We passed on to the palace of the assassinated Queen. This has now been torn down by order of the Resident General, on account of its unpleasant association both to the Koreans and to the Japanese. It originally covered a good deal of ground and must have been spacious. The grounds are very large and interesting, containing many lovely trees. One building therein was raised like an immense pavilion and surrounded by a miniature lake, very pleasing with its setting of green and at times covered with water-lilies.
Quite a pretentious building, with its wide projecting Chinese eaves open on all sides and showing columns, was the one which contained the monument erected in honor of the Emperor's jubilee.
A picturesque feature of the city consists of the gates of the Wall. We took drives through these to different points near by. Particularly noticeable is the Western Gate, or Gate of General Righteousness. This is massive, showing the thickness of the wall, and the high roof over the arch is very effective.
All the hills around Korea are considered sacred and are dedicated to burial purposes. In one alone, seventy-five thousand persons are placed. The drive presents very diversified scenery. As we approached the tomb of the Queen, considerable formality was required. It was necessary to possess a permit, soldiers being stationed outside the grounds. The hill was very broad and quite steep at places, and on top the large tomb was composed of marble. We could have visited several others, but preferred to return home by the way of an old Buddhist monastery, a great part of the road being lined with trees on either side. We found the monastery rather dismantled and but few monks in attendance. They have to endure many privations, and their surroundings looked extremely bare.
After this excursion, we ended the day by attending the Korean Theatre. The ride there was interesting, as we saw all the particular evening sights I have described. The arrangement of the room was very simple; we sat in elevated boxes at the sides. About the stage all the details were primitive. The action of the play was poor, but the enthusiasm of the audience was great. We remained but a short time.
A white marble pagoda in Seoul
In the matter of education the women of the higher class are somewhat above the average, but those of the middle and lower classes are entirely ignorant. Education is one of the many recent reforms instituted; the old order of things is rapidly being changed. Electricity has been introduced, electric trams extend some distances even into the country, and there is a good postal service. A gentleman who had been a resident for some fifteen years is my authority for stating that in his opinion the mistake the Japanese were making in their protectorate was in pushing reforms too rapidly. The Koreans are slow in their response to foreign and western ideas.
The deposed King seems to be of a peculiar type. He is described as having a weakness for intrigue, his early education having been received under conditions that foster such qualities. He was married at thirteen years of age to the late Queen; she was said to be unusually gifted, and an attractive woman, even though unscrupulous and at times cruel.