Every-day life in Korea; (1898) (14582454918)

Identifier: everydaylifeinko00giff (find matches)
Title: Every-day life in Korea;
Year: 1898 (1890s)
Authors: Gifford, Daniel L., d 1900
Subjects: Missions -- Korea Korea -- Social life and customs
Publisher: Chicago, New York (etc.) Fleming H. Revell company



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y wellfitted to grind, but with no worthy content uponwhich to grind. He has, in a measure, the intel-lectual power of a man, with the actual knowledgeof a child. And the discouraging feature of hiscase is that he has, in many instances, become soself-conceited that Socrates himself could not con-vince him of his ignorance. He is color-blind toeverything modern. His eyes are set on the past,especially the Chinese past. He is a slave to thetraditions and customs transmitted from antiquity.His thinking has no breadth nor originality. Butthe fault is moral as well. Among people of hisown station in life he displays a ceremoniouspoliteness that is certainly charming But donot for a moment be deceived. There is verylittle heart in it. What Korean unreservedlytrusts another Korean? And for the man belowhim in social rank he has all the contempt of aBrahmin. Again, he has a false pride which leadshim to starve rather than do a stroke of honestmanual labor. The ruling principle of his life is
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EDUCATION IN THE CAPITAL 173 apt to be a selfish individualism, which leaves inhis heart but little room for a disinterested publicspirit, or a true love of his neighbor. Two thingsthe naturally bright and in many respects inter-esting people of Korea especially need, and whichthe present system of education certainly fails togive them, are a broader intellectual view and adeepened moral sense. Their present system ofintellectual and moral training then, needs evi-dently much to supplement it. The Chino-Jap-anese war, in a number of respects, deep-soilplowed the life and institutions of Korea. One ofthe institutions which early disappeared was theKoaga, or royal examination, held periodicallythrough the spring and fall, when the streets usedto be filled with country scholars, all aspirants forliterary degrees. These literary titles were, in theante-bellum days, greatly prized, largely no doubtbecause the rank thus obtained was believed tofurnish a stepping-stone toward the acquisition