The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-15

l earlier and better days elsewhere. and had been retired to this more out-of- the way place Some friends told m that there was an automobile in the city, but they did not show 1t to me
 Now and then a Sedan chair, such as
 the nobles and other rich folk used
 to effect, may still be seen. Indeed,
 outside the cities this is about the
 only way of travelling long distances
 unless one is willing to test the metal
 of a pony which Is so diminutive that 1t cannot keep the feet of a long, legged man off the ground, and so Ill tempered that 1t performs all sorts
 of tricks on the slightest provocation
 Having tried the chear once and the pony not at all. I am scarcely in a po- sftfon to paes a definite Judgment be-
 tween the two There Is a small daily paper in English. very careful of its ut. terances and one good foreign h otel
 the Santoy, kept by a German lady
 The stores are mere shops. Not even the best of them carry anything like a stock. I saw hundreds that did not seem to have as much as s25 worth of goods
 Over in the Japanese quarter the case is different. Tn fact. that whole part of the city has another look. Recently built and occupied by thrift newcomers
 It really resembles a modern city-though of the Oriental type. But the Koreans by every token are exceedingly poor
 They have few industries. The ancient ar- tistic faculty which made them the teach CTS of the Japanese in ceramics and other arts has almost died down. In a land where fine workman was likely to be pillaged of his last products by royal authority there was little temptation to industry. But in one or two directions the Koreans will do excellent work Thei best brasses. which contain an uncom- monly heavy per cent of copper, are very fine. Nearly everybody that visits the country is disposed to buy some for his home folks. Few things in wood could be prettier than the Chongs orcabfnets which are still produced and exposed for sale. The best of them are made of hardwood-the oldest ones are heavily brassed, and contain an indefinite num- ber of drawers. I have known an Ameri- l can lady to buy them right and left and | ship them home. In making a purchase one must be on guard. Imitation arti- | cles of recent make and of colored pine | are occasionally palmed off on unsus- pecting strangers for antiques. Not even the guileless Korean is quite free from the taint of original sin. Cottons and | silks are spun and woven in a small l way. The horse-hair hats which every | body wears that can afford 1t is pec,i- | liar to the country. Workers in iron are | not uncommon. Pottertes for the manu-
  vessels exist in many places. The mak- | ing of pipes is one of the commonest | industries. Tobacco, said to be of good | quality, though I did not try it, grows in the country, and everybody smokes perpetually. except the newly converted | Christians, who have mostly given up the practice. For picture of dreamy incidence, commend me to a company of any class of Koreans sitting down cross legged and puffing away hour after hour at their ng-stemmed pipes. which are so tiny that they need frequent refilling. |
 AS to the general appearance of the people, both men and women, 1t is a dis tinct and pleasant surprise to those whoj have framed an adverse judgment in ad- vance. The men are of more than ordi- H nary height and of a manly appearance. II They carry themselves well, and when arrayed in the clean white garments which they usually wear they really look imposing. But these same white gar ments are a tremendous tax upon the women folks. They must be ripped up every time they are washed-and that is often-and then sewed together again. In the winter, when they are padded with cotton, the job is still heavier. All the ironing Is done by beating the clothes with round wooden sticks. Such a racket | as is made In the operation is almost deafening. It goes on all day long, and far into the night.
 Do what you will you cannot escape it. The women, as general thing, are comedy in their youth, but age rapidly. II Their usual dress is a very short body l. and a full kind of skirt At Seoul they II nearly all wear a cloak, not putting II their arms into the sleeves, but throw ing it over their heads and drawing it around their shoulders. Men and wom- en alike. they have many excellent loix | and generous to the last limit. When once cured of their ignorance and superstition, and taught the meaning II of a true religion, and the dignity of honest labor. there Is no reason why they should not become a great nation. Without exception the missionaries come to entertain for them a feeling of profound affection. 1 have never seen anything more beautiful than the that exist between these hon est toilers and their new converts. Very few even worldly minded men, could fail to be touched by it. II
 have said that there are about 30,- II 900 Japanese in Seoul alone. How many there are in the whole of Korea nobody can tell with precision. Ever since the Russian war they have been in like flood. A gentleman of good intelligence, and who is in a position to frame a careful judgment, told me that taking the country over, and counting the army of occupation as well as the civilians, there could not be less than an average of 15 Japanese to the square mile His estimate may be exaggerated. but not greatly so. As the total population Is only about 12,- O00, ,000, it can easily be seen how large a sprinkling of Japanese there is in the land. No one familiar with the sit uation doubts that these little men from across the straits have come to stay, and are in fact only the vanguard of still greatel host of their fellow The recent aot of an- nexation was not performed at hap hazard It simply revealed what was the Japanese intention from the be- ginning. For good or i'll, and for all time. they mean to make Korea q pro-