THE NATION, 



AGAZINE 



THE KOREANS HAD HOUSES HEATED BY HOT-AIR FURNACES LONG BEFORE WESTERN 

 CIVILIZATION THOUGHT OF SUCH A CONVENIENCE 



Each house is raised a foot or two above the ground and a wide flue runs beneath the floor, 

 emerging at the other end in a tall chimney made from a hollow log. Even though the houses 

 are poorly constructed, this method of heating is effective in the severest weather. 



day, when returning to camp from the 

 usual morning hunt, we came upon seven 

 men from the village kneeling at the base 

 of a great rock bearing a larch tree, in 

 front of which they had placed brass 

 dishes containing nicely cooked chicken 

 and millet, beside several cups of sake. 



They were making their annual spring 

 offerings to the god of the valley, asking 

 for good crops, fine weather, and the 

 birth of many horses and children. The 

 food had been prepared near by, the 

 dishes having been carefully cleaned and 

 boiled in order to remove all traces of 

 human touch before they were presented 

 to the god. 



After the praying was finished I was 

 invited to join in the feast which fol- 

 lowed. The interpreter hurried to camp 

 for the kodak, and several pictures were 

 taken during the meal, but we were too 



late for the opening ceremonies. They 

 said the food could not again be offered 

 to the god, since it had already been 

 tasted by men. 



They were greatly pleased because the 

 white yang-ban (nobleman) had con- 

 sented to eat with them, for they believed 

 that their valley would be blessed with 

 unusual good fortune. I have often won- 

 dered since whether the old joss was as 

 honored by my presence as they thought 

 he would be. 



CONTENDING WITH THE TIMIDITY 

 OE NATIVES 



When the collecting at Nonsatong was 

 finished, we started early one morning 

 on the trip through the primeval forests 

 to the base of the Paik-tu-san. Our des- 

 tination was a log cabin, some 14 miles 

 up the Turn en Valley, which had been 



