Page:History of Corea, ancient and modern; with description of manners and customs, language and geography (1879).djvu/385

 CnAPTER XI. RELIGION. The Coreans have one native name, and one borrowed from the Chinese, for the Supreme Being. The former is Hannonim, from AonicJ, heaven; tlieh,tteT Shcmgde. The nsjoae Ha/riTionim is so distinctive and so universally used, that there wiU be no fear, in future translations and preachings, of the unseemly squabbles ivhich occurred long ago among Chinese missionaries on this subject ;— even though the Bomanists have introduced the name which they employ in China. The idea conveyed by the term Hannonim is much like that of Tien Idoye, the popular Chinese name for the Almighty, the all-present, but invisible Ona Taoism, which divides Chinese attention with Buddhism, is almost imknown in Corea; while Confucianism is a moral system, and not pix>perly a " religion.'' Hence Buddhism has no rival, unless indeed Romanism, which has had many adherents for nearly three centuries, may be regarded as such. Bocldo or Buddhism is profoundly believed in, and the celibate Joong or priests or monks are so numerous, that they are said to form a fourth of the male population ; several myriads of them are said to be in the capital alone. The principal images, Bootte, are of brass; the secondary, miriug, of carved stone; none being of clay, as almost all Chinese images are. The priests are held in greater esteem than in China ; and apparently a better class of men shave their heads in Corea than in China, for they are frequently ministers of State, commanders of armies and governors of Provinces, and occupy other important magisterial post& The priest ScmiiAingdcmg, celebrated to this day, was commander-in- chief, during the Japanese invasion three centuries ago. The Governor General (Tsongdo) of Pingyang ia 1877 was a priest