스코필드 박사 동상 앞에서 동생 김영교 시인과 함께/캐나다, 토론토에서
I
n remembrance of Dr. Schofield and the Edelweiss flower
Soo Yong Kim
The Edelweiss flower blooms on the alpine summits in the Alps of Switzerland. I did not know what it looked like, until I held one in my hand. Dr. Schofield, who was 34th patriot in the ‘March 1st Independence Movement’ in Korea, gave me such a beautiful flower dried and framed. It was so pretty that I exclaimed with joy. Dr. Schofield bought me this souvenir, from his visit to Switzerland. I had hung it on the wall to remember him for what he had done for Korea under Japanese colonial rule. He also gave me a framed picture of himself. It is a memorable picture of Dr. Schofield holding the golden key he received from the vice mayor of Seoul Special City. This picture shows him wearing the Order of Cultural Merit of the Republic of Korea from the Korean government. The picture of Dr. Schofield had hung on the wall of my living room for 56 years.
The Los Angeles Special Exhibition was held from June 4th through 12th, 2016 to commemorate the Centennial Anniversary of the first arrival of Dr. Schofield in Korea. Dr. Jae Hyun Kim, who was Secretary General of Schofield scholarship Foundation, came to my home and saw the picture. He asked me to donate this picture to Schofield Memorial Foundation.
He wanted to display the picture in the Schofield Scholarship Foundation in the Seoul History Museum. This picture is very precious because Dr. Schofield took it himself, and it's the original picture.
The College of Liberal arts of Seoul National University stands opposite to the Medical College of Seoul National University. The Foreign Teacher’s House in which all foreign professors lived communally, is situated at the corner of the Medical College campus. I used to go to the library of College of Liberal Arts, which was very close to my house for further study for my major. If I had some questions about English literature, I would call on a visiting English professor living at the Foreign Teacher’s House.
One day, I came across Dr. Schofield in the hallway at the Foreign Teachers house. We introduced ourselves. At that time, I saw him limping with his cane. I thought he might need some help, and I tried to visit t him as often as I could.
When I met him for the first time, he was teaching at the Veterinary College of Seoul National University. He showed me what God’s love was through his daily life. He was our example and mentor.
Dr. Schofield had a very strong faith in God. He always emphasized his most favorite verse of the Bible, John 12:24.
“I will tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls the ground and dies, it remains only one single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” As a missionary, he wanted to be ‘a dying grain’ for the Korean people to please God.
When I told him that I majored in the English language, he asked me if I could interpret for him at an orphanage and some other places, and I was willing to help him. As time went by, we became very close. He gave me an English name, Gwen, and chose Dora for my sister. He wanted to be our uncle. He always signed his letters with ‘Uncle Frank’. I love this precious name and use it as my email address now.
On many an evening, he'd write countless letters to his acquaintances and friends from all over the world to ask for donations and scholarships. Many promising young students were granted scholarships, and many poor orphans were taken care of as well. When I helped him with writing letters, I was moved to tears by the physical effort it took for him to write them due to his polio.
I invited him to my house for dinner on my birthday. In the presence of all my family members, he gave me his souvenir flower and his framed photo. The framed photo has been well preserved without fading in color. He asked me to pray for him, whenever I see them hanging on the wall. Unfortunately, I lost the Edelweiss flower in America, I was so sad to have lost it.
However, his lessons and words dwell vividly in my heart like twinkling and spangled stars at night. They give me hope and guide me into the light, even in a dark tunnel.
In 1919, when the March 1 Movement took place, the Japanese government cruelly suppressed the Korean people by tortures, and killing with sabers and bayonets. Some people in Cheam-ri were burnt to death. Dr. Schofield, risking his own safety and life, took pictures of Japanese atrocities against the Koreans and wrote many articles against their barbarism in Korea.
Dr. Schofield dwells strongly in our hearts. His patriotism and love for Korea kindled a flaming torch of hope, which brightened our country in our struggle. He played a very important and significant role in freeing us from Japanese colonial rule. What a noble and pure life he led! He was an uncompromising man of justice and righteousness without a trace of injustice and unrighteousness in his character. He was a man of perseverance. He was very stern and strict, and he called himself “Tiger, grandfather.” He told me that his pigeon feathers had all fallen off and instead, a “Tiger” has emerged to fight against Japan.
He quenched our thirst for freedom. Thanks to him and God, we were liberated from Japan, and our country, Korea, has earned respect as a strong nation. Korea stands aloft as a nation of great economic power. He had prayed to God for our country. He had sown a seed as a ‘dying grain’ for our country. Now, our nation yields a fruitful harvest and is prosperous in many ways.
Whenever I looked at his framed photo hanging on the wall above my fireplace in my living room, it reminded me of his patriotism for Korea.
Edelweiss flower derives its name from two German words, “Edel”, which means “noble” and “weiss”, which is the German word for “white.”
The small white blossoms represent daring or noble courage. The flowers are felted and woolly with white hairs, with characteristic bloom consisting of five to six small yellow flower heads surrounded by leaflets in star form.
When I first saw the Edelweiss flower, I was smitten by its beauty. Even though it was a dried flower in a frame, it looked like a living flower. Edelweiss is the national flower of Austria and Switzerland. It is known there as the ‘Queen of the Flowers.’ It is called the everlasting flower of the Alps. During windy snowstorms in the Alps, the Edelweiss flower survives, as tenacious alpine plant. The Edelweiss flower blooms in white like snow. It looks small and weak, but it is strong enough to endure any hardship despite the cold weather. It looks like a starry velvety flower in white. It symbolizes “purity.”
I was deeply moved to tears, when I saw Captain George von Trapp singing “Edelweiss” in the musical, the Sound of Music. He fell in love with a nun. He sang the song “Edelweiss” with his children and the nun while playing his guitar, before they fled Austria, their homeland.
The song was a defiant statement of Austrian patriotism in the face of the pressure put upon him to join the Nazi German navy. The song, “Edelweiss,” in The Sound of Music, symbolizes the spirit of Austrian patriotism in the face of the 1939 Nazi invasion. I came to love the Edelweiss flower much more because Dr. Schofield bought it for me as souvenir. Ribbon
“Today, I am attending Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for your bronze statue erected in Memorial Garden at Toronto Zoo. I can’t forget your beautiful mind like the Edelweiss flower, Dr. Schofield, our everlasting patriot, we love you and honor you! We miss you! We gathered together to commemorate your merits. May God bless Canada and Korea forevermore!”
*My English essay was published in ceremony bulletin at Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for Dr. Schofield’s Bronze Statue in Memorial Garden at Toronto Zoo oh June 1st, 2012 and Memorial Night on June 2nd, 2012.
