2
1st. Tuesday. Cloud―Very cool a.m.
3
Seoul home. 11~12. To the Kyong Sung Orphanage to see the nurses, 70 of them entertained. Then to the Ewha Chapel to see the son of Pastor Kim Jong Woo married. He is a fine looking chap.
4
5 p.m. went to the Bankers' Association(銀行集會所) at the invitation of Mr. Mitsu-i(三井榮藏) , the head of an Agrarian Club(?) , to meet and hear Mr. Kawasaki, a member of the Sei-Yu-Kai who has come to Korea to investigate the cost of production of a Korean farmer. Kawasaki is a handsome man with that dignified composure which characterizes a Japanese gentleman in higher social circles.
6
2nd. Wednesday. Hazy sun―Warm.
8
Called on Miss Buie at her request about 3 p.m. Someone has offered to buy the old Mrs. Campbel's place @ ￥30.00 per tsubo. Miss B. asked my opinion about it. To me the bid is too low considering the fine business location of the site. Besides, the question of applying the proceeds to the Endowment of the Pai Wha School is not quite settled. There is danger that the proceeds when the place is sold, will be poured upon by the whole mission to be divided among 3 or more institutions all equally hungry for money. So I advised Miss B. not to sell the property until she gets authority to use the proceeds for Pai Wha.
10
3rd. Thursday. Beautiful.
12
About 5 p.m. Mr. Wada, the Principal of the First Higher Common School, called with Mr. Yi Joo Yon(李周淵) . Said that the subscription by the parents of the students for the enlargement of the Athletic Ground of the school has fallen far short of the mark set, namely about ￥2,000.00 in cash and ￥4,000.00 in promise. Mr. Wada asked me to call a meeting of the original promotors to devise proper means of raising the required sum of ￥20,000.00. He thinks it strange that the parents don't respond to the appeal as generously as the friends of such schools as the O-San High C. School, the Song Do H.C. School etc. He seems utterly unable to appreciate the fact that no other school could have gotten even as much as he has got for 運動場.
16
The First Higher Common School is supported by the Government. It has, or ought to have, an ample fund for its expenditure. This special or extra demand from the Principal on the parents―to the time of ￥20,000.00―is unreasonable. The amount already subscribed(￥6,000.00) is a generous response considering the financial status of the Korean patrons of the school. Mr. Wada seems to be ignorant of the fact that for one Yen a Korean can contribute, a Japanese is able to give a thousand Yen. The other night in the Agrarian Club(?) a Japanese gentleman told Mr. Kawasaki from Tokyo that the deposits which 20,000,000 Koreans have in the banks etc. today are less than the deposits of the people of one single city of Kyoto. The Japanese official and private, shows no discrimination to the Koreans when they come to the matter of levying money contributions.
18
5th. Saturday. Beautiful.
19
Seoul home. Met Misses Wagner and Appenzeller at the latter's home to look over what the former had written for a pageant to be staged next June when the 50th Anniversary of the beginning of the Methodist Mission in Korea is to be celebrated.
21
6th. Sunday. Beautiful.
23
Went out to 傳岩亭 8:30 a.m. Our place very lovely―azalia and sakura still fresh enough to be enjoyed though they are mostly all gone in other places. Pear and peach blossoms in full glory.
24
Our 文姬 and 光鉉 having invited his coleagues from the C.C.C. and a few friends from the Ewha College―25 in all for a supper wife had to help Mary to have things prepared.
25
Our children enjoyed the lovely air and scenery of the place while I enjoyed reading Macauley's Clive. Returned home nearly 8:30 p.m.
27
7th. Monday. Beautiful. a.m.
28
Seoul home. Cloudy and sultry p.m.
29
3 p.m. went to Sa Hoi Kwan(社會館) to say a few words of congratulation at the wedding ceremony of a daughter of Mr. Kang Tai Chul. Cousin Chi Oh tells me that Kang's grandfather was a scholar and gentleman and a great friend of our grandfather. Kang himself seems to be a nice man.
31
8th. Tuesday. Rain―Cool.
33
This morning our 明姬 with her class left Seoul 8:55 train for Tokyo on their "Educational Trip" 修學旅行. God grant they shall have a profitable and pleasant trip!
34
Supper at Mr. Pak Yung Chul's home to meet Mr. Rash Behari Bose, an Indian political refugee who has found a home in Japan. He is now a Japanese citizen.
35
He seems to have a host of friends among the "Ro-nins" of whom the famous Toyama(頭山滿) is the head. These Ro-nins are, as a class, keeping up the knightly virtues―and some of the knightly vices―in these days of sordid commercialism. Their courage, chivalrousness, and their high sense of honor are undoubtedly the salt of the earth. But their vindictiveness holding revenge as a cardinal virtue makes them a dangerous enemy.
36
Mr. Bose speaks English, as his native language not only but speaks Japanese as well. He must be a man of parts to be so much lionized by the Japanese. Returned home nearly 11.
38
9th. Wednesday. Rain. Cool enough for a little fire.
39
Seoul home. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. attended first the wedding ceremony of Miss Yun Jung Sup(尹貞燮) our 恩姬's chum, and then the wedding feast. Heared today from Mr. 韓相龍, that the A-Bang Koong(阿房宮) of Mr. Yun Duk Yung, cost Yun ￥370,000.00! Not finished yet! More than a folly. It is a crime.
41
10th. Thursday. Beautiful.
43
Sent a telegram to brother Chi Wang giving him the dates on which our dear Myong Huie and her party are scheduled to visit the city of Kyoto.
44
From 6:30 to 10 p.m. a Japanese feast at the Chiyo Moto(千代本) given by the Iketa(池田) the Director of the Police Dept. in honor of Messrs. Yasuoka(安岡) and Bose. The usual geshas and sake. All elegant and graceful, but nothing substantial to eat. Pan-Asian movement is more than an ideal or a dream. It's a policy which all leaders in Japan are seriously engaged of persuading the various races and nations of Eastern Asia to unite in a grand racial block under the hegemony of Japan. Mr. Choi Nam Sun, in a pamphlet called(神□□昔ヲ憶フ) , maintains that all the races in the vast territory of the Northern Asia―including the Japanese and the Koreans had common conception of the divine origin of their rulers, that Japan in Shintoism has preserved this common heritage intact and that this common conception should be the basis for the unification of the races of Northern Asia.
46
11th. Friday. Hazy sun. Warm.
47
Seoul home. To my surprize Mr. Yasuoka paid me a visit. He is held as a great teacher in Japanism and Ohdo or Kingly Way(Confucian Political ethics) .
48
The Governor Genl. gave a Japanese supper to Messrs. Yasuoka and Bose―I was one of the invited guests.
50
12th. Saturday. Beautiful.
52
A "field day" picnic was gotten up for the benefit of the families of the Central Y. members, on the athletic ground of the Oriental Develop Co., outside of Water gate (水口門) . The Japanese have staked out a beautiful sub-urban village site here. Returned home about 4 p.m.
53
6 p.m. a reception was given to Messrs. Yasuoka and Bose. Over 150 guests mostly Koreans and some of the high officials of the Kook-jang class were present. The guests of honor made short speeches. The Indian friend spoke of Indian independence being necessary to the Asian independence, etc.
55
13th. Sunday. Beautiful.
56
Seoul home. Worshipped at the 宗橋 Church in the morning.
57
2:30 p.m. went to 新興寺 with wife and children. Dr. Helen Kim, Miss Kim Melissa, Misses Shon, Yu Soon Nam and Mrs. Jun(田) , the kindergarten teacher, were our guests. Wife seemed to enjoy the outing. The Buddish temples near Seoul have become pleasure resots of very vulgar type, the priests all having turned restaurant keepers. I suppose they earn money selling beer and beef than praying to Buddah.
60
14th. Monday. Beautiful.
62
Called on Mr. Bose of India at the Chosen Hotel about 10:30 a.m. He told me that some of the Japanese officials who were present at the reception the other night were displeased with what he said about the Indian efforts to become an absolutely independent state. Bose says we Koreans must have a political organization with a definite program so as to let the Japanese know what we want. "Take advantage of every means―official positions included. Political chastity may be good as a sentiment; but you can't get anything by it, your chastity so called already lost when Korea was annexed".
63
9:10 p.m. Station to see Mr. Yasuoka off for Manchuria. A big crowd including all the Kook-jang class of Government officials.
65
15th. Tuesday. Beautiful.
66
Seoul home. To the Station to see Mr. Bose leave for Manchuria. Noticeable that none of the high dignataries of the Gov. General was out. Only ones or two Japanese young men while the Koreans were Messrs. 韓相龍, 朴榮喆, 崔麟, 崔承萬, 朴畯榮, 朴錫泳 beside a few others whose names I have forgotten.
67
Left Seoul 8:40 train for Song Do, to see Allen who has been under treatment in Dr. Huh's hospital for 盲腸炎 for a week. Found him improving.
68
Lunch at our home. Candler's wife told me that C. has had a concubine for last 3 years; that he goes out after a hasty breakfast and doesn't return until 1 or 2 in the morning that for the last week or so Candler has been staying in the Japanese hotel at the On Yang Hot Springs.
70
16th. Wednesday. Pretty. Hot.
71
Seoul home. Hyon tells me: About 10 days ago he and Mr. Cynn went to O-Ryu-Dong to look at a rice field on sale hoping to buy it, if possible, for the Y. Cynn ordered an auto and took Pak-In-Duk with him(What in the world had she to do with the rice field?) Well, when they got to O-Ryu-Dong, Cynn and she seated themselves on a grassy plot under a shady tree. Hyon and another man did the looking into business through the heat and dust of the day while the cosy couple enjoyed their picnic all by themselves. This excursion―for it was nothing elses for C. and P.―cost the Y. a little over 10 Yen. A day or so later Hyon and Whang went out see another piece of land―the whole trip costing the Y. something over 3 Yen. Cynn, through his mission Jung Sung Chai, demanded of Hyon a written statement of the last expenditure. Hyon's grievance is why didn't Cynn make out a statement of the expenses which his picnic with his mistress cost the Y. Hyon believes that Cynn has neither pity, nor conscience, nor honesty in carrying out his schemes. Cynn's plan seems to be elbow Hyon out by all sorts of humiliation and vexation.
72
Koo Ja Ok tells me that two weeks ago, one morning Cynn asked Yu Ok Kyum to help ousting Pastor Cha(車載明) from the West Gate Church. Yu bluntly declined to join in the scheme. That very afternoon Yu saw Cynn and Cha engaged in a tete-a-tete conversation on some other plot. One of C's dangerous habits is, when he wants to get rid of a fellow, to set latter's colleagues against him so as to make him go out from sheer vexation. He used Hyon and Hong P.D. that way to get Koo out. Now he is using Jung and Hong Pyong Duk that way against Hyon.
74
17th. Thursday. Cloudy.
75
Seoul home. Wife, Mary and I took supper at Miss Helen Kim's home, 6 p.m. Her niece to be married tomorrow, received the wedding box containing red and blue silk and the all important Wedding Contract from the bridegroom's parent.
77
18th. Friday. Cloudy. Showers on and off.
79
The Chosun Il Po had a Kindergarten Field Day back of the Kyong Bok Palace―to be more exact―outside of the Shin Moo Moon(神武門) . Little sprinklings kept the day from being too hot for the little ones. 25 kindergartens participated in the Field Exercises. Our little 珽善 being a member of the Kun Wha Kindergarten, wife and with Mary went with him to the ground and stayed there from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Was displeased to see the children of the Kun Wha Kindergarten, both boys and girls all in boys dress to make them "uniform". The little girls looked positively uncomfortable and unsightly. Miss Kim Melissa certainly has no sense of beauty. 4 p.m. went to Ewha Chapel to see Yi Kui Bok married to Miss Kim Yu Ok, the niece of Kim Helen. Quite a little rain from 4 to 6. After the wedding, cake and tea were served to the invited guests, some in the room back of the Chapel and some in the dining room of the Ladies' Home.
81
19th. Saturday. Cloudy.
82
Seoul home. 6 p.m. went to the Chosen Hotel to attend the celebration of the 61st Anniversary of the birthday of Mr. and Mrs. Paik. They have three sons and three daughters. All doing well.
83
Dr. Kim Helen who sat next to me told me that Cynn had personally asked her to buy two shares of the Joong Ang Il Po Co. for him. She refused.
85
20th. Sunday. Rain―Cool.
86
Seoul home. Our Myong Huie(明姬) and her companions returned to Seoul 8:25 a.m. all safe and sound. Thank God.
87
On such occasions it's a beautiful sight to see the joy of the mothers and fathers in welcoming their children back home. How sweet to hear so many girls call to their fond mother "어머니” asking them do this or that and how equally touching and sweet to see these mothers consider nothing too hard to do for their children just returned from a long journey.
89
21st. Monday. Cloud. Sun.
90
Seoul home. Went to 傳巖亭 about 2 p.m. Had a refreshing nap until 4:15. Enjoyed the clean, fresh air charged with the fragrance of various wild flowers. The "borusu" blossoms exhale very lovely smell. Returned home about 7 p.m. Little showers now and then.
91
The little stream immediately outside of the North Gate could have added an attraction to the surrounding scenery, if it had been kept clean. And that can easily be done if the people living on both sides of stream pooled their efforts just once or twice a month to clean out the filthy rubbish from the long ditch. Everybody throws all sorts of garbage from a dead rat to broken crockery into the stream turning it into an unsightly sewer and nobody cleanses it until some big rain kindly flushes it now and then. Yet we are very angry when other people call us savages.
93
22nd. Tuesday. Beautiful.
95
Glad to see our Allen returned in normal health this afternoon.
96
In 1883, Mr. Yu Kil Joon(兪吉濬) went to America as a student secretary with Mr. Min Yong Ik who was sent to the United States by H.M. the King of Korea as a special envoy. After his return late in 1885, Mr. Yu was placed under the castody of Genl. Han Kyu Sul, then the Minister of Police with power of life and death in his hand. Mr. Han being a good man treated his prisoner generously giving him a quiet quater with perfect freedom to read and write. Mr. Yu in this confinement write a book on what he saw and heard in America, naming the book "What I Saw and Heard in Western Tour(西遊見聞) ." Hoping to find an interesting diary―at least a few chapters of it―of the first voyage of the first Korean envoy to the West, I bought a copy of the book the other day. Was disappointed to find not a line of the trip, as such. The whole book is given to his accounts of the institutions etc. of the U.S. Valuable as the book might have been to some of its limitted number of readers, Mr. Yu could have produced a very interesting and instructive work, had he narrated in his scholarly way, what Min and his suite did and said in the form of a diary. Pity Mr. Yu was too good a scholar to condescend to be a diary keeper.
98
23rd. Wednesday. Cloudy. Cool a.m. Sun p.m.
99
Seoul home. 4 to 6 p.m. a meeting of the Parents' Association for the First Higher Common School was held at the Sik-Do-Won. Of 40 or more persons invited only 10 came. Money actually subscribed for the athletic ground only a few hundred more than ￥6,000.00. Resolved to extend the time of solicitation and to employ Mr. □達□.
101
24th. Thursday. Lovely―Pleasant.
103
Mr. Sun Woo Jun(鮮于全) called this morning and gave me some of the impressions he had gotten from his recent itinerary in Manchuria. (1) He was struck with admiration for the good and noble work which a German Catholic missionary was doing for the Koreans in Hoon Choon(渾春) . (2) He was distressed by the fact that the poor Koreans were(are) hated by the Manchurians divided among themselves and unsettled in their habits. They were like sheep without shepherd. I told him and he agreed that there is no one single force that can unite and educate and lead the scattered multitude of Koreans in Manchuria except Christianity.
105
25th. Friday. Beautiful.
106
Seoul home. Called on Dr. Ryang at his home a little after 8 a.m. His talk about what he saw and heard in Shanghai, Nanking and Peking during his recent flying trip to China was interesting. Was sorry to hear that Bishop Welch had to return to America sick―an operation probably necessary. The good Bishop, when he was here last Spring was confident that he would visit Korea during the 50th year celebration of the founding of Methodist Mission in Korea. Such is the uncertainties of human plannings!
107
This afternoon 5 p.m. the □□ of Yi Yong Ui, the father of Yi Kui Bok whom I saw at the wedding tea given by Miss Appenzeller on the 13th were cremated. He died suddenly on the 21st. What a vanity of vanities!
108
8~10 p.m. the Annual Meeting of the Parents' Association of Ewha College met at the College Chapel.
110
26th. Saturday. Beautiful.
112
Yun Jong Hoo(尹鍾厚) from Pook Chung fought his way through the Whimoon Higher Com. School and then through the Seoul University altogether, 12 or 13 years, enduring cold and hunger. He graduated from the Medical Dept. of the University only two months ago. Took sick soon after and died a day or two ago. The hardships he had to endure and the tough studies he had to master simply broke his naturally strong body into pieces. He was a good young man. I helped him time and again. His last word, I hear, was "나는 먼나라로 간다"(I am going to a far-away land")
113
The Basket ball championship contest had its 3rd day matches. Was agreeably surprized at the fact that the First Higher Common School team composed of boys, the oldest of whom couldn't be more than 17, best successively three antagonist teams(新進, 三角, and 大東) all bigger and stronger than they. I was delighted because our own boys' school team did so well. Their exceedingly boyish look and clever play enlisted the sympathy of the on-lookers!
115
27th. Sunday. Beautiful.
116
Seoul home. 9 a.m. 5 p.m. Motehr and other members of our family attended the Annual Field Exercises of the boys and girs of the Normal Primary Schools held this year in the Girls' School. The program was full but was carried out without hitch. Our little girls, Bo-Huie and her little sister Yung Huie did well. Mother sat through the whole program but didn't feel tired enough to lie down when she came home.
118
28th. Monday. Beautiful.
120
The Basket ball championship game was closed at 6 p.m. the Joong Dong team being the final victors. The boys of the First H.C.S. did reliantly but, of course, they couldn't beat a team composed of full grown fellows, the youngest of whom must be over twenty two, while the oldest of the F.H.C. School lads is only about 17! The coach for the Joong Dong team, a fellow who has climbed the 2nd year class in the Bo-Sung Law School in seven(7) years behaved himself very ugly.
121
7:30 p.m. went to the Jin Myong Girls' Higher Common School to officiated in the ceremony of betrothal between Kim Dai Yon, the son of the Kim Il Sun and Miss Kyong Hui Pak. The night was beautiful, the place quiet and lovely and the ceremony simple and sensible. Tea and cake were served. Returned home about 9:30.
123
29th. Tuesday. Beautiful.
124
Seoul home. Mr. 邊基燦, is the Koon Su(郡守) of Maing San(孟山) . He gets only ￥98.00 a month of which magnificent sum he had to deduct on an average ￥20.00 for all kinds of contributions. This man had to-just had to borrow ￥600.00 or more to buy resents for his Provincial Superiors when he first went to his official post. This reminds of the stroy that my friend Kang Jin Soo had to spend ￥3,000.00 in presents and entertainments for influential Japanese to get a position in the Bureau of Monopoly(專賣局) .
126
30th. Wednesday. Cloudy a.m.
128
Our clever employee, Myong Sup, has persuaded me to buy a piece of hill tsubos back of a field belonging to our baby Jung Sun in Kwa-Chun(果川) . Myong Sup-i told me that the price, the owner of the hill asked was ￥420.00. I at once surmised that my clever man must "eat" at least ￥40.00 in the transaction―￥20.00 for commission and ￥20.00 for squeeze.
129
Sure enough this morning in making out cheques he asked me to write ￥380.00 on one cheque(for the owner) and ￥40.00 on another(for himself, I suppose) ! I may be wrong in my suspicion, however, if Myong Sup-i had paid his own ￥40.00 in advance as the earnest money.
131
31st. Thursday. Pretty.
132
Seoul home. 4 p.m. went to Ewha College to be present at a tea and cake reception given by Miss Appenzeller to some of the prominent Japanese ladies―wives of the high officials, etc. About a dozen of them with a few gentlemen, too. Had to be there until nearly 6. Then with Mr. Yu Uk Kyum autoed to the Chung Yang Kwan(淸凉館) to preside over the annual meeting of the Korean Athletic Association. More than 45 members present. The Meeting lasted from 6:30 to 9. Supper served but I returned home without going into the dining hall―too tired.
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