Evening star., 1923-08-27
THE TREES
OF NIKKO
BY DIR. FRANK CRANE.

Richard Wagner turned to the folk
lore of his people. the Nibelunger Lied,
and the primeval legends of the Ger
manic folk, for the themes of his
operas.
The legends of the past are the
spiritual storehouse of the present.
Just as our bodies are descended from
remote ancestors, so the furniture of
our imaginations is made from the
wood of antiquity.
There is a story about the trees of
Nikko which, as Heine said of the
tale of the Lorelei, will not come out
of my mind"
are gathered its most splendid tombs
and temples. 1t was the policy of
the overload of the country to requife
the governor of each province to erect
a splendid structure here, not only
that the glory of Japan might be
ored. but incidentally that the minor
lords should be kept impoverished
and not become great or powerful
enough to revolt successfully.
One by one, therefore. the splendid
edifices arose upon the slopes of Mix
ko, each lordling trying to outshine
the other in his building, in the pro-
portions of it, in it's costly woods and
rare carvings, in it's beautiful and
expensive decorations.
But there was one lord who was
too poor to erect a worthy structure,
yet was deeply pious and anxious to
do something that should honor the
dead and enhance the fame of his
country.
So he said to himself that he would
plant trees around the place.
To Nikko he went and there planted
the trees called Cryptomeria. thickly
about the temple spaces, and in all
directions around for forty miles.
The other lords laughed at him, as
who should say, What a poor figure
is this man who cannot build like us
a splendid temple or mausoleum, a
ones of earth. but must needs plant
seeds and saplings. as some gardener
or back bowed peasant"
Time passed. And time is the wis
est of critics. Time renders his un-
hasty judgments with a finality like
that of the gods.
The Japanese come now to Nikko
and see the temples of the proud ones
settling into sure. if splendid, de-
cay. But all around they see the
sky=piercing cryptomeria. nesting
the clouds of heaven, moaning as
some vast organ played by the winds.
vocal with the transient birds.
And from far countries come pale
strangers. across great seas, and
make their pilgrimage to Nikko, that
they may find and reverence the soul
of Japan. And here they admire the
temples, look curiously upon the carv-
ings and decorations and the gifts
of kings
But most OF all they turn to won
der and to worship at the magnifi-
cent gift of the poor man. 1t is in
these vast and lordly trees they find
the most royal spirit. II is in the
heart of this darkened and massive
grove that they hear the voice of the
dead gods.
SO here was the one man who work
ed in the pure spirit of service and
humility, and whose works outshine
all the others.
Here is the one man who trusted
not in his own power and wealth, but
who stopped down and took hold of
the hand of nature, and he has been
Hfted above them all.
Here is the one man who was
co-worker with God. And what he
has done excels the work of others
even as a majestic tree excels the
gaudiest building. as the flaming sun
set eXcelS the greatest canvas, as the
star strewn sky itself excels every
thing upon that earth over which ii
looks forever.
Indeed, as life eXcels anything and
everything which has not life.