The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1896-03-10


Literature, which Is Just the Reverse In
that Respect.
L. p. in The Housekeepcr: In a
charming chapter of that most delight
full book, "out of the East" by Lafcadio
Hearn, he treats of woman and love as
seen from Japanese standpoint. which
Is n most marvellous one to the western
mind.
4 resident OF Japan for four years,
and married to a Japanese woman.
Lafcadio Hearn has had unusual ad-
yantages for studying the social man
ners and customs OF that strange but
attractive people. One day, while
trying to explain an English
novel to his class OF young
men, Mr.. Hearn was puzzled by
why there is so much about love and
marrying in English novels; II seems TO
US very, very strange"
Then their teacher, who tried TO be
concise as well as lucid, spent two hours
In trying to answer the question. for the
reason that English society Is some
thing that a japanese cannot under
stand.
ANY social system OF which illial plety
is NOT the moral cement; any social sys-
TEN In which It Is right to love wife or
child better than parents; any social
system In which marrlage can be de-
clded independently OF the will OF the
parents. by the mutual inclination OF the
young people themselves; any social
system In which the mother-in-law Is
not entitled TO the obedient service OF
the daughter-in-law, appears 10 him OF
Ca 90 ~ elNnFTnIV hNffpf
than that OF the birds OF the air and the
beasts OF the fields, or Mt best a sort OF
chaos,
Our ideas about love and our solitude
about marriage presents most pro-
VokinE enigma 10 young Japanese. TO
whom marriage appears a simple.
natural duty, for the due performance
Of which his parents will make all nee
essary ARA Rgements at the proper time.
That foreigners should have so much
trouble about getting married is puz-
cling enough TO him; but that dlstin-
guIshed authors should write novels
and poems about such matters, that are
read and admired. seems TO him very
very strange"
Not because the theme is love. but be-
cause II treats OF that passion in rela-
ton to YiTtuouS maidenS, and therefore
rule. where passionate love Is the theme
in Japanese literature OF the best class.
II is not that sort OF 1--we which leads to
the establishment Of family relations.
II is quite another sort OF love. about
which the Oriental is not prudish at all
the infatuatIon OF passion Is inspired
by merely physical attraction; the nero
Ines are not such US men would marry
but professional dancing girls.
1t is true, as Lafcadio Henrn reminds
us, that national literature Is OF neces-
sIty reflective. Now the reserve OF
japanese literature regarding that love
which is the great theme OF our great
novelsts and poets, Is exactly parallel
ed by the reserve OF Japanese society III
regard to the same topic.
The typical woman often figures III
Japanese romance as he heroine, as a
pHrfect mother, pious daughter, Will
ing to sacrifice all for duty; as II Loyal
wife who follows her husband into bat
tie, fights by his side: saves his life at
the cost Of her own: never as n senu-
mental maiden, dying, or making others
die for love,
Neither do We find her on literary ex-
hlbltion as a DANGEROUS beauty n
charmer OF men; and In the real life OF
,JRDRH she has never appeared IN any
such role, Society, as a mingling OF the
sexes, as an existence OF which the SUI
premely refined charm is the charm OF
woman, has never existed In the east:
Even In Japan, society, In the special
sense OF the word. remains masculine.
Taking the word woman m Its most
refined meaning. and postulating so
cicty in which woman seldom appears
and Is never placed on display. n society
in which woOInE IS utterly out Of the
question, and the fatntest compliment
10 wife or daughter an outrageous I'M
pertInencc. the reader can ~ once reach
some startling conclusions as TO the I'M
Dressfon made by our popular hctlon
upon members OF that society.
Mr.. Hcnrn goes on to tell us that as
ruIe n Japanese never speaks to q
stranger OF his wife or child; he may
sometimes allude to HIS parents. but al
ways In the most rcverential manner
Love or wife or child is looked upon by
the Japanese as n selfish affection; put
love Of parents Is n religious duty.
Another point brought OUT by Mt.
Hearn Is the prominent part that Kisses
and caresseS occupy In our literature.
while in Japanese literature they have
no existence whatever; for kisses ana
embraces are simply unknown In Japan
ms tokens OF affection, excepting IN me
case OF the mother and baby. After
habyhOod there II no moro hnEyinE ana
kissing. Such actions except in the
case OF Infants, are held to be highly
immodaSt. :,
such terms OF affection as my dear.
my love" "my sweet" do not exist In
Jnnnucsc. nor any terms at all cquiva-
lent 10 our emotional Idioms.
To say that the eternal feminine
does not exist in the far cast Is true;
thnt II could be introduced there In the
rcmotcst future. Is not possible to I'M
agine. ~. ,,..,,,
tells us that In western countries, in the
long process Of our eRthctlc evolution
the idCNl OF woman has Mt last become
for us an esthetic abstraction. Through
nil the centuries western fancy has been
mailing nature more and more Geml'
nine.
Whatsoever delights us Imagination
has fominlzcd, the Infinite tenderness OF
the slly, the mobility OF waters, the rose
Of dawn. night. md the lights OF heaven
even the undulations OF the hills. ana
flowers. and the flush OF fruit, NIL things
fragrant, fair and gracious. che laugh
Ter OF streams and whisper OF leaves
the rlppllngS OF song within the shad-
ows, Al sights or sounds thHt touch
our love OF lovellnesE and sweetness,
make us vague dreams OF women Even
tho subtlcst forces Of our universe
speak to w OF woman. Thus. out OF
simple human passions. hrouEh lhI,u-
Cncca and transtormntions lhhumSIao' Y
we have evolved u cosmic emotion
feminine pdnthcism'
Warm.