Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1914-06-12
FACTS ABOUT k0REA|S Still UNs0LVEl.
Country Had lronclads Three
Centuries AGO.
Hermit Kingdom Anticipated Europe
In Uss Of Movable Type and Astro-
nomleai instruments Decline
Due 70 invasion.


nomlcai instruments -Dsellns
Due 70 !nvaslen. ~
George KEENAN,. explorer and lectuF'
u, recently communicated to the Ma
donal Geographic society the In
formation that Korea built steel-clad
battleships $50 years before the Mon.
itor and Merrimac. The Hermit King.
dom was using movable type and As
Economical instruments from the
twelfth to the. fifteenth centuries ana
employing explosive bombs long be-
fore they were known In Europe. He
points out that the famous Japanese
Satsuma pottery was made originally
by Korean workmen who were i'm.
ported into the mikado's kingdom.
These facts are cited by Mr.. KEENAN,
to show the terrific downfall expert
enced by Korea He traces its
course from It's pinnacle Of civiliza-
ton to the depths OF degeneracy, and
expresses great hopes for its future
under the guidance Of Japan.
While Korea was sinking, Japan
was rising, until the island kingdom,
all by its own efforts, became such .
world power as to defeat great Eu-
ropean nation" he says. THE Kor-
cans were q mainland people. They
had taught the medieval laps all the
civilization they had. But, by rea'
son Of their geographical location. they
were invaded by vastly inferior PEG
pie. the Mongols, and the Manchus.
Korea was Influenced to establish
demonology as its religion, its blood
was weakened by being crossed with
that of people vastly beneath It and
its spirit was broken by the indigni-
ties heaped upon 1t by the more pow
erful invaders. 1t was under the in
huence Of China, which adopted the
semisacred books OF Confucius as
its national system Of education 1000
years ago. The knowledge Of his
works and the ability to recite long
chapters of his writings were made
he chief requirement Of the aspir-
INT for honors. - t -. = -
LAS result. the only study of the
sciences, mathematics and the phe-
aomena of nature was dropped; the
memory was overcultivated and. the
reasoning power stultihed. The hab-
its of the Koreans became unclean-
ly; they grew Indifferent to dirt and
smells .,..4. ..- -
Japan, on the other hand, was
never invaded in it's history; its blood
was never intermingled and its stock
was allowed to remain pure. Its ma
tional character was developed with
out outside influence. The shinto re-
ligion Of the empire has o. its cardi.
nal principles purity Of body, spirit
and environment Japan was not ex-
posed to. the scou-ges and plaques
that Korea's dirt and Nth brought
upon It. The 'feudal system sprang up
in Japan, causing authority to be re-
spected and discipline to be devel-
oped.
In 1910 Japan annexed Korea. Prior
to that time as many deaths 40, 900 .
day had occurred In Seoul alone;
shortly afterward not as many people
died from the plague in the whole
kingdom in one year. Japan forcibly
vaccinated 100000 people in one
year. Courts were established, CIV
ing authority to 10000 gendarmes.
Hundreds of miles of roads are being
built. Anorestation on an extensive
scale is being carried on. To en-
courage the silkworm industry 49,.
100000 mulberry tree seedlings were
set out in one year.
State and private banks were es+
tablished.e The postal system was
Installed and one in every six families
has a savings account. The people.
at first suspicious, have learned that
they will get their money back when
ever they ask for 1t. In the first
year after the Japanese occupancy the
rice crop was doubled and the wheat
and barley crops grew from 14,0o0,-
900 to 100000 bushels. The jap
anese have built a model village In
every province, and are encouraging
the people to build similar villages
throughout the kingdom "
Mr. KEENAN, points out that Korea
has the. same geographical advan-
tages as a great part Of the eastern
part Of the United Staten. IT 10 just
al well fitted to be the home Of
healthy, prosperous and happy pso-
ple," he says. 1T Is located similar
ly to the territory bordering on. the
Atlantic coast, from Portland. No.
to Charleston, 8. c., and extends in
ward to Albany, N. r.; Harrisburg.
Pa; Lynchburg. Va. and Columbia.
8. c." .@.~' * .r ~. e. .,stt5s's.=sa WI
1 r. = "A Century Aos. ~. h /
One hundred years ago the British
.fieet on Lake Ontario. having partially
succeeded. in the expedition against
Ns~o~o cot aoi1 FIR "a nkattsa II vhop