2
1st. Monday. Beautiful.
3
Seoul home. Went to station to welcome our 璋善 who arrived 1:45 p.m. Thank God he is back safe and sound. Kim Jong Chan, the painter and who is one of the best friends our boys have in Tokyo came on the same train.
5
2nd. Tuesday. Cloudy. Chilly.
6
Seoul home. This cloudy day is more welcome than a beautiful day of sunshine in that it gives some promise of the rain which we so much long for. If this drought continues through the whole of this month of April, we are sure to have another fearful famine year.
7
From 7 p.m. little drops of rain began to fall.
9
3rd. Wednesday. Gentle shower a.m.
10
Seoul home. Gentle shower (too gentle) in the morning. This rarefied rain in tiny drops continued until 6 p.m. hardly enough to quench the thirst of the parched ground.
12
4th. Thursday. Cloudy―Chilly.
13
Seoul home. From 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. it rained somewhat satisfactorily.
14
The friends of Mr. Watanabe and the officials of the patrons associations of the Normal Primary Schools, Korean and Japanese, gave him a farewell supper at Keijo Hotel at 6 p.m. He is just retiring from the principalship of the Keijo Normal School (for men) which position he had held with credit for 10 full year. He said he had been in educational service for 40 years―10 of which he had served in Korea. He is a good man.
16
5th. Friday. Pale sun. Quite chilly.
17
Seoul home. Cloudy and very chilly. I have a bad cold.
18
Our 琦善 left Seoul per 4 p.m. Akatsuki Express. God be with on sea and on land, keeping him strong in body, mind and spirit. Bong-Sup, our Grace's husband also left Seoul for Kyoto. He has to bum around the Medical Research Dept. of Kyoto University until end of March next year to fill out the 7th year after his graduation from the Seoul Gov. Medical School in order to get his M.D. Degree(博士位) . What a damn nonsense the university pedants have devised. The M.D. degree should be conferred on the merits of the research work done and not on the number of years passed after graduation.
19
Well, "W" seems to feel his departure more keenly than the departure of our own boy.
21
6th. Saturday. Pale sun―Chilly.
24
7th. Sunday. Pale sun. Icy wind.
27
8th. Monday. Bright. Icy wind.
28
Seoul home. 3:30 p.m. went to the Transportation Association Building to hear Admiral □□□ who gave a talk on the simple and frugal life which His Imperial Majesty leads everyday. It was very interesting and edifying talk.
29
6 p.m. to Myong Wol Kwan where a farewell supper was given by the Patrons' Association in honor of Mr. Pak Sung Doo(朴勝斗) and 5 others who are leaving the Chai Dong Primary School. Mr. Pak has proved himself an efficient Principal under whom the school made a fine progress in buildings and in raising the standard of the school.
31
9th. Tuesday. Bright. Icy west wind.
32
Seoul home. 8 a.m. went to Chosun Hotel having been invited to breakfast by Mr. Yamamoto. Besides me the guests were my cousin Chi-Soh, Dr. Ok K.S., Rev. Kim Woo Hyon. The purpose of the meeting was to introduce Mr. Pak Young Chool(朴永出) who is running a Boarding Hostel for Korean students in Tokyo. Mr. Pak is planning to build a Students' Hostel in Tokyo at the cost of ￥2,000,000.00 half of which he hopes to be raised in Korea. Mr. Tsuda 津田, is reported to have promised ￥200,000.00. By the way, a young man 崔月巖 who has been working in the Korean Opium Rescue Association for the last several years, told me only yesterday that Pak Yung Chool is a fraud extorting money from charitable persons to feather his own pockets. I don't know which to believe but I am rather inclined to suspect Pak.
33
Evening papers report German troops have today occupied Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark and Oslow, the capital of Norway. What are England and France doing? These democracies waste time in conferences and debates while Hitler strikes hard and quick.
35
10th. Wednesday. Bright. Icy windy.
36
Seoul home. 10:30 attended the ground blessing ceremony(地鎭祭) at Sam Chung Dong where the Police residences are to be built.
38
11th. Thursday. Bright―Mild.
39
Seoul home. Papers say England and France have assured Norway of their united assistance. Heaven pity the nation to whom England promises help! Ethiopia, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Finland, Norway―what did they get from the empty promises of help which England so generously made? Truth is England is today the China of Europe―full of racial(Anglo-Saxon) pride given to bombastic bluffing yet possessing no real power to help anybody.
40
One is simply amazed that England and France in actual warfare with Hitler the most unscrupulous and quick-acting antagonist. Is it possible that England and France were literally caught napping by the daring and sudden occupation of Denmark and Norway? England and France―devised League of Nations and various anti-war packs etc. just to keep the world in status quo viz, to keep other robbers from disturbing their loots.
42
12th. Friday. Bright. Mild.
45
13th. Saturday. Cloudy.
46
Seoul home. Cloudy and warm as if to rain some. But no rain except a few drops in the evening.
47
6 p.m. the Volunteers' Supporting Association of which I am the nominal President gave a Japanese dinner party at Nan San Sho to the Chiefs of the 6 police stations of Seoul―Major Yi Dai Yung and Mr. Jo Byong Sang proposed a plan of raising ￥200,000.00 to be divided between the Kei-Ki Provincial Police Bureau and the Association. They suggested to invite 4 or more hundred rich men of the city and to ask them to subscribe from ￥500 to ￥100.00 per person. Mr. Matsu-oka, Chief of the Jong No Police Station strongly recommended the plan of soliciting at least half of the amount viz: ￥100,000.00 from corporations so as to make it easier for individuals.
48
The food was unpalatable and the geishas were unattractive. Yet the feast will cost about ￥20.00 per person running the bill up to ￥300.00. I am to do myself the honor of paying half of this amount!
50
14th. Sunday. Beautiful. Very windy. Cold.
53
15th. Monday. Bright. Cold. West wind.
54
Seoul home. At noon I invited Mr. Saito of Tokyo Y.M.C.A. to a Korean lunch at Myong Wol Kwan. Messrs. Niwa and Barnhart also invited. The so called Korean dishes were neither Korean nor Japanese. I don't know what sort of order cousin Chi-Yung had given to the restaurant.
56
16th. Tuesday. Cloudy a.m. West wind.
57
Seoul home. Cold west wind still. Last summer and autumn east wind day after day drove away rain. This spring cold, icy west wind raising dust storms have kept back rain for weeks. Already half of the month of April―a month of showers―has gone but not a drop of rain.
59
17th. Wednesday. Beautiful
60
Seoul home. Today being the birthday of brother Chi-Chang we had family reunion at his home for the noon meal.
62
18th. Thursday. Bright a.m. Pale p.m.
63
Seoul home. Our beloved 璋善 left Seoul per 4 p.m. Akatsuki for Tokyo. God bless him everywhere and always!
65
19th. Friday. Cloudy a.m. Sun p.m.
66
Left Seoul 8:05 a.m. train for Song Do arriving there nearly 10:30. Held the annual meeting of the Board of Directors of the Song Do Middle School. Principal Kim Joon Ok has worked wonders and the school is best of its kind in buildings and equipment. His success in winning the good will of the local police and of the citizens of the city is the basis of his success in making the school popular and prosperous. Lunch at Allen's home.
67
Returned to Seoul per 4:35 p.m. train.
68
Since I visited Song Do last year one year has passed. During that one year the R.R. has been double tracked; a new iron bridge has been built over the Im Chin River; the Soo Saik Station has been rebuilt with its hills all levelled. What energy and efficiency our Japanese friends show everywhere! How many decades would Koreans have spent in doing even that much!
70
20th. Saturday. Cloudy.
71
Seoul home. Some sprinkling of rain from about 1 p.m. Hardly enough to lay the dust. Today being "kok-woo"(穀雨) “cereal rain" according to the Lunar Calendar farmers' superstition has it that rain on this day prophesies a bad year. God forbid we should have another famine year!
73
21st. Sunday. Cloudy a.m. Sun p. m.
74
Seoul home. Cousin Chi-Yung tells me that Mr. Song Jin Woo who went to Tokyo a month or two ago to ask Mr. Tanaka, Vice Minister of Colonial Dept., to countermand the order of the Chief of Public Safety issued to the Dong-A-Daily News to suspend or stop its publication by the 11th Feb. As a result the Daily News was saved from immediate abolishment for the time being; but Song dared not return to Seoul. However he came back a day or two ago and was at once placed under surveillance by the Central Police Station. I think it was rather unwise for Song to have appealed to influential people in Tokyo. The Police Bureau here will not forget or forgive him for taking his grievances to Tokyo instead of going to the powers that be in Korea. The Police can and will find many an excuse for closing up the Dong-A-Il-Po.
76
22nd. Monday. Pale sun.
77
Seoul home. At noon a crowd of Koreans and a few Japanese gave a welcome luncheon at Bando Hotel in honor of Mr. Tanaka, Vice Minister of the Colonial Dept. who arrived at the city yesterday from Peking.
79
23rd. Tuesday. Cloudy. So west wind.
80
Seoul home. As if going to rain but too cool for rain.
81
The strain between Hong Pyong Sun and Koo Ja Ok is getting to the breaking point.
83
24th. Wednesday. Cloudy. Light rain.
84
Seoul home. We had dark clouds and a lowering sky as if we might have a goodly rain in the morning. But nothing but very light spray of rain between 10 and 11. Oh, so disappointing.
86
25th. Thursday. Cloudy. Rain on and off.
87
Seoul home. Light rain more or less all through last night.
88
11 a.m. went to Chosun-Il-Po Hall to attend the wedding ceremony of Yun Kyong Sup's son.
89
It is almost impossible to get servants or employers who are intelligent and honest. I have never seen one. Servants both she's and he's are so wasteful, tricky and ungrateful. Higher employees are lazy, ungrateful and inefficient. The more you pay the more ungrateful, the more lazy, the more tricky they become. This is not only my experience but the universal complaint of all who have to have employees. This explains why Koreans have failed to run a bank―witness the Han Sung and the Dong-Il Banks―or a corporation of any kind where efficiency and honesty are absolutely necessary for success. This explains why the Japanese rulers are discriminating against Koreans in offices and business institutions.
90
If Japan were to hand over the government of the Peninsula with all its modern improvements to the Koreans to run it as an independent nation, the first and last thing they will do will be factional fighting, and butchering. Koreans are not ready for independence yet―by a long shot.
92
26th. Friday. Cloudy. Sun p.m.
95
27th. Saturday. Beautiful.
96
Seoul home. 1 p.m. the marriage of my grandson, the eldest son of 光善 was solemnized at Public Hall(公會堂) . The bride (daughter of Han Sang Uk) looks a nice girl. She is a grand daughter of General Cho Dong Yun on her mother-side.
98
28th. Sunday. Beautiful.
99
Seoul home. Took lunch at Mitsukoshi Restaurant having invited Mr. and Mrs. Hong Pyong Sun.
100
By the way Hong has been buying hills and fields near Pal-Dang-Ri on the Han River for speculative purpose. Where does he get the money for it? Koo Ja Ok asserts that Hong is making fraudulent use of the fund of the Y. School Patrons' Association. Hong keeps the book all by himself letting nobody know the receipts and the expenditures of the fund. Hong is certainly unreliable man in matters of money.
102
29th. Monday. Beautiful.
103
Seoul home. The Hai-Pyong Yun Clan(海平尹氏) had a General Clan Meeting at cousin Chi-Soh's home from 1 p.m. The main business up for discussion was the election of the new Clan-Elder or 門長 to take the place made vacant by the death of uncle Yun Yung Nyol. The next candidate by virtue of age and name-order(行列) was naturally to be myself. But I resigned in favor of cousin Chi-Soh who had acted the Clan-Elder for last 30 years. He was formally elected.
104
But the most important business for which so many men from the country came(more than a hundred) was the attitude which the Yun Clan is to take toward the question of adopting the Japanese names(創氏) . Mr. Yun Duk Yung is deadly opposed to it so he, too proud to come to the meeting, maneuvered through his minions, to keep the question from coming up at all. But majority of those present took up the question and unanimously decided to approve of the adoption of Japanese names.
106
30th. Tuesday. Beautiful.
107
Seoul home. Mary(文姬) had to undergo an operation at Dr. Takeda Hospital at 2-3 this morning for exo-vary pregnancy(子宮外姙娠) . Fortunately she had the operation before it was too late and she is going to get well.
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