2
1st. Monday, Sun and cloud. Cold.
3
Seoul home. 彰文社 重役會 at or from 2 p.m. 染在璣 whom 洪秉璇 had recommended, and whom we took―or mistook―to be an honest young man have proved by his actions one of the meanest rascals I have seen. He coaxed 洪, when the latter was 商務取締役 to sign a 約束手形 or (Promissory Note) for ￥2,000.00 underwritten by Mr. 李尙在 as the 社長 of 彰文社. 洪 was made to believe that 染 would redeem the note without giving any trouble to 彰文社; but he has so far failed. 染 has been using the 彰文社 Printing Office to print his pet books without paying a sen of ￥1,800.00 to 彰文社. Absolutely no enterprise possible in Korea by the Koreans simply because it is absolutely impossible to find an honest man to run it.
4
Returned to Song Do 7:20 p.m. train.
6
2nd. Tuesday. Sun and cloud. Cold.
7
Song Do Office as usual.
9
3rd. Wednesday. Sun and cloud. Cold.
10
Song Do home. Office as usual.
11
Messrs. 呂運弘, 徐相權, 吳相俊, the latter two of the Directors of the 普成專門學校 came about 8:30 p.m. I stayed until 10, importuning me to accept the position of the 普成專門學校長! I had to refuse categorically the well meant offer.
13
4th. Thursday. Bright. Mild.
14
Song Do Office until 12. Left Song Do for Seoul 2:20 p.m. Felt tired and unwell.
15
姜文秀 whom I pay ￥50.00 a month beside other emoluments amounting to ￥l00.00 a month to look after our interests outside the South Gate and to collect the rents for 致旺 and 致昌 has embezzled the money to the time of ￥562.00! He tells me he didn't do it out of any badness of his heart!
16
He is one of the meanest ingrates I have seen.
18
5th. Friday. Lovely. Mild.
19
Seoul home. 7:30 p.m. went to the Union Seminar at there quest of Mr. Wasson to give a series of lecture to the 敎役者講習會. Out of the remarkable book of M. Ed. Demolin, on "The Superiority of the Anglo Saxon" I have decided to give a sense translation of four Chapter to the brethren. What the author says to be the short comings of his French people is so true of the Korean people, only hundred times worse. The Anglo Saxon race by holding individual independence to be of greater value than Communistic dependence; practical utility to be of higher importance than un realizable dreams; useful occupations to be of nobler worth than officialdom or even liberal professions, have succeeded the overcoming all difficulties and in becoming actual dominator of the world.
21
6th. Saturday. Bright. Cold.
22
Seoul home. 4 p.m. took children to Y.M.C.A. to see the "Dancing exhibition given in connection with the Charity Bazar held for the benefit of Mrs. Kim's school. Dancing exhibition and 광대소리 (Actor's singing) in the Y.M.C.A.! Why, only a few years ago when I was the General Secretary of the Central Y, a mere suggestion of introducing a billiard table in the Y. brought tears of pain and sorrow to the eyes of one of the American members among the Directors! Mr. Beck actually threatened to resign rather than to vote for installing a billiard table in the Y. which might prove a stumbling block to some young men. After all I don't think public dancing is a form of amusement that we need copying from the West.
23
7:30 p.m. talked to the Preachers' Meeting out of E. D's book; on the failure of the French system of education to produce men fit for the changed and changing conditions of the world. The French education aims at turning out functionaries by means of stuffing the young men with encyclopedia knowledge to pass the Civil Examinations. The whole contention of the author is that individual initiative energy and the spirit and habitue of self help are virtues essential to success; that these qualities are best nurtured and perfected by the Particularist Formation which throws a man on his own resources, but are atrophied or destroyed by the Communistic Formation which makes a man to depend on his family, then friends, then the state.
25
7th. Sunday. Dull a.m. Pretty p.m. Cold.
26
Seoul home. Worshipped at 宗橋 Church.
28
8th. Monday. Bright. Cold.
29
Seoul home. A telegram from Allen announcing the birth of a boy this morning. God bless the new comer!
30
7:30 p.m. talk to the preachers on the faults of the French parents whose parental devotion takes the form of trying to make the life's pathway as rosy as possible instead of educating them to rely on themselves. One of the most striking sentences in the book is this: "Indeed, these people(the English) haven't for the manual labor, the superb disdain which we French profess to have for it. They have long been delivered from this old error which has been more disastrous to us than hundred defeats on the field of battle."
32
9th. Tuesday. Snow. Cold.
33
Seoul home. 7:30 p.m. talked to the preachers on "Which Formation is more Favorable to Happiness?" M. Ed. Demolin defines happiness to be the state of satisfaction of those who have succeeded in overcoming truly the material and moral difficulties of their lives." Given a world where every improvement, material as well as moral, is possible only as a result of ceaseless warfare with evil, this definition of happiness seems to be the most sensible one.
35
10th. Wednesday. Bright. Very cold.
36
Left Seoul for Song Do 12:05 p.m. train.
38
11th. Thursday. Bright. Very cold.
39
Song Do Office as usual. The coldest day so far experienced.
41
12th. Friday. Bright. Cold.
42
Song Do Office until 12. Left for Seoul 2:20 p.m. train.
44
13th. Saturday. Bright. Cold.
45
Seoul home. The Japanese authorities have decided to move the gubernatorial seat of a 慶尙南道 from 晋州 to Fusan. Perfectly a unjustifiable and wanton disregard for the wishes of the Korean people. No good reason for such a step except that it would benefit the Fusan Japanese. Another flagrant instance of the set police of Japan in Korea that the interest of the Japanese is to be promoted no matter what the Koreans may suffer. Yet men like Dr. Gale writes that the new policy of Japan in Korea has been to rectify every wrong!
47
14th. Sunday. Pale. Very chilly―Cold.
48
Seoul home. Papers report that the people of 晋州 and of other districts in 慶尙南道 are making demonstrations in protest against the proposed removal of the gubernatorial seat to Fusan. Demonstration, figs! The Japanese will mobilize troops to suppress any popular movements. The result will be nothing but damage to the poor Koreans, in life and Property.
50
15th. Monday. Dull. Chilly.
51
Seoul home. Dentist in the morning.
52
Returned to Song Do 7:20 p.m. train.
54
16th. Tuesday. Bright. Cold.
55
Song Do home. Office as usual.
57
17th. Wednesday. Bright. Cold.
58
Song Do home. Office as usual.
60
18th. Thursday. Bright. Cold.
61
Left Song Do for Seoul 2:20 p.m.
62
Attended the dinner, given at 食道園 in honor of the seven Korean gentlemen who had been appointed to important positions in the Government General. The offices of 學務局長, 內務部長 and of 財務部長 have for the first time been given to the Koreans. The dinner tonight was no doubt "inspired" for the purpose of advertisement. These new honors(?) for the Koreans are nothing but a sop thrown to the office hungry Koreans. It means nothing to the mass of farmers who are facing the dire fact of starvation, thanks to the policy of exploitation and expropriation.
64
19th. Friday. Bright. Cold.
67
20th. Saturday. Bright. Cold.
68
Seoul home. Hear 李希宰, a well known scamp obtained a mining licence of the 11th Nov. this year, his area including the hill on which my father is buried.
70
21st. Sunday. Bright. Cold.
73
22nd. Monday. Bright. Cold.
74
Left Seoul for Song Do 8:05 a.m. train. Winter vacation exercises at 1 p.m.
76
23rd. Tuesday. Bright. Snow last night. Cold.
77
Left Song Do for Seoul 11 a.m.
79
24th. Wednesday. Bright. Cold.
80
Seoul home. With cousin 致旿 called on Baron Saito and Mr. Shimooka to beg them to rescind the mining licence granted to 李希宰. The Governor General was exceedingly amiable while the Administrative Chief was inclined to be naughty. Great God I hate to kotow to these men, for begging as favors what Koreans should gave as rights.
82
25th. Thursday. Dull. Chilly.
85
26th. Friday. Bright. Cold.
86
Left Seoul 10 a.m. train with 恩姬, 明希 and 璋善 for the hot springs of 溫陽 where we arrived about 2 p.m. Put up at 尹成伯's inn. The village of 溫泉里 has reach that stage of prosperity where a good inn can be profitably conducted. But not one in sight. This fellow 尹成伯 has made some money; so he has a concubine of two and is playing a gentleman of leisure. We Koreans have inordinate desire to get rich and that very quickly―say invest ￥l00.00 today and get ￥10,000.00 back tomorrow. But as soon as we get a couple of hundred yen we get satisfied and go either speculating of spending on pleasure and luxury. There is no more hope for the Korean race unless we get some more senses.
88
27th. Saturday. Lovely. Mild.
89
溫陽溫泉 After breakfast, went to 溫陽 with children to visit father's grave. The damned crowd of 李希宰 dug within 6間 from the house which I had build on the west ridge of the hill as a keeper's home. They had violated the very letter of the mining law; but the local police wouldn't do anything against them. Had the hill belonged to a Japanese, the Japanese police would have punished the 李希宰 crowd to the fullest extent of law.
90
Visited cousin 咸悅's home. Found his widow half out her mind. The house seemed deserted.
92
28th. Sunday. Bright. Mild.
93
溫泉. After breakfast went to 溫陽邑 with the children. Returned to the springs after 12.
94
In the afternoon heard that 李希宰 had come to our hill with a crowed of miners and attempted to reopen the pit around which I had placed a barbed wire fence. Messrs. 伯雲祥 and 金顯英 wit the aid of 尹□善 succeeded in fighting the scamps off the hill.
96
29th. Sunday. Bright. Mild.
97
溫陽溫泉 After breakfast went to 溫陽邑 to see the police there.
99
30th. Tuesday. Bright. Mild.
100
溫泉 After breakfast went to 溫陽邑 with the children. 璋善 enjoyed immensely riding his tricycle. Called on 李榮夏 about 1:30 p.m. He showed me a copy of last Monday's 東亞日報 which had an item to the effect that a burglar had gotten into my house about 2 a.m. last Sunday and carried off goods worth about ￥300.00 The news so alarmed me that I would have left the spring at once for Seoul, but for the fact that I could not make the train in time sent 金顯英 on to Seoul at once.
102
31st. Wednesday. Bright a.m. Flakes of snow p.m. Mild.
103
Left the 溫泉 8:58 a.m. train for Seoul. Connection at 天安 Station 10:25 a.m. Very slow train arrived home nearly 6 p.m. Thank God the loss due to the burglary last Sunday morning wasn't so great as I feared. Allen's clothes only taken. My trunk and shoes in the 山亭 room all untouched.
104
Wife tells me that on the night of last Sunday she felt frightened from the early of the evening―so much so that she could hardly turn round in the room. When Allen came back about 11 she begged him to sleep in the 건너房, but he didn't listen to her. She couldn't sleep the whole night.
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