New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-03-31

r,,et con,,nuc 70 be alternately dissolved and re-
cor,ned throurh unimagirable eternities TO come
Yut we are also taught that all things shall enter
finally and forever into the state oil -Neha"'
'Nehan" is the japanese equlValeh' o. va
vana." and in far as the priest ; remain l.
amenable to scientific Interpretation answers -
tbe. phrase stable equilibrium" Mr.. Hearn o.
served this parable! between the dictum o. IN
nrlest and that of modern science. for ne ADDS
that he could not help thinking Of Absolute rest
as expressed by the scientific formula OF "a ue-
erees ,centigrade, below zero. or 5252 degrees
Fahrenheit" But the notion of AN indefinite
series Of univorses no novelty When bud-
dbsm began. and & has no more sc!entlnc PNi-
dence in it's favor now than it had when IL uSeu
to be discussed in Egypt ana Babylon. on tne
other hand. II cannot be disproNed. LIS OILY ''i-
p1rtance here lies IN the circumstance that II
should be set forth a discovered truth oi SCI
ence and q truth. as We'll familiar to the Japan
csc peasant who has survived the ages III Ms
straw hat. straw coat and sandals OF straw IN
der other forms of speech this patient partner o.
the soil knows all about cosmos ana netuh 'quih-
bration. evolution dissolution. He learned"
saws Mr. Heirn while yet n child. from the
priests who taught him to write in the Buddhist
temple something OF his own innumerabe births
and of the apparltion and disparition OF uni
verses and of the unity of life. II IS truly to bH
feared that the peasan; knows ali the science
that Mr. Iearn VIII ever learn. still the author
gives science the last word. She is supposed to
cav AT the best the peasant only believes or
thinks he believes Not even his wsest priests
can prove | alone have proven, | alone nave
given proof absolute; have defined IN" utter
most impossible limit Of human KNOWLEDGE p"'
have also stlblished Tor all time me im!hoVdDie
foundations Of that highest douht when Is
wholesome since II Is the substance % nope.
have shown that even the loas. Of human
,boughts or human acts may have perpetual
rccorl-nak.nc characterization through rem-
ulosities invisible that pass T. the eiernties-
And one seems Ia hear the ocho OF on" "i
those cynical. mirthless laughs with when MT
ucarn sometimes greeted freak Of the magma
ton his own or anotrer's. tie is reall' making
fun of this series Of univcrses which h. is allow
ing his Inknowablc to exploit one after anoth"T'
parodying the fancies Of both Ocrdcnt ana
Orient for his own amusement For his purpose
the mos. attenuated nforonc's are oi more use
than demonstrated but prosa.c facts.
Mr. Uoarn's metaphysic is almost As faulty
as his scientific speculation. Bur there is q form
If science in which hc is IN expert. one in which
his Imagination and his facility for thinking tn
thoughts Of others lci him - valuable resulis.
psychological subtcty fully equal t. the gracn
of STYLE in which they are set forth. Nothing
could be more vivid than the contrasts which he
obtained between Eastern ana Western way Of
looking AZ things by direct experiment He tried
his class ia literature at the Government College
with the story OF Alccstis and Admotus. tbs
tale turns on the fact that Adme;us. II King. was
t. die unless ne could persuad" some one "!s' IN
suffer for him. His parents and All his suo)c''s
refuse But mis- wife offers herself IN his place
Thon Hercules interfercs ana rcscues Accsts
from, the king Of the underworld Mr.. Heir1
imagined that the students would take particular
in,eros, in the character II Hercules. But they
did not They have such impersoaatio1s q phys
cal prowces numbers of them In their own my
thology but their ideals lie on the sid" - deN-
terity and skin In conflict. rather than On that
Of mere rude strength. no matter how mastcrful
the latter may be. They went at one - the
social and political relations 4 the KING. Every
ono Of his subjects in their opinion. should have
been eager to die for him. The moment they
heard Of their kings danger they should hav"
rushed f. the palace and humbly begged that
they might hc allowed 10 lie In his stead. How
ever cowardly or cruel he might have been. that
was their duty. They were his subjects. They
lived by his favor. \ country inhabited 10y such
shameless people must soon have gone t. ruin
Such was the view expressed 10y one Il tn stu
dents and as Mr.. Hcarn shows In various ways.
such * the vital principle of loyalty In Japan.
The best Illustration l. to be .ound in the pathetic
story OF Yuko. which concludes tn" volume. This
is an incident II the days Immediately follow
ing thu attempt OF fanatic to XII the Prince
Imperial of Russia. Thu announcement that the
Emperor was stricken with grief thrilled tn"
nation. Stern adhcEcnts of old customs CONT tn"
official who was charged with IN" safety ~ The
Czarewltch a sword with the injunction 10 make
away with himself. as the only resource u an
honorable man But there were thos~ who
thought Of their own duty In the matter. som"
sent gifts But one Young S.rI with the blood
Of ancient warriors IN her veins. could think ~
nothing L, give but herself So unnotccd by any.
she went to Saihyo. and there. in the gateway ~
those who should have died for this cause ac-
coriing to ancient custom. committed suicide
leaving letter asking that the Emperor might
be- petitioncd - cease from Borrowing. nos that
n life had been given to expatc IN" wrong. Toy
atty" az understood among Western nations.
conveys only part Of the thought whi'h Inspired
this act Of scf-sacriiice. Outside Of Japan elch
a dca th would seem a. needless ae II was pt.ful.
But not To- this young gin, nor 10 the race
which understood her. 1t was no Individual feel
ing which led her TO her death. II was che moral
power and viii undying Of a ghcsty multitude
whose procession stretches back out Of her life
into the absolute night OF forgotten Time" She
herself was but spirit chamber. haunted by
a pas, utterly unlike our own-a past in which.
through centuries amounted, all lived ana felt
and thought as one.
on the other hand. the students wcr" struck
by the utter impicty II King Admctus. in his
desire that his father should die for him. on
this point they differed from the Greeks. The
latter would have felt the full force OF two facts
namely. hat the father must soon die In any
case and that he would leave in his son one vino
could honor him w.:h the rites due to ancestors.
Tho japanese are even more jealous Of these rites