The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-05-02
COREA MI0O0
By FRANK G. CARPENTER.
Seoul. Corea. 1909.

Seoul Corea, 19o9 HOW would you like to be a bone
 eveflastingly fought over by angry A dogs2 This has been the position of Corea in the past, and it will probably be so in the future The country lies at just the right place to be the battlefield of three nations. It hangs down like 2 great nose on the east face of Asia, it's bottom almost touching the hungry. over crowded empire of Japan. It's top end at Manehuria. beyond which is Siberia with her Pacific ports, icebound half the year round and needing Ii for an outlet to the warm open seas. On the west is China. with it's vast horde of almond-eyed sub- jects who are just beginning to adopt the modern civilization and will soon covet the world. All of these powers would like to chew at the bone of Corea. The Chinese dog Is still too weak to more than snarl at 1t, and Russia. for the time, has been driven back by the iron teeth If Japan. The sweet morsel now lies in the paws of the latter, and she s wondering whether she dare eat it or not
 corea's Past Troubles.
 Corea has been ravaged by Japan and China again and again. The Japanese came here as far back as A. D. zG3 and under the Empress lingo conquered the country. About 100 years after Columbus discovered America they again overran 1t under their "Monkey-faced General Hideyosh, who had taken an army across the strait, intending to proceed onward to the conquest of China. 1 am not sure during which invasion 1t was that the Coreans took the skins of the Japanese and used them for drumheads; and the Japanese in turn carried back home with them several hundred thousand human ears which they buried near one of their temples in the city of Kyoto During both invasion however, Corea suffered greatly, as she did also in her troubles with China.
 The Chinese practically controlled Corea up to the war with Japan, and that war was brought about over disputes as 10 the rights of the Japanese here. l was Tn the country when the war broke out, ana the King of Corea was then sending trlp- ute to Picking. YuanShih-kai, who was consul general from China to Corea, was then practically the dictator of this eoun- try's foreign policy, and he had way or riding with his retinue through the main gate of the palace which etiquette ana custom prescribe for his majesty alone
 After the war the Japanese took the lead and began to bulldoze Corea AL the same time Russia drew nearer and nearer the bone and began to chew round the edges She was planning the taking pos 
 csc declared war upon her, and the result was the great fight in Manchuria, Which has now thrown Corea into the paws of Japan.
 Will Japan Eat Corea?
 The live question before the world today is whether the great Japanese dog will eat this fat and juicy Corea. l have come here to find out, and in these letters hope to tell you of just what the morsel con oil I uc n c tive mastication. During the past few months 1 have been travelling in Japan, and, f hunger is any index there is no question but that Corea will eventually rest in the Japanese stomach Just now the government Is acting somewhat on the humanitarian plan which we have adopted as to the Philippine Islands. This was originated by Prince Ito, and, as far as he and his assistants can go, it is being carried out in good faith. The situation however Is such that it is doubtful whether this can be long continued
 Let me give you one phase of 1t in nutshell. Japan now has 50,0OO.0N of the most industrious, most aggressive anu most entertaining souls upon earth, and to these she is adding 50O,0W more in births every year. All these are confined to a country about the size of California, a country so mountainous that it's good farming land is only GOO acres. Col lected in one place it would be about half the size of Kentucky, and this small area is now supporting the whole 5O,OOO,O0O. II all the land were divided equally there would only be one-quarter acre per head and the holdings all told average less than two acres in size. Suppose you were to cut our farmers holdings down to two acres each and put the whole American people into Kentucky. you would have about the conditions that prevails inJapan. At the same time imagine that Indiana, just over the Ohio river, had more fer tile soil and that it was half titled, with much land, lying vacant Could anyone keep the Kentucky man out of 1t?
 The Japanese immigration.
 We'll, that is just about the condition of Japan and Corea The strait which flows between the countries can be crossed in a night, and today the Japan ese are emigrating In great numbers and gradually taking possession of this terri tory which they have gotten through their struggle with Russia There are already outside the officials and army 10000 of them on the ground and they are rapidly changing the face of the country. They have their settlements in all the large centers. l found Fusan a new city when l landed there a few weeks ago. Instead of mud huts, matched with straw, running along dirty alleys, covered with filth, Japanese city mad arisen. Nlue streets as clean as a Dutch kitchen floor, crossed one another at right angles, run ming far up the hills. There were many two-story buildings, and shops with all kinds of goods 1 rode several miles through business streets of one kind and another passed several schools and a big city building, and finally stopped at d three-story structure which proved to be a commercial museum, containing every variety of goods, both Japanese and Co., rean. There were samples of Corean cot ton and Corean silk and many suggestions to the natives as to how they might de- velop their country.
 At Taiku, city of 10000, 100 miles further north. there is another large Japanese settlement, and Japanese cities have sprung up at Pyengyang and Gen. san. Pyengyang Is the biggest town be- tween Seoul and the Yalu. Previous to the Japan China war 1t contained SOO0o people and it is now the third largest city in the empire. It lies on the right bank of the Padding river, some distance inland from the sea, and its situation is such that some think 1t will eventually be the biggest town In Corea. It has already in the neighborhood of 10000 Japanese settlers. and a section devoted to them has been laid out near the sta tion and is fast buliuing up. Public build ings have been erected. The Dai-Ichii Ginko has erected a new bank building close to the gate and the settlement has city hall, a clubhouse, a theatre and government hospital. Schools for both Japanese and Coreans are going up and ha Htty hnnnG nf n hRo1n-