determined by the size of the bier and the splendour of the occasion. Anywhere from eight to forty men may be employed to carry the " death carriage." They are all dressed in coarse linen, with tall linen caps.
One of the most important points about a funeral is the making of the sinju, or "spirit master." It might be better described as the "spirit tablet," for it consists of a plain piece of chestnut wood ten inches long, two inches wide and three-quarters of an inch thick. It is left unpainted, and nothing whatever is written on it, but with it is placed a sheet of paper on which are written the name and office of the deceased. This piece of wood is placed, together with the paper, in a small box made specially for it and painted black. This sinju, or "spirit tablet," is made of chestnut wood, because the Koreans believe that when a chestnut sprouts and the meat of the nut is used in feeding the growing sprout, the shell of the nut does not decay, but remains attached to the root of the tree until the latter dies. Thus they believe the seed is preserved, and this typifies the long life of the family. This tablet is kept in the house for three years, until the period of mourning is passed, and then it is placed in the sadang, or "soul house," preferably described as the ancestral tablet house. One of these tablet houses is found connected with the residence of every well-to-do gentleman. The use of a separate tablet house has of late fallen somewhat into disuse because of the danger of having the tablet stolen and held to ransom. To lose the sinju is an unspeakable calamity. Before burial, it was formerly the custom to carry the body of the dead to the tablet house, to let him take a look at it, but of late years it has been considered sufficient to carry the "spirit box" to the tablet house instead; but at the same time the casket must be moved a little, as if it were to be taken also.
All is now ready for the burial procession, which is a grand spectacular display. On it the heir sometimes squanders half of his patrimony. Korean folk-lore is full of stories of how the son, out of filial piety, spent the whole of his patrimony on his
