지난 4월 2일 미국에서 발견된 우성 선생의 영문 연설문입니다.
그동안 우성 박용만 선생이 1917년 10월 29~31일 뉴욕 맥알핀 호텔에서 개최된 제1차 소약국동맹회에 한국대표로
참석하셨다는 사실은 알고 있었으나 그 회의에서 어떤 연설을 하셨는지는 밝혀지지 않았습니다.
그러나 며칠 전 미국에서 발견된 이 영문 연설문으로 그 내용을 알수 있게 되었습니다.
A SHORT ADRESS DELIVERED
AT THE CONGRESS OF SMALL, SUBJECT AND OPRESSED NATIONALITIES
By Young M. Park
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Everybody on earth says
Koreans to-day, like the other oppressed people, are suffering a great deal under the greedy, tyrannical administration of the Japanese. Since the Japanese power has been established in
Thus in this twentieth century the pepole who are both blind and deaf to current news of the world are Koreans only, and* the people who are entirely expelled from learning also are the Koreans. There some schools in Korea – so-called common schools for children, but the course of study is limited to secondary education only. Even in these courses the study of political science, political economy, history, law and literature such as may be helpful to develop one’s intellectual power is excepted. The newspapers, only to or three in all, are published in Korea, but they are owned, administered, ****** and edited by the Japanese, advocating the Japanese policy in Korea and not in behalf of the Koreans.
As to the social and economical conditions, I can hardly wait to tell the facts. Especially in large principal cities, one who intends to visit his friend is strictly required to report that matter to the police station and vouch for same with his own signature. On returning he has to report again as soon as he arrived home. No passports (?) are given to the Korean boys and girls who are hungry for Western education, but the people who travel from one town to another must have a certificate for the identification. By far the most painful action to the Koreans is that the Japanese authorities directly interfere with our private financial affairs. Every property owner in
We think, however, that these are not serious matters at all and do not seem strange to us. As a conqueror every power has done these things, more or less, and all conquered people have experienced such conditions; in face we have seen these condition in certain parts of
But there is a new method of datroying one’s that
Now let us turn to the religious condition of the Koreans. In Korea Christianity has been recognized as the national religion, and we believe that this is the only hope for our future. Since 1884, when the first American missionary introduce our people to the Savior of the world, the number of Christians has grown steadily and so fast that there are now millions of people living under the light of Life. We think therefore that, if in material things
In spite of that, however, we Koreans are working for our own salvation now. We think
After Japan annexed Korea, the Koreans were often misunderstood by outsiders because of the Japanese influence in Foreign lands, which makes us known to the other people as an utterly ignorant race – ignorant of any politics, incapable of self-government, unable to be independent, etc, etc. But, on the contrary, the Koreans are not only always proud of their glorious old civilization, inherited from their forefathers, but boast of their new ideas which they recently learned from the Westerners. For our new ideas we give the great part of credit to the Americans. In the year 1882
From that time on we have been learning from Americans – learning American ideals, American institutions, and the true freedom and true democracy of the great
Realizing these facts, the Koreans are now working for justice, democracy and peace and are seeking for the same. Twenty millions of population may not be regarded as a small tribe, and each and every one of these people cannot see their fathers and mother brothers and sisters, wives and children, innocently prerishing under the brutal hands of their brutal enemy. That is the reason why the Koreans are crying for justice, crying for democracy and crying for peace.
Leaving that point, let me explain just a moment what the Koreans in this country are doing. There are about 5000 Koreans in
The sentiment of our people toward this convention is so strong and unanimous that it may not be matched with any other people. They realize what our idea is and they promised me to support this movement from the beginning to the end. But a little doubt in their hearts is that the Imperialism of Japan is equally dangerous to the world’s democracy as the Prussian Militarism. According to one of the Swiss writers, “Imperialism is the enemy, whatever form it takes, German or Russian, British or French, it is equally the foe of free government”. If
However, I believe our movements and our objetes what we discuss here will never be fruitless at all. Power cannot contend with reason forever. If this congress continues its work on the principle of justice, peace and democracy, there would be no power that could afford or dare to stand out against the collective common sense and the collective judgment of mankind so solemnly expressed. I believe too, that any power that rejected the spirit of this congress would become a moral outlaw on the Earth. Its defeat at the hands of the public opinion of the world would be more crashing and more disastrous than any defeat which could be inflicted upon it by the armies of its enemy.
Listen to me, ladies and gentleman. Are we naturally the iferior race compared with our conqueror? Are we born subject peoples of the powerful nations? And, in other words, are we only fit to be governed by some other race forever? If that is true and it is our heaven-directed destiny, I would not complain of anything at all. But I know that we are a people, and I do know that there are none of us who are not able to govern themselves and carry out ***** their ****** independent affairs. Being one of these people, I claim, therefore,
Now in conclusion, just a few words about peace. To-day the Japanese as well as the other powers often speak of the permanent peace of the world. But I am sure there would be no peace unless the hidden factors and the apparent symptoms of a future war can be peacefully removed now. Unless these small and subject nationalities with their national and economical rights the face of the world will never be dry of their tears and blood. The famous phrase “struggle for existence” has been known to all nationalities, small and large alike, the gravity of the natural laws of progress compels us all the time to determine our ultimate action, live or die. To ignore this fundamentally important point is a great error, a great wrong, and a great fault.
However, I trust this is the time for us to cry for justice and democracy, this the time to present our sincere appeal to the world, and this is the time to restore our inherent rights peacefully and tranquilly. Let us work in united strength in steering this newly launched great ship of world federation:; let us cry in one voice so that the angels of peace my be awaken from their dream! But the most important idea I suggest to this congress is that we must forget all the different ideas of our own old glories and must build up our hopes with the new freedom and the new democracy of the American ideals.
Lead us Uncle Sam! Bless us God!