New-York tribune., 1907-06-02
Restoration to Real Owners
Would Depicts Many
Collections.

Yiscount Tanaka, Minister OF the Imperial
House TO the Mikado, was charged a few days
ago in letter addressed from Nagasaki 10
New York newspaper with having carried off
bodily from Seoul TO Japan the Pung-Duk
Pagoda The latter is described in the letter.
which has attracted widespread attention. and
been extensively quoted, as being "an exquisite
national monument of white marble" ss one OF
the most ancient and sacred OF the nations an
cestrsl shrines" as priceless monument of
the former greatness Of the Hermit Kingdom"
as national property" and as composed Of in
Vulnerable beautifully sculptured blocks Of mar
hle" The writer OF the letter goes on to COM
pare Viscount Tanaka's robbery. OF the monu-
ment to a hypothetical spiriting away of Cen
eral Grants Tomb from New York, OF the WASH
ington Monument from Washington. of the Mel
son Column from Trafalgar Square. in London,
or the Arc de Triomphe from Paris. by some
alien statesmen or government too powerful to
be prevented from committing the act OF spolie-
ton
To any one who has visited Corea II is mani
fest that the writer Of the letter in question can
never have seen the Pung-Duk Pagoda. In the
first place. It is not of marble. but Of white
granite somewhat dscolored with age. Sec
ondy, it is not properly speaking. a real pagoda.
but monumental structure in the form OF one,
and is composed. not Of many blocks OF marble.
but Of two huge pieces of stone. IT is less than
twenty-five feet high, is carved to represent
pagoda. and shows here and there some
euisitely chiselled bass-relefs OF celebrated per-
senages. It is not a national monument. nor
yet sacred ancestral shrine, neither is II ma
uonal property 1t belonged to q private citi-
zen. was until the other day a completely neg
lected monument in his backyard at Seoul, and
was sold by him in due form TO viscount
Tanaka. who had IL carefully removed without
any attempt at concealment and without en-
eountering any opposition on the part of the
people Of Seoul. the removal occupying about
eight days labor.
The pagodss. as probably most Of my readers
are aware. are supposed TO be. not a unit, but a
eonglomeration of buildings Of the ordinary
Chinese type. placed one above another skv-
ward Each Of these stories, the number NJ
which varies. typihes & Buddhist heaven They
represent the successive stages through y,b,ch
the soul In its advance toward purtncation ro,,e+
according To the Buddhist doctrines. insvitablv
pass As the pagooa is essentially an express
SION o. the Buddhist faith which was discarded
centuries ago oy the Coreans, IT Is misleading
TO describe It as in any sense whatever a .acrea
shrine. or al an object Of reverence In far,
It's removal by viscount Tanaka 70 his hor,e IN
Japan cannot be considered in the light az an
act os spoliation by the japanese government ar
he expense OF a vassai and powerless nation
out rather as a private commercial transaction
much Of the same order as when J. Pierpont
Morgan buys some fine piece OF ancient statuarv
N Europe from its owner to Adorn his home or
MS library in Madison avenue. New York or his
mansion in London.
While Viscount Tanaka has purchased the
ruhg-Duk Pagoda on his own account, It is DOS
Aole that he may present IL to his sovereign
eno That its ultimate destination may be the
s~.oens that sncircle the imperial palace at
.0no. But wherever # is reconstructed I'm
'>ss1s u Ia osrtain 10 be treated thors with an