New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-03-15
NEW PUBLICATIONS.


THE FAR EAST.
THE SOUL or THE FAR EAST BY Percival Lowell.
pp. COG Houghton, Mlfain a o..
We have visited Japan With Nj. LOWELL We have
not assertaaned the latitude and LONGITUDE Of the
country In his company nor the height OF us hignese
mountain nor its number Of square miles. nor nave
mc scanned catalogue OF its Agricultural OF nanai-
craft productions NOR do We know even the popua-
lion Of the country we have on the contrary visited
aha ssaetum sanctorilm Of the Japanese Nation; we
have studied the National genius
rdks an stcry-ellers he is not his best in every
department Nevertheless, no is strangely at his
best, il we may say so, In two very different depart
yoenfx His pictures OF color In Japanese life, his
ACCOUNTS Of how they SO cut in little picnic parties
mot 20 dance drink lager beer or even sing but 10
view at some little tea-house tho beauties of hands
breadth stretch Of nature, tho biossoming OF The plum
tees in their season, OF the cherry trees In theirs
his description OF thc Japanese temples poetic IN the
extreme ike the stiffness, the calm, that may hang
about soms peliucd, enmafbied FarEastern sacred
pool his pictures Of tho booth shop side Of Japanese
aifevhersvsr we follow him in these excursions we
are rewarded for coming and wish TO stay longer ana
10 SEQ more of the same Sort
II Ia despair you for refuge to the booths you
VII n mere Dls r sstau sscnsons For the
fura, sQuattsrs there for the EXPRESS purpose OF
ssseas 6S er but the booths deberate
make eyes as you, and with telling effect The very
the torches lends an appropriate Xeirdness 20 tho
dsare o. the uncouthly clad pedlsr, who with The
some new eoposi Here the latest thing inventions
IA g1ttarpcrcha rat, which, for reasons best known TO
the vender, scampers abou. squeahing with mimcry
10 shame. the Original, holds an admirng crowd
IJhcre . native zoctfopc, INTERCHANGEABLE round Of
pleasure. whose top fashioned after the type Of
fgeniously to supply both illumination and motive
power af the same time affords to ss many as can
Ipoxte antics OF consecusiyely pictured monkey IN
The act Of jumping box Beyond tbs wheel 10, o.
Of curos sSe waos Of which you are quite prepared
ito purchase bloc, while little further on stands
you as the blossoms nod their heads TO an I'M
percegtble bTeszc 50 one sttacon isirS 1osIss
that iiie yourself stroll past In holiday delight.
Chatesing children In brilliant colors yoiu2ie women
costumes stream on IN Esleidoscopac co5.n1 aa:
And carried along By the current waa a t ss
at night when at last you turn reluctantly home
ward. you feel as one docs when waking from some
ltco delightful dream
This Is not an unmannerly. rough crowd with whom
we have been scattering; there are no extremes OF
nnentaI greatness and physical rowdyism In Japan
FOR We are told that while a common coohe IN
Japxn spends his spare time In playing chess
twice rs complicated as ours, the most advanced
Philosopher Is sim on tho blssfuly ignorant side Of
the pons asinorum.s The next morning after our
visit to the booths perhaps we study the Japanese
gardens. Manikir naples, Tom Thumb trees, q 'oot
high and thirty years old, with all the gnaris
and knots and knuokles OF their ieno"s 81
she forest grow In his parterres, their
native vitality not whit diminished. In that
quaint fairyland dirninutive rivers how gracefully
under tiny trees, past mole hill mountains TN theS
falf at last into liputian lakes, almost smotheed for
the flowers taat grow on their banl1; while IN the
extremc distance Of 8 couple OF rods the cone OF
Full ten feet high looks approyingy down upon
scene which would be nationally incomplete without
its One may perhaps feel inclined to study the 70
irious sidslights Of Japan.
Not uncommonly IN the COURTYARD OF Japanese
temple in the solemn balflIght OF the somore nrs,
s sss s aad sd i q he G 5rm D1 @ water wa &
The basin ard few stone lanterns from
s s1a To' should look for wcsae the sole
'oocmpants 81 the place Sheltered from the wind.
from spa Il 0Ss s pa gSus ss
Iabcde Of silence and rest IL might De StSsna 1 ~
wjtssn SO peaceful. so pervaslve Is is calm and IN
ia midst is the mosscoyered lnonoith: holding IN
@ p ~ not ,1e and SO clear the liquid that You know
the one only the reflection Of the other MlrTofsd
ms You peer n far down you see tiny lit sky
deep the blue 6 hgh above across which slowly
sscainE overhesd as If bending 10 each glinpscs OF
themselves IN that other world below: ana then'
There is hardly need Of apology for ccpous quota
ton from book one of whose charming points Is tho
style Of its misunderstanding. despite an occ&
sional labored passage straining after verbal
Effect But description IS not the aim and end OF
the book; It has a mission It IS 10 contrast the
irupefsonay OF Fsr-Eastern Ifs with the indiyldu-
atty Of tho western life. That is the Keynote the
author strikes at starting, and that Is the note he
ends on. The gardens, the temples, the booths--all
~ fha lafio Inn NJ
sonaity The author has the courage to maintain
fbe doctrine OF individuality In the midst OF civil
,izasion our own. where the tendency. by means OF
the material forces invoked to csyEe, is all toward
nsatefialis The japanese impersonality, indeed Is
nor snateriaiism from one point of view. As their
religion properly speaking, tho religious and not the
NEUROLOGICAL part, is buddhist, the negatytng Of
SELF and soul can scarcely be called materiaism In
,oyr sense of the word Yet wherever tbs individual
and his spiritual and vital interests are lost sight
Of when he is lost In the mass when he Is cog and
nothing more thaa a cog IN the national machine,
then he is indeed naterallzed: when society denies
aim What is conveniently called expanson OF soul then
maseralfsfn has set ia. Thai, II may believe OBJ
servers Il tho condition Of the Faf-Esstern races.
They have lost their zest. their energy. their keen
uess o cat chasing mouse has more life than q
member Of those races. What Is life but responsive
ness TO the source Of creation What IS II after all,
in the last resort whether Of plant animal man,
hut energy f-the viii that win live and respond TO
the l.fe-givng principle as far powers and sur
seundlngs permit The soul must glow. must Joy
IN its freedom, must be glad and sing as the
birds do. That. perhaps, Ia our IDEAL notion
Of lise. whether We have Il or not. the Japanese
3 hayenf It Thsy enjoy themselves. they are very
artistic they are very kind TO one another-nore so,
Yosstbiy. than Christians sre--fhey love charming
aspects of nature and yet what would we say by way
OF comparison II we put of them beside Vikingf
Which would appeal 70 tho Wesernef the more7 Per
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