The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1929-08-09
Little Journeys in
Americana
By LESTER B. COLBY

~AS~0AS AAC0AA-A AIG IvAtoAS
CHARLES B. HEARN was an Irish
man in whose blood a strain of
gypsy flowed. We meet him, briefly, In
the 1S40's. He Is surgeon-major in
the British army. His regiment is sta
toned somewhere in the Mediterran-
can. Gypsy and Celtic blood, with an
infusion Of Latin, probably, for the
French and Spanish have traded for
centuries with Ireland. Hot blood
when love surges.
Rosa Cerigote, Greek girl of charm
and beauty, catches the young sur
geon-major's eye. He is in garrison,
gayly uniformed and the wines are
good. One night he carries her of,
by main force, and marries her
cave man stuff.
Thus another chapter in Americana
begins.
A son Is born to them on the IS
land Of Lafcada in 1850. They name
him Lafcadio Hearn. Years pass, the
child grows. DR.. Charles B. Hearn
returns to Ireland taking with him
his wife Rosa and the boy. But soon
after Lafcadio Is six years old the
mother runs away. We do not see her
again. The father also vanishes out
Of the picture.
Lafcadio falls into the hands Of
wealthy relatives. They raise him in
castle halls. He has fine raiment,
money to spend, everything. Finally
he is placed in a good Catholic school.
They have great hopes for him. He is
brilliant, brainy. Perhaps, some day,
a priest.
Suddenly Lafcadio turns rebellious.
He storms at the laws the church lays
down. He announces that he is not
Christian. He says he cannot be-
lieve the Bible. To the CONSERVATION
of those who have showered their
blessings upon him he walks out. He
is gone.
In the flight of time Lafcadio Hearn
appears again. He is In Cincinnati,
in America, down on the Ohio river.
And he is in poverty. Lafcadio, the
misfit. He is somewhat mature now;
short, squat man, swarthy and with
large dubious eyes-like those of
telescope fish. One eye is blind and
there are white blotches over it.
Lafcadio Hearn, who has a gift
for infinite detail, is proofreader on
Cincinnati newspaper. Dull stuff he
reads. He can do better than that.
So he begins to write.
When Lafcadio Hearn writes, men
stop instantly to read. Few writer's
have ever attained so quick and spec
tacular success He seems certain
to rise to great heights. But sud-
denly
Perhaps there is something print
tive that stirs his blood. 1t seems
that civilization and savagery are al
ways at conflict within him. No
sooner does his station appear as
sured than he, In one Of his expedi-
lions out of higher realms, meets
girl.
Octaroon she is, black blood In her
veins. And this in Cincinnati, too.
Lafcadio Hearn announces that he
will marry her. His position on the
newspaper Is gone. Hunger is soon
with him. He travels down the river,
to Memphis, and the girl whose skin
Is pastel shade, is left behind. And
that is that.
The old Cordova bar, Gayoso street,
these and other things; stone steps
worn into holes ankle deep by in
Vulnerable feet. That was Memphis
in those days. Then, In 1861, he is in
New Orleans. He els broke and
hungry, too. He gets job on the
Item.
Soon a series Of wonderful stories
begins. They are intimate romances
dealing with Creole, Spanish, French
and negro life. He becomes prolific.
He starts to translating early Eu-
ropean writers-Maupassant, Pierre
Lott, Flaubert, Tolstoyo lola, Coppee,
Daudet, Baudelaire- many others. The
man is clever, extremely so. The
literary world applauds.
European literature skinned Of Its
cream. he turns to the Orient. Here
he finds a field of enhancing color
and amazing richness Harper's sends
him to Japan. He decides to stay
there He becomes teacher Of Eng
lish In the University of Tokyo. He
marries a Japanese woman, Setsuko
Kaizumi. and fathers two sons
Students of literature say no o.
cidental ever knew the Orient as
Hearn. He gives us "Out Of the
East" Chinese Ghosts" "Glimpses
of Unfamiliar JAPAN" "Shadowings,"
"The Romance of the Milky Way"
and many others. He is said to have
once remarked to a friend:
81 have always had a distaste for
the Anglo-Saxon and his culture;
never could fully comprehend his
morals. love the Latins and the
Orientals. If had my choice would
live among the Latins and be buried
In a Buddhist graveyard"
Lafcadio Hearn, strange, whimsical,
gifted man. His bones have rested
this quarter century In the midst Of
his Buddhist friends.
fN 1aaa Lester n roIhv,