The Korean Repository: Local Edition Vol. 1 No. VII Thursday March 23, 1899 The Korean Repository: Local Edition Published Every Thursday H. G. Appenzeller Geo. Heber Jones Editors George C. Core Business Manager HIS
IMPERIAL HIGHNESS THE CROWN PRINCE. His
Imperial Highness the Crown Prince celebrated his 26th
birthday on Sunday last and, as usual on such
occasions, His Majesty and His Highness spent part of
the day in receiving the congratulations and good
wishes of the Korean government officials, and the
foreign representatives. The Koreans were received in
audience early in the morning, while the hour of ten
o’clock was set for the audience of foreigners. The
diplomats and legation attaches were received first
and in a body; and then the foreign advisors and
professors in the government employ. This, we believe,
is the first time in some months that His Highness has
been well enough to receive with His Majesty at a
large function; and he shows yet very plainly the
effects of his recent long illness. We trust His
Highness will soon recover entirely. In honor of the
day, the Emperor had ordered are entertainment
prepared for the enjoyment of the foreign guests.
After partaking abundantly from the festive board that
had been most bountifully supplied with good things to
satisfy the inner man, the guests were then in good
humor for appreciating and enjoying nearly two hours
of the graceful posturing and dancing of some fifteen
Korean dancing girls to the music of a large Korean
band. Four dances in all were given. An attempt was
also made to give the audience some selections of
native songs, but the girls seemed rather shy,
presumably at the presence of so many foreigners, and
could be induced to sing with some enthusiasm only
after they had been allowed to group themselves
together with the backs of nearly all of them to the
audience. As it was though they sang enough to show
that some of them have sweet enough voices even though
the singing was so different from the European style.
The assembly broke up at about half after three, after
having enjoyed for several hours that hospitality,
which Koreans know so well how to dispense KOREA
A GREAT HIGHWAY FOR TRADE. Not
a little speculation, both in private and in the
papers, is indulged in as to the probable outlet of
the great Trans-Siberian railway now nearing
completion. Three places are mentioned, Vladivostok,
Talien-wan or Newchwang, and a port—probably Mokpo—in
southern Korea. We are specially interested in the
last place. It is true we do not yet have a single
railroad, not even the much talked of one between the
capital and its port, but we are going to have. Then
there is renewed talk of the Seoul-Fusan line and it
looks as tho the Japanese intended to take it off the
paper. The Seoul-Weju line is not yet laid out but
that is assured. When these lines are completed
connection with the main line in the north will not be
difficult. Mokpo
is entirely ice-free, in close proximity to the great
trade route between Yokohama, Shanghai and Peking, and
possesses a harbor sufficiently large for the great
amount of trade such a terminal would necessarily
require. Eastward bound goods, instead of going north
to Vladivostock, would traverse Shing-king, cross the
Yalu and come down the whole length of the peninsula.
This view is shared.by some individuals and by some
Japanese papers in Korea and in these days of bold
planning and exception who will say this is beyond the
possible, or even probable. We hope our friends in
Mokpo will not be overwhelmed at the prospects. Official
Gazette EDICTS Yi
Ho-ik of the Board of Ceremonies is ordered to build
in Chun-ju in North Chulla Province a shrine to the
founder of the family from which the present royal
line sprang. RESIGNATIONS. March
16th—Min Yong-ton, Minister abroad APPOINTMENTS March
20—Min Pyeng-han, Vice
Minister of Home Affairs March
21—Wun U-sang, Chief of Police. CITY
AND COUNTRY Mrs.
H. G. Underwood is at the river quite ill. Americanitis
is the name for nervous prostration in London. Dr.
J. Hunter Wells of Pyeng-yang made a trip to the gold
mines. Rev.
Geo. Heber Jones left Chemulpo Tuesday for a visit to
Pyeng-Yang and surrounding territory, The
cold snap on the 17th sent the thermometer ten or
eleven degrees below freezing. The seeds planted by
the early gardeners lie in a dormant state. Rev.
Wm. M. Baird of Pyeng Yang and family have been
stopping in ChemuIpo the past week, waiting for a
steamer to Japan on his way to America on furlo. The
Korean Minister at Washington, Ye Pom Chin, entered
his son Chonghi at ROanoke College. This college
graduated a Korean last June with the degree of A. B. Dr.
O. K Avison and family leave tomorrow for Canada on
furlo. Dr. Avison came to Korea in the summer of 1893
and has been in charge of the Government Hospital
since that time. Our
friends in Pyeng-yang organized a “Kindergarten and
School Association” with Mr. Baird as president, the
object being to secure a teacher to open a school for
the foreign children in that city. . The
Charity Bazaar held under the patronage of Mesdames
Hioki and Akitizaki on the 21 inst; was
well-patronized. This is the second bazaar held by the
Japanese the receipts of which are devoted to
benevolent objects. The
Trilingual Press wishes the public to know that they
will discount silver yen five per cent and pennies and
nickels will be discounted 8 per cent, and will not be
received for amounts larger than 5 yen; while under no
circumstances will Korean cash be received. Our
esteemed contemporary, The Peking
Teintsin Times publishes in its issue of Feb. 25
a batch of ‘Affairs in Korea’ from a correspondent. In
the editorial columns reference is made to these “very
interesting notes sent us by an intelligent observer.”
We should like to quote the notes but as our rule is
to limit ourselves to facts and as these “very
interesting” notes were written January 30 and as some
of the things spoken of as in the past tense are still
in the future we refrain. We could publish a good
sized daily were we to take all we hear and then draw
on our imagination for the rest. The
Standard’s Odessa correspondent reports that the Far
East will witness this spring a series of naval and
military evolutions on an imposing stale. “The
garrisons at Port Artur and Talien-wan are to be
equally divided, each force being supported by a naval
squadron The objective feature of the evolutionary
campaign will be the assault and capture of Port
Arthur.’ Mrs.
Bishop, who is well and favorably remembered here, in
a note to the editors among other things says, “I am
greatly occupied with the preparation of a book, ‘The
Yanztze Valley and Beyond’ a subject of great interest
in this country now. There will be a deluge of books
on China before the year is out. Kindly remember me to
all whom I know in the mission circle. I do not forget
one of them.” Our
correspondent from Mokpo writes us to correct the
statement made in our issue of the 2nd inst. that
9,500 yen were to be expended on their sea wall. It
should have been 95,000.00 yen. He writes under date
of March 17th, “The contract for the wall has been
already closed between the Korean Government and a
Japanese. All details have. been arranged and the work
is to begin shortly. The
following incident is not such an unusual game in
Korea. Kim Myeng-hun lives in the river suburbs. He
was hard up for money sometime ago, and being at loss
to find means to secure funds honestly, hit upon a
plan which seemed to promise well. He went to Mr. Yi
Yak-nam of Yang-ju, who is a widower in search of a
wife, and announced that the daughter. of his
son-in-law was a widow and would be willing to marry a
good husband. It would he. necessary to pay twenty
dollars however in order to arrange the preliminaries.
The twenty dollars was paid and immediately “devoured”
by the distressed Kim, and the expectant bridegroom
came to claim the widow only to find that she was an
un-betrothed maiden who would have nothing to do with
him. As a result Mr. Kim now languishes in jail sorry
he ever attempted to sell his son-in-law’s. daughter. The
North China
Herald of the 6 inst. discusses “The Partition
of China” and thinks England has lost the golden
opportunity in not heartily supporting and guiding the
young Emperor in his aspiration. “The balance was
wavering and it is unquestionable that the influence
of Great Britain would have turned the scale in the
Emperor’s favor. But the chance was lost and the best
friends of China are forced to allow that her
condition has become hopeless. An
American lad living not more than a thousand miles
from Chong dong in an exuberance of patriotic fervor
put up Old Glory in the back yard of his father’s lot.
It is true he selected one of the highest spots and it
was not many days until the trained eye of our
ever-watchful police spied it and inquiry as to the
meaning of this flag in a new quarter was at once
instituted.... The Englishman living next door was
first called upon to give account and while he was
ready to admit a friendly feeling for the Stars and
Stripes confessed ignorance of the presence of the
symbol of the republic to the west of his lot. The
policeman went to the next house and exercising due
precaution in view of the heavy responsibility resting
upon him in ferreting out this new menace to the
Korean flag got as far as the kitchen door without
seeing any one, “What meaneth the fluttering of yonder
flag?” “Ah!” replied the culinary genius with a hearty
laugh, “that is only child’s play—it has no meaning
for us Koreans.” The policeman withdrew to make his
report and the lad still flies his flag. HEALTH
OF PHILIPPINE TROOPS. BUDDHA’S
BONES. BOOKS
AND PERIODICALS. Official
Circular.
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