New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-10-14
IN THE ORIENT.
THE IMPRESSIONS OF AN ARTIST AND
OF A LITERARY MAN.

Az .pr1sr.s LETTERS FROM JAPAN. BY
John La Fargo Illustrated. octave. PIP XIV 10
The Century Company. . 81, -.
0IrANINGs IN BUDDHA FIELDS; studies a Q,
Hand and Soul IN the Far East ~ halSa nv
Hearn octave, PIP. 2.6 Hough'oh' MINI"
NJ Jobn La FARCE has at last done what MS
readers have wanted him to do ever since MS
letters from the East appeared IN Inc
turv Magazine" accompanied py MS wv" " .
comnarable Illustrations: he has maze ooo.
ont Of them IAN Artists Letters from japan
recalls Zola's description OF the novel, i'a'"
seen through q temperament. Inc p"s' "
aiscursive Elementary. everything that means
Indifference to the usual ideal OF the 'ra'e'Ie
who seeks 10 pass on his impressions. MI l."
1D.rye wrote for no public. The letters nave
the flavor OF talk and their charm Is irresis'ioie
Here is a specimen OF the au'hoi
prose written from KiOto:
r,ariv on mos, mornings have sat out on our ,
wide veranda and drawn or palnteu Inn ~,
great panorama before me -the o5s taIi' inoriI
,ains making a great wall lighted up clearly,
GIN natrtes Of burning yellow and white ana
green against the western SKY. Inc GU! -, ne
in fog, sometimes cool ana 6rsy soi ard
golden and smoky. The tops or Pasoua9 a az
beoy, roofs Of temples lift out or TINS sea, anu
through Il shine lnnumerabie AttIe WHITE 80
Of The mastered sides OF houses. Great avenues;
htnh 'diy,,de The city In parallel lines. run off
into haze; far away always shines the WIZ
wall OF the city castle; near us trees anu
hOuae1
the great violet shadows cast by the iiouI
tains behind US Before the city wakes ana
the air clears the crows fly from near tne
Temples toward US. the great peii OF .iie
temple sounds and we hear the call OF the
gones and Indefinite Waves Of lrayer. coca
sjcrally a hawk rests uneasiy on the nm
branches below Then the sun eats up .iIe
stadowe and the vast view unites in great
srace Of plain behind the monotony OF tns re-
teatea forms Of the small houses. prokeS py
the shoulders OF the roofs and pagooas OF man!
borses and gardens and we are as II IN the
country.
The sensuous tone Of this picture and the art
with which Il concentrates the pictorial elc-
1oents Of broad landscape into a perfect COM
,,csition indicate the key In which MI La
Fsrgs writes throughout An Arts's Lei
ere" these lettings are called. and that they
emphatically are. the human interest oeihs
Introduced h,fuy. the pictorial fascination OF
the Orient coming out Oh every page. Inc ie'-
ters show a deep philosophical curiosity
constant strain of Illumination upon the
psychology Of the East. but even the writer's
suhtlest meditations are subservient to his ar
+,,.,c Instinct This triumphs ind makes his
volume n thing for the eye well as FOR the
mind n fair parallel in its text TO the drawings
selected from the painters wel-known collec-
ton and reproduced in excellent black-and-
white blocks.
Mr. Lafcadio Hearn won the position which
he still holds among writers on the surface Oh
Oriental things by certain streak Of origi-
raltv but his security is npered by his latest
hook "Gleanings in Buddha Fields He might
take a leaf out Of Mr.. La Farges book and
without sacrificing the directness Of his style
edd 10 II something Of that temp,ramental magic
(which renders "An Artists Letters from Japan
co attractive TIL, Sc "Gleanings' are too bald
For example:
No other city in Japan has so many bridges
rs Osaka; wards are named after them anu
distances marked by them-reckoning aIwass
from Koraibashi the Bridge OF the Koreans, as
q centre Osaka people find their way to any
place most readily by remembering the name
of the bridge nearest 10 IL. But as lhere are
lS9 principal bridges, tbs method OF reckoning
can be Of little service &c a stranger. II a busl-
ness man, he find whatever he wants WITH
out learning the names Of the bridges. Osaka
fs the best-ordered city commercially in the
Empire. and Of the best-ordered In the
world 1t has always been city OF guilds; ana
the various trades and industries are congre-
gated still. according 10 ancient CUSTOM In
special districts or particular streets. Thus all
the money-chaagers are in Kithama-the Lom-
bard Street Of Japan; the dry-goods trade mo-
ncpozes Honmach; the timber merchants are
all in Nagabori. etc. etc, etc.
This is irreproacha in the best style Of the
best guide books: but the writer on Oriental
themes who expects the world to listen to him
must give US something better. once Mr. Hearn
could give US something better. and even In this
book he has flashes Of his earlier fancy and
art but perhaps has stalled his faculty
perhaps the glamour has worn off in spite OF his
belief tina. IT off. Individually
the enchantment. the perfume OF the East, IS
missing and In its place we have a bland cir
SUBSTANTIALLY which looks and common
place not only when compared with Mr.. La
Farges poetic chapters. but when placed be-
side the authors more spontareous writ
ings We do not think It would be well for
him to exchange his p'esert careful text for a
wild weller Of Japanese rhapsody. simply
wish that he had added to his observation a
little moro feeling. little more imagination, O.
little more art Along with the expression OF
this wish we may add that the book contains
some useful memoranda on Japanese thought
ard manners. The chapter on japanese folk
song IS especially suggestive.