The progressive farmer and southern farm gazette. (Starkville, Miss.) 1910-1920, 1910-12-24

(until now the capital of a Kingdom, and a
quarter OF a million people call the city their
nome; no carriages buggies, no sewerage and
put few horses. There are miserable little over
loaded ponies that the average farmer would feel
that he could pitch into his barn-loft, but the
burden-carriers mostly bulls that are really
magnificent in appearance both oxen and ponies
carrying loads their backs that an American
would expect to crush them
Some Odd Korean Customs
Men enormous straw hats as a badge of
mourning, but the usual style of head-dress is to
shave the extreme summit of the head while the
rest OF the hair grows long and is braided up in a
sort of top-knot with little bird-cage hat above
1t. this hat then tied under the chin as an Ameri-
can woman would tie hers.
Girls are but little seen on the streets custom
requiring them to stay indoors before marriage
and the married women, when on the street are
likely to wear sort of green wrap thrown over
their heads and shoulders that leaves only their
eyes and contiguous facial territory exposed The
tourist is at first inclined to think that there are
many young girls the streets, but this is be-
cause the boys dress like we have grown used to
seeing girls dress at home. Take the young boy
who waits on my table: fair of feature in his
neat white dress, and with long glossy hair-plait
hanging down his back, you would take him for a
fair Korean maiden. When he gets married
little later (probably at seventeen eighteen) he
will shave his head (not necessarily as a sign of
mourning) and wear his hair thereafter in the
manner described in the preceding paragraph. An
English missionary doctors pretty daughter here
yesterday (and how pretty an English or Ameri-
can girl does look in this far land told me that
Korean girl Of twenty twenty-one is regarded
as rather desperate old maid and the go-be-
tweens who arrange the marriages here as they
DO In Japan. are likely tocharge rattle steep sum
for getting husband for so far advanced in
spinsterhood! The chances are that the groom
doesn't see his bride until the ceremony, and she
doesn't see him then, for according to the curious
custom here the brides eyes are sealed up until
late afternoon of her wedding day More than
this custom requires that the bride must keen
absolutely unbroken silence all the day long, and
for varying length of time thereafter. Mrs
Bishop in her book on Korea asserts that ct may
be week or several months before the husband
knows the sound Of his wifes voice." and the
nature Of the dear creatures in America will, O
course, insure the ready acceptance Of her state
ment
True Romance in the Orient
The go-betweens are often not very scrupulous
,, and for good fees sometimes manage to palm of
damsels OF unsatisfactory features on unsuspect
ing SWANS, or the reverse. A rather amusing in
stance was reported to me by the young lady from
/, whom have just quoted. One of the officials O
noblemen in Seoul had daughter whom the go
between preparing to marry off into anothe
family OF rank in another city. few days be
lore the wedding day set some one came ID tn
father of the bride and said: did you know tina
!, your prospective son-in-law has hare-lip?" No,
sirable addition to ones countenance as to max
Mrs Wigs happy because of being without II
: but under the old dispensation one with hare
= lip Cor other similar facial blemish) could b
presented at court and thereby introduced into tn
Four Hundred Of this capital city. Therefore tn
: father waxed thoughtful from his top-knot to tn
. END or his long-stem pipe. II tell you what II
= do,' he finally said to his wife Wen 80 ahea
= with the ceremony, but instead of my daughter II
substitute NJ orphan niece" And he did, an
hn l,yA
l, week.
70 fortunately, however. my story doesn't en-
=. here. am extremely glad to add the usua
80 Continued on page 902)