902 THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



well preserved that one of our party ex- 

 claimed that it did not look a day older 

 than 1,599 years. 



The main streets of Seoul are wide 

 and well laid out. The stores generally 

 are but one story, hardly deserving the 

 title of buildings. On a pleasant day 

 these thoroughfares present a very ani- 

 mated scene, the white clothing giving 

 a prominence to each wearer, bringing 

 him into view as far as the eye can 

 reach. The means of conveyance over 

 the roads, for the most part unpaved, is 

 rickshaws drawn by boys who are swift 

 and tireless. On one side of the main 

 street were double tracks of a dilapidated 

 horse-car line, which with the electric 

 light and telegraph poles were evidence 

 that intercourse with outside nations had 

 not been without advantage. 



The street scenes of Seoul offer great 

 variety for the kodak, the burden- 

 bearers of both sexes furnishing a con- 

 stant change of scene ; most of them be- 

 ing willing victims, entirely satisfied with 

 a small tip. At the wood market on one 

 side of the main street the patient steer 

 is seen reclining under the weight of a 

 load of logs which would cause a wagon 

 to groan, and one wonders how he will 

 ever regain his footing when his master 

 makes a sale and the time comes to de- 

 liver the goods. These animals appear 

 to thrive under their burden-bearing, 

 being sleek and well kept. 



At a turn of the road we encountered 

 three coolies, each bearing a live pig, 

 which must have weighed twice as much 

 as the coolie himself. 



The guardians of the peace were much 

 in evidence, and in place of carrying the 

 usual locust club they were armed with 

 swords. Frequently one or more of these 

 policemen were mti" preceded by from 

 two to six culprits chained to each other 

 by the waist, carrying tools for cleaning 

 or repairing the streets, en route to some 

 part of the city where they were to work. 



The native bread of Seoul does not 

 seem very attractive to foreigners after 

 they have seen the process by which it 

 is made. However, if its excellence was 

 alone dependent on the thoroughness 



with which it is kneaded, the bread which 

 "mother used to make" would suffer by 

 comparison. After mixing, the dough is 

 placed on a board in the road in front of 

 the little bakeshop. Then two stalwart 

 Koreans proceed to pound it with great 

 beetles. It is not claimed that the qual- 

 ity of the bread is improved by the addi- 

 tion of impurities in the way of insects 

 and dust which naturally result from the 

 open-air treatment, but if one objects to 

 eating it, a native will quote a proverb 

 which, being interpreted, runs, '*He who 

 would enjoy his food should not look 

 over the kitchen wall" — a maxim not 

 without force in countries occidental. 



The poor, neglected children seen on 

 the streets and in the courts without a 

 stitch of clothing to cover their dusky 

 littk bodies enlisted our sympathies. We 

 recall one baby boy in particular to whom 

 the accomplishment of walking alone 

 was so new that he toddled with uncer- 

 tain steps across the narrow road, and 

 while attempting to gain the sidewalk 

 rolled into the shallow ditch. Although 

 in a decidedly soiled condition, he picked 

 himself up and made his way toward 

 where we were waiting to kodak a 

 woman who was approaching bearing a 

 basket on her head. The result was that 

 they both reached the spot at the same 

 instant that the bulb was pressed. We 

 returned the youngster to his home with 

 thanks. 



The temples visited in the region of 

 Seoul were found to be very ordinary 

 and much neglected. 



The occupation of laundress in this 

 land, where the clothing of both men 

 and women is white, of necessity em- 

 ploys large numbers of women. The 

 seamstress, too, must have plenty to oc- 

 cupy her time, since most of the gar- 

 ments are taken apart at the seams 

 before washing. Almost a daily sight 

 was bevies of women lining both sides 

 of small drains or sewers occupied in 

 washing clothes. While not neglecting 

 the object of the gathering, they were 

 not unmindful of its social features, 

 singing, chatting, and laughing to the 

 accompaniment of the flat clubs, as they 



