The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1901-02-24
"Shadoouings" BY y
~ Lafcadio Heane.


without recalling an anecdote of the late
Water Pater. 1t is said that once in his
class was young man of the name of
Sanctuary" and that on certain occa,
sion Pater asked him to remain behind
after the lecture. MIR. Sanctuary wondered
what was wrong. "oh, only wished 10
say, Mr.. Sanctuary" Pater explained.
what beautiful name you have" So
one unfamiliar with Mr.. Lafcadio Hearnes
writings could hardly fail to remurk upon
so striking name as "Lafcadio Hearne.
as one familiar with them will realize
that correspondence between writer's
name and his work which we not infre.
/ quently find in literature. Mr.. Lafcadc
Hearne has not been lecturer in Toxic all
| these years In vain The magic Of the
land he has adopted has passed into his
writing, and in no books about Japan do
we hear the East a-calllng SO unmistak
ably ms in his; books filled with that beau
| ty. the essence OF which. as Keats has
said, is strangeness.
~
This new book. "shadowings." is com
posed of much the same fascinating mate.
rails as his former books. We have one
section, "storles from Strange Books,
containing several of the most picturesque
fairy stories yet CLEANED by him from the
old wonderland books of Japan; and sec
ond, Japanese Studies" Of which more
presently; ana third, Fantasies" prose
poems in his own characteristic vein OF
mystical meditation, n vein In which Mr.
Lafcadio Hearne sometimes achieves eff
fccts of great literary beauty. Each OF
the six stories is a wonderful little mas
| 90 tN.n nf
Reconciliation" and "Thc Corpse Rider
give one that thrill Of supernatural hor
ror which | imaglne-as in former stories
of the kinds at least due MS much &c
Mr. Hearnes retelling as to the original
storyteller Stories so well told and sc
well retold can not be told again. SO
must leave the reader to find them out for
himself-unless, indeed may quote with.
out injury the conclusion Of the charming
love story of 1.-THE Screen Maiden
young student, called Tokkei, once
bought quite cheap paper screen on
which was painted the full length figure OF
beautiful girl So beautiful did she seem
: to him that he came positively 10 fail In
love with her and even fell sick OF his
strange possession. In this case he con
suited a wise old man, who advised hlm
TO lind a name for The image, and then tC
sit every day before her calling her softly
until she answered him. So soon as she
answered he was 20 hand her cup OF
wine bought at hundred wine shops
ana see what happened. So the studen
found name for her and called her ten
DERBY by 1t for many days, till suddenly
one evening she answered, Hal yes.
Here is the conclusion in Mr.. Hearne'
own words.
Then quickly quickly, some OF the
Vine from hundred dlnerent WHY
shops was poured out, and reverential-
ly presented in i.ttle cup. And the
girl stepped from the screen and
walked upon the uniting of the room
and knelt TO take the cup from Tokkeis
hand-asking, with delicious smile:
How could you love me so much =
Says the japanese narrator she
was much more beautliul tnah the PIC
, tufe-beautifu to the tips of her finger
uaIls-beautful also in heart and tenn
per-ovelier than anybody else In the
world" What answer Tokkei made TO
her question is not recorded IL VIII
have to he imagined.
> "Put will YOU not soon get Urea OF
me?" she asked
Never whll.s., I live" he protested .,o
japanese bride Is not satisfied with
] love for one lifetime only.
3 LET us pledge ourselves to each
seven eXistences.
e az Won are ever unkind to me-" she
D said, ~ viii 90 hack to the screen
Exclaimed the japanese author;
"How very seldom do such Things
happen In this world"
i \ \ \
t The "Jaranese Studies" are three.
s one on "Semi" (cicadael Mr.. Hearne col
e tlnues his quaint studies in the inset
r poetry of Japan (the reader Will remen
her the curious essay on Insect Mus
clans" in "Exotlcs and Retrospectives'
f illustrating his paper with many versiclt
:, from old japanese poets and philosopher
, Perhaps his learned paper on "Japane'
y Female Names" will be of greater int
;, est for the general reader, In this he co
: reefs the notion that the pretty, howerlil
u names we associate with Japanese CIR
4 are given for esthetic reasons. They n
t, given rather as symbols of moral quaiti
II the Japanese being, as he has so oft'
Impressed upon us, one of the most mora
"well behaved" races in the world. Fl
Of example. when you say, "O-Ume San" tn
" is ''rhe Honorable Miss Plum-blossom, Il
l. reference is not to the beauty of the lad
d hut TO her virtue; the plum-hossom bell
lie an emblem of feminine virtue. similarl
"the chrysanthemum is an emblem ..
longevity; the pine both OF longevity al
y constancy; the bamboo, OF fidelity; u
y cedar of moral rectitude; the willow
g docility and gentleness, as well as of ply
In cal grace" Again, when girl in Japan
lg called Rose Girl" the meaning is n
es because she is so delicate and sweet n
s because she bushes, nor because she
d rosy; indeed, a rosy face is not admired
ID Japan. No; she is compared TO 70
n chiefly for reason that rose has thor
" The man who tries to pull Japanese 70
lv is likely to hurt his fingers. The man W
30 tries TO win a Rose Girl is apt to HI
or himself much more serIously-even un
$ death" Among the long lists OF womeI
&c names which Mr.. Hearne gives us tnI
seem to me particularly charming in tn
=. English meaning: Akasuke-"The Brig
!, Helper" Suzue-"Branch Of Little Bells
y -Knru-"she Who Comes" Surely {
90 ideal wife would be the Bright Helper
n and one might call her Branch Of Lit
ns Bells" az well.
ed
IS The concluding section Of "Fantasle
no includes papers the mere titles of Will
NO will be suggestive TO his readers OF
be Hearne's habits of speculation; IN
IA tilucae." "a Mystery Of Crowds Got
In Horror" "Levitation, Nightmare Touct