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3
Seoul home. Rain from about 1 a.m. Continued raining all day long.
5
2nd. Thursday. Rain a.m. until 11 a.m.
6
Left Seoul by 5 a.m. train for Song Do to attend the funeral service of Mr. 白. What a fuss they make for the dead in Korea. In fact they make more of the dead than of the living―perhaps because the dead do less evil than the living! Christ must have felt grieved at the howling, wailing―some sincere but mostly shammy―and endless rituals for and over the dead when His great Soul thundered "Let the dead burn the dead"! Returned to Seoul by 1:48 p.m. train.
8
3rd. Friday. Rain on and off last night and this morning.
9
Seoul home. Lovely sunshine p.m.
10
Papers report that a Chinese mob composed of farmers and officials attacked a Korean village at 三姓堡 near 長春, resulting in a fight with the Korean farmers, about 200 in all. The situation was so serious that a posse of Japanese police men had to hurry to the spot.
11
The problem of the Korean settlers in Manchuria will never be satisfactorily solved until a strong and sensible government takes charge of the immense territory enforcing law and order with iron firmness. As it is, the whole geographical expression known as Manchuria is in a chronic state of anarchism. No law abiding people can live in security in a land where corrupt officialdom, cruel bandits, beastly Communists vie with each other in fleecing the poor farmers and traders. The Korean farmer has four deadly enemies who suck his blood to the last drop―the Chinese official, Chinese bandit, the Korean Bolsheviks and the Korean "patriot."
13
4th. Saturday. Cloudy. Cool.
14
Seoul home. The hooligans of the city have begun attacking the Chinese shops and stores in the city.
16
5th. Sunday. Sunny―Hot.
18
In Pyeng Yang, a great mob stormed the Chinese shops injuring many and killing a few of the Chinese residents. To hurt a few thousand Chinese in Korea will bring greater hardships to the million or more Koreans in Manchuria. Even from the stand point of arithmetic, the retaliatory outrages of the unthinking Korean mobs will not pay.
19
The Japanese police wouldn't let the Koreans to hold public meetings―just to warn the people not to molest the innocent Chinese residents in Korea.
21
6th. Monday. Cloudy. Steamy.
22
Seoul home. Went to the station 9 a.m. to see Messrs. 兪億兼, 申興雨, 卞榮魯 leave for America.
24
7th. Tuesday. Cloud a.m.
25
Seoul home. Rain from 2:30 p.m. All p.m. and all night.
27
8th. Wednesday. Cloud―Cool. Big rain last night.
31
Left Seoul 7:34 a.m. by gasoline car for Song Do. Returned to Seoul per 4:48 p.m. train.
32
A young Korean, Y.H. Kang has recently written a book calling it A Grass Roof. It is his biography, he says. Remarkable things: No. 1. He seems to have mastered the Chinese classics and to have learned to turn out neat Chinese poems when he was 8 or 9 years ld. No. 2. He ran away to Seoul footing it, sixteen days, over a distance of 300 miles when he was only 10 years old! No. 3. Studied in the Government High School a year; got into a rub with the Japanese teachers; bummed it to Tokyo without a cent when 12 years. Studied 4 years in a Japanese school. Then he returned to Korea and taught in a mission school in the North. Got into prison for having joined the mansei crowd in 1918. Released. Tried to go to America by way of Siberia. Caught at Chita Station by a Japanese detective and brought back to Seoul. Served a term. Then went to America by the help of a missionary. No. 4. Studied in Harvard―then wrote a book. The most remarkable thing. No.5. This book has called forth the warmest praises from the book reviewers of America and England! Certainly it is a feat a man may be justly proud of―a fact which all Korean may be proud of.
33
There are somethings in the book which I can't take at its face―value. For instance he says his crazy-poet uncle is one of the greatest scholars in Korea.
35
10th. Friday. Sun and cloud. Cool.
38
11th. Saturday. Bright―East wind―Cool.
39
Seoul home. (A Grass Roof continued)
40
In Korea nobody has ever heard of such a scholar. (2) This same poet-uncle of his was imprisoned, tortured and sentenced to 6 year's hard labor on the charge of having conspired against the life of Genl. Tera-uchi. He may have been imprisoned and tortured but all the prisoners except six connected with the conspiracy case were released in the spring of 1913. The six who were sentenced to six years were, 李承薰, 安泰國, 玉觀彬, 朴蚩正, 梁起鐸 and myself. Where we were pardoned in the spring of 1915, there was nobody named Kang poet or no poet. (3) The young man says his Pak-sa uncle used to mingle and mix with Princes when the Korean King had banquets in the great water Pavilion 慶會樓(?) I am afraid some of these "facts" are matters of poetic license intended rather for foreign market than for a home consumption. He is, again, too free in his translations of Korean or Chinese poems into English. His poetic licence often degenerates into poetic lies. Take with the following instance. The famous Chinese poem: 月落鳥 啼霜滿天 江楓漁火對愁眠 姑蘇坮上寒山寺 夜半鍾聲到客船. Literally: The moon gone down, a crow caws and frost fills the air. A wanderer slumbers in sad solitude besides maple decked bank and fishermen's fires. The sound of the midnight bells from the Hansan temple on Ko-so terrace is gently wafted to the lonely boat. Mr. Kang's translation read: A crow caw through frost; on maple wattled water the moon has sunk. Midnight besides the fish-oil's flare a wanderer sleeps alone. Faint, temple-bells shriek jangling from cloister-in-cold mountains. Embark-traveler-the walls of su-chow lie beyond"!!! Where did get the fish oil and the su-chow walls?
42
12th. sunday. East wind―Cool. Bright.
45
13th. Monday. Bright―East wind―Cool.
46
Seoul home. East wind for last three days.
47
Suspicion is abroad that the recent anti-Chinese outrages in Korea have been instigated by the Japanese. As circumstantial evidences they point out: (1) The special correspondent (so called) of the Chosen-Ilpo(朝鮮日報) at Chang-choon, who sent the exciting and exaggerated reports of the Chinese attack on Korean village is a known spy. (2) The Dong-A-Ilpo receiving the same reports from the same man, refused to issue an extra circulars as did the Chosen-Ilpo. Then a well known detective of the Chong-No station phoned the Dong-A office asking why they didn't put out extras on such an important matter. (3) The Seoul Police wouldn't permit the Koreans to call a meeting of representative men to issue warning notices to the Korean people telling them not to commit any outrages against the Chinese residents in Korea. (4) The Japanese police system is so effective and powerful that they could easily have prevented the riots in Pyong Yang and In-Chun, if they so wanted.
49
14th. Tuesday. Bright―Cool.
52
15th. Wednesday. Bright―Too cool for the season.
55
16th. Thursday. Bright. Like autumn both ends of the day.
56
Seoul home. A number of Koreans representing various social groups in the city entertained Mr. 汪, the Chinese minister to Tokyo and few local Chinese gentlemen to a tea at the Chosen Hotel. For the unspeakable outrages which the Koreans committed against the Chinese in Pyong Yang, no apology or explanation can be made. It is however remarkable that the Chinese the leaders seem to be unanimous in the opinion that the Koreans the mass of them the intelligent portion of them especially are not responsible for the crime that the whole affair was a result of the Japanese machinations.
58
17th. Friday. Steamy―Cloudy most of the day.
62
Seoul home. Rain began about 3 this morning so far as I know. Then misty rain most of the day.
64
19th. Sunday. Cloud and sun. Hot mid-day.
65
Seoul home. Entertained Mr. and Mrs. 李東聖 to supper at our home. They seemed to enjoy our hospitality.
67
20th. Monday. Cloudy. Cool.
68
Seoul home. Began raining about 3 a.m. No rain from 6 a.m.
70
21. Tuesday. Bright―Pleasant.
71
Seoul home. Went to 永度寺 with mother, wife and children 4 p.m. Supper there and returned 7:30. Was grieved to see the whole place transformed into a pleasure resort of the coarsest kind. Not a sign of the other worldliness which is the only raison-d'etre of temples and shrines. Saw a monk beating a gong and repeating all sorts of "sa-ba-a"'s while two young women were bowing toward something on the hill hundred times. I suppose the women were praying for children or the recovery of someone from some illness. What a pity that evil men make money out of the religious sentiment of credulous humanity in the name of Buddha.
73
22nd. Wednesday. Bright.
74
Seoul home. Hyon Dong Wan who had been sent to Pyong Yang by the Chinese Relief Committee of Seoul with ￥100.00, tells me that when he got to Pyong Yang he had to pass through five lines of police and detectives to reach the Chinese who had the charge of the sufferers; that his conversation with the Chinese was closely watched by the police officials, and that the Chinese had not received the circulars and telegrams which the Seoul Committee had sent them(the Chinese) expressing the regrets and sorrows of all right-minded Koreans for the sufferings of the innocent Chinese.
75
It is now known that 93 Chinese―many of them women and children had been butchered in Pyong Yang, while hundreds were more or less seriously injured.
77
23rd. Thursday. Cloud―Sun. Hot mid-day.
78
Seoul home. Went to the station to see Mr. and Mrs. 李東聖(T.S. Lee) leave for Hawaii 10 a.m. Only four Koreans came to the station to see them off. I wish they were given a better send off.
80
24th. Friday. Cloudy―Cool. Rain.
81
Seoul home. Big rain for 8:30 a.m. to 9:30. Rain stopping went to Chemulpo 10:20 with family to enjoy the sea-water bathing. 1883, when I returned to Korea with Genl. Foote there was nothing in Chemulpo except a few fishermen's mud huts on the high hill. No human improvement of any kind was visible any where. All that man had done during the 500 years of the Yi Dynasty seemed to be the denudation of the hills and islands of their trees. But the Japanese have converted the sea shores and the neighboring islets into pleasing resident sites and attractive summer resorts. The 月尾鳥 is connected with the main land by a solidly built road while the whole island is turned into a watering resort. Understand not an inch of this island is owned by a Korean―Who is to be blamed for it?
82
Returned to Seoul by 3:10 p.m. train.
84
25th. Saturday. Cloud a.m. Sun and heat p.m. Steamy.
85
Seoul home. Duke Yi Joon, the favorite grandson of Tai Won Koon was so fat that people used to call him Yang Toyaji or foreign hog. In going to his villa outside of the North Gate he used "rikshaw" with two stout coolies―one pulling and the other pushing―the man-carriage up the steep, rocky hill. The two faithful coolies had a time of it on hot days. When they get to half of the hill they were necessarily slow. The blazing sun shone on the nephew of the Emperor as well as on the coolies. The fat Prince was often heard to shout "이놈들아 어서가자 더워 죽겠다. You fellows go quick. I'm dying with heat."
86
Here is a woman―who is no princess however―who sleeps all she wants 12 to 14 hours a day. Yet she compels a little maid of 12 to massage her legs from 7 to 11 or 12 in the night―winter and summer. If the poor thing shows any sign of sleepiness she is kicked and cussed. Sometime ago a little boy and a little girl were put to this work―The boy was told by the mistress to pinch or slap the girl whenever the poor sleep-starved maid nodded from sheer exhaustion. The inhumanity of man, wherever this lord of creation is found in a position of power, is simply disgusting. It is aristocratic not to thank anybody for he or she is so exalted that nothing or no service is good enough for him.
88
26th. Sunday. Beautiful.
89
Seoul home. To Chemulpo beach per 9 a.m. train with 璋, 琦, and 寶.
91
27th. Monday. Sunny―Hot―Mid-day.
92
Seoul home. Wife and children except 恩姬 left Seoul for Chemulpo 12:50 train. I had to stay in Seoul to attend the farewell luncheon given by the citizens of Seoul(?) to Messrs. 今村 and 松村 returning to Japan, 3 to 4 p.m. Joined family at Chemulpo by 5:30 train p.m. Put up at a Japanese house where a room has been engaged for 6 days for ￥10.00.
95
Chemulpo 天幕村 or Tent Village.
96
Enjoyed the hot-sea water bathing and then the cold swimming pool. Happy to see our precious children enjoy the bathing and swimming or the attempt at swimming.
98
29th. Wednesday. Cloud―sun.
99
Chemulpo tent Village or 天幕村.
101
30th. Thursday. Rain.
102
Left Chemulpo per 1 p.m. train for Seoul. Went to the Governor General official residence at Ryong San 4:30 p.m. to attend the tea party given by the new Governor Genl., General Ukaki. They say more than 500 guests were present. Found the Genl. Governor a precise, taciturn old soldier. None of the suavity and the effort-to-please appearance of the preceding Governor-Genl. When the tea was over the Genl. rose. The crowd expecting a speech clapped hands. But to the surprise of all, the General made an abrupt bow, then walked out of the room. No one would care to fool with him.
103
Returned to Chemulpo by 6:35 p.m. train.
105
31st. Friday. Sunny. Hot.
106
Chemulpo Tent Village or 天幕村. Rain and wind all night. Slept in the tent last night with 璋, 琦, 珽.
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