CHOSEN 



1366 



CHRISTIAN 



timber concession on the lower Oryoku (Yalu) 

 River which Japan regarded as an attempt 

 to secure Korean territory. Japanese troops 

 were sent to Korea, and on February 23, 1904, 

 the emperor of Korea signed a treaty with 

 Japan, strengthening Japanese influence and 

 practically ending Korean independence. Jap- 

 anese financial and diplomatic advisers were 

 soon appointed, and in the Treaty of Ports- 

 mouth, September 5, 1905, which concluded the 

 Russo-Japanese War, Russia formally recog- 

 nized Japanese predominance in Korea. A 

 resident-general was established by Japan in 

 1905. Two years later all administrative ap- 

 pointments were made subject to the resident- 

 general, and in 1909 the administration of 

 justice and prisons was acquired by Japan. 

 The murder of Prince Ito, the resident-gen- 

 eral, hastened the final absorption of Korea 

 into the Japanese Empire, and on August 23, 

 1913, Chosen was formally annexed to Japan 

 and the name Korea was abolished. The 

 emperor was deposed and the government- 

 general of Japan was established. E.B.P. 



Other Items of Interest. It is estimated that 

 there has been an average of one convert to 

 Christianity for every hour since the first 

 missionary entered the country. 



Chosen has a coast line of 1,740 miles, one 

 and a half times as long as that of Florida, 

 which it somewhat resembles in shape. 



A popular name for Chosen until after the 

 middle of the nineteenth century was the 

 "Hermit Kingdom," for foreigners were rigidly 

 excluded. 



The Koreans have a language of their own, 

 which differs decidedly from Chinese, but' prac- 

 tically all the books written in Korea are in 

 Chinese. 



Clothes in Chosen are not ironed, but are 

 beaten smooth with two wooden sticks, and 

 at any time of the day the thump, thump, 

 thump of these paddles may be heard in any 

 Korean city. 



Until the country was taken in charge and 

 "modernized" by Japaa, every man in Korea 

 wore on his head a tightly twisted topknot of 

 hair, but Japanese laws forced the shearing 

 of these. Barbers were stationed in every city 

 to seize all who passed by and clip their top- 

 knots. 



Not many beggars are to be seen, but living 

 conditions among the poorer classes are squalid. 

 The commonest form of house is a straw- 

 thatched mud hut, and the state of such a 

 dwelling after a hard rain may be imagined. 



Consult McKenzie's The Unveiled East; Lan- 

 dor's Corea, The Land of the Morning Calm; 

 Langford's The Story of Korea. 



Related Subjects. The following articles In 

 these volumes will give additional information 

 on topics connected with Chosen : 

 Chinese-Japanese War Rice 

 Ginseng Russo-Japanese War 



Japan, subtitle Seoul 



History Yalu River 



CHRIST, meaning an anointed one, a title 

 of Jesus of Nazareth. See JESUS CHRIST. 



CHRISTCHURCH, one of the most promi- 

 nent cities of South Island of New Zealand, 

 on the Avon River, seven miles from the sea. 

 It is the center of a grazing district that pro- 

 duces the best wool and mutton to be 'found 

 in New Zealand. Every street in the city is 

 named after some British bishopric, and among 

 the finest buildings is the cathedral, an exact 

 copy of the cathedral of Caen, France. Cloth- 

 ing, boots, shoes and agricultural implements 

 are manufactured, and a large export trade is 

 carried on in lumber, wool, frozen meats and 

 dairy products. Population in 1911, 80,193. 



CHRISTIAN, kris'chan, the name borne by 

 several Danish monarchs, the first of whom 

 reigned as king over united Denmark and Nor- 

 way from 1448 to 1481. Of this group of 

 sovereigns, Christian VIII, IX and X have 

 ruled over Denmark alone, since 1863. 



Christian IX (1818-1906), who came to the 

 throne in 1863, on the death of Frederick VII, 

 was often called the "father of the royal fam- 

 ilies of Europe." His eldest daughter, Alex- 

 andra, became the wife of Edward VII of 

 England; his sec- 

 ond daughter, 

 Dagmar, was the 

 mother of Czar 

 Nicholas II of 

 Russia ; his son, 

 George, became 

 king of Greece in 

 1863, after the 

 revolution which i 

 deposed Otto II; I 

 and his grandson, 

 the son of George, 

 is Constantine I, 

 until 1917 king 

 of that country; 

 Christian's grandson, Charles, was chosen king 

 in 1905, when Norway separated from Sweden, 

 of Norway as Haakon VII. During the reign 

 of Christian, Schleswig and Holstein were 

 wrested from Denmark by Austria and Prussia 



CHRISTIAN IX 



