CHAPTER XXI.
The Village Church.
The term Church, as here used, stands for the Protestant Church. The Romanists are here, and have been from about the middle of the seventeenth century, at which time Roman Catholic missionaries working in China came in contact with Koreans. Prof. H. B. Hulbert tells us in his history that in 1780 a young man was baptized in Peking, and brought back many books, crosses, and images, and thus the new faith was started on its course in this country. There seems to have been much study of the new doctrine, and much opposition on the part of the king and his officials; so that in 1791 the government began to take extreme measures against the Catholic converts, many of whom were at that time put to death. A year later the first ordained priest (Pere Tsiou, a Chinese) was sent from China to Korea. In spite of opposition from the officials, they continued to increase in numbers till the great persecution of 1866, in which thousands of them died rather than deny the faith. Among those put to death at that time were several French priests, who died rather than forsake their converts and leave the country. It seems a great pity that from such seed-sowing the fruit produced is not of a better quality. So far as I have been able to observe, there is little difference between the Catholic convert and his heathen neighbor. It is true that they have changed their
