The Virginia enterprise., 1907-09-20

"AASA Iue casual VlSltOr may unu IN
Seoul would by no means tell the
whole story. On two hills outside the
old city walls (whose gates no longer
shut at curfew, as they did few
years ago) may be seen imposing
Roman Catholic churches. The Meth.
odlst church, not far from the Amer
ican legation, is also in western style,
as is likewise the Anglican church.
One other large outbuilding on the
main street bears the sacred symbol
in the form usually seen over Protest
ant Episcopal churches; investigation
shows, however, that the building is
low dance hall, the vilest resort in
the city. How it ever came to be
surmounted by a cross nobody seems
able to explain.
The churches, for the most part,
are In low one-story Korean buildings,
the exterior giving no adequate con-
ception of the seating capacity. The
Presbyterians have what they call a
"Collegiate Church" It comprises
three congregations, meeting together
for joint preaching service by a
missionary in the afternoon. In the
morning Sunday schools are held.
more adults than children attending,
and in the evening the congregations
worship separately usually with a
Korean preaching. Several of the
church buildings are too small to
hold the crowds in attendance Union
services in English are held every
Sunday afternoon on the Methodist
compound
The Methodist churches, like the
Presbyterians, are experiencing tre-
mendous growth. Rev. Dr. George
Heber Jones, pastor of the largest,
tells me that upon his recent return
from America he found no less than
500 probationers on the waiting list.
One Sunday of my sojourn in Seoul
one OF the most notorious characters
in the city arose in the Methodist
church, and confessing his sins,
asked to be admitted as a probation
er. He has been a high office holder
and wealthy man; his extortions
had earned for him a nickname which
DR.. Jones says can only be translated
as min the cuss."
A Young Woman With Nerve.
A great deal of religious work in
the surrounding country centers in
Seoul. From this point many of the
missionaries who reside here 20 out
on their itinerating trips. 1t is sell
dom possible to find all the mission
aries at home at once. A newspaper
page could be filled with stories of
the experiences of the itinerating mis-
sionaries.
At little dinner party in Seoul I
chanced to be seated alongside of a
charmingly dressed young American
woman. Apropos Of my tale of riding
u hours to Pyeng Yang in zero wealth
er in absolutely unheated cars, she
told how before the railway was run
ming she once started to come down
from Pyeng Yang to Seoul, in a
Korean sampan filled with natives.
There was only one room, no Sleep
ing accommodations, and no privacy
The boat was scheduled to start at
noon: by a wild rush the missionary
arrived in time, and there she had
to stay until six o'clock the next
evening, expecting the boat to start
at every minute, and with no heat
and no food except Korean rice.
After that delay of 80 hours came
the long ride down the ice-filled river.
This young woman, apropos of the
subject of foreigners feeling obliged
to travel armed, for fear of Japanese
coolies, related how in the earlier
days, when there was considerable
hostility to foreigners in the interior
Of Korea, she was wont to examine
her revolver every night, in spectacu-
lar fashion, in order to impress the
natives, although she was as much
afraid of the weapon as they. Once,
sojourning in an inn with an evil repu-
tation, she overheard an ominous con-
versation. Going out front, and with
great circumstance of preparation,
the missionary made as if to shoot a
magpie in distant tree. The terri
fed natives besought her not to do so,
and, with seeming reluctance, she put
away the revolver-and slept undis-
turbed through the night. There is
an amusing side as we'll as a seamy
side and hopeful side, to mission
work in Korea.
Copyright, by Joseph B. Bowles.)