The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-11-30
EDUCATED IN SOUTH
/, AND POPULAR HERE
analysis of Trial Record Has Con-
vinced Leading Missionaries That
Court Finding Is Unjust.
Member of Southern
Methodist Church


Baron Yum is the most eminent man
among oriental Christians He Is a
member of the Methodist Episcopal
church. south, which has 1000, 600
members. But interest in his fate is
by no means confined to the members
of his own church for his great work
among the people of his native land
after he became a Christian has been
widely recognized by Christians the
world over and as ardently as he is
. ioVed by them so ardently is he hated
~ by those opposed to Christianity
The recent decision of the Corean
supreme court, affirming the decision
OF the lower court and five other
& courts, ends the matter so far as the
courts are concerned and there is now
no recourse unless the 100000 mem
bers of Mr. Yuns church in America
and other Christians interested petit
tion the Emperor of Japan in behalf
of the Little Foreign King"
1t may be seen at glance that
Should the 5000 ministers in the south
ern Methodist church alone start and
circulate petitions the number of names
would doubtless, soon run into the
millions and just what effect such q
mammoth petition would have on the
Japanese Emperor furnishes food for
Interesting speculation.
4 Almost all of his so years Baron Yum
. has been in the limelight and his
charming personality, brilliant wit and
scholarly attainments have made him
the center of attraction wherever he
has been. He has frequently been the
storm center of stirring and dramatic
events in his own land of Corea, once
the hermit nation" and now known
as the miracle of modern missions
He speaks six languages fluently---
Corean, Chinese, Japanese, Russian.
French and English. When he wss
quite young We find him the center of
interest at banquet given by Prince
Minis party to celebrate victory
gained when the King granted their
petltfop~f Tor the establishment of a
postal service. There was intense OPP
position to the policy of this party
+ In which Yum was prominent leader.
This was In Seoul, the capital of
Corea, at the time a perfect hotbed of
intrigue, plot and counter plot While
the banquet was in progress band
of hired assassins burst in upon the
company and there began a scene Of
bloody slaughter. Yum fled to the
American legation, where he had al
ready become favorite with the
American minister. He was concealsd
and finally secured passage on a ves-
sel bound for Shanghai, China.
DR.. c. +. Reid, founder of the Corean
mission and prominent missionary of
the Methodist Episcopal church, south
tells of the arrival of the little Corean
at the port of Shanghai. High in hi;
hand as he came ashore he held tiny
bag of gold dust that had been col
lected and given him by friends before
he had left Corea.
Yum at once entered an Anglo-Ch
nese college at Shanghai, where he
remained an earnest student for six
years and during that time he was
converted to ChriStianity,
In 1890 Mr.. Yum came to America
and entered Vanderbilt university at
Nashville, Tenn. Later he studied at
Emory college and at both places he
made brilliant records. His transpar-
ent nature, brilliancy in conversation
and fund of hearty good fellowship
won hosts of friends for him wherever
he went and it was easy to see that
| he was a born leader of men.
Pretty Romance
A few years later Mr.. Yum returned
to Shanghai to teach in the Anglo-Chi-
nese college. Here a pretty romance
awaited him. A pretty little Chinese
maiden, Sieu-Tsung, who had been born
of Christian parents and nurtured un-
der Christian influence, was organist
In the little chapel, The custom of
China Is not favorable to courtship,
but in the orient, as in the occident.
true love laughs at barriers and soon
the wedding was announced.
Unique Ceremony
DR.. Reid tells this story of the we'd
ding:
1.-The wedding was unique in that it
called for considerable concessions from
both oriental and occidental customs.
The old schoolmates of Sieu-Tsung and
the lady guests were strictly confined to
the dining room, and Mr.. Yum and the
gentleman guests were confined to the
parlor The happy couple stood in the
doorway separating the two rooms, each
on the side representing the sex to which
they belonged. No sooner had the
preacher pronounced the words, whom
God hath joined let no man put asunder,' y
than the sliding doors We're promptly
closed, and the high contracting parties
were as surely divided as could be done
by pair of heavy doors. Was it omi-
nous of the many and long separations
that in after years threw a painful
to have been made for each other? All
the world loves a lover, and surely the
friends of this happy couple rejoiced In
union that seemed in every way SO
fitting and so promising
The little bride of that evening was
destined for many heart breaking ex-
periences, but her character met every
demand placed upon it and she was in
every sense a lovely and lovable Chris
tian character.
Miss Laura Yum, eldest daughter of this
marriage, was in school in Missouri for
some time and the younger daughter is
now in school in Milersburg, Ky. Miss
Laura Yum is at present in the Carolina
college in Seoul. Korea
Some time after the death of his first
wife Mr.. Yum married a heather Korean
woman, who became a Christian soon
after her marriage, and she now lives in
Korea and mourns the fate of her bril-
liant and unfortunate husband
Baron Yun,s name is a familiar one
throughout the civilized world. He has
had very prominent part in all of the
events that have been making history
in the Orient for the past 80 years.
At the close of the China-Japanese war
the diplomatic agents Of both Russia and
Japan We're very active at the Korean
court, and each was eager to gain a
dominating influence. 1t was during
these exciting days that the good Korean
Queen was foully murdered in her pri-
vate apartments and the small and de-
voted band of patriots who stood for the
Independence of Korea was without q
leader. The regicides usurped control of
ne government. and Mr.. Yun's position
became precarious This position was
rendered even more precarious when his
father attempted to overthrow the con-
spirators and restore the King to power.
However Mr.. Yun's great popularity
with the foreign powers in Seoul. of
whom the usurpers stood greatly in awe,
was a great protection. Thus it was that
when the government decided to send
n embassy to the coronation Of the Car