The record-union., 1899-09-24
AN AMERICAN JAPANESE.


the man is almost forgotten in Amer
ica but it is fact that the most dis
tinguished man Of letters in Japan, is
an American. Lafcadio Hearn is so
thoroughly Orientalized that he has al
most forgotten his English-speaking
friends says a traveller who met him
recently and writes in THE Verdict"
of this accomplished scholar, who is
Professor of Foreign Literature in the
Toxic University.
He dresses in the oldest mixture of
japanese and American costumery
which hangs about his spare form, we
are told, with the grace of a blanket
on a horse rack. Every native who
passes him bows in profound respect
for the man who has become as thor
ough Jap as any of the native born.
Some years ago the Japanese had in
their higher schools a majority of for
eign teachers, but they have become SO
Independent now that they have dis
charged all of them and all foreign
officers in their army, except Hearn;
he is the only teacher who has sur
vived the reform. The correspondent
referred to says:
It was rather interesting to see this
man so revered by the Japanese, and
to know that he was an American.
Hearn has done more in literary way
to give Occidental readers a. glimpse of
the real intellectual life of modern
Japan than any other living writer, ma
tive Japanese, or visiting student. He
is the only writer OF English who has
pierced the veil of mysticism that has
for so many decades separated Japan
from the eyes of the Occident. Hearn,
indeed, is no longer American save in
his command of English. In all other
respects he is as much of a Jap as If
he had been born and reared in a
Buddhist temple under the shadows of
Fujiyama.
Twenty years ago Hearn was re-
porter upon Cincinnati newspaper.
He was as nyopic as a bat a shrivelled,
tiny figure, retiring and reticent. No
one knew whence he came and he had
no place upon newspaper, as he had
no nose for news" except to put
things into story form, and in that line
he was wonder. His stories were as
full Of color and vigor as any that ever
came from pen of fancy. Despite his
physical frailness he had the courage
of mastiff and feared no detail that
put him upon the track Of good
story.
1t is related Of him that once when
a noted steeple climber was astonish-
ing the people of Cincinnati the fell
low declared that he experienced SO
little fear or difficulty in his skyscrap-
ing tasks that he would gladly scale
the steeple of the Cathedral. tower
ing 200 feet above the pave, and re-
pair the gigantic cross at it's apex. The
contract was given to him. He ban
teringly said it was nothing, and that
he could just as we'll carry a man ur
on his back.
Immediately Hearn. for the sake OF
the experience and the value of it to
him in a story, applied to the city edi-
tor for permission to take the man
at his word. The offer astounded the
editor but Hearn insisted, and so the
two We're brought together and then
the editor washed his hands of the
whole affair. not believing for mo-
ment that the two men would come TO
an agreement. But they did and
Hearn mounted the steeple-e climber $
shoulders. Up they went amidst the
plaudits of thousands of people gath
cred TO witness the feat. When the
cross at that dizzy hight was reached
Hearn climbed down from his perch
and seated himself while the steeple-
jack went on and stood upon his head
on the summit of the cross. When
the work to do was completed Hearn
mounted to the shoulder perch again,
and the two men came down in safety.
Says Mr.. Henderson. who was then
city editor of the paper:
Hearn came back TO the Office and
sat down and wrote two columns of a
story describing his sensations and the
glories of the view he had obtained
from the steeple top. 1t was litera-
ture, this story, and 1t is regrettable