The Washington herald., 1907-06-02
That Stolen" Pagoda
SOME OBSERVATIONS ON SPoLIATIoNS
IN WAR AND PEACE

Viscount Tanaka. minister Of the I'm
perial house 10 the MIkado. was charged
la few DAYS ago in letter addressed
/ from Nagaslki 10 a New York newspa-
per with having carried off bodily from
Seoul to japan the Pung-Duk Pagoda.
The latter is described iu the letter.
which has attracted widespread atten-
tiOn. and has been extensively quoted,
as being ''an exquisite national monu-
meut Of white marble" as one cf the
most ancient and sacred Of the nation
ancestral Shrines. as priceless monu-
ment of the former greatness of the
Hermit Kingdom, as national prop
erty' and as composed of innumerabe
I beautifully sculpturcd blocks Of marble.
The writer Of the letter goes on 10 COM
pare Nisc1uut Tan3kus robbery cf the
monument % a hypothetical spiriting
away OF Gen Grants tomb from New
/ York. If the Washington obeiisk from
Washington of the Nelson column from
Trafalgar Square in London. or the Arc
de- Triomphe from Paris. by some alien
statesman or government too powerful
o. bc prevented from committing the act
of spoiati1n. To amy one who has visit
ed Korea IL is manifest that the writer
Wa Aait l'NtfI aIi 'Iaf-~LI'fii ittl NEVER tth -
seen the Pung-Duk Pagodd, Iu the first
place il is not of marble. but Of white
granite somewhat discolorrd with age.
Secondly it is not. properly speaking
real pdgOda. but q monumental structure
in the form Of one and is composed, nos
OF many blocks of marble but Of two
huge pieces of stone. II is Jess than
twenty-five feet high, is carved TO rep
.HHF raH.. q
there some exquisitely chiseled hasreliets
1f celebrated personages. II is not
national m1uumenL-uor yet sacred
ancestral shrine. neither is it national
property. II belonged t0 "a private cIti-
zen; was, until the other day. a COM
p!ctely neglected monument iu his back
yard ~ Seoul and was sold by him IN
due form 90 NiscOuut Tauak8. who had
it carefully removed. without any at
tempt at concealmeut and without en-
eountcring any opposition on the part OF
the people of Seoul. tho removal occupy
ing about eight days labor. Nor c1n
It be described as zone OF the most
sacred of the nations ancestral sblines"
For the PagOda is q relic n the Buddhist
faith. "a religion which has. hundreds of
years since. been bauished from Korea.
.tf L.'s'''taArH fH t.a.'.'f-'.'h A..'H WI -.-.
readers are aware are supposed 90 he
not a unit but a congi0meratign Of build
iuGs of the ordinary Chinese type. placed
one above another. skvWard Each OF
these stories. the number OF which varies
typifes a Buddhist heaven. They repre-
sent the successive stages through which
the soul Ia its advance toward purifca-
ton must according % the Buddhist doc
-rfuas frlf-fta II,. r4ee le fHl rag.E. fe
essentially au expression of the Buddhist
faith. which was discarded centuries ago
hv the Koreans. 10 is misleading % de-
scribe il as I'm any sense whatever d
sacred shrine. or AS am object of rever-
sUce. In fact. its removal by Eisr1Uut
Tauaka 20 his home in Japan cannot be
looked upon in the light ~ am act Gf
sVoiiati0u hy the japanese government
at the expense Of vessel and p0werless
nation. but rather as private CONNER
Cial transaction, much of the same order
as when J. Pisrpout Morgan buys some
fine piece of ancient st3tUary in Europe
from its owner. t. aJorn his home or his
library in Madison avenue, New York, or
his mansion iu London. While NisCogut
Tanaka has purchased the Puug-Duk
Pagoda ON his own account. lt Is posi-
bile that he may present 70 60 his
severe Ign, and that It's ultimate des-ins-
ton may Doe the gardens that eucircla
the Imperial Palace at Tokyo. But
wherever it is reconstructed in Japan. it is
certain % ha treated there with am in
fuiteiy greater amount of respect, and
even reverence. than at Seoul. where it
was subjected 90 the utmost neglect and
indifference.