But how many things are left that we cannot speak of! The busy work in the fields, the preparation of tea, the rearing of silkworms and making of silk, the trades, the government, the love and respect for parents, the respect for the graves of ancestors, the religious ideas, the life and teachings of Confucius—these things would need many books like this. XIV. COREANS. Corea is often called the Hermit Nation, because it has wanted to keep foreigners away. In this respect it is what China, Japan, and Tibet have sometimes been; all of them have followed at times policies of exclusion. Still, Corea has had a good deal of contact with other nations; she has learned many things from China and has passed on much that she learned to Japan. Sometimes, too, Corea has been subject to China, sometimes to Japan. The dress of Corea, while somewhat like that of China, and that of Japan, is still quite peculiar. The common people are all dressed in bluish white stuffs. Rich people dress in silks of the most gorgeous colors—blue, crimson, scarlet, orange. The chief garment worn by men is a long, loose gown that hangs from the neck quite to the ground. This is bound around, high above the waist, with a stiff, broad belt. No buttons are used in the fastening of garments, but strips of colored ribbons. The socks and shoes of the Coreans are like those of the Chinese, except that the shoe soles are thick-set with nail-heads. Nowadays these hob-nailed shoes are worn at all times, but formerly they were probably used only in winter to prevent slipping on ice and snow. About this the Coreans tell a story: long ago there was war between China and Corea, and the Chinese sent an army of eight hundred thousand soldiers; Corea’s army numbered but five thousand. It was in the midst of winter. The two armies met at a river, which was frozen solid, and the battle took place upon the ice. The Chinese wore their smooth-soled shoes, while the Coreans wore hob-nailed ones. When they fought on the ice the Chinese slipped helplessly, while the Coreans were able to fight well. The result was a great victory for the Coreans who, since then, have worn their hob-nailed shoes constantly in memory of their success. But the most curious part of Corean dress is the hat. There are many different kinds. There are hats for young and hats for old, hats for out-doors and hats for the house, hats for people of different occupations. The commonest out-door hat is round, square-topped, and with the wide, flat, brim halfway up the crown. The hats worn at the royal court are like high skull-caps, with wide flaps or wings projecting at the sides. The straw hats worn by drovers and people in mourning are shaped like the top of a parasol and measure two feet and a half across. [Illustration: COREAN HAT (LOWELL).]