Читать книгу Fifteen Years Among the Top-Knots; Or, Life in Korea - Lillias H. Underwood - Страница 6

MAIN ENTRANCE TO PALACE. PAGE 20

Korean women as a rule are not beautiful. I, who love them as much as any one ever did, who look upon them as my own sisters, must confess this. Sorrow, hopelessness, hard labor, sickness, lovelessness, ignorance, often, too often, shame, have dulled their eyes, and hardened and scarred their faces, so that one looks in vain for a semblance of beauty among women over twenty-five years of age. Among the little maids and young wives (saixies), who do not yet show the effects of the heavy hand of care and toil, one often finds a sweet bright gentle face that is pretty, winning, and very rarely even beautiful. But these poor palace women come not under that class; hardened, coarse and vulgar, their appearance only calls forth compassion. I found to my surprise that they were all smokers, and they were equally surprised that I would not accept their invitation to join them in this indulgence. They examined my dress and belongings with childish curiosity, and deluged me with questions as to my age, why I had never married, whether I had children, and why not, and other things equally impertinent and hard to answer; but were after all good natured, friendly and well meaning.

This was my first introduction to Korean officialdom, and following this within a very short time came another, in the form of a luncheon and acrobatic entertainment given for me by the President of the Foreign Office, Kim Yun Sik. This invitation came for the following Sunday—and troubled me, because I was afraid the official (who was quite ignorant of our customs and was offering me a flattering evidence of courtesy and good will) would be hurt by my refusal to accept an invitation for that day, and would very likely misunderstand it. However, there was nothing else to be done, and with suitable explanations, I announced my extreme regret at being obliged to refuse his kindness.

With great good feeling, he then changed the day, and I was given carte blanche to invite my friends, and of course asked the ladies of the Methodist mission, as well as our own. Several Korean gentlemen of high rank, including those in connection with the hospital, and others, had also been invited by my host. The table, for in deference to our foreign custom, one long table, instead of a number of small ones, had been arranged—was piled high with Korean dainties. Chicken, pheasant and other cold meats, fish, eggs, nuts and fruits prepared in many fanciful ways, Chinese preserved fruits and candies, a gutta-percha-like delicacy called “dock,” made of rice and oil pounded well together, an alcoholic native beverage called sül, and champagne and cigars. It is needless to say that we Americans did not partake of these latter additions to the menu. A vast crowd from the streets poured into the large courtyard, to see the acrobats, who were a strolling band hired for the occasion. Their performance consisted chiefly in tight-rope walking and tumbling, and was in no way remarkable. It lasted, however, nearly three hours, during all of which time we listened to the monotonous whining of the Korean band, more like a Scotch bagpipe (dear cousins, forgive) than anything else I know of; and learned the Korean verb “anchera” (sit down), which I heard that day repeated a thousand times, in all its moods, tenses and case endings, in tones of exasperation to the irrepressible Korean boy, who would stand up to see, just for all the world like some boys of whiter skin, nearer home.

Just before this, Mr. Underwood and Mr. Appenzeller had started on a long itinerating trip toward the north, the second Mr. Underwood had undertaken. While they were absent the wrath of the Korean king and cabinet against the Romanists reached the boiling point, and culminated in a decree forbidding the further teaching of foreign religions in the ports. The country was not open to us (as it is not to-day, except by special passports). The Romanists, with their well-known love of chief seats and high places, failing to profit by their former experiences of trouble from similar causes in China, insisted upon choosing as the site for their future cathedral one of the highest points in the city, overlooking the palace, and adjoining the temple holding royal ancestral tablets. The property had been obtained unknown to the king, through the medium of Korean agents, and though he used his utmost endeavors, both with the priests and with the French legation, to induce them to change this for any other site, they remained obdurate, utterly refused to yield, and proceeded to lay the foundation of their church. The decree immediately followed, and the American minister advised, nay ordered, us to recall our missionaries, who most unwillingly returned. There were, indeed, those who asserted that this early attempt to carry the Gospel into the interior had been, at least in part, the cause of the obnoxious decree, which made it look as if our work was, for a time at least, at an end. That this was not so was proved by the fact that Mr. Underwood had hardly returned ere he was waited upon by a committee consisting of high Korean nobles and members of the cabinet, offering him the entire charge of their government school, with a generous salary, and with the full understanding that he would not hesitate to teach Christianity to the pupils.

This offer, displaying the great confidence, instead of the displeasure and suspicion which foreigners assured us was the feeling of the Koreans toward our evangelistic workers, was taken into serious consideration, but was finally refused on account of its interference with other work, and for other reasons equally important.

It remained to us all to decide upon our course of conduct with regard to the prohibitory decree. Some of our number—the majority—argued, that as it was the law of the land, nothing remained for Christian law-abiding people but to obey it, to stop holding even morning prayers in our schools, to hold no religious services with Koreans, but to wait and pray, until God should move the king’s heart, and have the decree rescinded. By this course they believed we should win favor with the authorities, while defiance or disobedience might cause our whole mission to be expelled from the country.

A small minority, however, Mr. Appenzeller, now with the Lord, his wife, Mr. Underwood and myself, held that the decree had never been issued against us or our work, and that even if it had, we were under higher orders than that of a Korean king. Our duty was to preach and take the consequences, resting for authority on the word of God, spoken through Peter, in Acts, 4:19, to the rulers who forbade the apostles to preach, “Whether it be right in the sight of God, to hearken unto you, more than unto God, judge ye, for we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” Others might stop, as they did, with sorrow, conscientiously believing that to be the best course; we continued to teach and preach, in public and private, singing hymns, which could be heard far and near, in the little meeting-house. No attempt was ever made in any way to hinder us. Christians and other attendants on services came and went unmolested. Christianity has grown much since then, and is acknowledged as a factor in the politics of more than one province. No one ever thinks now of disguising or in any way concealing our work, yet that law has never to this day been rescinded. This is exactly in accord with Eastern customs. Laws become a dead letter, and pass into disuse; they are not often annulled.

Another event of interest, which occurred during these first months after my arrival in Korea, was the excitement culminating in what were called “the baby riots.” Similar troubles in Tientsin, China, had some years previously resulted in the massacre of a number of foreigners, including Jesuit priests, nuns and two or three French officials.

Some person or persons, with malicious intent, started a rumor which spread like wild-fire, that foreigners were paying wicked Koreans to steal native children, in order to cut out their hearts and eyes, to be used for medicine. This crime was imputed chiefly to the Japanese, and it was supposed the story had been originated by Chinese or others especially inimical to the large numbers of Japanese residents in the capital. Mr. Underwood acquainted the Japanese minister with the rumors, in order that he might protect himself and his people; which he promptly did by issuing, and causing to be issued by the government, proclamations entirely clearing his countrymen of all blame in the matter, which it was left to be understood was an acknowledged fact, and consequently the work of other “vile foreigners,” namely, ourselves and the Europeans. The excitement and fury grew hourly. Large crowds of angry people congregated, scowling, muttering, and threatening. Koreans carrying their own children were attacked, beaten, and even killed, on the supposition that they were kidnapping the children of others; and a high Korean official, who tried to protect one of these men, was pulled from his chair, and narrowly escaped with his life, although he was surrounded by a crowd of retainers and servants. It was considered unsafe for foreigners to be seen in the street. Marines were called up from Chemulpo to guard the different legations, and some Americans even packed away their most necessary clothing and valuables, preparatory to fleeing to the port. The wildest stories were told. Babies, it was said, had been eaten at the German, English, and American legations, and the hospital, of course, was considered by all the headquarters of this bloodthirsty work, for there, where medicine was manufactured and diseases treated, the babies must certainly be butchered.

One day, when returning from my clinic, my chair was surrounded by rough-looking men, who told my bearers that they should all be killed if they carried me to the hospital again; and such was the terror inspired, that these men positively refused to take me thither the following day. So I rode on horseback through the city to the hospital, Mr. Underwood, who also had duties at the hospital school, acting as my escort. We went and returned quite unmolested, and it has been my experience then and later, that a bold front and appearance of fearlessness and unconcern in moments of danger impress Asiatics, and act as a great safeguard for the foreigner.

In the meanwhile, however, the European foreign representatives had awakened to the fact that a very real danger threatened our little community, and might ripen at any moment into destruction. Proclamations from the Foreign Office were posted everywhere, but the earliest of these were mistakenly worded, leaving the impression still that possibly some “vile foreigner” had instituted these awful deeds, and that should he be discovered sore punishment would follow. At last, however, a notice appeared, written at the dictation of these same “vile foreigners,” in which it was positively stated that not only had no such thing been done by any foreigners, but that should any one be caught uttering these slanders, he would be at once arrested, and unless able to prove the truth of his tales, be punished with death. Detectives and police officers were scattered everywhere through the city, people were forbidden to stand in groups of twos and threes, a few arrests were made, and the riots were at an end.

KOREAN OFFICIAL IN CHAIR. PAGE 16

Before calm was restored, however, we had some uncertain, not to say uneasy, hours. On the evening of the day when the excitement had been at its highest, we received word from the American legation that should there be evidence that the mob were intending to attack our homes, a gun would be fired in the legation grounds as a signal, and we were then to hasten thither for mutual safety and defense.

It was a calm starlit July night. We sat in the little porch leading into our compound, enjoying the cool evening air, when suddenly a terrific illumination of blazing buildings lit up the horizon, and a fearful hubbub of a shouting, yelling mob assailed our ears. With beating hearts we watched and listened. Some one said Korean mobs always began by burning houses, and while we waited, wondering what it all meant, the air was rent by the sharp, quick report of a gun from the American legation.

This seemed to leave no doubt as to the real state of affairs, and Mr. Underwood and Mr. Hulbert at once repaired to the legation to make sure that there was no mistake, but soon returned, with the welcome news, that the firing of the gun had been accidental. The burning buildings also proved to have been only a coincidence, and the noise nothing more than common with a Korean crowd round a fire. In a way that still seems to be miraculous, the raging of the heathen was quieted, God was round about us, the danger that looked inevitable passed away, and all was calm.

Not long after this came the first request from the palace for me to attend on the queen, to which I responded not without some anxiety, lest through some unlooked-for occurrence some misstep on my part, the work of our mission so auspiciously begun should be hindered or stopped. As yet somewhat uncertain of our foothold, ignorant to a large extent of the people with whom we had to deal, we trembled lest some inadvertence might close the door, only so lately and unwillingly opened. I had been told I must always go in full court dress, but when I came to open the boxes, which contained the gowns prepared for this purpose, I found that both had been ruined in crossing the Pacific and could not be worn. Alas! how inauspicious to be obliged to appear before royalty in unsuitable attire, which might be attributed to disrespect! But a far more serious trouble than this weighed upon my mind as my chair coolies jogged me along the winding streets and alleys to the palace grounds. I had been strictly warned not to say anything to the queen on the subject of religion. “We are only here on sufferance,” it was urged, “and even though our teaching the common people may be overlooked and winked at, if it is brought before the authorities so openly and boldly, as it would be to introduce it into the palace, even our warmest friends might feel obliged to utterly forbid further access to the royal family, if not to banish us altogether from the country.” “Wait,” it was said, “until our footing is more assured; do not risk all through impatience.”

I saw the logic of these words, though my heart talked hotly in a very different way; but I went to the palace with my mouth sealed on the one subject I had come to proclaim.