The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-05-11

consist Of a large number of low
oullulngs. They are of only one story.
out the floors are we'll up off the
ground and they have arched roofs OF
heavy tiles which extend far hevond
the walls and make them quite pic
turesque. | cannot tell you how many
DulldlngS there are in this palace. but
the numbe is enough to form COM
quarters for his majesty and
ms retlnue. When l say that he has
TWO thousand servants and that the
most OF these eat and sleep inside the
walls, YOU will see that they must be
extensive.
Palaces Three Hundred Years Old.
me buildings of today are a strange
COMBINATION OF the old the new. The
rulers OF Korea have had a palace on
1nls spot tor more than three hundred
years, and the buildings have been
latched uD and remodeled from time
20 time. Just now new structures are
belng erected, and the audience all.
IN which his majesty will receive in
the future, will be tar different from
that in which l met him today. The
waiting room. where l was received by
the court chanlberlains in mDa
with General Okesaki and a humble
Of Japanese officers, was evidently the
result Ct foreign graft, and it made
me think Of the PENNSYLVANIA state
house where the furniture was paid
for by the inch. Outwardly it was Ko-
rean. but the interior was of the
cheapest foreign style as to its decora-
ton and furniture. It had green
pine doors, such as one buys at a dol
lar each at our lumber yards.
and the door knows were of the plain
white porcelain variety. The paper
on the walls and ceiling, did not ac-
tually cost those who furnished it
more than Is cents a roll, and the
yellow velvet carpet on the front
would be high at 81 a yard.
In striking contrast with this plain
officials and japanese menals. All were
Of European cut, but they s%parkled
with gold lace and brass buttons. The
master of ceremonies wore a gold-hilt-
ed sword at his side. and he had a
black hat trimmed with ostrich feath-
ers. under his arm. The japanese army
officers We're cIaid in fine cloth uni
forms Of a khaki color, but all wore
decorations. according to rank and
service ranging in size from the diam
eter Of a red cent to that of a pint cup.
a Talk With the Emperor.
When the time for my audience came
the master of ceremonies took me
through a long hall into the audience
room proper. h was, ! judge, about
fifty feet wide n a hundred feet
long. The Emperor of Korea, several
of his cabinet and Niscount Some
stood at the opposite end Of this room
facing the door. The emperor was in
the center of the party, and according
to etiquette | marched forward ten
steps. and then bowed. l then went on
until | reached his majesty, when |
bowed again. To my surprise, the
emperor bowed, too, and held out his
hand. ] took it and we shook. If you
could have felt that hand 1t was as
soft as cotton and warm and pleasant
to touch
FTho p,or v-ho hn1 hoo, rnooivo1 no
fore me had merely bowed upon his
reception and turned away | supposed
this was roper, and started to do like
wise; Whereupon the mperOr motion
ed me to stop. and the master OF cere-
monies said that his majesty wished
to speak to me. The then
asked how long / had been in the
country II when / was going away.
He wanted to know whether | had
an audience with him before, and
when l replied that ] had met him
fourteen years ago, at the beginning
OF the wal between Japan and nina
and automatically added that his
majesty looked as young today as he
did then. he p~erceptlbly smiled. This
encouraged me to beg him to send g
through me to the United
States. The master of ceremonies
pretended to submit this request, but
whether he did SO or not | do no.
know. as he spoke in Korean. At any
Tdle. HIS IldJtSlN oId Iol oliSNCi Uot
in reply said that he was glad that J
had come 20 Korea, and that he hoped
| would have g. pleasant tour through
and China. where. he I'M
derstood. / was going. This was a sig
nal for leaving. and / packed my way
out, bowling hetirneS.
How His Majesty Looks.
As l stood before the emperor | had
to study him. He is not bad
looking, and appears tall to he Jap
anese generals about him. He has a
large head, rather high owe the eyes.
wears a black mustache, just large
enough to enable it to be waxed. and
his hair. strange to say, is cut short.
His complexion is cream yellow, his
black, his height five feet seven,
and his weight, ] judge, about 10
pounds. When l saw him today he
was clad i nthe uniform of a Korean