the soul of the far east-第13部分

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te；　he　abdicated。　　So　in　the　Far　East；　when　the　head　of　a　family　has　had　enough　of　active　life；　he　abdicates；　and　his　eldest　son　reigns　in　his　stead。

From　that　moment　he　ceases　to　belong　to　the　body　politic　in　any　active　sense。　　Not　that　he　is　no　longer　a　member　of　society　nor　unamenable　to　its　general　laws；　but　that　he　has　become　a　respectable　declasse；　as　it　were。　　He　has　entered；　so　to　speak；　the　social　nirvana；　a　not　unfitting　first　step；　as　he　regards　it；　toward　entering　the　eventual　nirvana　beyond。　　Such　abdication　now　takes　place　without　particular　cause。　　After　a　certain　time　of　life；　and　long　before　a　man　grows　old；　it　is　the　fashion　thus　to　make　one's　bow。


Chapter　4。　Language。

A　man's　personal　equation；　as　astronomers　call　the　effect　of　his　individuality；　is　kin；　for　all　its　complexity；　to　those　simple　algebraical　problems　which　so　puzzled　us　at　school。　　To　solve　either　we　must　begin　by　knowing　the　values　of　the　constants　that　enter　into　its　expression。　　Upon　the　a　b　c's　of　the　one；　as　upon　those　of　the　other；　depend　the　possibilities　of　the　individual　x。

Now　the　constants　in　any　man's　equation　are　the　qualities　that　he　has　inherited　from　the　past。　　What　a　man　does　follows　from　what　he　is；　which　in　turn　is　mostly　dependent　upon　what　his　ancestors　have　been；　and　of　all　the　links　in　the　long　chain　of　mind…evolution；　few　are　more　important　and　more　suggestive　than　language。　　Actions　may　at　the　moment　speak　louder　than　words；　but　methods　of　expression　have　as　tell…tale　a　tongue　for　bygone　times　as　ways　of　doing　things。

If　it　should　ever　fall　to　my　lot　to　have　to　settle　that　exceedingly　vexed　Eastern　question；not　the　emancipation　of　ancient　Greece　from　the　bondage　of　the　modern　Turk；　but　the　emancipation　of　the　modern　college　student　from　the　bond　of　ancient　Greek；I　should　propose；　as　a　solution　of　the　dilemma；　the　addition　of　a　course　in　Japanese　to　the　college　list　of　required　studies。　　It　might　look；　I　admit；　like　begging　the　question　for　the　sake　of　giving　its　answer；　but　the　answer；　I　think；　would　justify　itself。

It　is　from　no　desire　to　parade　a　fresh　hobby…horse　upon　the　university　curriculum　that　I　offer　the　suggestion；　but　because　I　believe　that　a　study　of　the　Japanese　language　would　prove　the　most　valuable　of　ponies　in　the　academic　pursuit　of　philology。　　In　the　matter　of　literature；　indeed；　we　should　not　be　adding　very　much　to　our　existing　store；　but　we　should　gain　an　insight　into　the　genesis　of　speech　that　would　put　us　at　least　one　step　nearer　to　being　present　at　the　beginnings　of　human　conversation。　　As　it　is　now；　our　linguistic　learning　is　with　most　of　us　limited　to　a　knowledge　of　Aryan　tongues；　and　in　consequence　we　not　only　fall　into　the　mistake　of　thinking　our　way　the　only　way；　which　is　bad　enough；　but；　what　is　far　worse；　by　not　perceiving　the　other　possible　paths　we　quite　fail　to　appreciate　the　advantages　or　disadvantages　of　following　our　own。　We　are　the　blind　votaries　of　a　species　of　ancestral　language…worship；　which；　with　all　its　erudition；　tends　to　narrow　our　linguistic　scope。　　A　study　of　Japanese　would　free　us　from　the　fetters　of　any　such　family　infatuation。　　The　inviolable　rules　and　regulations　of　our　mother…tongue　would　be　found　to　be　of　relative　application　only。　　For　we　should　discover　that　speech　is　a　much　less　categorical　matter　than　we　had　been　led　to　suppose。　　We　should　actually　come　to　doubt　the　fundamental　necessity　of　some　of　our　most　sacred　grammatical　constructions；　and　even　our　reverenced　Latin　grammars　would　lose　that　air　of　awful　absoluteness　which　so　impressed　us　in　boyhood。

An　encouraging　estimate　of　a　certain　missionary　puts　the　amount　of　study　needed　by　the　Western　student　for　the　learning　of　Japanese　as　sufficient；　if　expended　nearer　home；　to　equip　him　with　any　three　modern　European　languages。　　It　is　certainly　true　that　a　completely　strange　vocabulary；　an　utter　inversion　of　grammar；　and　an　elaborate　system　of　honorifics　combine　to　render　its　acquisition　anything　but　easy。　　In　its　fundamental　principles；　however；　it　is　alluringly　simple。

In　the　first　place；　the　Japanese　language　is　pleasingly　destitute　of　personal　pronouns。　　Not　only　is　the　obnoxious　〃I〃　conspicuous　only　by　its　absence；　the　objectionable　antagonistic　〃you〃　is　also　entirely　suppressed；　while　the　intrusive　〃he〃　is　evidently　too　much　of　a　third　person　to　be　wanted。　　Such　invidious　distinctions　of　identity　apparently　never　thrust　their　presence　upon　the　simple　early　Tartar　minds。　　I；　you；　and　he；　not　being　differences　due　to　nature；　demanded；　to　their　thinking；　no　recognition　of　man。

There　is　about　this　vagueness　of　expression　a　freedom　not　without　its　charm。　　It　is　certainly　delightful　to　be　able　to　speak　of　yourself　as　if　you　were　somebody　else；　choosing　mentally　for　the　occasion　any　one　you　may　happen　to　fancy；　or；　it　you　prefer；　the　possibility　of　soaring　boldly　forth　into　the　realms　of　the　unconditioned。

To　us；　at　first　sight；　however；　such　a　lack　of　specification　appears　wofully　incompatible　with　any　intelligible　transmission　of　ideas。　　So　communistic　a　want　of　discrimination　between　the　meum　and　the　tuumto　say　nothing　of　the　claims　of　a　possible　third　partywould　seem　to　be　as　fatal　to　the　interchange　of　thoughts　as　it　proves　destructive　to　the　trafficking　in　commodities。　　Such；　nevertheless；　is　not　the　result。　　On　the　contrary；　Japanese　is　as　easy　and　as　certain　of　comprehension　as　is　English。　　On　ninety　occasions　out　of　a　hundred；　the　context　at　once　makes　clear　the　person　meant。

In　the　very　few　really　ambiguous　cases；　or　those　in　which；　for　the　sake　of　emphasis；　a　pronoun　is　wanted；　certain　consecrated　expressions　are　introduced　for　the　purpose。　　For　eventually　the　more　complex　social　relations　of　increasing　civilization　compelled　some　sort　of　distant　recognition。　　Accordingly；　compromises　with　objectionable　personality　were　effected　by　circumlocutions　promoted　to　a　pronoun's　office；　becoming　thus　pro…pronouns；　as　it　were。　Very　noncommittal　expressions　they　are；　most　of　them；　such　as：　〃the　augustness；〃　meaning　you；　〃that　honorable　side；〃　or　〃that　corner；〃　denoting　some　third　person；　the　exact　term　employed　in　any　given　instance　scrupulously　betokening　the　relative　respect　in　which　the　individual　spoken　of　is　held；　while　with　a　candor；　an　indefiniteness；　or　a　humility　worthy　so　polite　a　people；　the　I　is　known　as　〃selfishness；〃　or　〃a　certain　person；〃　or　〃the　clumsy　one。〃

Pronominal　adjectives　are　manufactured　in　the　same　way。　〃The　stupid　father；〃　〃the　awkward　son；〃　〃the　broken…down　firm；〃　are　〃mine。〃　Were　they　〃yours；〃　they　would　instantly　become　〃the　august；　venerable　father；〃　〃the　honorable　son；〃　〃the　exalted　firm。〃　＇1＇

Even　these　lame　substitutes　for　pronouns　are　paraded　as　sparingly　as　possible。　　To　the　Western　student；　who　brings　to　the　subject　a　brain　throbbing　with　personality；　hunting　in　a　Japanese　sentence　for　personal　references　is　dishearteningly　like　〃searching　in　the　dark　for　a　black　hat　which　is　n't　there；〃　for　the　brevet　pronouns　are　commonly　not　on　duty。　　To　employ　them　with　the　reckless　prodigality　that　characterizes　our　conversation　would　strike　the　Tartar　mind　like　interspersing　his　talk　with　unmeaning　italics。　　He　would　regard　such　discourse　much　as　we　do　t