The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1888-02-02
Destiny or Far Eastern iSaces.

Though want of imagination has
been the cause of this far eastern i'm
personality, the environment has
helped in the process. These people
have travelled very little. A race
differs from an individual in its trav-
els in one respect-namely, that while
the former lives off the country, in the
case of the latter it is the country that
lives off him. The result is that while
the individual reaps cosmopolitanism
as his recompense, race is constant
ly driven in upon itself, in its struggle
for existence, and becomes more per-
sonal as the outcome of the strife.
The changed conditions under which
it finds itself necessitate mental in
genuity to adapt them, and influence
it unconsciously. To see how potent
these influences prove we have but to
look at that branch of the Ayran fam
lily that for so long now has stayed at
home. Destitute of stimulus from
without, the Indo-Ayran mind turned
on itself, and consumed in metaphy sizes
the imagination which has made their
cousins the leaders in the worlds pro-
gress to-day. The inevitable numb
ness of monotony crept over them.
The deadly sameness of their sur
roundings began to tell. The torpor
of the east. like some paralyzing poi
son, stole into their souls, and they
fell asleep, and did but dream in the
land they had formerly wrested from
its possessors. Their birthright passed
into the west.
That travel without Imagination will
not produce personality the Altaic
peoples abundantly witness. The
Huns, the Turks and the Tartars have
remained through all their wander
ings nearly as impersonal as when
they set out. Both causes combined
to keep the japanese, perhaps, the
most impersonal of all.
One thing, then, this glance at far
eastern civilization has shown. The
soul in it's progress through this world
at least, tends inevitably to individual
ization. Grand as is the great con-
ception of Buddhism, majestic as is
the idea of the stately rest it would
lead us to, the road here below is not
one the life of the world can follow.
If earthly existence be an evil, then
Buddhism will help us ignore it; but
if, by an impulse we can not explain,
we instinctively crave activity of mind,
then the great gospel of Gautama ap-
peals to us in vain. As for far orient
ais, they but show too clearly the re-
verse of the medallion. That imper-
sonality is not mans earthly goal they
unwittngly bear witness. Artistic,
attractive people that they are, their
civilization is like their tree flowers,
beautiful blossoms destined never to
bear fruit.
For whatever we may conceive their
impersonality to foretell in the far fu-
ture of another life, of one thing we
may be certain: Its immediate effect
can not but be annihilating. If they
continue IN their cid course, their
earthly career is closed. just as sure
ly as morning passes into afternoon,
so surely are these races of the far
east, if unchanged, destined to disap-
pear before the advancing peoples of
the west. Vanish they will off the
face of the earth, and leave the planet
the eventual possession of the dwellers
in the days decline. Unless their
newly imported ideas really take root,
it is from this whole world that jap
anese and Coreans, as well as Chinese,
will inevitably be excluded. Even
now Nervana has come upon them.
Already it has wrapped far eastern
Asia as with shroud woven of the
peaceful, death-like beauty of the land
of the days beginning and the land
of its morning calm.-Atlantic Month
Iu.