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J acl 0 1 5 I 1 I 1 0 i d C 41 a m booro cr ar the old capital of korea S is undergoing changes until recently its wall was intact and gave a to the city p pleasing leasing to western ey eyes es there were eight gates four of them larger than the others and facing the cardinal points the main street of the city ran from the east to the west gates and from the south to the north at their intersection stood the old bell which was struck at intervals through the day at 6 in the morning at noon at 6 at night at 9 and then at midnight writes frederick starr in the chicago news the bell like most mosi conspicuous objects in korea had a story and its sound in the ears of many was a wall of terror they say that when the bell was to be made it was a matter of public interest and of popular contribution trib ution everyone gave something to its makeup make up mirrors rings ornaments coins all were given to the melting pot when finally the day cama came for its casting castine a great crowd gathered the metal was finally molten ready to be run tio the word was given and the hot liquid was poured into the mold when it was somewhat cooled the casting was uncovered bit by bit and lo 10 it was imperfect broken to lo pieces it was again molten on another day and again it was flawed A third time the mishap occurred and the people were well nigh discouraged at the evil omen ome n the master workman ordered a final trial again the crowd assembled again the broken fragments submitted to the heat gradually melted until the crucial moment was near at that instant an unknown woman of the common people pressed through the crowd her baby in her arms arma coming to the pot of molten metal she cried but you have not yet my contribution raised the tha baby and hurled it into the seething mass the moment had bad come for the pouring and before the cry of horror had died away upon the lips of the crowd the signal was given and the hot metal flowed down into the mold when it was huncove uncovered red the bell emerged perfect the sacrifice had been effective but through the years mothers at the stroke of the old bell have heard IH fu it the walling of the child shrieking oh mother my mother when women walk abroad in the old days and not so very long agotha ago the bell gave the signal for various movements women save the most common and rustic overe were not permitted freely on the streets from midnight to noon and from noon to 9 at night men and boys were free to roam but women and girls were expected P acted to keep indoors but when the 0 old id bell struck at the hour of 9 men and boys betook retook themselves to their houses and females were privileged to walk the streets till the midnight t bell drove them home those days are past pait but even today few women are seen upon the streets an and d those of any social standing have tho the IBM faue almost concealed the covering iba curious it Is apparently a garment forthie for the upper uppa body with neck space und and sleeves but it Is not worn as such but only lall upon the head with cleeves dangling at the olde sides back falling ca cap ellke over the sh shoulders ol 01 I 1 and the front coming down on both sides of the face nearly concealing i it in seoul this garment is isrea regularly u of a dull green cloth to an extraordinary degree degreeS seoul coul is a city of bridges not that it pi is intersected by rivers or important streams thero there are aro only small b rooks brooks or canals within the city nor do these theis canals make the city a venice there are no gondolas here but by the scant water in these streams women squat ii thron Tes js doing laundry work the water often I 1 tar far from clean but does that matter the worker uses a little wooden club or paddle and beats the clothing upon flat stones garments to be ba laundered are usually ripped along the seams the pieces trashed and then agala put together after the work la Is done the bridges are usually of stone atone well built and durable no mortar or cement seems to be used but the cut stones are fitted rather carefully on many of the bridges in the city stone atone pillars are carved to grotesque animal forms at tile the top the royal palaces have seen their days of glory the one most used by the late king was the north palace some of tho the buildings are gone some are neglected the two most interesting were the grat audience hall ball and the pavilion by the lotus pond approach to the audience hall was waa strictly regulated there were nine grades of off officers leers each with two degrees the paved way leading up to the audience hall was evenly spaced by pairs of stone posts one on either side elde eighteen pairs in all each pair indicated the distance to which one grade of official might approach on occasions of ceremony the pavilion is a large rectangular building open at thel sides below the floor of the second story is supported by metal capped granite columns typical korean construction here in good weather the tha ruler and his bis guests enjoyed music and dancing and the beauties of the fine lotus pond this year these palace grounds were wera utilized for the notable industrial exhibition hibi tion commemorating and illustrating five years yeara of the new administration of the country useful stone monsters the old gate of ento ance to io the palace grounds still stands facing south from it if leads beads a straight wide avenue at the sides of which are two strange stone monsters worship of which would surely break no commandment of the decalogue these uncouth creatures have a story of course it seems seema that when this north palace was first built it was damaged by fire coming from the south by the way north in korea is the best quarter it is beneficent repairing the damage was time wasted fire came again and again at last iasi these stone monsters were constructed ted and set up facing the south point of danger from that time oh the danger ceased with japanese influence immigration administration there has grown up within the city a definite japanese section japan street Is strongly characteristic act the change Is instant one passes from korea to japan in a moments time dress language aspect shops goods movements manners all are different with the japanese has come the jinrikisha vogue on the whole the korean has not taken very kindly to the little cart carl korean shop displays in the old days the few wide streets of seoul were crowded by the shops all the early visitors dilate upon this and find it Als disagreeable agreeable korean shops like oriental shops in general are open to the losses and the shopkeeper mourns his once proud display the shops are not as a whole of great interest there thera are shoo shops hat shops basket shops seed and grain shops and the like these are true selling shops then there are Far carpenter penter shops chops and coffin shops and dinners tin ners chimney shops where the work goes on as well as sales one of the moat mosi curious la Is the wed ding and funeral outfitters out fitters his Is a 1 rents rental I not a sales place it is only a few ew feet in frontage and here the stock still encroaches on the the street herease here Her eare are the things nece necessary tor for the tha two great family ceremonies here are great wooden candles carved with dra dragons lions birds and flowers all gaudy I 1 alth painting here he re are wooden geese I 1 tile the goose booso being a symbol of conjugal jugal happiness here are the two boys bringing felicity hero here are bottomless chairs for ancestral spirits to occupy occupy on anniversaries niver earl saries es inside are ara other things all to rent cheaply always alway sIn in evidence though perhaps more so at the now new year seasons season feb 4 this year thim than at other times |
