Korean Fanatics

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXVII, Issue 8491, 26 May 1904, Page 4

Korean Fanatics

In 1 a recent number'of the Novoy e Vretoya, M. Siromiatnikoff gives Gome interesting facts about the Tonghaks, a religious sect in Korea, who were directly responsible for the {Jhino-Japanese War, and who seem destined to play a part in the present war. The name of Tonghaks means "Eastern Belief," and the founder of the sect was Tchoi-Tchei-Oiou, a learned Korean, much interested in; the progress of the Catholic religiom in Korea—which progress was also causing the Government so much alarm that they deemed it necessary to persecute both missionaries ' and converts. Tchoi-Tchei- ! Cliou argued that .if the missionaries had come so far, and had spent so much of their money for their religion, it must'be a true I religion. But if they were so why did his : Government put to death all those who practised it. His brain gave way through pondering over this problem, and he fell dangerously ill: Every remedy failed to cure him, and he was at death's door, but he became miraculously well. In the years that followed he wrote a work called "The Holy Scriptures," and founded his religion. He took from Confucius the division of the four books,.from Buddhism the law of the purification of the body, and fro mthe Catholics the. idea of God, but in order to show that his religion was different from the Catholic faith he named it Tonghak or Oriental Confession/ as opposed to Catholicism, which he called in Korea "The Cnfessi-onl of the "West." The number- of his disciples grew ye ar by year until in_-1865, when the persecution of the Korean Roman Catholics began again, Tchoi was arrested and accused of belonging to the Catholic religion, : and was put. to death. Thus the history of ithe founder of the Tonghaks ends, but his faith stil lexists.: The Tonghaks of today profess monotheism, rejecting the Buddhist belief of the t-ransmigration.pf. souls, worshipping no idols! When they, pi-ay tKey hayp before them two burning, candles,; _some fisiij bread, .and. wine. 'They say 'a,',prayer.,24 times in chorus, bow,themselves dowii before the candles, and then feast together. They worship before, ait altar of red clay and chalk,. on' wKicK "a. cup of water is placed.. During the night who prays , • before it, after- the -recitation,; drinks -from the cup. The water is called the "Heavenly mercy." lir the spring of 1893 fifty Tongi haks went ta the gates of the Imperial palace of Seoul, and asked the Emperor to declare the innocence ofTchor,.and to grant them permission to.- erect, a monument to his memory. . They'also claimed ,the freedom oftheir religion v and threatened, if_this were not complied with, "to dSve' all foreigners out of Korea. The petition was refused, and many Tonghaks were arrested. The next year an insurrection arose. The Korean soldiers fled front the.". Tonghaks, who. occupied the villages, drove ; buti atfd s6me J . times put to death, those officiaas. whid- had oppressed, them.,., The Tonghaks ..forced the village people- to r ]'oitt ; £|eir capSe,; promising them rewards.- 'Ulriess -woulu never enter their houses, their future wouldalway s be'; happy, -they-would nothavte'to l pay any taxes, and in timo of war the bullet's of their enemies wotfld.be : turrieii'tb ; wat»&. - In; May, 1894, however, wNnT tte Imperial troops fired on the To'nghaks; : the Emperof?nvbked China's, aid, .to resbme f peace, whereTip<>a ' Japan also sent a detachment ■ in June -the war .oonppenced. T|im witK ! ' l!S'~tfe"T-cfflghais -%nat r bullets did not change to- water.' '