2
1st. Monday. Bright. -14.5℃. 9 a.m.
3
Praise God from Whom all Blessings Flow! May this song be the fitting expression of my sense of gratitude to God all the days of this year!
4
The coldest new years day I have seen in Seoul. Went to the station at 10 a.m. to bid "Bon voyage" to Dr. and Mrs. Pinson, Bishop C. and Mrs. Boaz, and to Miss Howell.
5
On my way home, paid card-leaving visit to Governor General, Judge Watanabe, and Mr. Kunitomo. Stayed home rest of the day. Sharp wind―most of the day.
7
2nd. Tuesday. Bright. -18˚C.
8
Very cold. This morning I couldn't find the mercury in the tube of the thermometer as it had ran down so low toward the bulb.
9
I understand that the Central Y.M.C.A. came out ￥7,000.00 short last year. The 學館 or the Middle School department ran the Y. into hopeless debt when I took charge of the General Secretaryship 1915. Contending that it was no business of Y.M.C.A. to run the middle school or any school on debt sacrificing every other department to it, I did the unpopular thing of abolishing the middle school course. Mr. Cynn who knew how to win popularity resuscitated the school with all due advertisement. But all the same the old story is repeated viz: the Central Y.M.C.A. is in for debt. The truth is that a school of this kind can not be carried on without some permanent source of income.
10
A young fellow named 全富一 is going about to organize a stock company with a capital of ￥5,000,000.00 educating bright young men. Either his head is wrong or his heart is worse. He wants me to give him an office or ￥120.00 to get one! No, Ser-ee!
12
3rd. Wednesday. Bright. -16˚C.
15
4th. Thursday.. -10˚C.
16
A little milder than yesterday.
17
The price of rice has gone down so low―5 sen a "kin" in Asan etc.―that money is getting scarcer every day. No prospect of rising of the price in a near future. What are we to do? Blackmailing in the name of independence is the fashion of the day. Brigands with pistols visit the homes of the reputed rich, in Seoul in the broad day light demanding tens of thousand yen. I feel as insecure now as I did in the last days of the old Korean regime.
19
5th. Friday. Bright. -7˚C.
20
Milder today. Left Seoul with Washington for Song Do per 12:15 a.m. train. Arrived Song Do about 3 p.m.
21
Hear that Mr. 南宮檍 who mortgaged his entire property to build a school in his village, finding himself at the end of his resources, has taken to drink in great despondency. I gave him ￥300(00/100) a month ago. I shall send him ￥200.00 more in a day or two. But that may not pull him through. Sorry he didn't count the cost before he started the work. He seems to have been misled by the hope that the So. Meth. mission would give him a substantial aid.
23
6th. Saturday. Bright. Cold.
24
Song Do home. The school opened its String term(3rd term) this morning.
25
Someone has well said "Korea once a hermit nation, is now permit nation," meaning that a Korean has to get a permit for everything he does. Allen applied for a permit for his dairy a month ago. The local police, on one pretax or another, hasn't issued the permit. I suppose they want to protect the Japanese dairy. Every winter, the foreign community and the Koreans of Song Do have been in the habit of laying in ice for their summer use; of course, with the permit of the police. This winter the police flatly refuses to give the permit on the ground that the mountain stream from which the blocks of ice are to be cut is not clean. The open secret is that the Japanese Natural Ice Co.(天泳會社) has opened a branch office in Song Do. In Seoul I have learned from personal experience that a Korean must first get a permit before he may build a house, but a Japanese first build and then apply for permit. Yet the Japanese wonder why the Koreans don't thank them for their fairness!
27
7th. Sunday. Bright. Cold.
28
Song Do home. Worshipped in the chapel. Dr. Koo gave a short but sensible talk on John VI, 9.
30
8th. Monday. Beautiful. Mild.
31
Song Do home. Office as usual.
32
Religion is a matter of instinct, while morality is of reason. Religion and morality are therefore not necessarily co-existent. Hence we see so many persons―nay, whole races and nations―who are religious without being moral while not a few people are moral without being religious. He is a perfect man whose religion is adorned with morality and whose morality is motivated by religion.
34
9th. Tuesday. Windy. Bright. Cold.
35
Song Do home. Office as usual. At 1 p.m. went to 開城座 at the request of the magistracy to see the magic lantern exhibition of some of the virtuous acts of Emperor Meiji and of General Nogi. These exhibitions are staged in various parts of the land under the auspices of the 勅語實踐會 to instill into the plastic mind of the young the sentiment of loyalty and of patriotism. The whole program may be useful to the Japanese but perfectly meaningless to the Korean. The motto of the Association seems to be 皇恩俊屋(the Imperial Benevolence is Ample and Overflowing.) of anything, it is rather Imperial Malevolence rather than Imperial benevolence that is overflowing in Korea.
37
10th. Wednesday. Bright. Cold.
38
Song Do home. Office as usual.
39
Cold but a lovely day. Allen brought two cows, one bull and two calves from Seoul. God grant he will prove to be a success in the dairy work. I believe that the cow and the bee, I may add, the silk worm are three gold mines left to the Korean. Nay better than gold mines because, gold mines once exhausted are good for nothing while cows, bees and silk worms are inexhaustible sources of wealth. If Allen succeeds he will be a benefactor to his people.
42
Song Do home. Snow all day long. Nearly 5 inches of snow on the ground.
45
Left song Do per 9:15 a.m. train for Seoul.
47
13th. Saturday. Bright. -5˚C.
48
Seoul home. Early part of this month students(苦學生) broke up three convivial parties in restaurants in the city. One in 明月館, another in 國一館, and the third in 洗心館. Their ostensible reason is that people have no business to make merry in a restaurant when tens of thousands of the poor are shivering with cold and hunger. This is only one phase which the Russian Bolshevism is manifesting itself in Korea. The word proletarian which Marxians themselves use as a synonym for a laborer has been translated into 無産者 or property-less person, in Korean. If property-less-ness is something to be proud of, then Korea is certainly the proudest country in the world.
50
14th. Sunday. Gloomy. Chilly.
51
Seoul home. Worshipped at 宗橋 Church.
53
15th. Monday. Bright Cold.
54
Mailed letter and bill of exchange for ￡100/to 致旺.
55
Another heavy snow last night.
56
Left Seoul per 12:15 noon train for Song Do.
58
16th. Tuesday. Bright.
59
Song Do home. The coldest day so far in Song Do. A lovely day though.
60
Wrote a letter to Bishop Candler asking him if he could find a scholarship or some other provision in the Emory University which might enable 羅樞建 to get an American education.
61
The complicate redtapism of the Japanese regime has brought into existences a class of writers called 代書人. Wherever there is a court or magistrate office these writers are a necessary evil. I don't complain at them. But I do complain at the discrimination which the Japanese officers make against the Korean writers in favor of the Japanese. Example. There is a Japanese 代書人 named Tanaka in this city. The Chief of local police, in fact, all the Japanese officers in the town actually drive all applicants to him by giving more prompt and favorable attention to the petitions written by him. Tanaka charges enormous fees. Allen had to pay him ￥20.00 for an application for the dairy permit A fee of ￥50.00 is charged for ice-permit application.
63
17th. Wednesday. Bright. Bitter cold.
64
Song Do home. Must be about 20˚C. below zero.
66
18th. Thursday. Bright. Cold.
67
Song Do home. Office as usual.
70
Left Song Do per 9:05 a.m. train for Seoul.
72
20th. Saturday. Pretty. Mild.
75
21st. Sunday. Pretty. Mild.
76
Seoul home. First rain. Thick fog, heavily charged with the coal smoke of the city made the atmosphere unbreathable. Little thawing with rain covered the streets with muddy sheets of ice―like sheets of glass―made the street unwalkable. On my way to the church I slipped and fell on my back. Above all and worst of all, the sulphuric temper of wife made her presence unbearable. All together this day is one of the dirtiest days I have experienced. Oh for a wife, loving, lovable, and lovely or NONE!
78
22nd. Monday. Gloomy. Mild.
79
Left Seoul 12:15 morning train for Song Do.
81
23rd. Tuesday. Cloudy. Mild.
84
24th. Wednesday. Pale sun. Mild.
85
Song Do home. Office as usual.
87
25th. Thursday. Cloud. Mild.
89
Song Do home. Office as usual.
91
26th. Friday. Bright. Cold.
92
Left Song Do 9:05 a.m. Arrived Seoul home a little after 12 morning. Lambuth not well.
94
27th. Saturday. Bright. Chilly.
97
28th. Sunday. Cloudy. Penetrating chill.
100
29th. Monday. Bright. Chilly.
101
Seoul home. Between 5 and 6 p.m. Dr. 朴啓陽 came and vaccinated our children here, except Lambuth who had a restless and feverish night last night.
103
30th. Tuesday. Lovely. Bitter cold.
106
31st. Wednesday. Lovely. Very cold.
107
Seoul home. Attended the 創立總會 of 朝鮮基督敎 廣文社 from 11 a.m. to 12 night. The day session was held in the 勝洞 Church and the night session at 明月館. The name 廣文社 was changed into 彰文社. All things considered, I am glad. The company was formally organized. While the capital had to be reduced to nearly 1/3 of what the enthusiastic promoters had aimed at viz: 20,000 shares of 1 million yen, the actual paying in of more than 60,000 yen, in these days of money famine, is another striking evidence that the Christian Church is a force that is better organized, more intelligent and more public spirited than any other organization in Korea.
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