The Minneapolis journal., 1905-01-19
NEWS OF TIE BOOK WORLD
THE UNEASY CHAIR

and as. Piece OF Hook M aking. Gensai
Mural. one of the leading literary men of:
Japan, who has risen to his present posi-!
tion as an author and editor%of Japan 8
leading daily thru gredt difficulties, has
sought to aid his country in it's present
crisis by writing novel which he in
tended should in a slight measure dis
play some Of the characteristics" OF his
lcountrymen The novel bears, the title,
Hana,la Daughter Of Japan.
Hama is the daughter Of an aged Japan
ese dietetist to whom chance leads asyoungI
man of Chicago, who Is suffering from a
serious form Of Indigestion. The young
man is cured partly, no doubt, thru the
rules OF the father, and partly, no doubt,
again, thru the charms of Hama.
There Is a Russian spy, not known
as such, OF course, who is also
friend OF Hama and who complexities
things as matter Of course. There is
also Hana's brother commander Of a tor
pedoboat In Togo's feet. With these
characters Mr.. Mural manages to show a
very fine spirit among the Japanese, a
spirit wholly In harmony with the whole
conduct OF the war on the Japanese side,
1 tho the story Is almost amateurish in its
artlessness and stiffness. The latter is
no doubt due to the translator, Unkichi
Hawai-, who shows by&flis use Of words
some lack of familiarity with English, yet
In the main has done excellent work.
! AS a revelation of Japanese character,
1dealized somewhat, the book will, how
| ever, prove OF most interest. 1t should bc
said that the author is apostle CT
"kakugoism." "Kakugo''E seems to be to
the Japanese what "virtus' in Its highest
and best sense was to the old Romans
This he sees manifested in the spirit Of
Japan today. 1t shows itself, for example.
In the organization of a society for COM
forting captives, for looking after the
spiritual, mental and physical welfare of
prisoners falling into Japanese hands. 1t
was in this society that Hama figured con-
tspicuously. Kakugoism shows Z itself In
this, spoken by Hama: "All our men go to
war expecting to offer their lives on the
battlefield, and their families do not ex-
! pect them to return alive" War should
be limited to the armed men against
armed foes" is another, rule Of kakugo-
) ism. The prisoners and wounded, in 9th
: er words, are to be treated as brothers.
All feeling Of revenge is to be suppressed.
The press reports from the seat Of war
bear almost daily testimony that these are
not pretty theories made graphic in a book
OF fiction, but the guiding principles of the
Japanese One might find many more
and perhaps better Illustrations of the
Japanese spirit in the war now raging
but these will suffice. E..s
AS piece Of book making the book In
|. hand Is a work of art tho one gets to il
thru many covers. First there is a paper
cover in the form of a. box opening at an
edge. Then there is silk covered wrap
per, with Japanesque decorations and
ivory hooks fastening the edges. Their
comes the book proper, bound in dainty
tan-c colored silk and decorated with rare
skill with the purple iris. The covers are
fastened with silk thread, the strands ex.
, posed. ia H. 49,.
But inside of the book one finds still
higher class of Japanese art, some of the
) finest specimens of the Japanese ,, art o
illustration. The front:spiece Is double
page in size; it went thru thirty-five pro
cesses, on thirtyfive different cuts. Two
t other pictures are almost as fine. Other!
! are in black and white. The illustrator il
Kwason Suzuki. .=@@-.,
e AS an evidence Of the opportunities Jap
an offers her young men Of ability, th'
life Of the author Of 'fEIana," by the trans
lator is a remarkable document. 1t show
= that in Japan, as anywhere else in the en-
9 lightened world today, ability and unfal
tering courage will win. Gensai Mural i
an example. 3 HIS book, While not grea
as literature, and laal king much In inten
sity of interest, mus i nevertheless be re
garded as a ivaluatIe ocontemporaneou
record Of Japanese character in a tryin,
e ordeal. 49,. ... ',
S - The Hochi shimbun. Toxic, Japan;
Novel Against Vivisection.-The move
has come to be used for many purposes
Often it has been made to preach advo
eating this or inveighing against that We
not without interest It is needless t
r mention examples that are well known
y Witness one that is new-Trixy, by'Eliza
beth Stuart Phelps. 49,
"Trixy'' is the story of a French poodl
that came near being vivisected, withou
an anesthetic. Trixy was the clever pc
Of tenement cripple, who made his liv
= ing by showing off his dog. Trixy coul
s even sing, or do that which in dog
3 accomplishments might pass for singing
One day she disappeared She was foun
on the vivisector's table just as the knit
was about to cut her trembling flesh: Til
romance of the story lies in the fact ths
q Trixy was rescued by a young lawyer VIII
l. was In love with a rich and beautif,
young woman who was patron Of .Trixy
owner, and was rescued from the labora
tory of a medical professor Of renow1
who was in love with the same youn
woman. It is left for the reader to CUES
10 which .wOOer won. .,...- ~ -@-:.,
The author makes the vivisectors
hard hearted class, almost constituencies
ly cruel and unfeeling. The picture drawn
we think, is a bit overdone. The reader
. antagonism against vivisection would hav
y been better aroused simply by the appes
Of sympathy for the suffering and trustfl
animals which are introduced into tn
tale. The book, however. ought to max
it's impression, perhaps. not. for the abo
! ishment Of vivisection, but at least for il
strict regulation by law and against tn
j smart '.medic" who thinks it a good jok
. to operate on any pet animal that he ma
I catch on the street. ~
Houghton, Miffin & Co., Boston; 81 So
Lew Wallace Working en- His Autobioe
raphy.-General Lew Wallace is workin
several hours each day on his autobiog
q raphy, and has now brought the sto1
down to near the close of the civil wa
i He hopes before the close of the wintt
z to incorporate the history Of the delibers
(, tions Of the commissions that tried tt
( keeperssof Andersonville prison and Lir
q coins assassin, General Wallace havir
been member of both bodies. Harp,
& Brothers are his publishers.
The TribuIations of a Chid.-Not con
mon, or perhaps wesshould say not snnal
were the tribulations of Andrea relate
= by Karin Michaelis in Andrea, and trans
lated by John Nilser Laurvik. A verysss
little story it is of d child whose life WI
burdened, possibly even crushed out,
the partial estrangement Of her parents,
Andrea" and it is told In an intense
vivid way. a:S
Mcclure, Phillips & Co., New York
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