the soul of the far east-第5部分

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　directly　underlies　the　deeper　oddities　of　a　civilization　which　is　the　modern　eighth　wonder　of　the　world。　　We　shall　see　this　as　we　look　at　what　these　people　are；　at　what　they　were；　and　at　what　they　hope　to　become；　not　historically；　but　psychologically；　as　one　might　perceive；　were　he　but　wise　enough；　in　an　acorn；　besides　the　nut　itself；　two　oaks；　that　one　from　which　it　fell；　and　that　other　which　from　it　will　rise。　　These　three　states；　which　we　may　call　its　potential　past；　present；　and　future；　may　be　observed　and　studied　in　three　special　outgrowths　of　a　race's　character：　in　its　language；　in　its　every…day　thoughts；　and　in　its　religion。　　For　in　the　language　of　a　people　we　find　embalmed　the　spirit　of　its　past；　in　its　every…day　thoughts；　be　they　of　arts　or　sciences；　is　wrapped　up　its　present　life；　in　its　religion　lie　enfolded　its　dreamings　of　a　future。　　From　out　each　of　these　three　subjects　in　the　Far　East　impersonality　stares　us　in　the　face。　Upon　this　quality　as　a　foundation　rests　the　Far　Oriental　character。　　It　is　individually　rather　than　nationally　that　I　propose　to　scan　it　now。　It　is　the　action　of　a　particle　in　the　wave　of　world…development　I　would　watch；　rather　than　the　propagation　of　the　wave　itself。　Inferences　about　the　movement　of　the　whole　will　follow　of　themselves　a　knowledge　of　the　motion　of　its　parts。

But　before　we　attack　the　subject　esoterically；　let　us　look　a　moment　at　the　man　as　he　appears　in　his　relation　to　the　community。　　Such　a　glance　will　suggest　the　peculiar　atmosphere　of　impersonality　that　pervades　the　people。

However　lacking　in　cleverness；　in　merit；　or　in　imagination　a　man　may　be；　there　are　in　our　Western　world；　if　his　existence　there　be　so　much　as　noticed　at　all；　three　occasions　on　which　he　appears　in　print。　His　birth；　his　marriage；　and　his　death　are　all　duly　chronicled　in　type；　perhaps　as　sufficiently　typical　of　the　general　unimportance　of　his　life。　　Mention　of　one's　birth；　it　is　true；　is　an　aristocratic　privilege；　confined　to　the　world　of　English　society。　　In　democratic　America；　no　doubt　because　all　men　there　are　supposed　to　be　born　free　and　equal；　we　ignore　the　first　event；　and　mention　only　the　last　two　episodes；　about　which　our　national　astuteness　asserts　no　such　effacing　equality。

Accepting　our　newspaper　record　as　a　fair　enough　summary　of　the　biography　of　an　average　man；　let　us　look　at　these　three　momentous　occasions　in　the　career　of　a　Far　Oriental。


Chapter　2。　　Family。

In　the　first　place；　then；　the　poor　little　Japanese　baby　is　ushered　into　this　world　in　a　sadly　impersonal　manner；　for　he　is　not　even　accorded　the　distinction　of　a　birthday。　　He　is　permitted　instead　only　the　much　less　special　honor　of　a　birth…year。　　Not　that　he　begins　his　separate　existence　otherwise　than　is　the　custom　of　mortals　generally；　at　a　definite　instant　of　time；　but　that　very　little　subsequent　notice　is　ever　taken　of　the　fact。　　On　the　contrary；　from　the　moment　he　makes　his　appearance　he　is　spoken　of　as　a　year　old；　and　this　same　age　he　continues　to　be　considered　in　most　simple　ease　of　calculation；　till　the　beginning　of　the　next　calendar　year。　　When　that　epoch　of　general　rejoicing　arrives；　he　is　credited　with　another　year　himself。　　So　is　everybody　else。　　New　Year's　day　is　a　common　birthday　for　the　community；　a　sort　of　impersonal　anniversary　for　his　whole　world。　　A　like　reckoning　is　followed　in　China　and　Korea。　　Upon　the　disadvantages　of　being　considered　from　one's　birth　up　at　least　one　year　and　possibly　two　older　than　one　really　is；　it　lies　beyond　our　present　purpose　to　expatiate。　　It　is　quite　evident　that　woman　has　had　no　voice　in　the　framing　of　such　a　chronology。　　One　would　hardly　imagine　that　man　had　either；　so　astronomic　is　the　system。　　A　communistic　age　is　however　but　an　unavoidable　detail　of　the　general　scheme　whose　most　suggestive　feature　consists　in　the　subordination　of　the　actual　birthday　of　the　individual　to　the　fictitious　birthday　of　the　community。　　For　it　is　not　so　much　the　want　of　commemoration　shown　the　subject　as　the　character　of　the　commemoration　which　is　significant。　　Some　slight　notice　is　indeed　paid　to　birthdays　during　early　childhood；　but　even　then　their　observance　is　quite　secondary　in　importance　to　that　of　the　great　impersonal　anniversaries　of　the　third　day　of　the　third　moon　and　the　fifth　day　of　the　fifth　moon。　These　two　occasions　celebrated　the　coming　of　humanity　into　the　world　with　an　impersonality　worthy　of　the　French　revolutionary　calendar。　The　first　of　them　is　called　the　festival　of　girls；　and　commemorates　the　birth　of　girls　generally；　the　advent　of　the　universal　feminine；　as　one　may　say。　　The　second　is　a　corresponding　anniversary　for　boys。　Owing　to　its　sex；　the　latter　is　the　greater　event　of　the　two；　and　in　consequence　of　its　most　conspicuous　feature　is　styled　the　festival　of　fishes。　　The　fishes　are　hollow　paper　images　of　the　〃tai〃　from　four　to　six　feet　in　length；　tied　to　the　top　of　a　long　pole　planted　in　the　ground　and　tipped　with　a　gilded　ball。　　Holes　in　the　paper　at　the　mouth　and　the　tail　enable　the　wind　to　inflate　the　body　so　that　it　floats　about　horizontally；　swaying　hither　and　thither；　and　tugging　at　the　line　after　the　manner　of　a　living　thing。　　The　fish　are　emblems　of　good　luck；　and　are　set　up　in　the　courtyard　of　every　house　where　a　son　has　been　born　during　the　year。　　On　this　auspicious　day　Tokio　is　suddenly　transformed　into　eighty　square　miles　of　aquarium。

For　any　more　personal　purpose　New　Year's　day　eclipses　all　particular　anniversaries。　　Then　everybody　congratulates　everybody　else　upon　everything　in　general；　and　incidentally　upon　being　alive。　　Such　substitution　of　an　abstract　for　a　concrete　birthday；　although　exceedingly　convenient　for　others；　must　at　least　conduce　to　self…forgetfulness　on　the　part　of　its　proper　possessor；　and　tend　inevitably　to　merge　the　identity　of　the　individual　in　that　of　the　community。

It　fares　hardly　better　with　the　Far　Oriental　in　the　matter　of　marriage。　Although　he　is；　as　we　might　think；　the　person　most　interested　in　the　result；　he　is　permitted　no　say　in　the　affair　whatever。　　In　fact；　it　is　not　his　affair　at　all；　but　his　father's。　His　hand　is　simply　made　a　cat's…paw　of。　　The　matter　is　entirely　a　business　transaction；　entered　into　by　the　parent　and　conducted　through　regular　marriage　brokers。　　In　it　he　plays　only　the　part　of　a　marionette。　　His　revenge　for　being　thus　bartered　out　of　what　might　be　the　better　half　of　his　life；　he　takes　eventually　on　the　next　succeeding　generation。

His　death　may　be　said　to　be　the　most　important　act　of　his　whole　life。　For　then　only　can　his　personal　existence　be　properly　considered　to　begin。　　By　it　he　joins　the　great　company　of　ancestors　who　are　to　these　people　of　almost　more　consequence　than　living　folk；　and　of　much　more　individual　distinction。　　Particularly　is　this　the　case　in　China　and　Korea；　but　the　same　respect；　though　in　a　somewhat　less　rigid　form；　is　paid　the　dead　in　Japan。　　Then　at　last　the　individual　receives　that　recognition　which　was　denied　him　in　the　flesh。　In　Japan　a　mortuary　tablet　is　set　up　to　him　in　the　house　and　duly　worshipped；　on　the　continent　the　ancestors　are　given　a　dwelling　of　their　own；　and　even　more　devotedly　reverenced。　　But　in　both　places　the　cult　is　anything　but　funereal。　　For　the　ancestral　tombs　ar