The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-10-02
NEW hooks.
BRIEF Reviews or Important and Interesting
New Publications.

bthnco as nOn.roality, and other points OF buu-
dhist doctrine, together with some shorter
papers on Japanese art and folk.song and some
notes Of q visit to Kyoto and Osaka, are written
in that spirit OF idealism and are as vaguely
mystic as most OF his later work has been.
Nevertheless, no writer on Japan has succeeded
in stepping his descriptions in so much OF that
subtle quality which. for lack OF q better word,
we call atmosphere, rs has this dreamer and
idcalist. The sugary sweetness OF Sir Edwin
Arnold's rhapsodies and the fantastic super
fatalities OF NJ. Lott are alike as distasteful to
the thoughtful Japanese as they are misleading
to the Western reader, but, in a slight sketch
such as the frat OF these Of Mr.. Hearn's, "A
Living God" there is that descriptive charm
that Is as far removed from mere Photographic
accuracy as 1t IL from high.flown sentimental
ism. The reader sees the little silvery gray
| Shinto temple In tho woods with its winding
pathway worn by the feet Of millions OF wor-
shippers. its votive gifts of painted paper Ian
terms and iutterinR banners, and the lights OF
the brass lamps hanging at the shrine, and
hears the patter OF sandalled feet, the plash OF
the sacred water in the temple font, the tinkle
OF tiny bells and the soft clapping Of the women's
and the children's hands. You cannot mock
tho convictions OF forty millions OF people" says
Mr.. Hearn.
While that conviction thrills all about you like the
-Wn COnsClOus lnut ~ - ptteSiuk upNh yout
psychical being just as the atmosphere presses upon
your physical being. As for myself. whenever l am
alone In the presence of n Shinto's shrine, I have the
sensation OF being haunted; and l cannot help
thinking about tie possible apperccptions Of the
haunter. And this tempts me to fancy how I
should feel II 1 myself were q god-dwellins
in some old Izumo shrine on the summit
OF a hill, guarded by stone lions and shsdowed by a
holy grove. .
Between the trunks OF the cedars and pines. be-
tween the jolnted columns OF the bamboos, l should
observe. season after season, the changes OF the colors
of the valley. the falling Of the snow Of winter, and
the falling OF the snow of cherry flowers; the lilac
spread of the mipu ~kobaad, the blazing yellow Of the
natane, the sky.blue mirrored in flooded levels
levels dotted with the moon. shaped hats of the toll.
ing people who would love me; and ut last the pure
and tender green OF the growing rice.
The ruku birds and the uouisu would NIL the
shadows OF my grove with ~ripplings and puriings OF
melody; the bell insects. the crickets. and the seven
marvellous cicade Of summer would make all the
wood OF my ghost house thrill to their musical storms.
Betlmes I should enter, like an ecstacy. into the tiny
lives OF them, to quicken the Joy OF their clamor. to
magnify the sorority OF their song.
In the old days of Shinto. the "way Of tho
GODS any person who had done something
more than ordinarily great or good or wise or
brave might DO deifed after death, and some
times certain persons were honored as lesser
deities or village gods even while still alive, and
the heroic story of Hamaguchi Gohei. the Liv.
ing God. who gives his title to the sketch. is
herein told. In the next paper. "Out
OF the Street." Mr.. Hearn has collected and
translated a number OF the folk.songs
sung in the street by the smiths and the carpen-
tiers and the bamboo weavers and the rice clean.
ers. In avowing chat he has found any form Of
Japanese singing very pleasant to hear" he
can at least claim the distinction of being per-
haps the only Western traveller or writer on
Japan who was ever thus affected. but the ex-
amples OF these songs that he has chosen for
translation show that his high opinion OF their
simple poetic quality is not an exaggerated one.
In all OF them the theme is love. As one Of tho
most ancient OF them puts it:
Things never changed since the time OF the gods:
The flowing OF water. the Way Of Love.
And these few extracts show the directness
and sincerity that marks the rude. untaught
poetry sprung from the heart OF the eternal
youth Of this art-loving race.
Going to see the beloved. even the water OF rice. fields
Ever becomes, as 1 drink. nectar Of gods to the taste.
You. till q hundred years; T.. until nine and ninety;
Together we stIn shall be in the time when the hair
turns white.
Parted from you. my beloved. l go alone to the pine.
There 1, dew of night on the leaves; there is also dew
of tears.
Three years thought OF her.
Five years sought for her;
Only for one night held her In my arms.
In a paper on Nirvana, q study in synthetic
Buddhism, and some OF the other sketches, Mr..
Hearn wanders into the shadowlands of
Oriental mysticism and is less easy and less
satisfactory to follow. Japanese Buddhism,
split up as 1t is into numberless sects and sub.
sects. must ever be, to the lay mind, a hopeless
labyrinth. and the most enthusiastic Orientalist
Is scarcely competent to simplify many of the
technicalities OF a doctrine the higher truths OF
which are. by believers, considered TO be incom.
prehensible except to those who have attained
to BuddaShip.
Among the many writers of to-day who
strenuously strive to produce that rare his.
torical novel that. without doing violence to
the facts. or to the foremost characters Of his
tory. shall yet tell a living. interesting human
story. it Is a pleasure to signal one who has been
far more than ordinarily successful.
In Hugh Wynne. Free Quaker" 1.-THE Century
Company DR.. S, Weir Mitchell has given us
one Of the best OF many pictures we have had
OF life In the days OF the Revolutionary war. II
is a plain tale told in the plain language OF the
simple hearted soldier who is supposed to be re.
lating 1t, and its strength lies largely in the alb
sence OF any OF those weil-known stage tricks
and devices that spoil go much of the modern
so-callcd historical romance. Love, honor,
friendship, and the noblest patriotism are the
main themes that DIR. Mitchell has woven into
the thread Of his story. and behind all the
love making, fighting, and intriguing is the
sober, gray background of the Quaker City In
those glorious days That led up TO and embraced
the period Of the Revolution. Hugh wynne
himself Ia n character tho raader will ra
member. as also is the gentle child mother
with big blue eyes and wavy brown
hair struggling from beneath the broad
brimmed Quaker hat; hair that was all very
silken and 30 curly that 1t was ever In rebellion
against the custom OF Friends. which would
have had 1t fiat on the temples" Best OF them
all is old Aunt Gainor Wynne, loud voiced
masculine and yet very tender hearted. She
should take her place In that select company Of
personal friends whose memory will remain
when many ephemeral and moro obtrusive ia
vorites are long forgotten.
In Vol. ~. of English Lands. Letters
and Kings" tScribners) Donald G.. Mitchell