s silent for as long as a month.

The Korean people have some happy times together in spite of some of
these strange customs. One of their national festival days is called
"Swing day." Swings are prepared nearly everywhere and people drop their
work and swing. The Koreans are different from any other people in the
far east and when they play they play with all their might. Men and
boys love to hunt the swimming holes along the streams and they seem to
enjoy this sport as do our own men and boys in America.

While Korea has been a battleground for ages yet it was opened up to
modern civilization by Japan something like America, through Commodore
Perry, opened up Japan. Later on Korea paid tribute to China. The great
crisis came in 1894 when the battle royal was waged between Japan and
China for this land. On September 15th of that year a great battle
occurred on land and two days later, in the mouth of the Yala River
occurred what is said to be the first great naval battle of history in
which modern warships were used. In this battle the Chinese fleet went
to the bottom of the sea and soon Port Arthur was besieged and taken and
the Japanese army started across the country with the cry, "On to
Peking." This opened the eyes of the Chinese and Korea was surrendered
and was practically annexed by Japan and its name changed to Chosen.
Since that time Korean civilization has gone forward by leaps and bounds
and is fast becoming a country that has to be reckoned with. The story
of Japan's dealings with Korea during these years contains some mighty
dark spots. These things have aroused the indignation of the whole
civilized world and the end is not yet.

To plant the seed of Christianity on Korean soil has required a great
effort and the story of the transformation of this nation that has
occurred within the past forty years is as thrilling as can be found in
the history of modern missions. It was the pleasure of the writer to
travel to the far east with one who has been on the field in Korea for
twenty-five years. Thirteen of these years were spent in the city of
Pyeng Yang which became the scene of one of the greatest revivals in all
the history of the Christian church.

At the time that Mr. and Mrs. Swallen, who were sent as missionaries by
the Presbyterian church (Mrs. Swallen was my traveling companion), to
Pyeng Yang, it was said to be the most wicked city in Korea. So
frightful were the conditions that boys in their pl