The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-03-26
In GhostIy Japan.

Until some native Japanese genius shah
arise who shall be able 10 portray TIC life
and soul OF his people so that the Anglo
Saxon may understand them, II Is probable
that we shall have no clearer glimpse into
these Oriental mysteries than those afford
ed by Lafcadio Hearn. He has 6welt IN
the and of the cherry blossom until he has
absorbed the dreamy. atmosphere. and
among the natives until he Is OF them. IL
is a congenial environment. and his p~oeticai
temperament manifests itself with a free
dom not possible to IL In less favorable sur
roundings. His latest volume. I'm Ghostly
Japan" Is a series of sketches, OF japanese
legends. of descriptions of things and
events, with accompanying philosophical
and poetic comment. The fragment"
which forms the opening chapter has a
weirdness all its own which indicates the
authors trend of mind. 1t is the story OF
a youth. who. with his guide, came at the
hour of sunset to the foot of a mountain.
the summit Of which was lost in heaven.
II grew dark as they climbed. There was
no beaten path, and the way was over an
endless heap of tumbled fragments that
rolled beneath the foot. They climbed hour
after hour, and as dawn came in the east
IL was revealed 10 the youth that the noun
tain on which he stood was a monstrous,
measureless heap OF skulls and fragments
of skulls and dust of bone. The youth was
filled with terror. Il fear!" he exclaimed.
''unutterably 1 fear. There is nothing but
the skulls of men," "A mountain of skulls
it is" responded the guide. but know,
my son, that all of them are your own.
Each has at some time been the nest OF
your dreams and decisions and desires.
Not even one of them is the skull OF any
other being. All-all without exception
have been yours In the billions of your
former lives" There is a chapter on in
cense, the manner in which IL is used and
the legends which have clustered about
what Is really an institution, so universal
is the use of incense in Japan. There is a
curious chapter on silkworms, in which the
author draws a comparison between the
Christian heaven and the state into which
the worms have come. After centuries OF
having all their wants provided for by
human hands they can no longer take any
care of themselves. They have degener-
ated, they have had all desires gratifed.
the struggle for existence is at an end: they
have peace, immunity from strife, pleasure
without e~ffort-such an existence, says Mr..
Hearn, as we pray to enter into when We
pass from this life. In such a heaven he
thinks We would degenerate. and adds: AN
early stage of that degeneration would be
represented by total incapacity to help our
selves-then We should begin TO lose the use
of our higher sense organs-later on the
brain would shrink TO a vanishing pin
point OF matter; still later we should dwin-
die into mere amphorous sacs. mere blind
stomachs. Such would be the physical con-
sequence of that kind of divine love which
we so lazily wish for. The longing for per-
petual bliss and perpetual peace might well
seem a malevolent inspiration from the
lords OF death and darkness. All life that
feels and thinks has been. and can continue
TO be, only as the product of struggle and
~pain-only as the outcome of endless battle
with the powers OF universe. N cosmic
law is uncompromising. What ever organ
ceases to know pain-whatever faculty
ceases TO be used under the stimulus OF
pain-must also cease to exist. Let pain
and its effort be suspended, and life must
shrink back, first into protoplastic shape
l~essness, thereafter into dust" Mr.. Hearn
has adopted. to a certain degree at least,
Buddhist ideas, and he AYERS that Budd-
hist ideas of heaven. which make the place
or state one OF development and effort. are
far more logical than ours. Buddhist doc
trines are touched upon i'm other chapters.
but whatever subject this author takes up
he is sure to make interesting. The
book, like his earlier works, repays read
ing. Published by Little, Brown & Co.,
Boston.