York Sun.