the soul of the far east-第34部分

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selves　and　still　more　for　the　public；　have　not。　　For　that　the　art　may　attain　a　high　degree　of　excellence　for　itself　and　much　distinction　for　its　professors；　without　calling　in　the　aid　of　imagination；　is　evident　enough　on　this　side　of　the　globe；　without　travelling　to　the　other。　　

Take；　on　the　other　hand；　a　branch　of　science　which；　to　the　average　layman；　seems　peculiarly　unimaginative；　the　science　of　mathematics。　　Yet　at　the　risk　of　appearing　to　cast　doubts　upon　the　validity　of　its　conclusions；　it　might　be　called　the　most　imaginative　product　of　human　thought；　for　it　is　simply　one　vast　imagination　based　upon　a　few　so…called　axioms；　which　are　nothing　more　nor　less　than　the　results　of　experience。　　It　is　none　the　less　imaginative　because　its　discoveries　always　accord　subsequently　with　fact；　since　man　was　not　aware　of　them　beforehand。　Nor　are　its　inevitable　conclusions　inevitable　to　any　save　those　possessed　of　the　mathematician's　prophetic　sight。　　Once　discovered；　it　requires　much　less　imagination　to　understand　them。　　With　the　light　coming　from　in　front；　it　is　an　easy　matter　to　see　what　lies　behind　one。

So　with　other　fabrics　of　human　thought；　imagination　has　been　spinning　and　weaving　them　all。　　From　the　most　concrete　of　inventions　to　the　most　abstract　of　conceptions　the　same　force　reveals　itself　upon　examination；　for　there　is　no　gulf　between　what　we　call　practical　and　what　we　consider　theoretical。　　Everything　abstract　is　ultimately　of　practical　use；　and　even　the　most　immediately　utilitarian　has　an　abstract　principle　at　its　core。　　We　are　too　prone　to　regard　the　present　age　of　the　world　as　preeminently　practical；　much　as　a　middle…aged　man　laments　the　witching　fancies　of　his　boyhood。　　But；　and　there　is　more　in　the　parallel　than　analogy；　if　the　man　be　truly　imaginative　he　is　none　the　less　so　at　forty…five　than　he　was　at　twenty；　if　his　imagination　have　taken　on　a　more　critical　form；　for　this　latter　half　of　the　nineteenth　century　is　perhaps　the　most　imaginative　period　the　world's　history　has　ever　known。　　While　with　one　hand　we　are　contriving　means　of　transit　for　our　ideas；　and　even　our　very　voices；　compared　to　which　Puck's　girdle　is　anything　but　talismanic；　with　the　other　we　are　stretching　out　to　grasp　the　action　of　mind　on　mind；　pushing　our　way　into　the　very　realm　of　mind　itself。

History　tells　the　same　story　in　detail；　for　the　history　of　mankind；　imperfectly　as　we　know　it；　discloses　the　fact　that　imagination；　and　not　the　power　of　observation　nor　the　kindred　capability　of　perception；　has　been　the　cause　of　soul…evolution。

The　savage　is　but　little　of　an　imaginative　being。　　We　are　tempted；　at　times；　to　imagine　him　more　so　than　he　is；　for　his　fanciful　folk…lore。　　The　proof　of　which　overestimation　is　that　we　find　no　difficulty　in　imagining　what　he　does；　and　even　of　imagining　what　he　probably　imagined；　and　finding　our　suppositions　verified　by　discovery。　　Yet　his　powers　of　observation　may　be　marvellously　developed。　　The　North　American　Indian　tracks　his　foe　through　the　forest　by　signs　unrecognizable　to　a　white　man；　and　he　reasons　most　astutely　upon　them；　and　still　that　very　man　turns　out　to　be　a　mere　child　when　put　before　problems　a　trifle　out　of　his　beaten　path。　And　all　because　his　forefathers　had　not　the　power　to　imagine　something　beyond　what　they　actually　saw。　　The　very　essence　of　the　force　of　imagination　lies　in　its　ability　to　change　a　man's　habitat　for　him。　Without　it；　man　would　forever　have　remained；　not　a　mollusk；　to　be　sure；　but　an　animal　simply。　　A　plant　cannot　change　its　place；　an　animal　cannot　alter　its　conditions　of　existence　except　within　very　narrow　bounds；　man　is　free　in　the　sense　nothing　else　in　the　world　is。

What　is　true　of　individuals　has　been　true　of　races。　　The　most　imaginative　races　have　proved　the　greatest　factors　in　the　world's　advance。

Now　after　this　look　at　our　own　side　of　the　world；　let　us　turn　to　the　other；　for　it　is　this　very　psychological　fact　that　mental　progression　implies　an　ever…increasing　individualization；　and　that　imagination　is　the　force　at　work　in　the　process　which　Far　Eastern　civilization；　taken　in　connection　with　our　own；　reveals。　　In　doing　this；　it　explains　incidentally　its　own　seeming　anomalies；　the　most　unaccountable　of　which；　apparently；　is　its　existence。

We　have　seen　how　impressively　impersonal　the　Far　East　is。　　Now　if　individuality　be　the　natural　measure　of　the　height　of　civilization　which　a　nation　has　reached；　impersonality　should　betoken　a　relatively　laggard　position　in　the　race。　　We　ought；　therefore；　to　find　among　these　people　certain　other　characteristics　corroborative　of　a　less　advanced　state　of　development。　　In　the　first　place；　if　imagination　be　the　impulse　of　which　increase　in　individuality　is　the　resulting　motion；　that　quality　should　be　at　a　minimum　there。　The　Far　Orientals　ought　to　be　a　particularly　unimaginative　set　of　people。　Such　is　precisely　what　they　are。　　Their　lack　of　imagination　is　a　well…recognized　fact。　　All　who　have　been　brought　in　contact　with　them　have　observed　it；　merchants　as　strikingly　as　students。　　Indeed；　the　slightest　intercourse　with　them　could　not　fail　to　make　it　evident。　Their　matter…of…fact　way　of　looking　at　things　is　truly　distressing；　coming　as　it　does　from　so　artistic　a　people。　One　notices　it　all　the　more　for　the　shock。　　To　get　a　prosaic　answer　from　a　man　whose　appearance　and　surroundings　betoken　better　things　is　not　calculated　to　dull　that　answer's　effect。　　Aston；　in　a　pamphlet　on　the　Altaic　tongues；　cites　an　instance　which　is　so　much　to　the　point　that　I　venture　to　repeat　it　here。　　He　was　a　true　Chinaman；　he　says；　who；　when　his　English　master　asked　him　what　he　thought　of

　　　〃That　orbed　maiden　　　　　With　white　fires　laden　　　　　Whom　mortals　call　the　moon；〃

replied；　〃My　thinkee　all　same　lamp　pidgin〃　（pidgin　meaning　thing　in　the　mongrel　speech；　Chinese　in　form　and　English　in　diction；　which　goes　by　the　name　of　pidgin　English）。

Their　own　tongues　show　the　same　prosaic　character；　picturesque　as　they　appear　to　us　at　first　sight。　　That　effect　is　due　simply　to　the　novelty　to　us　of　their　expressions。　　To　talk　of　a　pass　as　an　〃up…down〃　　has　a　refreshing　turn　to　our　unused　ear；　but　it　is　a　much　more　descriptive　than　imaginative　figure　of　speech。　　Nor　is　the　phrase　〃the　being　（so）　is　difficult；〃　in　place　of　〃thank　you；〃　a　surprisingly　beautiful　bit　of　imagery；　delightful　as　it　sounds　for　a　change。　　Our　own　tongue　has；　in　its　daily　vocabulary；　far　more　suggestive　expressions；　only　familiarity　has　rendered　us　callous　to　their　use。　　We　employ　at　every　instant　words　which；　could　we　but　stop　to　think　of　them；　would　strike　us　as　poetic　in　the　ideas　they　call　up。　　As　has　been　well　said；　they　were　once　happy　thoughts　of　some　bright　particular　genius　bequeathed　to　posterity　without　so　much　as　an　accompanying　name；　and　which　proved　so　popular　that　they　soon　became　but　symbols　themselves。

Their　languages　are　paralleled　by　their　whole　life。　　A　lack　of　any　fanciful　ideas　is　one　of　the　most　salient　traits　of　all　Far　Eastern　races；　if　indeed　a　sad　dearth　of　anything　can　properly　be　spoken　of　as　salient。　　Indirectly　their　want　of　imagination　betrays　itself　in　their　every…day　sayings　and　doings；　and　more　directly　in　every　branch　of　thought。　　Originality　is　not　their　strong