Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1897-12-04
GOOD BREEDING IN JAPAN. :
Ehcrein tho Oriental Exccls the Western
Dcrn-Stories of Hearn.

Ghctein tho Oriental EXccl5 the western
Dorn-StorieS of Eearn.
Lafcadio Heara hes probably done
more than any other man to make the
western world acquainted with the real
life CT Japan. ihe story of this man S
life, says the St. Louis Globe Democrat,
IS one of tie stranSest ever recorded.
His mother was 4 Greek, his father an
Irish officer in the English army. He
early had to shift for himself and even
trally found his way to tho United
States Here he was reduced almost to
the condition of tramp, although he
was finely educated and Il man of rare
gifts. At length he secured employment
in newspaper work, and then his rise to
an exalted place III literature was rapid
y visit to the West Indies awakened IN
him the SlumberinS desire for home
amid greater refinement and more 1s-
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 q
Japanese wife, took Japanese name,
embraced the japanese faith and became
an oriental in every respect savo birth.
He is now professor in the university
at Tokyo. He is afflicted with an affec-
ton OF the eyes which makes it impos-
sible Tor him to turn them in their sock
cts. \ story is told that he did his first
work on 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 4 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. Hearn returned III
the course Of an hour or two and said
that man bad 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 a table with Il
tablet undcr his face OF which he was
writing, his atiliction 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 1.-The Gas
house Murder and is regarded as a re-
portorial classic. 1t secured for him a
permanent position and opened the door
to his future success.
The Boston Journal has Il 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 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 disigured him
and made him grotesque. Hewas stared
at, he was Knocked and insulted, and,
what was even worse, he was piticd
openly. 4 sensitive man, he kept the
house during the day and took exercise
only at night. Occasion called him TO
Japan To his amazement, in that coun-
try nobody, not even e humorous boy.
showed by sign or word that the stran-
ger was disigured or set apart in tav-
ern, street, shop, field. Mr.. Hearn was
treated as though he were normal be-
ing. Thankful and overcome. he said &c
himself, Here is the land of true civ
ilization, and here will live and die. u
He has taken to himself japanese
wife, he is known by japanese name,
and the last heard from him he was
professor of English in q Japanese uni.
yersity
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. l have seen much
of their country, and never have ]
found there boy who by lock OF ges-
ture would express surprise at any dress
or speech or habit that might seem tc
him outlandish. How different it is
here in Boston And yet there has been
improvement. l remember that was
one of the first TO wear helmet sun
hat. Boys jeered, women giggled, old
crusted Bostonians looked at me super
ciliously and suspiciously, expressmen
and hackmen would often address me
loosely or coarsely from their vantage
seat. have sometimes thought that the
yearly execution on tie Common of the
conycntionally rude would mako much
for civic civilization. But if this cere-
mony had been performed 20 years ago
the town might have been depopulat-
ed >"
Englard's Future Coal Supply.
cit may now lie accepted as geolog.