The times., 1899-12-24
.Innnncsc EnII.-I.nrc.

are. perhaps. unique iu all the history Of
English literature. No foreigner has ever
bseu able 10 write Of Japan with such thor
ough and sympathetic understanding as
Haarn. and 10 ;he insight which seems TO
De the birthrighc of this remarkable man
lie adds the knowledge Of one who has
lived Tor many years in the country ou
familiar and intimate terms with It's peo-
pie. Fifteen or twenty years ago. in his
work OF he West Indies. he showed the
same lutuitive comprehension OF the Creole
''sauE-mslee and gave us unquesriouably
The hes. book ever written on the French
Nest Indies. But Japan seems TO have
fakeu an even stronger hold on his imagi-
Iat.on. appealing as i- Goes with peculiar
force both 10 the seLzugas and idea.iStiC
elements in a nature peculiarly sensitive
SO beauty. mysticism. and art Of every kind
There is 10 man who can reach higher or
see deeper than the japanese philosopher,
and iu this land Of refined OTieuJalism the
EeHius Of Lalcadlo Hearn seems 10 have
found its home
In Gh0stly Japan" has a charm even
more eEauescent and exquisite than its pre-
dceessCrs. though ont of the East viii
always, perhaps appeal 10 a wider public
Than this or any of the other works. The
present volume deals directly with he FOLK
lore. the poetry. the art. and the subUest
faHcies Of the japanese people. task only
TO be attempted by one thoroughly con-
Tersant with their every mood. When one
thinks Of the crudity and brutal ignorance
OF most books on Japan. written from the
point of view o. an outsider determined
10 see nothing but evil in a system SO
opposed 10 his own. this book seems like
a white. moth-like orchid placed beside
basket of potatoes. Some Of the chapters
are fragmentary. but the fragments are
suggestive as only deity wrought sketches
can be. There are shadows which are
more effective than anything less unsub-
slautial. One particularly attractive fea-
Jure of the present volume is its illus
Irati0n. il looks as if il were done by
Japanese artist, and il probably was. There
is nothing OF the Occidental method about
these delicate and intense creations; they
are superior 10 most of the japanese art
commonly reproduced in this country; they
suit the text with admirable precision.
One chapter is on 'SilllWOrms,' and con-
tains quaint reflections on the moral char
acter Of these products OF human skill
for the silkworm has been developed large
ly by assisted evolution. Here is part of
H. though il is rather a pity TO mar the
whole by making selection.
Westeu faiths especially teach that our lie
On earth ss la-FaI state Ct greedy helples-uess,
and that death is UuIa-sieep. out al which we
should =-aE 1lto everlasting light. lheF tell rs
that during its seut1euL existence the outer
body should be Thought VI only as a kind ot
caterpillar and thereafter as q cATlsall-- and
ghey aver thar We lose or GAIN according 20 our
behavior as larvae, the power 10 develop wings
under tte mortal wrapping. Also tles ten Ms
not ~ trouble ourselves about the fact that we
Sc 10 Psgehe-imago de-ach itself from the
broken cocoon; this lsEK of visual evidence sg1l-
feS 100. hing. because we have only the HuFDl.h4
vision ot grubs. cur eyes are but half evolved.
DO ulu whole scales Ot c0lCrs iuylsbly exist
above and below the limits Of our retlnal seIisI-
bl-itF. Even So. the Dutie-tiy- man exists
although 9 matter OF course, He cannot see
But what would become o. this human image
n q state q perfect bisss From the eYoiu-
llCual point ~ view the question has interest
and its 0byiouS answer was suggested e. me %
the history q those silkwurns, which have been
dofeast5catad for only a few thousand years
Consider the result q oEr cele,lla- o1Ihe7tlea
fi5u FOR Ut Us g8y several millions u years. /
mean the final Consequence 10 tine WlsleIs, q
leiur able 20 crafty every wish al VIII.
Those EIkw0rms have All that they WISH ios-
even considerable more. IheIr wants titJAsA
very simple are fundamentally ldenilaal WIN i.e
rrerezzf-fFs cf naukiud-f1ad. shelter warmth
gatetv and comfort. our endless social struggle
is mainly f0r these things our dream OF heaven
= tie dream al obtaining them free Of cost lA
pain and The condition q those s-4ANeit-l7 4 ~
realization. iu a small way OF cur imagined
Paradise III am not considering the fact that a
vast majority Ci tile worms are preceel-ned p
torment and tie second deaths for iay tiefHe Is
a. heaven. not of lost souls. ara speaking oI me
elela--hose worms pTeorlalBeL 10 salvation ana
TebiIth) Probably they can feel ollE very NeaA
sensations they ere certainly LAeaE@pt 81 pay az.
j. lot The assertion % Olr need oI
divine love- Involuntary confession that we
wish 10 be treated like silkwous-to live With
ont u4iu hv The help q gocst leJ y the gol5
were 81 treat ls rs want we should presently
sfUrd fresh evidence In the way ct what Is
called --the evidence from degeneration thar
The great evolution Law IS izr above the gels.
This Is a particularly original way Of
looking at the universe, and il is not all
due 10 japanese influence The truth OF
the matter Is that the genius Of Hearn IS
universal and that IS the reason why u
comprehends with equal readiness all forms
q life and thought
There are Two or three Japenese ghost
stories of particular interest 10 students OF
folk lore and there is q chapter on Japan
ese poetry. in which several translations
are given and the peculiar quality and
method OF the japanese poet explained
The trauslatious are as accurate as any
1hluE ot the sort can be, though. as The
translator observes much Of the charm Of
the original must inevitably be lost ia the
change TO a language so utterly different
Es English is from japanese. Another
chapter contains some speculatlOns on the
enough TO cause some subtle temors 10
Tua through the readers spine, it is not
without an uudgrcurreIt Of hum0r fine as
thisrIeEoWu and rich a. old Madeira. Still
another Of the essays is on Japanese pro-
verbs and contains great number Of these
in translation. The last entitled AT
TasGzu. contains some paragraphs on the
eca. and al the very end OF IL is q page
which demands quotation.
Wherefore there Is surely mere than a littl,
truth iu tEe ancient belief ilaf tHe speech % %,
dead IS The roar % The sea. Truly TIE fear ant
tle pain III tle dead ra-t speak 60 Es lu tAat llH
CceT ave aIllh tHe roar oi tEe sea a#aleIis.
Bat there a-e sounds taat uuEE us much mor
profoundly Than trc voice gi tie etl ea- co. ah.
u strange. WaEs- sounds tHaL also make u
serious a. times and TeIl serious sounds q
music
GFelt music IS a Ts1ei.eal storm, agitatug q
ul.u-ag lral-e depth tae mystery ~ ile pas
within us or Ne might say thar 81 Is Frgl-E
iels -ilE-eyeTE different instrument au'
voice making separate appeal % different lll
l5.rs 1f prenatal memories There arc tones tHa
cali up 90 ghosts ei youth and laE and tender
there are tones THAR evoke a.I phantom pam
~ persisted u4ssloE--tisge aEc tones taaL Te
EEreat -L le-4 sensations nj majesty and nigh
ElC ..1rE-aE czplrtl tEgir-t IaI--ali tar-gtt5
gl-1ulllI.ltsrs. Well nay llla Influence oi mus
EeaFa iucEHI.g.f.l- To gne man who ids dream
tlal DIS l.f began 5ess iaaH hundred gear
ago. EHE Lag mystery lighters far U.lHiIsaeys
learns tlat Iaf substance Lt sell is older tGa
tHe srH. Ie ta-- l-at EHlste q reeIoEl4ug.
Dc l.e.~ l.-f -1 every ripple tt tHa-.gE. ~ s.lr
t.-IlW el harmony. jaerc answers ultliu hlm gl
Ut lae Sa ei Desta and Bll.h- sama c1i5ylug iu
measurable st ancient pleasure Eua PAIN
a.- I--H+ t..s u.a.la. always
Ere7- EFra5 and saere-.re j is flat music ca
f."Fe as H-.se profoundly than jle voice 70 oeea
f..sH sHE lrlgr voice r.H 4H. But Iu music
larler uittEaree II IS ever tae s1Iogg that raE5
tlc Tfd.ItuUr-thg s.rf-UltteT gt the s,a gi Sou
>ErE. tHITE how vast the sum q
rr. WEI tlH. ua.t aaft ueIn experienced D.