Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-10-10
FOREIGN NEWS NOTES

quet and nobody blames the abductor
or the abducted, who are supposed
TO be happy for ever afterward.
The investigation of crime and
criminals in Korea by Procurator ho-
kubu, and the tradition Of the widow
abduction, led him to study marriage
customs in general These he finds
have not been changed by the annex
alton of the peninsula to japan.
All classes of Koreans marry very
early. Not infrequently one meets IN
Korea boys and girls of fourteen or
fifteen already married These boy
ard girl marriages are arranged by
their parents, the young people hav-
ing no voice in the matter. The de-
cision rests with an astrologer, to
whom the parents of the prospective
couple go for advice. If the astrolo-
ger decides against the pact the mat
ter is dropped # his advice be IA
vorable, presents are exchanged be
tween the two families and the COM
ing wedding is announced 10 the &C.
tual parties TO the alliance. They are,
however, still not allowed to see each
other
In Korea girls are kept confined in
an inner chamber" and are not al
lowed to go out. They are entirely
cut on from society, and consequently
are melancholy and unsociable. This
wedding announcement is accepted
- ~.
breaking news, for she has 70 leave
her own family and join strange peo'
pie. On the wedding day she says
goodbye TO her parents and goes 10
! the bridegroom's house, carried in a
Korean chair covered with a tigers
skin. This the Koreans believe, keeps
away the evil spirit. The bride is on
! ly allowed TO see her husband for the
| first time when the wedding ceremony
is over, for during the ceremony her
head is enveloped in a thick veil.
An attempt Of a few politicians in
! Korea to form a righteous army
] 70 restore Korea to its independence
! has collapsed and the leaders have
/ been sentenced to Jail chiefly on the
| ground that they were obtaining mon
I e. under false pretenses.
The defendants numbering three
were recently tried in the local court
at Seoul The hearing had all the pic
| turesqueness OF a Korean gathering
the top-knots and the historic Korean
stovepipe hats contrasting quantity
with the modern European dress o
the up-to-date Korean dandy.
Two Of the defendants were Confu
clan scholars and the third a farm
er. They declared that their ambi
ton was to show TO foreign power!
that Koreans were disconnected wit,
Japanese rule and that the restoration
Of independence was justified and de
sirable. The righteous army" mum
bered about fifty, and they realize,
they we're weak. Money was collect
ed for travelling expense, but nothing
ever came OF the movement
vi Chong No. a small, thin man
who stated that he had been mad
chief of the general staff Of the al
my. accused the police Of havin;
beaten him as means of forcin
him 10 make discriminating state
ments. The defendants we're vague a
to the disposition of the money CO
ected for the independence movement
Kim Chat Sunwas sentenced to tw
years for obtaining money under falls
pretenses and having invented a ste
ry about the Peoples Party" in Js
pan which was supposed TO be read
TO help the Koreans 70 win back thei
independence. Kwak Han was give
one and a half years for helping t