Milford chronicle., 1895-06-14
FANCY PORTRAITS.
A Chinese Paper Resents American Adj
latiOn Of Japanese Civilization.

latiOn Of Japanese Civilization.
The following "side light" on Japanese
civilization is taken from recent number
Of the North China Herald, published at
Shanghai, and may be interesting to the
many people in America who arc busy in
picturing Japan as the home par excellence
of virtue culture, art and romance;
"The days Of travellers tales are passed,
or supposed to be, and we generally credit
] ourselves with being superior to the un-
| questioning acceptance of descriptions Of
lands beyond the seas of which our grand
fathers have been declared guilty. But il
Is open to dispute whether we have after
all so entirely discarded the love of the
wonderful which seems Inherent in us all,
and become devoted to the truth, the whole
truth and nothing but the truth Is it not
true that we cultivate our lying friend
though we know that he lies, Just because
his sprightly conversation and fund OF an
ecdotes amuses usS We do not believe half
he says, but We listen to and laugh with
him unreserycdly.
$50, in like manner, we read and de-
light In the descriptions Of people and
places which offer the most striking con-
trast to our everyday experiences and this
even against our better judgment, perhaps.
The Same love Of she extraordinary which
led our forefathers to listen with bated
breath to the narratives Of the returned
wanderer from many lands leads people In
the present day to peruse with the greatest
avidity those descriptions Of distant scenes
which paint the picture in the most artis-
tic and fascinating colors, which reflect, as
it were, the imaginings Of the readers
brain, rather than the bare facts Of the
writer's experience.
Realizing If not acknowledging this
fact a certain class of writers has arisen
in the present day to cater to this public
weakness, writers who make but little eff
fort to conceal the fact that their first OBJ
iect is to be interesting, their second to be
correct. In Japan this class of scribblers,
with Sir Edwin Arnold at their head,
have found mine of wealth. That coun-
try more than any other lends itself in q
peculiar degree to the art of fancy portrait
ture. In the first place, the outward and SUI
perficial japan which visitors have access
to abounds in artistic contradictions Of our
own prosaic existence in the west, and Of
fers abundant material Cor the construc-
ten Of romance; secondly, the volcanic
formation of the country aided by ex-
aNAAAl5p lAGLAo lULtAAtlOllaf ltIud
to foster a sense Of fascination which APP
peals to us all the more strongly when
compared with our own foggy and be-
grined climate"
After presenting its compliments on this
score to Mr.. John Russell Young, erst-
while American minister to China, the pa
per continues: but in the case Of Japan,
where popular fancy is only too ready to
be fred by romantic suggestion, and where
grave issues may be influenced by the
press, the clever espousal Of her cause by
subsidized journals may result in a great
ieal Of mischief It Is a noticeable fact
hat the utterances Of organs paid to sing
Iapan's praise to the world all betray a
and force Of argument which
nvOluntarily carries weight and disgulses
he want Of intrinsic value in their spe-
iial pleading They naturally often state
What is perfectly true for we are not de-
lying that Japan has her full share Of vir-
ues, but fancy is so deity interviewer with
act that the outcome Of years writing
till partakes largely of the attributes Of a
ancV DOrtrait -