The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1894-01-29
THE TRANQUIL JAPANESE.
They Are So Different From Us That They
Piuue Our Curiosity.

Eipue Our CURIOSITY.
The Japanese are 80 different from us In
every way they pique our curiosity. Is
their wonderful tranquility the result of
long ages of education TO suppress their
emotions, or have they fewer emotions to
expressy Students of the country take
sides on this question and wage wordy
wars over it. one man told me that they
were OF the Tartar race, and ! suppose he
thought ] was frivolous when l replied
that IL they were they Biust be the cream
Of Tartar. Another will not allow that
they have any souls, yet we find them ca
pable Of self sacrifice, even to death. in
obedience to the sentiment OF loyalty to
duty, and every day | witness spectacles
Of devotion which vividly recall the Cath
olic peasantry of Europe. Men, women
and children 20 TO the temples to pray, and
when in the attitude of prayer are obliv-
ious to the movements of careless "globe
trotters" about them. We see much child
ishness, trivolty and even evidences of
barharism, in connection with some of the
temples, but others have pure symbol
ism, and their religious worship seems to
mean what religion everywhere means
the looking up of human beings to the
highest they can conceive, comforted by
the hope that good behavior will be re-
warded or distressed by the fear that sin
will be punished in another life
They do not seem 20 be thoughtful
people, but take life like children, keenly
alive to the beauties of nature, skillful in
all they do and intensely artistic to their
fingers ends. It is said that even their
language illustrates the impersonality of
their temperament Their social institu-
tions are based on the family, and not
upon the individual. The patriarchal form
of society survives here. Children are
taught to be obedient to their father and
to worship their ancestors. 1t is through
the father that the family continuity ex-
tends. The mother does not count II
the wife have children, especially sons, she
is all right. If she fails here, she has no
assurance of her position. Yet we find
here woman not secluded, not showing
evidence of oppression, simple, natural and
merry. l am told that frequently "the
gray mare Is the better horse " and the
man submits to the better Judgment of his
wife
| don't know why we should need to
worry about these people. They seem to
be doing very well for themselves. They
have attained their ideals far more com
pletely than we have How to do any
thing has been settled here for ages. They
were doing fine things when our ancestors
had scarcely emerged from bHrbarism.
The country has a finished look. Wherever
wall is needed we find it. Their cities are
much cleaner than ours Their houses,
though they seem bare to us, are in some
respects more sensible and better ordered
than our own. They are rapidly assimi-
lating all that they want of our civiliza-
ton. They have the railroad the tele-
graph, canals, steamships--all thoroughly
constructed and well managed. Their post
al service compels the admiration of their
critic for its efficiency and accuracy. Pub
lie education is universal and practical.
With their skill taste, industry and econ
omy / see no reason why the Japanese
should not have brilliant future.-Bos-
ton Herald