Page:Village life in Korea (1911).djvu/114

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Village Life in Korea.

can walk and talk, the study of polite forms of speech and action are his daily duties. In the making of bows and prostrations he is a perfect artist. It matters little what other traits he might or might not possess, if he be deficient in these he can never hope to win favor with the king and rise to a place of position and power among those that rule. In the mind of every gentleman this polish in all matters pertaining to etiquette is considered of first importance. To all his other graces he adds that of patience, and cultivates it so much that one is tempted to think it a virtue not to be desired in this world, where men must move in order to succeed. But be this as it may, patience and self-possession are virtues which the gentleman thinks it worth while to cultivate. He can easily forgive one for telling a falsehood or for taking too large a per cent of an amount of trust funds that passed through his hands, but to show any signs of impatience or impoliteness would be sins not to be pardoned. He is a being of such wonderful self-possession as to almost place him beyond the circle of common mortals. A bit of startling news or a sudden commotion that would upset the majority of us common beings will have little or no effect on him, and he will quietly pursue the even tenor of his way just as if nothing had happened or ever will happen to disturb the quietude of mortals here below. I have already spoken of the passion that he has for. holding office and obtaining honor among men. There is another about as strong, and closely allied to it. It is the study of Chinese characters and the wise meanings that