The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1897-12-08
GOOD BREEDING IN JAPAN.
Wherein the Oriental Excels the Western
Born-StorIes Of Hearn.

bOrn-SCOEitS "a NS0A
Lafcadio Hearn has probably done
more than any other man TO make the
western world acquainted with the real
life of japan. The story Of this man 5
life, says the st. Louis GLOBE Democrat,
is one of the strancest ever recorded
His mother was Greek. his father an
Irish officer in the English army. He
early had to shift ic- himself and even
tually found his way to the United
States. Here he was reduced almost to
the condition Of Il tramp, although he
was finely educated and man OF rare
gifts. At length he secured employment
in newspaper work, and then his rise to
all exalted place in literature was rapid
A visit to the West Indies awakened III
him the Slum bering desire for home
amid greater refinement and more 3s-
thetic influences than were to be found
in America or Europe and where eli
matt conditions would be more to his
liking. He settled in Japan, married a
Japanese wife, took a japanese name,
embraced the japanese faith and became
an oriental i'll every respect save birth.
He is now q professor III the university
at Tokyo. He is afflicted with an affec-
tion of the eyes which makes it impos-
sible for him to turn them in their sock
cts. \ story is told that he did his first
work Cn an American newspaper III
Cincinnati 1t is said that he applied
for work one night and was refused.
Just then Il message came to the editor
to the effect that murder had been dis
covered at the gas works. All the re-
porterS We're cut on assignments, and
the editor turned to the upcouth appli-
cant and asked him to look into the
matter and report. Hearn returned in
the course of an hour or two and said
that man had been murdered and his
body bad been thrown into one Of the
furnaces. Hearn was commissioned to
write it up
Some timo later so the story goes,
the editor went into the room where
Hearn was writing and found him
stretched at length on table with Il
tablet under hrs face on which he was
writing, his aftiiction making it easier
for him to write in that position. The
editor picked up several of the sheets
and perused the delicate handwriting.
He was amazed at the literary quality
and laid his hand approvingly on the
writer's shoulder. \ half savage growl
was the response.
"Oh, that's all rightn' said the edi-
tor. "You may give us all that kind of
stuff you can"
Hearn's story is known as THE Gas
house Murder" and is regarded as re-
portorial classic. 1t secured for him a
permanent position and opened the door
to his future success.
The Boston Journal has a somewhat
different story and relates it after this
fashion:
"They We're talking at the Porphyry
about Lafcadio Hearn's book, Clean
ings In Buddha Fields DO you know
why Hearn determined to live in Ja-
PAM asked the professor. After he
left New Orleans he Went to Cincin-
natl, where he did newspaper work. He
soon suffered terribly from an enlarged
and projecting eye that distigured him
and made him SroteSquc. He was stared
at, he was Knocked and insulted, and,
what was even worse, he was pitied
openly. \ sensitive man, he kept the
house during the day and took exercise
only at night. Occasion called him to
Japan. To his amaZement, Ill that coun-
try nobody, not even a humorous boy,
showed by sign or word that the StIan
ger was disfsured or set apart in tav-
ern, street, shop, field. Mr. Hearn was
treated as though he were Il normal be-
ing. Thankful and overcome, he said to
himself, Here is the land of true civ
ilization, and here will live and die "
He has taken TO himself japanese
wife, he is known by Il Japanese name,
and the last I heard from him he was
professor of English in a japanese uni
versity.
"'Such civilization said the tele-
phone expert, must be the result Of
generations Of training. HIM, an
swered the professor. The rude I.pa-
nese were undoubtedly put to death
years and years ago. l have seen much
of their country, and never have I
found there boy who by look or gcs
ture would express surprise at any dress
or speech or habit that might seem to
him outlandish. How different it is
here III Boston! And yet there has been
Improvement. l remember that l was
one of the first to wear helmet sun
hat. Boys jcercd, women giggled, old
crusted Bcst0nians looked at me super
ciliously and suSpiciouSlv, exprcSsmen
and hackmen would often address me
loosely or c0arSely from their vantage
seat. Ihavc sometimes Thought that the
yearly execution on the Common of the
conventionally rude would make much
for civic civilization. But if this cere-
mony had been performed 20 years ago
the town might have been dcpopulat-
ed"
T1,oC 81 tI,n