Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1917-08-15
KOREA AND JAPAN
BY A. C. BAKER
Koreans an Inquisitive People. Flock
so Close TO the Trains That
Many Get Killed.
CHERRY BLOSSOM DANCE
GREAT EVENT IN JAPAN
Dance is Performed by the Geisha
Girls, 81 Dancers and 20
Musicians.
Continued from first page)

NcoOhS ddIIOll4S, lA4CoC 81 10 OSNe~N-y
become the colcubine of some mar
ried man and cause lots of trouble in
their household.
Beggars are not as common as in
China but more common than in
Japan. We saw few cripples among
them and none that had observable
disease.
The most common bird in the coun-
try is the Maybe, this member of the
crow family, is a pest all over all
these countries, and is treated as sa-
cred. When food is taken TO the
graves of their dead these birds eat
it the natives not interfering.
The great sQueaking wheelbarrow
is used the same as in China, and its
squeak has fully as loud tone.
You see the natives with a heavy
club pounding the bark OF the null
berry tree into a pulp mixed with
spring water and ashes; they fcll it
out, ironing thoroughly and paper
you cannot tear is produced.
Their greatest pride is to be MOTTO
ed officially and to get an Office they
will sacrifice all else.
The light coming into their houses
mostly is through white paper doors
but in their temples, the same as in
China and Japan, especially the oder
ones, clam shells polished are used
as window lights letting in some light,
these were the only means of lighting
for all early periods.
The Korean is not the farmer the
Chinaman is, being very shiftless.
They cut off all the timber along the
coast hundreds of years since that
their country might look desert like
that none would desire it, but since
the japanese have it they are reforest-
ing it with pine AID oak; thousands
of acres are now in beautiful groves.
have never seen reforesting done on
the scale it is here and in japan. !
think one-fourth of the land is now
set to timber.
l had read and heard from lectur-
ers as to the work the missionaries
had done in outstanding these peo-
pie, and while they have done great
amount of good, it is nearly impossl-
BILE to bring about that kind of co1-
the superstition, so natural to them
and any religion that does not have
much form cannot be popular with
them.
After leaving the walled city Of Sc
oul this wall being about ten feet
thick and twenty high, we see nc
walled cities on our journey south
Often we see a shinto shrine some OF
them not ten feet high or ten feet
long and all worship il the open in
front.
Lastly we have to speak in praise
of our fine railroad Of American ma
terial, American cars and all equip
ment. This railroad building was
first undertaken, building road
from Chemulpo to Seoul and finally
it has all gone into Japanese control
and nothing within their own islands
compare with it.
AS we near Fusan we find the
country growing poorer, but no less
of it used for graves. 1t almost would
seem that the entire rises of ground
were used for graves and the astrolo-
gers superstition has controlled the
burials.
The most conspicuous objects, the
great straw roofs of their homes
These roofs are continually repaired
if they leak, by braiding straw mats
and putting on like matching, and
they become the most noticeable por-
ton of the house.
We reach Fusan at and find ouI
ship ready to steam us to Shimona'
seki, 122 miles distant. Our ride
there was one of the smoothest and
/ can recommend our ship, the Kama
Moru. first class. 1t seemed like re-
turning home to land at Shimonoseki
as we felt more at home il japan
than other countries.
This place carries quite history
but a ride through its narrow street,
did not impress one with any partic
ular charms in it's surroundings.
1t is a FIVE hour ride by train from
here to Miyojima the place OF oul
next stop. This is summer resort II
the mountain portion of an island IL
the inland sea. It's surroundings yer!
fine for summer but this early in th'
spring, April 10, it was too cold To-
comfort in the little paper cottages
without fires.
These coy cottages with their ligh
frames, movable, filled with paper II
summer must be delightful. The!
were made with two beds, bath ant
wash room. AS l put myself in one