2
1st. Friday. Fair a.m Very hot noon. A vigorous shower from 8 p.m.
3
Seoul home. Children began going to school the morning. God grant they shall have a good and profitable term!
4
Dr. Cynn and Mr. Barnhart returned to Seoul 5 p.m. from their trip to the Philippine Islands. Rain began about 8 and continued on into the night.
5
A horse shoe is regarded in America as a symbol of good luck, warding of evil spirits etc. In Korea also, I learned only today a horse shoe picked up in the street is much valued as a sign of good luck, Put it or rather keep it in a rice chest and that chest will never fail in rice. Make small axes―three of them―of the worn off horse show; put one in the pillow, one in the quilt and one somewhere in the clothes used by a woman about 3 months after conception-she will invariably bear a son.
7
2nd. Saturday. Big rain from 4 a.m. to 6 a.m.
10
3rd. Sunday. Cloudy―Cool. Rain from 1:30 p.m.
11
Seoul home. Family returned from Song Do all safe 3:30 p.m.
12
Rain all the afternoon. The Meteorological Office forewarns a another invasion of typhoon. The Southern extremes of Korea have been repeatedly ravaged by typhoon and floods, rendering thousands of people homeless destroying untold amount of growing rice. The parts of the country not subjected to floods are anticipating a regular bumper harvest―which means at the sametime a deadly drop of price for farm products. When crops fail Koreans have nothing to eat, when harvests are good they have no money to meet every rising taxation, plus all sort of voluntary (patriotic) contributions.
14
4th. Monday. Rain a.m. Cool
15
Seoul home. Rained all last night and this morning and stopped raining about 10. Pretty sunshine in the afternoon.
17
5th. Tuesday. Pretty―Pleasant.
18
Seoul home. About 11 a.m. went to the home of Mr. Min Sang Ho, who had passed away three days ago to offer condolence to the bereaved family. In my memory I can now distinctly see the young boy of 14, as beautiful as a girl, whose name(boy-name) was Ban-Suki(盤石) and who was a favorite of the reigning Queen. As I was then only Korean who spoke some English in the whole Government, the Queen, as well as the Min's clan, was enthusiastic over the young Min who had begun studying English. His hair was then plaited. I entered the Anglo Chinese College in Feb. 1885. Young Min Sang Ho. had no rival and could then have anything he asked from their Majesties. But the young fellow preferred knowledge to official titles so he ran away and came to Shanghai with Yun Jung Sik 尹定植. They cut their hair and put on foreign clothes. They came to the A.C.C. and asked me to lend him(閔) 30.00 which meant a great deal to me. I loaned him the money thinking that the Queen would send him all the money he wanted. He or they entered the College. A week or so later Min Young Ik took them as interpreters and went to Hong Kong. There they stole20,000.00 of Min Y. I's deposit in a French bank and ran away to America.
23
7th. Thursday. Cloud and sunshine. Pleasant.
24
Seoul home. (Min Sang Ho continued) Well when they got to America, Min devoted himself to the study of English while Yun wasted his portion of the spoil in loose living. About a year or so afterward they were summoned back to Korea by their Majesties. The Queen showered wealth and honor on Min enabling him to refund his share of the stolen money to the bank while Yun was compelled to pay the money by "clanlevy"(族徵) . As Kim Han Kyn told me, Min S.H., though a Min, lived a decent life. Well, he didn't pay me back the 30.00 for which, however, I entertain no grudge.
25
Only within last three months or so four of my intimate friends have gone beyond the vale Ok K.B.(玉觀彬) , 李□鎔,朴勝鳳, and Min Sang Ho. I miss the last most.
27
8th. Friday. Pretty p.m.
29
Factional fights have been going on for months―years―in the great Church which Pastor Kil―吉善宙―made the pride of Korean Christianity. Some fellows want him while others don't want him. But is that worthwhile to break up a great congregation. This spirit of hatred, of unholy quarrels and of destruction works and disgraces every religious gathering―Summer Conferences, Annual Conferences even Y.M.C.A. Summer gatherings.
31
9th. Saturday. Cloudy―Cool.
32
Seoul home. The fourth annual swimming meet began its two-day program from 1 p.m. at the R.R. Pool. 70 boys from various schools in the city―the Whuimoon and the Second Higher Common School teams being most □merous and strong.
35
Seoul home. Worshipped at the 宗橋 Church in the morning.
36
Went to the pool 1:30 p.m. for the 2nd day of the swimming contest. The program closed at 5 p.m. with the Second Higher Common School team at the head and the Whuimoon team second. Swimming is a sport that has practical value of the highest order. A man who knows nothing about swimming would be absolutely helpless, if he traveling in the interior of Korea, would meet a sheet of water 10 or 15 feet deep which he must cross.
38
11th. Monday. Sultry―Hot―Uncomfortable.
39
Seoul home. Our preacher spoke yesterday of Ghandi in his sermon. I couldn't help musing on following speculations. Suppose a Korean political agitator―say An Chang Ho―should declare a fast for forty days and preach passive resistance to his followers, would that move the Japanese masters andy way except their risibility? Not only that: were there not 350 or more millions of Indians back of Ghandi; that if the Indian population was 20 or 30 thousand poverty stricken, unwar-like people who―much less the shrewd Britons―would have given a fig for all the fasting stunts of Ghandi? Then again, there is not a shadow of doubt that if the Indias were a united people with martial spirit like that of Europeans or Japanese― if the united and war-like India could have risen like one man for political freedom―who will dare say that they could not have gotten what they want―home rule and the rest in the twinkling of the eye? But Ghandi the sagacious man realized that that was impossible―a united and war-like rising. Hence he chose the fasting trick as the second best weapon. He is no doubt a great but a shrewd man.
42
Seoul home. Big rain between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
44
13th. Wednesday. Cloudy.
45
Seoul home. Rumor and whisperings go around to the effect that inside a few months the Tokyo Government will be put on military dictatiorial basis and that a war will be started to wreck from Russia, the big slice of territory east of the Baical Lake. I hope the common sense of the best people of Japan in and out of the Government will keep them from entering into actual hostilities with Russian. Russia is not China not only but present Russia is not the Cat crushed Russia of 1904~5.
47
14th. Thursday. Beautiful.
50
15th. Friday. Beautiful.
53
16th. Saturday. Beautiful.
54
Seoul home. 3 p.m. attended the inauguration ceremony of the sub-division of the Seoul Retired Soldiers residing in the Chong-No police district. The Japanese Gov. as well as people, is resorting to every device to keep up the war-like psychology of the people to the highest degree of combativeness. Every Japanese is a soldier―a fighter―first and last. The Spartans made themselves invincible for a time by the soldier first policy. But all states which made war, and war alone, their sole business of―like Rome, Turkey even Prussia―found that a State can not live by sword alone. I hope Japan will wake to that truth before too late.
56
17th. Sunday. Beautiful.
57
Seoul home. Had an interesting chat with 璋善 this morning. I asked "Do you believe in Ha-na-nim(God) ?" "That question is so puzzling to me that I don't think about it". "But" said I, "here is a fan. Yon can't say the fan came by itself without somebody hving to put that paper, handle and the bamboo strips together". "That's so said he, "if God made the universe who made God? Bisides a man who made the fan doesn't have to live, always. God may have made the universe, does that prove necessarily that God still lives?" 璋善 is only 13 years old.
59
18th. Monday. Beautiful.
60
Seoul home. The powers that be are making a great day of this 2nd Anniversary of the Beginnings of the Manchurian Affair(滿州事變發貳年紀念) Military Manoeuvre bankquets memorial services. School children marching around the city with flags. Extreme and exclusive worship of the Pen produce Koreas and Chinas easy and helpless and hopeless preys to aggressive neighbors; while extreme and exclusive worship of the Sword produce Prussias and Japans terrorizing the whole world. The attitude and policy of Great Britain seems to be the golden medium between the two extremes.
62
19th. Tuesday. Windy―Cool―Rain.
63
Seoul home. Eastly wind―Rain from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.
65
20th. Wednesday. Cloud―Cool.
66
Seoul home. Beautiful from 10 a.m.
67
The foot ball contest between the All Seoul Team and the All Pyeng Yang Team began at 4:39 at the Pai Chai Ground.
69
21st. Thursday. Beautiful.
73
Left Seoul with 致昌 and 光善 for 溫陽 per 8 a.m. train. Arriving at the Hot Springs Station we went to father's tomb in an auto to pay our visit of reverence. Returning to the Springs we had a bath.
74
致昌 left 溫陽 by 1:55 p.m. train and we by 3:40 train for Seoul.
76
23rd. Saturday. Beautiful.
79
24th. Sunday. Cloud and sun.
80
Seoul home. From 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. our whole family―except 恩姬 spent the day at the Normal School Ground to see our children participate in the field exercises of the Normal students and of the Primary Schools attached to the Normal School.
82
25th. Monday. Beautiful.
83
Seoul home. Nearly 15 yearly ago I had the honor of contributing ￥100.00 to the Korea branch of the Japanese Red Cross Society―to become its Special Member. Now the Mayor of the City(京城府尹) , no doubt under the order of the military rulers, asks to do myself the honor of paying ￥1,000.00 to become a Meritorious Member. The man who is canvassing the city for membership naively tells us that this business is toward the preparation for war.
85
26th. Tuesday. Cloudy. Almost cold.
88
27th. Wednesday. Cool. Lovely Autumn day.
91
28th. Thursday. Beautiful. Cool.
94
29th. Friday. Sun a.m. Cloud p.m.
95
Seoul home. Went to Station 12 to see Dr. Rosetta Hall leave Korea for good. God be with her.
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