and everybody is compelled to wear white, an order that if not quickly obeyed by a married man means probably to him the loss of his head.  Thus, though looked down upon as outcasts and wretches, bachelors none the less do enjoy some privileges out there.  Here is yet another one.  They never wear a hat; another exemption to be taken into consideration when you will see, a little further on, what a Corean hat is like.

[Illustration:  THE “TOP-KNOT” OF THE MARRIED MEN]

Married men, on the other hand—­and ninety-nine per hundred are married in Cho-sen—­wear their hair done up in a most wonderful fashion.  It is not as long as that of bachelors, for it is cut.  It is combed, with the head down, in the orthodox fashion, as women do, I suppose, when they comb it by themselves, and then passing the left hand under it, along the forehead, it is caught close to the head just about the middle of the skull.  This being satisfactorily done, what remains of the hair above the hand is twisted round into the shape and size of a sausage, which then remains sticking up perpendicularly on the top of the head, and which, in the natural order of things, goes by the sensible name of top-knot.  Occasionally a little silver or metal bead is attached to the top of the knot, and a small tortoiseshell ornament fastened to the hair just over the forehead.  This completes the married man’s hair-dressing, with which he is always most careful, and I must say that the black straight hair thus arranged does set off the head very well.  The illustration shows the profile of a married man of the coolie class, who, of course, wears the hair dressed just like the others, it being a national custom; only the richer and smarter people, of course, wear it more tidily, and, probably, not quite so artistically.  Besides, the better class of people are not content with the process of beautifying themselves which I have just described, but surround the forehead, temples and back of the head with a head-band, a curious arrangement made of woven black horse-hair, which keeps the real hair tight under it, and not only prevents it from being blown about, but forms a more solid basis for the wonderful hats they wear.  The nobler classes, upon whom the king has bestowed decorations in the shape of jade, gold or silver buttons, according to the amount of honour he has meant to accord them, wear these decorations, of all places, behind the ears, and fastened tight to the head-band.

Thus much on the subject of the Corean’s head.  I shall spare you, my dear readers, the description of his body, for it is just like any other body, more or less well made, with the exception that it is invariably unwashed.  Instead, I shall proceed to inspect with you his wardrobe and his clothing, which may be to you, I hope, much more interesting.  To do this, let us walk along the main street of the town, where the traffic is generally great, and examine the people who go by.  Here is a well-to-do man,