Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-11-09
What the Japanese are READING.

into Japanese was Ernest NAL
travers," by Bulwer Lytton. This
was in 1879. 1t was published under
the poetic title: "A Spring Story Of
Flowers and Willows" The latest fic-
ton over which Japan is poring-in
stores, banks. commission houses, rail-
way and steamship houses-is The
Letter of Self-made Merchant to His
Son." and pirated at that. The lack
OF an international copyright law and
the lax literary morality Of the
japanese has robbed Mr.. Lorimer Of a
royalty on more than two hundred
thousand copies which have been sold
in the Sunrise Kingdom. But Mr..
Lorimer has some revenge: the
japanese clerks have to read it as n
textbook! I'm the Japanese appraise-
ment of the book" says Harold Bolce
in his entertaining article, What the
japanese are Reading in the Novem-
Der number of the Booklovers' Mag
azine, Its humOr was entirely over
looked. The production was accepted
solely as a serious gospel to over-con-
fident young manhood" And yet
Japan is not so far astray in its esti-
mate OF the book. which does preach
first-class business gospel in homely
language. But piracy and even plagi-
arism are not considered more than
venial offences in Japan. Many a
hard-worked preacher or editor will
sympathize with the literary workers
Of Japan who make no bones about ap-
propriating good thing when they see
it. without the formality Of using
quotation marks. Only we Occidentals
are not so honest about 1t. The Japs
the little. brown polyglOts," as Mr..
Bolce appropriately and picturesquely
calls them-look upon plagiarism "as
on indication of extensive and
tenacious memory" and regard the
use OF quotation marks as IAN ex-
hitition of questionable taste" Ameri-
can fiction is not popular in Japan.
hut science. philosophy and poetry are.
The writings Of Ira Remsen, Simon
Newcomb Edward Holden and David
Starr Jordan are well known and ap-
preciated. Emerson. Whittier and
Longfellow are enjoyed. Mark Twain.
so far. has failed in laughing his way
into Japan" whereas in Russia he
shares the honors with Grover Cleve-
land! Japan is an empire Of poets.
The present mikado has written nearly
fifty thousand odes," but as a Japanese
ode consists of only thirty-one sylla-
bles. and as rhyme. reason and metre
are alike ignored" the imperial output
may be reverently discounted. The
mass Of the people. however. like
Western nations, are great newspaper
and magazine readers. more than a
thousand newspapers and magazines
are published in the empire. The I'm
perial Public Library at Toxic has half
4 million volumes. nearly one thousand
Of which are printed in the language of
Europe" notwithstanding this avidity
to read. the daily press is not enter
prising. 1t does not push its circu-
lation or sell it's wares on the streets.
To get copy you must go to the Office
Of publication. But Japan Is ahead of
the West in that nearly every news
paper has "prison editor, whose
duties consist in going to Jail and
standing trial for any offence COM
mitted by the journah This repre-
sentative Of some Of the more inde-
pendent papers spends large portion
Of his time In prison, either awaiting
the hearing of his case or In serving
out the term of his sentence. Even
when out OF the tolls he has no edi-
torial duties to perform. His salary
is larger than that Of most Of his col
, leagues, and his position is in demand.
He enjoys the sonorous title Of editor
in-chief. and when he Is behind the
bars the actual editor is classed by the
journal in question as merely a con-
tributor!" No wonder the makers OF
comic opera go to the East for their
| ideas. The West cannot match It's
serious whimsicality or it's sophistical
subterfuges!