A reader who wrote to The Independent

1897 · The paper printed this saying that “a thoughtful friend wrote this editorial and sent it in”. The writer is not named. Checked against the Wikisource transcription (not yet proofread) and compared with the photograph of the newspaper; the photograph is too blurred to tell apart a few similar-looking letters.

People have the right to buy and sell every thing in the world, but no one has the right to buy and sell a person; for the rights a person receives from God are the same for all, whether low-born or high-born.

셰샹 물건을 다 사ᄅᆞᆷ이 팔고 사고 ᄒᆞᆯ 권리가 잇스되 사ᄅᆞᆷ이 사ᄅᆞᆷ을 사고 팔고 ᄒᆞᆯ 권리ᄂᆞᆫ 업ᄂᆞᆫ것은 쳔ᄒᆞᆫ 사ᄅᆞᆷ이나 귀ᄒᆞᆫ 사ᄅᆞᆷ이나 하ᄂᆞ님ᄭᅴ셔 밧은 사ᄅᆞᆷ의 권리는 다 ᄀᆞᆺ흔 ᄭᆞᄃᆞᆰ이라

The Independent (Dongnip Sinmun), 16 October 1897, a reader's piece printed in the editorial column

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1897 · An earlier part of the same piece. After recalling how the United States freed its slaves, the writer turns on the Korean customs of buying and selling fellow subjects of the same king and of marrying off daughters for money.

They pay a few coins for a poor, weak brother as if he were a dog or a pig, draw up a deed, bring him home and use him like a thing; and they say they are marrying off their daughters, then take hundreds or thousands of nyang for them and sell them. Customs like these all go against the law of Heaven and human feeling.

그 빈약ᄒᆞᆫ 형뎨를 ᄀᆡ와 도야지 ᄀᆞᆺ치 돈푼 주고 문셔 ᄒᆞ야 사다가 두고 물건 모양으로 부리며 ᄯᅩ ᄯᆞᆯ들을 시집 보낸다 ᄒᆞ고 몃 ᄇᆡᆨ량 몃 쳔량식들 밧고 팔아 먹으니 이런 풍쇽들은 다 텬리와 인졍에 합당치 아니 ᄒᆞᆫ 풍쇽들이라

The Independent (Dongnip Sinmun), 16 October 1897, a reader's piece printed in the editorial column

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