it was for her that this offering was being made. The mudang was in the midst of her wild dance, trying to persuade the spirit to leave the sick woman. The dance was indescribable, but the impressions of that scene remain with me till this hour. There were drums, bells, and clanking cymbals, all of which were beaten at such a rate as to almost deafen the hearers; and in the midst of this clanking of brass and roar of drums the shouts and calls of the mudang were clearly heard as she whirled, danced, and leaped into the air as if she were in the very act of laying hold on the spirit that was causing all the trouble. This idiotic performance continued till the mudang seemed almost exhausted, when it suddenly closed. Mrs. Moose spoke a few words to the sick woman, telling her of the One who can save both body and soul, and we went on our way with sad hearts.
There is one other form of our village religion that must be noticed, that of ancestral worship, which is Confucian in its origin. This is the stronghold of Confucianism in Korea, and in it many fruitful evils have their root, some of which are child marriage, the inordinate desire for male offspring, concubinage, the low estimate placed upon woman, and many others. The rites of ancestral worship can be performed only by a son, and therefore a son is absolutely necessary to the future and eternal happiness of parents. An adopted son may perform these rites, but a daughter cannot.
During the period of mourning, which lasts for three years for parents, the sacrifice is offered twice
