Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-10-12
MANY REFORMS IN COREA
People ef Isolat d Nation
Cutting Their Hair and
Dressing Like Westerncrs.

Reform stalks abroad Throughout,
Corca. says the Seoul correspondent
OF the New York Herald The bull
warks of conservatism are being saw
agcly attacked, and one by one they
fall
The new Emperor announces that
he has abandoned the historic prac.
ticc of drinking human milk.
He has agreed to separate himself
from the distinctive Corcan topl,not.
and his subjects are under pressure
to follow the Japanese example
Rather than submit to enforced
pa ting with their topknots hundreds
of the elders among the Corcan gcn.
try have lett Seoul for those parts
of the country where. for the present
NJ least. They arc safe from the shears
of the lrrbcrs to whom the Impcrial
example illas proved Il blessing and e,
boon. For while the older men insist
upon retaining their traditions and
their hair, many or tho Younger ones.
especially thosc who hold government
jobs or hope for them. are submit.
ting tn the process. which mems pro.
gross in the eyes of the Japanese and
the Cabinet Ministers. who are their
tools.
Heretofore with tho exception of
little handful educated abroad. hut
two classes of Corcans have belonged
To Tho short haired fraternity There
were the soldiers of the little army
now defunct: it was looked upon ms
MI right for soldier In his modern
uniform TO cultivate the modern
though craccless fashion of wearing
no hair to speak of. for il has been
so dccrccd by His Majesty. Besides
tho soldiers there were the members
OF the II Chin Fioi.
Tho II Chin Hoi Is n political orgnn;-
2aiion whose name under Translation
becomes simething high sounding.
like Ever Progressing Upward Socl-
ETY.. II was organized under .Iapa-
nese Influence just l'afore the war
with ltussia as an offset TO some or
gnnization that tho Russians control
led. The special marks of II Chin Hot
membership are cropped heads and
dinky little straw hats sold them bv
cnterprlsing Japanese merchants at
good. fat profit.
Looked Upon as Thugs.
The membership OF the II Chin Hoi
consists principally of people who in
any land would be looked upon as
thugs and touehs-the scum of tho
country. A few men of some stand
ing here In Seoul have allied them.
selves with the societykin order TO
use 1t for the promotion OF their own
nolitical ends just MS II has been used
by rhe JaDanese: but as an organiZa-
tlon 1t is distinctly disrcputnblc.
The wiser heads among the Japa-
nese have seen the danger that may
be involved in running counter to the
practices ana the prejuiices of the
Corcan peoDlc for they have not for
gotten the finsco Of the Inouye regime
Just after the Chlna.Japanesc regime.
when the representative of Japan
scored utter failure here through his
insistence upon interfering with the
nersOnal life of tho noople-thcIr ira
dtions. their prejudices and their Gus
toms. So firmly convinced were tho
Japanese at that time that there
could he no progress without the
adoption of Western externas that
there seemed no iope for the Corcans
until they were shearci And ac-
cordnG to the onnion OF some Jnpa-
nese histo ians. the japanese advance
In Corea was DELAYED decade by the
mistakes then made
But the Japanese of today. how.
ever, much they may understand the
lessons OF the past. must In some re-
sDccts cater TO the mon who as Min.
listers OF the Cabinet have i,acn the
Instruments through whom the new
status has been brought about. Tho
present Cabinet was constructed Nv
tue jananese. but thcv have had to
place their chief reliance upon two
of its eight members. The others
would never have had the nerve to
go counter To Corean public sentiment.
and especially 10 tho wishes of the
old Emperor. had not tiese two fore
cd them to It.
The two who have given backbone