2
1st. Saturday. Beautiful.
3
Seoul home. The annual Field day for the Seoul Normal School and its primary schools. Wife and children went to the Normal School compound to see our 珽善, 琦善, 潽姬 and 瑛姬 participating in the exercises―from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
4
As I said the Korean girls of the 6th year of the Primary School go through their graceful gymnastics I couldn't help having a touch of sadness. These happy girls are having the last field day or happiest six years in their lives. After the month of March next year they will never again have the chance of participating in these exercises. They will have grown older and wiser―too wise to be as happy again as they are in the Common School. Heaven grant that everyone of these girls shall have God's benediction all their lives.
5
The Normal School Athletic ground has very tender association for me as our 文姬, 恩姬, 明姬 have all run and danced there each for six consecutive years. Our 璋善, 琦善, 潽姬 and 瑛姬 will have their yearly field day exercises on the same ground. God bless them all!
7
2nd. Sunday. Showers. Sun and cloud.
8
Seoul home. Worshipped at 宗矯 Church.
10
3rd. Monday. Sun and cloud―Showers now and then.
11
Seoul home. Supper at Dr. Ryang's home. Messrs. 兪億兼, 申興雨, 具滋王, 李明赫 present. Had to leave the table before others as we had a family reunion to keep the Memorial night for our Grandmother 安東金氏.
12
An Outline or Gist of the Lytton Commission has been published in the local papers. As expected the League of Nations' Committee of Investigation has given a black eye to the Japanese Manchurian policy. I wonder what the League and America will do.
14
4th. Tuesday. Beautiful.
15
Seoul home. Hail storms everywhere throughout Korea during the last few days doing a great deal damage to rice and other cereals standing in the fields.
17
5th. Wednesday. Pretty.
18
Seoul home. Supper at the official residence of the Commander of the Army of Korea, Genl. Kawajima(川島) . The supper was given to the members of the Saturday Club(土曜會) .
20
6th. Thursday. Pretty.
23
7th. Friday. Beautiful. Cloud late p.m.
24
Seoul home. Rain between 8 and 10 p.m.
26
8th. Saturday. Cloud. Showers morning.
29
9th. Sunday. Beautiful.
30
Seoul home. Left Seoul with 璋善 and 琦善 at 8 a.m. in an auto for 果川. It took fully 2 hours going-the river, the sand bank, the ditchy road and the unsatisfactory condition of the auto, all conspiring to retard our progress. We enjoyed the ride however. Had a lovely lunch at 明燮's house. Left 果川 about 2:30 for Seoul home.
32
10th. Monday. Beautiful.
33
Seoul home. Cousin, 致旿 called late afternoon. He told me, (weeping) that a few days ago 潽善 took 明善 (旿`s 2nd son) to his room and beat him and compelled 明善 to write a letter to 明's wife, another to the Chief of the Irrigation Bureau telling the former asking her to divorce as he had committed a crime and the latter the Chief, asking him to grant him resignation because he had done something bad in his family―all this with a pistol pointed at his throat! Cousin 致昭 and his wife were present at the disgraceful scene―致旺 cajoling 明善 to write these letters promising that he(致昭) wouldn't let them be sent! The letters were sent the next day to their destinations!!! To get rid of a daughter-in-law 致昭's wife has played a nasty trick.
35
11th. Tuesday. Pretty.
36
Seoul home. Yesterday Cousin 致旴 told me further that 3 days ago, 潽善 called 明善 to the South Gate Station and gave him a 4th Class ticket to Mukuden telling him to leave at once or he would kill him. So 明善 had to go! So there is a most distressing and disgraceful war going on between cousin 致旿, 明善 and 日善 on one side and cousion 致昭, 潽善 and his mother on the other. 潽善 spent 14 years in Europe mostly in Scotland. What he had done to his wife and to 明善, his cousin, proves that a foreign education doesn't make a man or woman a whit better than he or she is by nature. Cousin 致昭 and his wife are most punctilious Church goers. They must justify their shady actions toward their daughter-in-law and 明善 by quoting Matt. II 31. But they ought to remember that what Christ said in John VIII 7 and 11―is a truth more glorious than the sanction of divorce on account of infidelity. I wouldn't give a nickel for all the religions in these people.
38
12th. Wednesday. Beautiful.
39
Seoul home. 蓮善, the second son of cousin 致晠 came to see me. He said that he was going to a monastery in 五臺山 to live a life of prayer and meditation for 12 years; that he would then come back to the world for some great work and that in a dream the Buddha had given him a name-武佛 or Military Buddha. He asked for ￥40.00 to traveling expenses and a present to a famous monk.
41
13th. Thursday. Beautiful.
42
Seoul home. Spent the beautiful day at 傅巖亭 with 珽善寶姬 and 瑛姬. Returned home 6 p.m.
44
14th. Friday. Beautiful.
45
Seoul home. Received a letter from 明善 now in Mukuden, saying he couldn't possibly think of returning to Korea. He left Seoul with a ticket and ￥4.00 in pocket. He asks to be forgotten. He is thinking of going to Japan. He says the new State of Manchuria is confusion worse confounded at present, and that nobody has any time to think about anything other than fighting the "bandits".
47
15th. Saturday. Cloud―Sun―Cool. Pretty p.m.
48
Seoul home. This morning wrote 潽善 a letter as follows: Dear Posun: Before proceeding a word further, let me assure you that I am writing this note not in the spirit of curiosity, asking some impertinent questions; nor of meddlesomeness intruding upon your personal affairs. I am sincerely sorry that you had to pass through a painful experience.
49
Now what I want to say is this: By one generous act of heroic forgiveness, you will save a young man from ruin; another(日善) from a premature grave; two other cousins of yours from a life long grief; and last but not least your own innocent children from ineffable sorrow and despair. You will by so doing. Hence nothing in your honor but gain the undying gratitude of these young people and an approbation of all the members of the family.
50
Hoping you will give a favorable consideration to the matter-Yours etc".
51
He wrote me a very appreciative answer begging for a little more time to think to think over the matter.
53
16th. Sunday. Beautiful.
54
Seoul home. About 2 p.m. had an interview with cousin 致昭's wife. 潽善's mother(who is the mother of Posun) verse Myong Sun trouble. She told me that her son felt grieved that I, instead of sympathizing with him, seemed more interested in the pardon of Myong Sun.
56
17th. Monday. Rain from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
57
Seoul home. Yesterday p.m. Posun's mother told me that her son's anger against M. is still so fresh and intense that he is ready to shoot him dead if M. were within his reach. Now here is something that I can't understand. (1) I remember too well that only 2 or 3 years ago Posun wrote a long letter to his parents asking them to divorce his wife. Why should he be so grieved when he has sent her away for a cause whom he once wished to get rid of without a cause? (2) By ruining M. what does he gain? Absolutely nothing while pardoning M. he saves a dozen young people from life-long sorrows. (3) By keeping himself abed without eating and sleeping he indulges in the doubtful luxury of nursing his unmanly hatred against M. he sacrifices the health and peace of his mother, father and of every member of his large family. His conduct in this case shows him to be a heartless, thoughtless and senseless young man. One of the chief obstacles in the way of softening P's anti-M. feeling is the donkish obstinacy of cousin 致旿. He is hated by P's mother, P., and P.'s children like a poison. He insists on staying in their house against the combined entreaties of his two sisters, of myself and of his son(日善) and his daughter-in-law. He says he wants to find out what P. and his mother plans against M.
59
18th. Tuesday. Beautiful―Cool a.m.
60
Seoul home. The National Budget of Japan will devote 1,000 million yen to the Army and the Navy. At the same time the Government is devising all sorts of plans for relieving the economic depression of the people!
62
19th. Wednesday. Beautiful. Cool
63
Seoul home. Went to the station to see 琦善 and his school-mates leave 9:05 a.m. for Pyong Yang for an educational trip(修學旅行) .
64
Mailed a letter and a cheque for ￥50.00 to Myong Sun.
65
Understand Cousin 致昭's wife goes to revival meetings. All good. I hope she will get religion enough to pardon or save Myong Sun from dispair.
67
20th. Thursday. Cloud a.m.
70
21st. Friday. Storms on and off all day.
71
Seoul home. Between 3 and 4 a.m. a thunder and hailstorm. All through the day thunder and hailstorms lasting from a few minutes to half an hour. We have had a very queer weather distructive to vegetables and grains.
72
Candler returned from a trip to 松田. He reported all was well. He tells me that he was entertained by the local Police Chief to a supper; that the Chief asked him to contribute some thing toward the building of a Jujutsu Hall at the county seat of 通川; that the whole was to cost 8,000.00 and that the poor Myon of 口田 District had to raise ￥1,000.00! Before Candler left 松田 he said they had a Myon people's meeting(面民大會) to raise money for repairing the Police Station at 松田! Thus the Korean farmers throughout the country are fleeced over and above direct taxation to build and repair Jujutsu Halls. Myon Offices, Police Stations, Policemen's houses, Primary Schools and harbors, irrigation reservoirs―all primarily for the benefit of the Japanese. Small landowners seek refuge in crowded cities. Villagers go to ruin.
74
22nd. Saturday. Cloudy.
75
Seoul home. From 12 to 5 p.m. the 8th Annual Fact and Field Meet at the Seoul Stadium.
77
23rd. Sunday. Pretty a.m.
78
Seoul home. Went to 傅巖亭 with 琦, 珽, 寶, 瑛 about 12 morning. Returned home 6:30 p.m. Decidedly cold toward evening.
80
24th. Monday. Beautiful-Cool.
83
25th. Tuesday. Beautiful.
88
28th. Friday. Beautiful.
91
29th. Saturday. Beautiful.
94
30th. Sunday. Beautiful.
97
31st. Monday. Beautiful.
98
Seoul home. To Song Do by the gasoline car 7:34.
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