The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1897-12-03
GOOD BREEDING IN JAPAN.
Wherein the Oriental Excels the Western
Born-Stores of Hearn.


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 mans
lie, says the St. Louis Globe Democrat,
is one Of the strangest ever recorded
His mother was a Greek, his father an
Irish officer in the English army. He
carly had to shift for himself and even
tually found his way to the United
States. Here he was reduced almost to
the condition of a tramp, although he
was finely educated and a man of rare
gil 5. At length he secured employment
in newspaper work, and then his rise to
an exalted place i'll literature was rapid.
A visit to the West Indies awakened in
him the slumbering desire for home
amid greater refinement and more Bs-
thetic influences than were to be found
in America or Europe and where eli
matte conditions would be more to his
liking. He settled i'll Japan, married
Japanese wife, took a japanese name,
embraced the japanese faith and became
an oriental in every respect save birth.
He is now professor i'll the university
at Tokyo. He is. afflicted with an affeo-
ton of the eyes which makes it impos-
sible for him to turn them in their sock
cts. A story is told that he did his first
work Oh an American newspaper in
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 a murder had been dis
covered at the gas works. All the re-
pOrters were out on assignments, and
the editor turned to the uncouth appli-
cant and asked him to look into the
matter and report. Hea1n returned in
the course of an hour or two and said
that man had been murdered and his
body had been thrown into one Of the
furnaces. Hearn was commissioned to
"write it up"
Some time later, so the story goes
the editor went into the room where
Hearn was writing and found him
stretched at length on table with
tablet under his face on which he was
writing, his affection 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 q half savage growl
was the response.
'Oh, that's all rightv' 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 were talking at the Porphyry
about Lafcadio Hearn S book, Clean
ings In Buddha Fields. do you know
why Hearn determined to live i'll ia
pan? 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 disfgured him
and made him grOtesque He was stared
at, he was Knocked and insulted, and,
what was even worse, he was pitied
openly. A sensitive man, he kept the
house during the day and took exercise
only at night. Occasion called him to
Japan. To his amaZement, i'll that COun-
try nobody, not even humorous boy,
showed by sign or word that the stran
ger was distigured or set apart in tav-
ern, street, shop, field. MIR. Hearn was
treated as though he were a normal be-
ing. Thankful and overcome, he said to
"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 japanese name,
and the last heard from him he was
professor of English i'll 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 Japa-
nese were undoubtedly put to death
years and years ago. have seen much
of their country, and never have
found there a boy who by look or ges-
ture would express surprise at any dress
or speech or habit that might seem to
him outlandish. How different it is
here in Boston And yet there has been
l remember that l was
one of the first to wear helmet sun
hat. Boys jeered, women giggled, old
crusted Bostonians looked at me super
and suspiciously, expressmen 9
and hackmen would often address me !
loosely or coarsely from their vantage
seat. have sometimes thought that the ,
yearly execution on the Common of the /.
rude would make much I
for civic civilization. But if this cere- 8
mony had been performed 90 years ago /
the town might have been depopulat- /
ed" 9
The Sisters and the Silver. 4
Two young women, sisters lived
with their widowed mother in a small