2
1st. Wednesday. Beautiful.
5
2nd. Thursday. Beautiful.
6
Seoul home. Allen tells me that Candler desires to sell of his lands to liquidate his new debt of ￥100,000.00, which he has incurred after Allen and I had sacrificed so much to settle his first debt of ￥280,000.00 about a year ago. Am simply disgusted with the thoughtless and heartless fellow.
8
3rd. Friday. Cloudy. Chilly.
9
Seoul home. Went to the Chosun Shrine to attend the celebration of the Meiji Tenno Day.
11
4th. Saturday. Cloudy a.m. Pretty p.m.
12
Seoul home. Uncle passed away at 4 this afternoon. He was one of the most fortunate man in Korea. During the 86 years he had never suffered the misfortunes and agonies under the terrible misgovernment of the last decades of the Yi Dynasty and then under the iron rules of the Annexation―as my father and I had suffered. Uncle had no school education and could hardly write a letter in pure Chinese. He never read anything. Yet he had such good sense and integrity that he proved one of the wisest and bravest military magistrate Korea had ever had. He had an excellent wife who lived with him to the good old age of 85. She gave him five sons and two daughters. The second son, cousin Chi-Soh, has amassed a big fortune as a landlord. But for him uncle might have died a poor man. Uncle might have lived at least 10 or 15 years longer and enjoyed good health, if he didn't have a thoughtless concubine during the last 20 years.
14
5th. Sunday. Beautiful and mild.
15
Seoul home. Yesterday afternoon Mr. Jo Joon Ho called and told me that In Ho, his young brother came back from Tokyo a year ago with a debt of ￥8,000.00, which Joon Ho paid with an admonition to his careless brother not to go into debt again. During last one year In Ho has again incurred a debt amounting to ￥15,000.00! Here is another 光善! I am so sorry for dear 明姬ꡑs sake!
17
6th. Monday. Bright. Mild.
20
7th. Tuesday. Bright. Mild.
24
Left Seoul 9:30 a.m. (train being half an hour late) with cousins and other members of their families accompanying uncle's remains to Pyong Taik. Rain all the morning. Arrived at Pyong Taik 11 a.m. After lunch, the whole crowd about fifty―including girls, cousins', wives―had to walk ten li(3m.) through rain and mud to the family cemetery. Only four "rickshaws" available so that all the women folks had to foot it. I was given a "rickshaws", but after a little ride I got down and asked some of the ladies to ride turn and turn about. So did cousin Chi-Soh. But cousin Chi-Oh stuck to the "rickshaws" all through the mud to the top of the hill on which the graves are located. He is a most selfish-heartless creature. The burial service was held at 3:30. Then we all walked back to the station. Left Pyong Taik 8:48 p.m. Reaching home about 11.
26
9th. Thursday. Cloudy―cold.
29
10th. Friday. Bright―frosty. Cold.
30
Seoul home. 11 a.m. went to Chosun Hotel where the Committee on devising means and ways to raise ￥450,000.00 for rebuilding the Central or Jong No Police Station and for building residences, for the police officers and a score of police men. Han Sang Ryong who is keeping himself warm in the sunshine of favoritism of the "powers-that-be" at the expense of other people proposed that we should raise extra 20,000 yen to build an official residence for the Chief of the Central Station. Nobody dared even to hit that the Chief has had an official residence close to the last side of the Pagoda Park for the last 30 years. Then Jo Byong Sang proposed to raise, over and above the sums already mentioned three hundred thousand (300,000) yen more to defray the expenses of the Anti-Communist, Anti-fire and other Anti-Leagues for the coming four or five years. That will round up the sum to ￥500,000.00―a big lot of money for the Koreans who live under the jurisdiction of the Jong No Police. Pak Hung Sik has already subscribed ￥50,000.00. The balance is to be squeezed from the pockets of the more or less rich people so called.
32
11th. Saturday. Lovely.
33
Seoul home. A tea party was given by the Christians of the city at 4 p.m. in honor of Mr. Kagawa at Keijo Hotel.
36
Seoul home. Mr. Kagawa, the famous author, evangelist and social worker of Japan came to Seoul yesterday. He preached to a packed house at the First Methodist Church from 7 to 9. He is good speaker and seems to have a wonderful memory. He remembers figures and facts to a marvelous degree. However I didn't think much of his trying to prove the existence of Godly theories of science. In the first place those who don't know science can't follow him while those who know science will either disagree with him or smile at him. Besides scientific theories change every now and then. You can't tie a mule to the shadow of a post any more than you can prove a changeless truth by a changing theories. Nobody will go to Mr. Kagawa for scientific instructions. But he is on a solid ground when he speaks from his own personal experience the power and wonders of faith. His illustrations are drawn from life contacts with sinners in the slums of the great cities of Japan. Certainly he is a rare man.
39
Seoul home. 7 to 8 this morning Kagawa spoke in the Central Y. He illustrated the 9 beatitudes in the sermon on the Mount by the 9 stages which a man has to ascend in climbing up the sacred Fujiyama. It was a marvelous illustration. He spoke to students from 4 to 6:30. I succeeded in treating him to Japanese supper at Citizens' Hall. 7:30 he addressed a full house for two hours.
41
14th. Tuesday. Cloudy―Chilly.
42
Seoul home. Rained from 3 to 7 p.m.
44
15th. Wednesday. Thick fog a.m.
45
Seoul home. From dawn to 10 a.m. the thickest fog I remember to have seen in Seoul. Sun burst out 11.
46
Invited Yi Yung Joon(M.D.) , Han Sung Nin, and cousin Chi Yung to a "sukiyaki" lunch at Yedogawa.
47
At two Mrs. Minami, wife of the Governor General invited nearly 150 ladies, Japanese and Korean to the new Governor's Residence. Wife and sister-in-law(Chi-Wang's wife) went too. The guests were addressed by several speakers on the necessity of economizing in housekeeping etc. in order to help the brave soldiers to win the long war.
49
16th. Thursday. Beautiful.
50
Seoul home. 12 morning with Hong P.S. and Whang Yung Soo went to 八堂里 by bus. Reaching there a little past 1, I was charmed with the lovely river that quietly flows between two long ranges of hills. The little village is right on the northern bank of the river. People, Japanese and Koreans, are buying up hills, fields along the river without haggling over the price. Cousin Chi-Soh has invented quite a sum in hills and fields.
51
After lunch at the inn(30 sen per table) returned to city by 3:41 p.m. train.
53
17th. Friday. Cloud. Sun. Mild.
54
Seoul home. Mr. Han Sang Nin invited me and cousin Chi-Yang, Dr. Yi Yun Joon to a lunch at Station Restaurant.
56
18th. Saturday. Cloudy and sunshine.
57
Seoul home. At noon a memorial service for Mr. Gregg who passed away on the □□□, was held at the Central Y. auditorium. He was a good and true man if any man ever was. He worked for training the Korean boys in carpentry and ironwork in the industrial department of the Central Y.
58
Went to Ewha College by 1:02 p.m. train where a meeting of the Board of Managers was held. Returned home about 3:30 p.m.
60
19th. Sunday. Beautiful. Warm.
61
Seoul home. Almost too warm for this season.
63
20th. Monday. Beautiful. Warm.
66
21st. Tuesday. Beautiful. Mild.
69
22nd. Wednesday. Beautiful. Mild.
70
Seoul home. A little rain last night.
71
I was summoned to the Seoul local court as a witness in regard to the bribery case in which Sayeki, the former Mayor of Seoul is deeply, implicated. Brother Chi-Chang and Prof. Hyon Jei Myong are two of the five men who have been charged with having given bribes to the ex-mayor. No doubt Sayeki is or was one of the rottenest bureaucrat I the bureaucracy ridden land. Jung Jai Hup, one of the meanest wretches in whole Korea was the pet of Sayeki. The judge who has charge of the case told me he was too busy to ask me questions and that he would let me know another time in a week or so. By the way Prof. Hyon Jei Myong was released on bond some days ago.
73
23rd. Thursday. Cloudy. Pale sun now and then.
74
Seoul home. Today being the Japanese Thanks-giving Day (新當祭, a New Harvest Offering Day) there was celebration at the Chosun Shrine, the New Harvest Offering Ceremony with long and elaborate rituals from 10 to 11:30. Invited Helen Kim and Kim Sang Yong to a light luncheon at Mitsukoshi Restaurant. They enjoyed the coffee very much.
76
24th. Friday. Fog―Then clear day.
77
Seoul home. 10:30 attended the unveiling ceremony of the National Oath Pillar erected on the half way hillside of the Chosun Shrine Enclosure. The Pillar stands on a beautiful little stone pavilion built of stone supported by 4 polished granite columns. Whole cost ￥100,000.00 contributed by 1,412,000 people, most of whom are school boys and girls.
79
25th. Saturday. Clear and cold.
80
Seoul home. A real cold day. We are facing a coal-starved winter as we had a ice-famine summer of cruel heat and as we are having a fearful rice-less year.
81
5 p.m. went to Gray House where the Patrons' Association of the Ewha College held a meeting to devise means and ways for raising ￥5,000.00 to provide a skating-rink for the girls. Decided to levy 15 yen per student for the coming year. Had a nice supper.
83
26th. Sunday. Bright. Icy cold.
84
Seoul home. Allen calculates we must have at least ￥100,000.00, all borrowed from various banks at 6 1/2 per annum, to meet our expenses of next year. The mere thought of such a heavy debt terrifies me.
85
We generally look forward to a New Year with hope. But we are facing the coming year already with fear and trembling. A great war in Europe. An endless war in China. No rice, no coal.
87
27th. Monday. Bright. Cold.
88
Seoul home. 7-10 p.m. went to Citizens' Hall where the Ewha College girls gave a long program of musical concert primarily for the entertainment of the families of the soldiers in the fighting areas in China. So far as I was concerned I enjoyed the few Korean songs more than the rest of the program. The house was full to its capacity.
90
28th. Tuesday. Cloudy.
91
Seoul home. First snow in Seoul in minute quantity. We need much snow this winter to provide water for the parched fields in the central and southern Provinces.
92
Rained some between 7 and 8 p.m. Snow from 8:30 on.
93
It is impossible to hire a taxi now-a-days since all the taxi concerns have been merged into one taxi company the other week. The authorities are crazy with mania for controlling and consolidating everything. They kill out all competition; hence those few favorite individuals or companies who get the monopolization of profitable business give the worst service to the public for the best interest of their pockets.
94
No coal, no sugar, no rice, no butter, no taxi, no paper, no oil, no cement, no nails, no cotton, no rubber, no iron, no gasoline, no everything. Then just think of the incredible sufferings which a million or more brave young men from the sunny land of Japan are experiencing through entire length of the war front in China―20,000 li. Good God grant peace may come sooner than we fear!
96
29th. Wednesday. Very cold.
97
Seoul home. Snow about 1/3 inch on the ground in the morning.
99
30th. Thursday. Lovely. Cold.
100
Seoul home. At noon the day before yesterday 301 volunteers who had finished the course of training a few days ago, were given a luncheon at the Citizens' Hall. From 1:30 the students from Middle Schools, Colleges and the University gathered in the big auditorium to congratulate and encourage the volunteers who are going to join the regular regiments in different parts of the country.
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