The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-07-08

from Toxic, twenty years ago. His father
was the Nanoshi or chief officer of the
Mula of Takahata, political division of
the Province of Kana gawa. The family
had held the hereditary Office for genera
tons and his grandfather attained some
eminence as writer during the time of
"old Japan" His father died when
Shigal was 3 years DID,
Morikubo says that when he was study
ing geography in country school in the
valley where he was born he looked on the
map of America. He was IL years old and
made up his mind that he was going to see
America because its shape was SO funny;
When he was Is he knew more and had
better reasons for running away from
home and coming here. His family sent
him money for two years and then
stopped. Then he went to work as q SER
want. A few months ago his family
heard that he was going to marry an
American girl, and to save family disgrace
acquaintance here were sent to him with
pictures of fine houses and horses which
he might enjoy if he would come home
and behave himself, but he laughed at
them and was cast off as hopeless rene
gade.
When Shigal Morikubo came to San
Francisco at Is years of age he knew very
little English and went to japanese Mis-
sion School for two months. Then he
went to public Grammar School, but the
teachers appreciation of his presence
Jared his sensitive soul, and after two
weeks he quit. Since then he has acquired
his knowledge of English almost solely by
his own private studies, except for six
months tuition under Professor F. III.
Hackett. He has carefully read Shakes
peare, Irving, Hawthorne, Longfellow,
Macaulay and other English authors. He
nd ha liqh
with more grammatical correctness than
the average half-educated American, but
with that odd lack of idiomatic mastery of
English that is peculiar to the Japanese
who study the language. For long time
he had long hours of work after he began
his first novel, but he set for himself the
daily and nightly task of writing 600
words.
Morikubo's first long novel was finished
four or five months ago. When he got it
done he was consumed with the idea that
it would be published and bring him
money to go to university. His dlsap-
pointment was bitter dose, but he has
Just begun another. He takes paper to
the kitchen of kind Mrs. Miller on Devisa
dero street, where he is a servant, and
dashes off page after page during i've and
ten minute spells.
The completed first novel is crude, gen.
orally commonplace, and the manuscript
is entertaining largely because OF the odd
use OF English, but hasty glance through
the immense stock of manuscript reveals
an astonishing abundance of incident, in
vention and almost wild imagination, to-
gether with flashes of originality and
genius that make one pause and wonder.
1t opens thus:
Upon the pleasant shore of a river, under a
weeping willow casting a quivering shade on
the blue waters, stood a cottage. Within it
was seated before the fire, rendering all
around sweet and serene, the family.
Father, mother and Shigal, the son, and
Taxi, the daughter, the latter two destined to
do and feel wonderful things, are there. The
rumored war with China fill the four hearts
with patriotic flame. Quickly come two viii
Iains to the humble home, one of whom de-
elares, "My master demands your daughter to
be his"
There are noble words and noble acts,
and then in the second chapter is
glimpse of noble but outcast follower of
the late tyrant, Shotgun, whose dynasty
was overthrow in the last civil war.
This valiant Kato true to the fallen
dynasty, dwells amid rocks near the
'dews of Veno, where the last hope of the
tyrant was crushed
All this makes magnificent start for a
novel of Japanese life. Shigal and Taxi go
forth from home to save their own and the
humble family's honor.
In his preface Morikubo explains that
ito write in this foreign tongue is almost
frantic" and that he has got friends to
smend sentences for him, SO that most of
his work is ''mended" somewhat in
phraseology. He is often entertaining
from the very fertility of his imagination.
There are things in this story, which is