household. It would not be fair nor honest to leave this subject with the conviction in the reader's mind that nobody cares for nor loves a girl baby in Korea. I am writing of things as they are, and not of the exceptions that might be found under any given subject. Furthermore, it would not be fair to leave the impression that Korean mothers are not kind, in a way, even to the little girls. We read of the Chinese mother destroying her babe because it happened to be a girl, but I think this would be a very rare exception in Korea. There are doubtless many thousands of mothers in this country who love their girls, though it is probably true that they were all sad and disappointed at their birth.
The little girl is given a name, but it matters little what it is, since it will soon be lost. She may be called Little Flower, Little Calf, Little Pig, Golden Rat, or anything that may be thought of, just so it will distinguish her from the other children in the family. Sometimes she is called No. 1 or No. 2, and so on, to any number that may come into the family. She is often called "Sup-sup-haby," the meaning of which is "sorrowful." Thus every time her name is called the little one may be reminded that she brought sorrow into the family. Every now and then we hear a little girl called "E-pu-na," which means "beautiful." I am always glad when I see a little girl with this name. It usually means that her mother loved her and did not care much even if she was only a girl. I fancy that the little E-pu-nas have a much better time than the little Sup-sup-habies in this world of sorrows.
