Page:Village life in Korea (1911).djvu/233

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The Village Religion.
195

to which are found peculiarly shaped stones, small cast-iron horses, and sometimes a stone Buddha. At many of these there is as much as a carload of stones which have been brought by the worshipers. How long they have been accumulating no one can tell. It is more than probable that if Abraham had passed this way he would have seen some of these same roadside shrines. A strange part of this worship, if so it may be called, is that of the passer-by stopping and spitting on the pile of stones to show his respect for the spirits. Cooked rice and other food may often be seen lying on the stones, where it has been placed by some burdened soul who is seeking help from the unseen realm. More than once as I have passed these places my heart has been saddened by the sight of women who had brought tables of the best food they could command and, placing them before the pile of stones, were prostrate upon the ground, rubbing their hands and calling upon the spirits to come and eat.

At some of the more pretentious shrines the mudangs hold their performances when trying to persuade some evil spirit to depart from some sick person. I remember well that on one occasion Mrs. Moose and I were passing one of these shrines, when our attention was called to the place by the ringing of bells, the beating of drums, and the clanking of cymbals. We turned in to see what was going on, and we shall not soon forget the scene. There was a spread of the greatest array of Korean foods and fruits that we had ever seen. A poor, pale-faced young woman was sitting by, and we understood that