Surveyingthesubject,then,fromthisego—altruisticposition,wecanperceivewhymatrimony,aswepractiseit,shouldresultinincreasingthepersonalityofourrace:forthereasonnamelythatpsychicalsimilaritydeterminestheselection。Atfirstsight,indeed,suchanaturalaffinitywouldseemtohavelittleornothingtodowithmarriage。Asfarasoutsidersarecapableofjudging,unlikesappeartofancyoneanotherquiteasgratuitouslyasdolikes。Connubialcouplesareoftenanythingbuttwinsouls。Yetourowndualuseoftheword\"like\"bearshistoricwitnesstothecontrary。ForinthisexpressionwehavearecordfromearlyGothictimesthatmenlikedothersforbeinglikethemselves。Sincethen,ourfeelingshavenotchangedmaterially,althoughourmodeofshowingthemisslightlylessintense。Inthosesimpledaysstrangerandenemyweresynonymousterms,andtheirobjectswerereceivedinacorrespondingspirit。Inourpresentrefinedcivilizationwehurlepithetsinsteadofspears,andcontentourselveswithbrandingasheterodoxtheopinionsofanotherwhichdonothappentocoincidewithourown。Theinstinctofself—developmentnaturallybegetsthisself—sidedview。Weinsensiblyfindthosepersonscongenialwhoseideasresembleours,andgravitatetothem,asleavesonaponddotooneanother,nearerandnearertilltheytouch。Isitlikely,then,thatinthemostimportantcaseofalltheruleshouldsuddenlyceasetohold?IsittobepresumedthatevenSocrateschoseXantippeforherremarkablecontrarietytohimself?
Merephysicalattractionisanothermatter。Corporeallyconsidered,mennotinfrequentlyfallinlovewiththeiropposites,thephenomenallytallwiththepainfullyshort,theunnecessarilystoutwiththedistressinglyslender。Butevensuchinartisticjuxtapositionsaremuchlesscommonthanweareaptattimestothink。Foritmustneverbeforgottenthattheexceptionalcharacterofthephenomenarendersthemconspicuous,thecustomarymoreconsortedcombinationsfailingtoexciteattention。
Besides,thereexistsareasonforphysicalincongruitywhichdoesnotholdpsychically。Naturesanctionstheonewhileshediscountenancestheother。Insteadoftheforethoughtsheoncebestoweduponthebody,itreceivesatherhandsnowbutthescantiestattention。Itsdevelopmenthasceasedtobeanobjectwithher。Forsometimepastalmostallhercarehasbeendevotedtotheevolutionofthesoul。Theconsequenceisthatphysicallymanismuchlessspecializedthanmanyotheranimals。Inotherwords,heisbodilylessadvancedintheraceforcompetitiveextermination。Hebelongstoanantiquated,inefficienttypeofmammal。Hisorganismisstillofthejack—of—all—tradespattern,suchasprevailedgenerallyinthemoreyouthfulstagesoforganiclife——onenotspeciallysuitedtoanyparticularpursuit。Wereitnotforhiscerebralconvolutionshecouldnotcompeteforaninstantinthestruggleforexistence,andeventhemonkeywouldreigninhisstead。Butbrainismoreeffectivethanbiceps,andabeingwhocankillhisopponentfartheroffthanhecanseehimevidentlyneedsnogreatexcellenceofbodytosurvivehisfoe。
Thefieldofcompetitionhasthusbeentransferredfrommattertomind,butthefighthaslostnoneofitskeennessinconsequence。
Withthesamezealwithwhichadvantageousanatomicalvariationswereseizeduponandperpetuated,psychicalonesarenowgraspedandrenderedhereditary。Nowifoppositesweretofancyandwedoneanother,suchfortunateimprovementswouldsoonbelost。Theywouldbescatteredoverthecommunityatlargeevenittheyescapedentireneutralization。Topreventsodisastrousaresultnatureimplantsadesireforresemblance,whichdesiremaninstinctivelyactsupon。
Completecompatibilityoftemperamentisofcourseathingnottobeexpectednorindeedtobedesired,sinceitwoulddefeatitsownendbyallowingnoroomforvariation。Afairlybroadbasisofagreement,however,existsevenwhenleastsuspected。Thiscommongroundofcontentconsistsofthosequalitiesheldtobemostessentialbytheindividualsconcerned,althoughnotnecessarilysoappearingtootherpeople。Sometimes,indeed,thesequalitiesarestillinthelarvaestateofdesires。Theyarenonethelesspotentupontheman’spersonalityonthataccount,forthewishisalwaysfathertoitsownfulfilment。
Thewantofconjugalresemblancenotonlyworksmediatelyonthechild,itworksmutuallyontheparents;forcompanionship,asiswellrecognized,tendstosimilarity。Nowcompanionshipisthelastthingtobelookedforinafar—easterncouple。Wherecustomrequiresawifetofollowdutifullyinthewakeofherhusband,wheneverthetwogoouttogether,thereissmallopportunityforintercoursebytheway,evenweretheretheslightestinclinationtoit,whichthereisnot。Theappearanceofthepaironanexcursionisawalkingsatireonsociability,forthecomicalityoftheconnectionisquiteunperceivedbytheperformers。Intheprivacyofthedomesticcircletheseparation,iflesshumorous,isnolesscomplete。Eachlivesinaworldofhisown,largelyseparateinfactinChinaandKorea,andnonethelessinfancyinJapan。
Onthecontinentafriendofthehusbandwouldseelittleornothingofthewife,andeveninJapanhewouldmeethermuchaswemeetanupperservantinafriend’shouse。Suchasemi—attachedrelationshipdoesnotconducetomuchmutualunderstanding。
Theremainderofourhero’suneventfulexistencecallsfornoparticularcomment。Assoonashehaschildrenbornehimheisraisedipsofactofromthepositionofacommonsoldiertothatofasubordinateofficerinthefamilyranks。Buthisopportunitiesfortheexpressionofindividualityarenotonewhitincreased。
Hehassimplyadvancedapeginaregularhierarchyofsubjection。
Frombeinglookedafterhimselfheproceedstolookafterothers。
Suchistheextentofthechange。Evenshouldhechancetobetheeldestsonoftheeldestson,andthuseventuallyendbybecomingtheheadofthefamily,hecannotconsistentlyconsiderhimself。
Thereisabsolutelynoplaceinhissocialcosmosforsoparticularathingastheego。
Withacertaingrimhumorsuggestiveofmetaphysics,itmaybesaidofhiswholelifethatitisnothingbutarelativeaffairafterall。
Chapter3。Adoption。
Butonemaygoastepfartherinthismatterofthefamily,andbysodoingfarestillworsewithrespecttoindividuality。Therearecertaincustomsinvogueamongthesepeopleswhichwouldseemtoindicatethatevensogenericathingasthefamilyistoopersonaltoservethemforultimatesocialatom,andthatinfactitisonlytheideaofthefamilythatisreallyimportant,acaseofabstractionofanabstract。Thesesuggestivecustomsarethefar—easternpracticesofadoptionandabdication。
Adoption,withus,isakindofdomesticluxury,akintothekeepingofanyotherpets,suchaslap—dogsandcanaries。Itisaspeciesofself—indulgencewhichthosewhocanafforditgivethemselveswhenfortunehasprovedunpropitious,anartificialmethodofcounteractingtheinequalitiesoffate。Thatsuchistheplainunglamouredviewoftheprocedureisshownbytheageatwhichtheobjectisadopted。Usuallythefuturesonordaughterenterstheadoptivehouseholdasaninfant,intentionallysoonthepartofthewould—beparents。Hisignoranceofapreviousrelationshiplargelyincreaseshisrelativevalue;forthepossibilityofhismakingcomparisonsinhisownmindbetweenaformerstateofexistenceandthepresentoneunfavorabletothelatterisnotpleasantfortheadopterstocontemplate。Heisthereforeacquiredyoung。Theamusementderivedfromhiscompanyisthusseentobedistinctlyparamounttoallotherconsiderations。Noonecaressoheartilytoownadogwhichhasbeenthepropertyofanother;afortioriofachild。Itisclearly,then,notasanecessitythatthebabeisadopted。Ifsuchwerethecase,ifliketheancientRomansallamanwantedwasthecontinuanceofthefamilyline,hewouldnaturallywaituntilthelastpracticablemoment;forhewouldthussavebothcareandexpense。IntheFarEastadoptionisquiteadifferentaffair。Thereitisagenealogicalnecessity——likehavingafatherormother。Itis,indeed,ofalmostmoreimportance。
Forthegreatdesideratumtothesepeoplesisnotancestorsbutdescendants。Pedigreesinthelandoftheuniversaloppositearenotmattersofbequestbutofposthumousreversion。Amanisnotbeholdentothepast,helooksforwardtothefutureforinheritedhonors。Nofameattachestohimforhavinghadanillustriousgrandfather。Onthecontrary,itistheillustriousgrandsonwhoreflectssomeofhisowngreatnessbackuponhisgrandfather。Ifamanthereforefailtoattaineminencehimself,healwayshasanotherchanceinhisdescendants;forhewillofnecessitybeennobledthroughthemeritsofthosewhosucceedhim。Suchistheimmemoriallawoftheland。Fameisretroactive。Thisadmirablesystemhasonlyoneobjection:itisposthumousinitseffect。Anambitiousmanwhounfortunatelylacksabilityhimselfhastowaittoolongforvicariousrecognition。Theobjectionislikethatincidenttothemakingofacountryseatoutofatreelessplainbyplantingthesamewithsaplings。Aboutthetimethetreesbegintobeworthhavingtheproprietarylandscape—gardenerdiesofoldage。However,ascustompermitsaFarOrientalnoancestralgrowthoftimber,heisobligedtolaytheseedsofhisownfamilytrees。Naturaloffspringareonthewholeeasiertoget,andmoresatisfactorywhengot。Hencethehastewithwhichthesepeoplesrushintomatrimony。
Ifindespiteofhisprecipitationfateperverselyrefusetogranthimchildren,hemustendeavortomakegoodtheomissionbyartificialmeans。Heproceedstoadoptsomebody。Truetoinstinct,hechoosesfrompreferenceacollateralrelative。Insomefar—easternlandshemustsorestricthimselfbylaw。InKorea,forinstance,hecanonlyadoptanagnateandoneofalowergenerationthanhisown。
ButinJapanhischoiceisnotsolimited。Insopraiseworthyanactastheperpetuationofhisunimportantfamilyline,itisdeemedunwiseinthatprogressivelandtohinderhimfromunconsciouslybetteringitbytheway。Heisconsequentlypermittedtoadoptanybody。Aspeoplearebynomeansaversetobeingadopted,thepowertoadoptwhomhewillgiveshimmorevoiceinthematterofhisunnaturaloffspringthanheeverhadintheselectionofamorenaturalone。
Theadoptedchangeshisname,ofcourse,totakethatofthefamilyheenters。Asheisveryfrequentlygrownupandextensivelyknownatthetimetheadoptiontakesplace,hischangeofcognomenoccasionsatfirstsomeslightconfusionamonghisacquaintance。
Thiswouldbenoworse,however,thanthechangewithusfromthemaidtothematron,andintercoursewouldsoonproceedsmoothlyagainifpeoplewouldonlyrestcontentwithonesuchdomesticmigration。Buttheydonot。Thefatalfacilityoftheprocesstemptsthemtorepeatit。Theresultisbewildering:apeopleasnomadicnowinthepropertyoftheirpersonsastheirforefatherswereintheirrealestate。Amanadoptsanotherto—daytounadopthimto—morrowandreplacehimbysomebodyelsethedayafter。
Soprofoundlyunimportanttothemistheirsocialidentity,thattheybandyitaboutwithalmostfarcicalfreedom。Perhapsitisfittingthatthereshouldbesomeslightpreparationinthisworldforafuturetransmigrationofsouls。Stillonefailstoconceivethatthepracticecanbedevoidofdisadvantageseventoitsbeneficiaries。
Toforeignersitprovesdisastrouslyperplexing。Forifyouchanceuponamanwhomyouhavenotmetforsometime,youcanneverbequitesurehowtoaccosthim。Ifyoubegin,\"Wellmet,Green,howgoesit?\"aslikelyasnothereplies,\"Finely。ButIamnolongerGreen;IhavebecomeBrown。Iwasadoptedlastmonthbymymaternalgrandfather。\"Youofcourseapologizeforyourunfortunatemistake,carefullynotehischangeofhueforafutureoccasion,andbehold,onmeetinghimthenexttimeyoufindhehasturnedBlack。Suchachameleon—likecognomenisveryunsettlingtoyourideaofhisidentity,andcanhardlyprovereassuringtohisown。Theonlypersonswhoreapanybenefitfromthedoubtarethose,withusunhappy,individualswhopossessthefutilefacultyofrememberingfaceswithoutrecallingtheiraccompanyingnames。
Girls,asarule,arenotadopted,beingvaluelessgenealogically。
Anieceorgrandniecetowhomonehastakenagreatfancymightofcoursebeadoptedthereaselsewhere,butitwouldbedistinctlyoutoftheevery—dayrun,asshecouldneverbeincludedinthehouseholdonstrictbusinessprinciples。
Thepracticeofadoptingisnotconfinedtochildlesscouples。
Othersmayfindthemselvesinquiteasunfortunateapredicament。
Amanmaybethefatherofalargeandthrivingfamilyandyetbeasdestitutepatriarchallyasifhehadnotachildtohisname。
Hisoffspringmaybeofthewrongsex;theymayallbegirls。
Inthisuntowardeventthefatherhassomethingmoreonhishandsthanmerelyahousefulofdaughterstodisposeof。Inadditiontosecuringsons—in—law,hemust,unlesshewouldhavehisancestrallinebecomeextinct,providehimselfwithason。Thesimplestprocedureinsuchacaseistocombinerelationshipsinasingleindividual,andthemostself—evidentpersontoselectforthedualcapacityisthehusbandoftheeldestdaughter。Thisisthecoursepursued。Someworthyyoungmanissecuredasspousefortheseniorsister;heisatthesametimeformallytakeninasasonbythefamilywhosecognomenheassumes,andeventuallybecomestheheadofthehouse。Strangetosay,thisvistaofgraduallyunfoldinghonorsdoesnotseemtoproveinviting。Perhapsthenew—comerobjectstomarryingthewholefamily,aprejudicenotwithoutparallelelsewhere。Certainlytheopportunityisnotappreciated。Indeed,to\"gooutasason—in—law,\"astheJapaneseidiomhathit,isconsidereddemeaningtothematrimonialdomestic。Likeotherhouseholdhelphewearstoopatentlythebadgeofservitude。
\"Ifyouhavethreekokuofricetoyourname,don’tdoit,\"istheadviceofthelocalproverb——aproverbwhosewarningagainstmarryingformoneyisthemoresuggestiveforbeinglaunchedinalandwheremarryingforloveisbeyondthepaleofrespectability。
Tobarterone’snameinthismercenarymannerislookeduponasderogatorytoone’sself—respect,although,aswehaveseen,topartwithitforanylessdirectremunerationisnotattendedwiththeslightestlossofpersonalprestige。Aspracticallytheunfortunatehadnonetoloseineitherevent,itwouldseemtobeacaseoftakingawayfromamanthatwhichhehathnot。Socontumaciousathingiscustom。Itisindeedluckythatpopularprejudiceinterposessomelimittothisfictitiousmethodofacquiringchildren。Atriflingpredilectionfortherealthinginsonshipsisabsolutelyvital,eventothecontinuanceoftheartificialvariety。
Forifonegenerationeverwentinexclusivelyforadoption,therewouldbenosubsequentgenerationtoadopt。
Asittogivethefinishingtouchtosoconventionalasystemofsociety,amancanleaveitundercertaincircumstanceswithevengreatereasethanheenteredit。Hecanbecomeasgoodasdeadwithoutthenecessityofmakingwaywithhimself。Theoretically,hecanceasetolivewhilestillpracticallyexisting;foritisalwaysopentotheheadofafamilytoabdicate。
Thewordabdicatehastoourearsacertainregalsound。
Weinstinctivelyassociatetheactwithaking。Eventhemoredemocraticexpressionresignsuggestsatonceanofficeofpublicorquasipubliccharacter。Totalkofabdicatingone’sprivaterelationshipssoundsabsurd;onemightaswelltalkofelectinghisparents,itwouldseemtous。Suchmisunderstandingoffar—easternsocialpossibilitiescomesfromourhavingindulgedindigressionsfromourmoresimplenomadichabits。Ifinimaginationwewillreturntoourancestralmuttonsandthethenexistingorderofthings,theideawillnotstrikeusassostrange;forinthoseearlybucolicdayseveryfatherwasaking。Familyeconomicsweretheonlypoliticalquestionsinexistencethen。Theclanwastheunit。Domesticdisputeswerestatedisturbances,andclan—claimstheonlykindofinternationalquarrels。Thepatriarchwasbothfathertohispeopleandking。
Astimewidenedthefamilycircleiteventuallyreachedapointwherecohesionceasedtobepossible。Thecentrifugaltendencycouldnolongerbecontrolledbythecentripetalforce。Itsplitupintoseparatebodies,eachofthemafamilybyitself。Intheirturntheseagaindivided,andsotheprocesswenton。Thisprinciplehasworkeduniversally,theonlydifferenceinitsactionamongdifferentracesbeingthegreaterorlessdegreeoftheevolvingmotion。Withusthesocialsystemhasbeenturningmoreandmorerapidlywithtime。IntheFarEastitsforce,insteadofincreasing,wouldseemtohavedecreased,enablingthenebulaofitsoriginalconditiontokeeptogetherasasinglemass,sothatto—dayawholenation,resemblinganebulaindeedinhomogeneity,isswayedbyasinglepatriarchalprinciple。Here,onthecontrary,sorapidhasthemotionbecomethatevenbrethrenfindthemselvesscatteredtothefourwinds。
AnOccidentalfatherandanOrientalheadofafamilyarenolongerreallycorrelativeterms。Thelattermorecloselyresemblesakinginhisduties,responsibilities,andfunctionsgenerally。Now,intheMiddleAgesinEurope,whenakinggrewtiredofaffairsofstate,heabdicated。SointheFarEast,whentheheadofafamilyhashadenoughofactivelife,heabdicates,andhiseldestsonreignsinhisstead。
Fromthatmomentheceasestobelongtothebodypoliticinanyactivesense。Notthatheisnolongeramemberofsocietynorunamenabletoitsgenerallaws,butthathehasbecomearespectabledeclasse,asitwere。Hehasentered,sotospeak,thesocialnirvana,anotunfittingfirststep,asheregardsit,towardenteringtheeventualnirvanabeyond。Suchabdicationnowtakesplacewithoutparticularcause。Afteracertaintimeoflife,andlongbeforeamangrowsold,itisthefashionthustomakeone’sbow。
Chapter4。Language。
Aman’spersonalequation,asastronomerscalltheeffectofhisindividuality,iskin,forallitscomplexity,tothosesimplealgebraicalproblemswhichsopuzzledusatschool。Tosolveeitherwemustbeginbyknowingthevaluesoftheconstantsthatenterintoitsexpression。Upontheabc’softheone,asuponthoseoftheother,dependthepossibilitiesoftheindividualx。
Nowtheconstantsinanyman’sequationarethequalitiesthathehasinheritedfromthepast。Whatamandoesfollowsfromwhatheis,whichinturnismostlydependentuponwhathisancestorshavebeen;andofallthelinksinthelongchainofmind—evolution,fewaremoreimportantandmoresuggestivethanlanguage。Actionsmayatthemomentspeaklouderthanwords,butmethodsofexpressionhaveastell—taleatongueforbygonetimesaswaysofdoingthings。
IfitshouldeverfalltomylottohavetosettlethatexceedinglyvexedEasternquestion,——nottheemancipationofancientGreecefromthebondageofthemodernTurk,buttheemancipationofthemoderncollegestudentfromthebondofancientGreek,——Ishouldpropose,asasolutionofthedilemma,theadditionofacourseinJapanesetothecollegelistofrequiredstudies。Itmightlook,Iadmit,likebeggingthequestionforthesakeofgivingitsanswer,buttheanswer,Ithink,wouldjustifyitself。
Itisfromnodesiretoparadeafreshhobby—horseupontheuniversitycurriculumthatIofferthesuggestion,butbecauseI
believethatastudyoftheJapaneselanguagewouldprovethemostvaluableofponiesintheacademicpursuitofphilology。Inthematterofliterature,indeed,weshouldnotbeaddingverymuchtoourexistingstore,butweshouldgainaninsightintothegenesisofspeechthatwouldputusatleastonestepnearertobeingpresentatthebeginningsofhumanconversation。Asitisnow,ourlinguisticlearningiswithmostofuslimitedtoaknowledgeofAryantongues,andinconsequencewenotonlyfallintothemistakeofthinkingourwaytheonlyway,whichisbadenough,but,whatisfarworse,bynotperceivingtheotherpossiblepathswequitefailtoappreciatetheadvantagesordisadvantagesoffollowingourown。
Wearetheblindvotariesofaspeciesofancestrallanguage—worship,which,withallitserudition,tendstonarrowourlinguisticscope。
AstudyofJapanesewouldfreeusfromthefettersofanysuchfamilyinfatuation。Theinviolablerulesandregulationsofourmother—tonguewouldbefoundtobeofrelativeapplicationonly。
Forweshoulddiscoverthatspeechisamuchlesscategoricalmatterthanwehadbeenledtosuppose。Weshouldactuallycometodoubtthefundamentalnecessityofsomeofourmostsacredgrammaticalconstructions;andevenourreverencedLatingrammarswouldlosethatairofawfulabsolutenesswhichsoimpressedusinboyhood。
AnencouragingestimateofacertainmissionaryputstheamountofstudyneededbytheWesternstudentforthelearningofJapaneseassufficient,ifexpendednearerhome,toequiphimwithanythreemodernEuropeanlanguages。Itiscertainlytruethatacompletelystrangevocabulary,anutterinversionofgrammar,andanelaboratesystemofhonorificscombinetorenderitsacquisitionanythingbuteasy。Initsfundamentalprinciples,however,itisalluringlysimple。
Inthefirstplace,theJapaneselanguageispleasinglydestituteofpersonalpronouns。Notonlyistheobnoxious\"I\"conspicuousonlybyitsabsence;theobjectionableantagonistic\"you\"isalsoentirelysuppressed,whiletheintrusive\"he\"isevidentlytoomuchofathirdpersontobewanted。SuchinvidiousdistinctionsofidentityapparentlyneverthrusttheirpresenceuponthesimpleearlyTartarminds。I,you,andhe,notbeingdifferencesduetonature,demanded,totheirthinking,norecognitionofman。
Thereisaboutthisvaguenessofexpressionafreedomnotwithoutitscharm。Itiscertainlydelightfultobeabletospeakofyourselfasifyouweresomebodyelse,choosingmentallyfortheoccasionanyoneyoumayhappentofancy,or,ityouprefer,thepossibilityofsoaringboldlyforthintotherealmsoftheunconditioned。
Tous,atfirstsight,however,suchalackofspecificationappearswofullyincompatiblewithanyintelligibletransmissionofideas。
Socommunisticawantofdiscriminationbetweenthemeumandthetuum——tosaynothingoftheclaimsofapossiblethirdparty——wouldseemtobeasfataltotheinterchangeofthoughtsasitprovesdestructivetothetraffickingincommodities。Such,nevertheless,isnottheresult。Onthecontrary,JapaneseisaseasyandascertainofcomprehensionasisEnglish。Onninetyoccasionsoutofahundred,thecontextatoncemakesclearthepersonmeant。
Intheveryfewreallyambiguouscases,orthoseinwhich,forthesakeofemphasis,apronouniswanted,certainconsecratedexpressionsareintroducedforthepurpose。Foreventuallythemorecomplexsocialrelationsofincreasingcivilizationcompelledsomesortofdistantrecognition。Accordingly,compromiseswithobjectionablepersonalitywereeffectedbycircumlocutionspromotedtoapronoun’soffice,becomingthuspro—pronouns,asitwere。
Verynoncommittalexpressionstheyare,mostofthem,suchas:
\"theaugustness,\"meaningyou;\"thathonorableside,\"or\"thatcorner,\"denotingsomethirdperson,theexacttermemployedinanygiveninstancescrupulouslybetokeningtherelativerespectinwhichtheindividualspokenofisheld;whilewithacandor,anindefiniteness,orahumilityworthysopoliteapeople,theIisknownas\"selfishness,\"or\"acertainperson,\"or\"theclumsyone。\"
Pronominaladjectivesaremanufacturedinthesameway。
\"Thestupidfather,\"\"theawkwardson,\"\"thebroken—downfirm,\"are\"mine。\"Werethey\"yours,\"theywouldinstantlybecome\"theaugust,venerablefather,\"\"thehonorableson,\"\"theexaltedfirm。\"[1]
Eventheselamesubstitutesforpronounsareparadedassparinglyaspossible。TotheWesternstudent,whobringstothesubjectabrainthrobbingwithpersonality,huntinginaJapanesesentenceforpersonalreferencesisdishearteninglylike\"searchinginthedarkforablackhatwhichisn’tthere;\"forthebrevetpronounsarecommonlynotonduty。ToemploythemwiththerecklessprodigalitythatcharacterizesourconversationwouldstriketheTartarmindlikeinterspersinghistalkwithunmeaningitalics。Hewouldregardsuchdiscoursemuchaswedothoseeffusiveepistlesofacertaintypeofyoungwomantohermostintimategirlfriends,inwhicheveryotherwordisemphaticallyunderlined。
Forthemostpart,theabsolutelynecessarypersonalreferencesareintroducedbyhonorifics;thatis,byhonoraryorhumbleexpressions。
Suchisaportionofthelatter’sduty。Theydoagreatdealofunnecessaryworkbesides。
Thesehonorificsare,takenasawhole,oneofthemostinterestingpeculiaritiesofJapanese,asalsoofKorean,justas,takenindetail,theyareoneofitsmostdangerouspitfalls。Forsilenceisindeedgoldencomparedwiththechagrinofdiscoveringthataspeechwhichyouhadmeantforacomplimentwas,infact,aninsult,orthevexationoflearningthatyouhavebeenindustriouslytreatingyourservantwiththedeferencedueasuperior,——twocatastrophessuretofollowtheattemptsofeventhemostcautiousofbeginners。
Thelanguageissothoroughlyimbuedwiththehonorificspiritthattheexposureoftruthinallitsnakedsimplicityishighlyimproper。
Everyidearequirestobemoreorlessclothedincourtesybeforeitispresentable;andthegarbdemandedbyetiquetteiscomplexbeyondconception。Tobeginwith,therearecertainpreliminaryparticleswhicharesimplyhonorific,servingnootherpurposewhatsoever。
Inadditiontothesethereareforeveryactionasmallinfinityofverbs,eachsacredtoadifferentdegreeofrespect。Forinstance,toourverb\"togive\"correspondsacompletesocialscaleofJapaneseverbs,eachconveyingtheideaashademorepolitelythanitspredecessor;onlytheverylowestmeaninganythingsoplebeianassimply\"togive。\"Setsoflaudatoryordepreciatoryadjectivesareemployedinthesameway。Lastly,thewordfor\"is,\"whichstrictlymeans\"exists,\"expressesthisexistenceunderthreedifferentforms,——inamatter—of—fact,aflowing,oraninflatedstyle;
thesolid,liquid,andgaseousstatesofconversation,sotospeak,tosuitthepersonaddressed。Butthreeformsbeingfartoofewfortheneedsofsoelaborateapoliteness,thesearesupplementedbymanyinterpolatedgrades。
Termsofrespectareappliednotonlytothosemortalswhoareheldinestimationhigherthantheirfellows,buttoallmenindiscriminatelyaswell。Thegrammaticalattitudeoftheindividualtowardthespeakerisofasmuchimportanceashissocialstanding,Ibeingbeneathcontempt,andyouabovecriticism。
Honorificsareusednotonlyonallpossibleoccasionsforcourtesy,butattimes,itwouldseem,uponimpossibleones;forinsomeinstancesthemostsubtlediagnosisfailstorevealinthemarelevancytoanybody。Thatthecommonestobjectsshouldbeartitlesbecauseoftheirconnectionwithsomeparticularpersoniscomprehensible,butwhatexcusecanbemadeforaphraselikethefollowing,\"Itrespectfullydoesthattheaugustseatexists,\"allofwhichsimplymeans\"is,\"andmaybeappliedtoanything,beingthecommonword——inJapaneseitisallonewordnow——forthatapparentlysimpleidea。Itwouldseemasadwasteofvaluablematerial。Therealreasonwhysomuchdistinguishedconsiderationisshownthearticleinquestionliesinthefactthatitistreatedasexistingwithreferencetothepersonaddressed,andthereforebecomesipsofactoaugust。
Hereisastillsubtlerexample。Youare,wewillsuppose,atatea—house,andyouwishforsugar。Thefollowingalmoststereotypedconversationisprettysuretotakeplace。Itranslateitliterally,simplyprefacingthateverytea—housegirl,usuallyinthefirstblushofyouth,isgenericallyaddressedas\"eldersister,\"——
anotherhonorific,atleastsoconsideredinJapan。
Youclapyourhands。(Entertea—housemaiden。)
You。Hai,eldersister,augustlyexiststheresugar?
TheT。H。M。Thehonorablesugar,augustlyisit?
You。So,augustly。
TheT。H。M。He(indescribableexpressionofassent)。
(Exittea—housemaidentofetchthesugar。)
Now,the\"augustlies\"goalmostwithoutsaying,butwhyisthesugarhonorable?Simplybecauseitiseventuallygoingtobeofferedtoyou。Butshewouldhavespokenofitbypreciselythesamerespectfultitle,ifshehadbeenobligedtoinformyouthattherewasnone,inwhichcaseitnevercouldhavebecomeyours。Suchispoliteness。Wemaynote,inpassing,thatallherremarksandallyours,barringyourinitialquestion,meantabsolutelynothing。
Sheunderstoodyouperfectlyfromthefirst,andyouknewshedid;
butthen,ifallofusweretosayonlywhatwerenecessary,thedelightfulartofconversationwouldsoonbenothingbutascience。
TheaverageFarOriental,indeed,talksasmuchtonopurposeashisWesterncousin,onlyinhischit—chatpolitenessreplacespersonalities。Withhim,selfissuppressed,andanever—presentregardforothersissubstitutedinitsstead。
Alackofpersonalityis,aswehaveseen,theoccasionofthiscourtesy;itisalsoitscause。
Thatpolitenessshouldbeoneofthemostmarkedresultsofimpersonalitymayappearsurprising,yetaslightexaminationwillshowittobeafact。Lookedataposteriori,wefindthatwheretheonetraitexiststheotherismostdeveloped,whileanabsenceofthesecondseemstopreventthefullgrowthofthefirst。
Thisistruebothingeneralandindetail。Courtesyincreases,aswetraveleastwardroundtheworld,coincidentlywithadecreaseinthesenseofself。AsiaismorecourteousthanEurope,EuropethanAmerica。Particularracesshowthesameconcomitanceofcharacteristics。France,themostimpersonalnationofEurope,isatthesametimethemostpolite。
Consideredapriori,theconnectionbetweenthetwoisnotfartoseek。Impersonality,bylesseningtheinterestinone’sself,inducesonetotakeaninterestinothers。Introspectiontendstomakeofmanasolitaryanimal,theabsenceofitasocialone。
Themoreimpersonalthepeople,themorewillthecommunitysupplanttheindividualinthepopularestimation。Thetypebecomestheinterestingthingtoman,asitalwaysistonature。Then,asthesocialdesiresdevelop,politeness,beingthemeanstotheirenjoyment,developsalso。
AsecondomissioninJapaneseetymologyisthatofgender。ThatwordsshouldbecreditedwithsexisaverbalanthropomorphismthatwouldseemtoaJapaneseexquisitelygrotesque,ifsobethatitdidnotstrikehimasactuallyimmodest。Fortheabsenceofgenderissimplysymptomaticofamuchmorevitalfailing,adisregardofsex。
Originally,astheirlanguagebearswitness,theJapaneseshowedachildishreluctancetorecognizingsexatall。Usuallyasinglesexlesstermwasheldsufficientforagivenspecies,anddiddutycollectivelyforbothsexes。Onlywhereaconsiderationofsexthrustitselfuponthem,beyondthepossibilityofevasion,didtheyemployforthemaleandthefemaledistinctiveexpressions。Themoreintimatetherelationoftheobjecttoman,themoreimperativethediscriminatingname。Hencehumanbeingspossessedafairnumberofsuchspecialappellatives;foramanisapalpablydifferentsortofpersonfromhisgrandmother,andamother—in—lawfromawife。
Butitisnoteworthythattheartificialaffinitiesofsocietywereascarefullydifferentiatedasthedistinctionsduetosex,whileancestralrelationshipsweredeemedmoreimportantthaneither。
Animals,thoughtreatedindividuallymosthumanely,arevouchsafedbutscantrecognitiononthescoreofsex。Withthem,bothsexesshareonecommonname,andcommonly,indeed,thisanswersquitewellenough。Inthosefewinstanceswheresexentersintothequestioninamannernottobeignored,particlesdenoting\"male\"or\"female\"
areprefixedtothegeneralterm。Howcomparativelyrareistheneedofsuchspecificationcanbeseenfromthewayinwhich,withus,inmanyspecies,thenameofonesexalonedoesdutyindifferentlyforboth。Thatofthemaleistheoneusuallyselected,asinthecaseofthedogorhorse。If,however,itbethefemalewithwhichmanhasmosttodo,sheisallowedtobestowhernameuponhermalepartner。Examplesofthelatterdescriptionoccurintheuseof\"cows\"for\"cattle,\"and\"hens\"for\"fowls。\"AJapanesecansayonly\"fowl,\"defined,ifabsolutelynecessary,as\"he—fowl\"or\"she—fowl。\"
Nowsuchaslightingofoneofthemostpotentspringsofhumanaction,sex,withallthattheideainvolves,isnotduetoapronouncedmisogynismonthepartofthesepeople,buttoamuchmoreeffectiveneglect,agreatunderlyingimpersonality。
Indifferencetowomanisbutincludedinamuchmoregeneralindifferencetomankind。Thefactbecomesallthemoreevidentwhenwedescendfromsextogender。ThatFatherOceandoesnot,intheirverbalimagery,embraceMotherEarth,withthatsubtlesuggestionofhumanitywhichinAryanspeechthegenderofthenounshintswithoutexpressing,isnotduetoanylackofpoesyintheFarOrientalspeaker,buttotheessentialimpersonalityofhismind,embodiednowintheverycharacterofthewordsheuses。AJapanesenounisacrystallizedconcept,handeddownunchangedfromthechildhoodoftheJapaneserace。Soprimitiveaconceptiondoesitrepresentthatitisneitheratotalnorapartialsymbol,butrathertheoutcomeofafirstvaguegenerality。Theword\"man,\"forinstance,meanstothemnotoneman,stilllessmankind,butthatindefiniteideawhichstrugglesforembodimentintheutteranceoftheinfant。
Itrepresentsnotaperson,butathing,amaterialfactquiteinnocentofgender。Thisearlystateofsemi—consciousnesstheJapaneseneveroutgrew。Theworldcontinuedtopresentitselftotheirmindsasacollectionofthings。NordidtheirsubsequentChineseeducationchangetheirview。Buddhismsimplyinfusedallthingswiththeoneuniversalspirit。
Astoinanimateobjects,theideaofsupposingsexwherethereisnotevenlifeisaltogethertoofancifulanotionfortheFarEasternmind。
Impersonalityfirstfashionedthenouns,andthenthenouns,bytheirveryimpersonality,helpedkeepimpersonalthethoughtandfetteredfancy。AllthosetemptingstopoesywhichtotheAryanimaginationlielatentinthesexwithwhichhisforefathershumanizedtheirwords,neverstirtheTartarnortheChinesesoul。
Theyfeelthepoetryofnatureasmuchas,indeedmuchmorethan,we;butitisapoetryunassociatedwithman。Andthis,too,curiouslyenough,inspiteofthefactthattoexplainthecosmostheChinameninvented,orperhapsonlyadapted,asingularlysexualphilosophy。Forpossibly,likesomeotherportionsoftheirintellectualwealth,theystoleitfromIndia。TheChineseconceptionoftheoriginoftheworldisbasedontheideaofsex。
Accordingtotheirnotionstheearthwasbegotten。Itistruethatwiththemthecosmosstartedinanabstractsomething,whichself—producedtwogreatprinciples;butthispaironceobtained,mattersproceededaftertheanalogyofmankind。Thetwoprinciplesatworkwerethemselvesabstractenoughtohavesatisfiedthemostunimpassionedofphilosophers。Theyweresimplyapositiveessenceandanegativeone,correlatedtosunshineandshadow,butalsocorrelatedtomaleandfemaleforces。Throughtheirmutualactionwereborntheearthandtheairandthewater;fromthese,inturn,wasbegottenman。Thecosmicalmodusoperandiwasnotcreativenorevolutionary,butsexual。Thewholeschemesuggestsanattempttowedabstractphilosophywithprimitiveconcretemythology。
ThesamesexualitydistinguishestheJapanesedemonology。Herethephysicalreplacesthephilosophical;insteadofprincipleswefindallegoricalpersonages,buttheyshowjustthesamepleasingpropensitytoappearinpairs。
Thisattributingofsexestothecosmosisnotintheleastincompatiblewithanuninteresteddisregardofsexwhereitreallyexists。Itisonethingtoadmitthefactasagenerallawoftheuniverse,andquiteanothertodwelluponitasanimportantfactorinevery—dayaffairs。
HowslightistheTartartendencytopersonificationcanbeseenfromaglanceatthesesameJapanesegods。Theyareacombinationofdefunctancestorsanddeifiednaturalphenomena。Theevolvingofthefirsthalfrequiredlittleimagination,forfatefurnishedthematerialreadymade;whileinconjuringupthesecondmoiety,thespirit—evokersshowedevenlessoriginality。Theirresultswereneitherwinsomenorsublime。Thegodswhomtheycreatedtheyinvestedwithveryordinaryhumanity,theusualendowmentofaboriginaldeity,togetherwiththecustomarysuperhumanstrength。
Ifthesedemigodsdifferedfromothersoftheirclass,itwasonlyinbeingmorecommonplace,andinnotmeddlingmuchwithman。
Evensuchpersonificationofnaturalforces,simpleenoughtobeself—suggested,quicklydisappeared。Thevariousawe—compellingphenomenasoonceasedtohaveanyconnectionwiththeanthropomorphicnoumenatheyhadbegotten。Forinstance,thesun—goddess,weareinformed,wasonedayluredoutofacavern,whereshewassulkinginconsequenceoftheprovokingbehaviorofheryoungerbrother,byhercuriosityatthesightofherownfaceinamirror,ingeniouslyplacedbeforetheentranceforthepurpose。
ButnoJapanesewoulddreamnowofcastinganysuchreflections,howeverflattering,uponthefaceoftheorbofday。Thesunhasbecomenotonlyquitesexlesstohim,butasdevoidofpersonalityasitistoanyWesternmaterialist。Lesserdeitiessufferedalikeunsubstantialtransformation。Thethunder—god,withhisbeltofdrums,uponwhichhebeatsadevil’stattoountilheisblackintheface,isnolongerevenindirectlyassociatedwiththestorm。
Asfordryadsandnymphs,thebeautifulcreaturesneverinhabitedEasternAsia。Anthropoidfoxesandraccoons,whollylackinginthoseengagingqualitiesthatbegetlove,andthroughloveremembrance,taketheirplace。EvenBenten,thenaturalizedVenus,who,likeherHellenicsister,issaidtohaverisenfromthesea,isapersonquiteincapableofinspiringarecklessinfatuation。
UtterlyunlikewasthispantheontothepantheonoftheGreeks,thepersonifyingtendencyofwhoseAryanmindwasforeverpeoplingnaturewithhalf—humaninhabitants。Underitsquickeningfancytheveryclodsgrewsentient。Dumbearthawokeatthecallofitsdesire,andthebeingsitsownpoesyhadbegottenmademerrycompanionshipforman。Thenachangecreptoverthefaceofthings。
Faithbegantoflicker,forwantoffactstofeeditsflame。Littlebylittlethefiresofdevotionburntthemselvesout。AtlastgreatPandied。Thebodyoftheoldbeliefwasconsumed。Butthoughitperished,itsashespreserveditsform,anunsubstantialpresentmentofthepast,tocrumbleinatwinklingatthetouchofscience,butkeepingyettothepoet’seyethelifelikesemblanceofwhatoncehadbeen。Thedeadgodsstillliveinourlanguageandourart。
Evento—daytheearthaboutusseemssemiconscioustothesoul,forthememoriestheyhaveleft。
ButwiththeFarOrientaltheexorcisingfeelingwasfear。Heneverfellinlovewithhisownmythologicalcreations,andsoheneverembalmedtheirmemories。Theyweretohimbutexplanationsoffacts,andhadnoclaimsuponhisfancy。Hisidealworldremainedasutterlyimpersonalasifithadneverbeenborn。
Thesameimpersonalityreappearsinthematterofnumber。
Grammatically,numberwiththemisunrecognized。Thereexistnosuchthingsaspluralforms。Thissingularitywouldbeonlytoowelcometotheforeignstudent,wereitnotthatinavoidingthefrying—pantheTartarsfellintothefire。Forwhattheyinventedinplaceofapluralwasquiteasdifficulttomemorize,andevenmorecumbroustoexpress。Insteadofinflectingthenounandthenprefixinganumber,theykeepthenoununchangedandaddtwonumerals;thusattimesactuallyemployingmorewordstoexpresstheobjectsthanthereareobjectstoexpress。Oneofthesenumeralsisasimplenumber;theotheriswhatisknownasanauxiliarynumeral,awordassingularinformasinfunction。Thus,forinstance,\"twomen\"becomeamplifiedverballyinto\"mantwoindividual,\"or,astheChinamanputsit,inpidginEnglish,\"twopieceyman。\"ForinthisrespectChineseresemblesJapanese,thoughinverylittleelse,andpidginEnglishisnothingbuttheliteraltranslationoftheChineseidiomintoAnglo—Saxonwords。ThenecessityforsuchelaboratequalificationarisesfromtheexcessivesimplicityoftheJapanesenouns。Aswehaveseen,thenounissoindefiniteageneralitythatsimplytomultiplyitbyanumbercannotpossiblyproduceanydefiniteresult。NoexactcounterpartofthesenounsexistsinEnglish,butsomeideaoftheimpossibilityoftheprocessmaybegotfromourword\"cattle,\"which,prolificthoughitmayproveinfact,remainsobstinatelyincapableofverbalmultiplication。
AllJapanesenounsbeingofthisindefinitedescription,allrequireauxiliarynumerals。Butaseachonehasitsownappropriatenumeral,aboutwhichamistakeisunpardonable,ittakessomelittlestudymerelytomastertheetiquetteofthesehandlestothenamesofthings。
Nounsarenotinflected,theircasesbeingexpressedbypostpositions,which,asthenameimplies,follow,inbecomingJapaneseinversion,insteadofprecedingthewordtheyaffect。Tomakeup,nevertheless,foranylackofperplexityduetoanabsenceofinflections,adjectives,enrevanche,aremostelaboratelyconjugated。Theirproteanshapesareaslongastheyarenumerous,representingnotonlytimes,butconditions。Thereare,forinstance,therootform,theadverbialform,theindefiniteform,theattributiveform,andtheconclusiveform,thetwolastbeingconjugatedthroughallthevariousvoices,moods,andtenses,tosaynothingofallthepotentialforms。Asonechangeissuperposedonanother,theadjectiveendsbybecomingthreeorfourtimesitsoriginallength。
Thefactis,theadjectiveiseitheradjective,adverb,orverb,accordingtooccasion。Intherootformitalsohelpstomakenouns;sothatitisevenmoregenerallyusefulthanasajournalisticepithetwithus。Asaverb,itdoesdutyaspredicateandcopulacombined。ForsuchanunnecessarypartofspeechasarealcopuladoesnotexistinJapanese。Inspiteoftheshocktotheprejudicesoftheoldschooloflogicians,itmustbeconfessedthattheTartarsgetonverywellwithoutanysuchcouplingstotheirtrainsofthought。Butthenweshouldrememberthatintheirsentencesthecartisalwaysputbeforethehorse,andsoneedsonlytobepushed,notpulledalong。
Thewantofacopulaisanotherinstanceoftheprimitivecharacterofthetongue。Ithasitscounterpartinourownbaby—talk,whereaqualityispredicatedofathingsimplybyplacingtheadjectiveinappositionwiththenoun。
ThattheJapanesewordwhichiscommonlytranslated\"is\"isinnosenseacopula,butanordinaryintransitiveverb,referringtoanaturalstate,andnottoalogicalcondition,isevidentintwoways。Inthefirstplace,itisneverusedtopredicateaqualitydirectly。AJapanesedoesnotsay,\"Thesceneryisfine,\"butsimply,\"Scenery,fine。\"Secondly,whereverthisverbisindirectlyemployedinsuchamanner,itisfollowed,notbyanadjective,butbyanadverb。Not\"Sheisbeautiful,but\"Sheexistsbeautifully,\"
wouldbetheJapanesewayofexpressinghisadmiration。Whatlooksatfirst,therefore,likeacopulaturnsouttobemerelyanimpersonalintransitiveverb。
Anegativenounis,ofcourse,animpossibilityinanylanguage,justasanegativesubstantive,anothernameforthesamething,isadirectcontradictioninterms。Nomatterhownegativetheideatobegiven,itmustbeconveyedbyapositiveexpression。Evenavoidisgrammaticallyquitefullofmeaning,althoughunhappilyemptyinfact。Somuchiscommontoalltongues,butJapanesecarriesitspositivismyetfurther。Notonlyhasitnonegativenouns,ithasnotevenanynegativepronounsnorpronominaladjectives,——thoseconvenientkeepersofplacesfortheabsent。\"None\"and\"nothing\"
areunknownwordsinitsvocabulary,becausetheideastheyrepresentarenotfoundedonobservedfacts,butuponmetaphysicalabstractions。Suchtermsarehuman—born,notearth—begottenconcepts,andsototheFarOriental,wholooksatthingsfromthepointofviewofnature,notofman,negationtakesanotherform。
Usuallyitisintroducedbytheverbs,becausetheverbs,forthemostpart,relatetohumanactions,anditisman,notnature,whoisresponsiblefortheomissioninquestion。Afterall,itdoesseemmorefittingtosay,\"Iamignorantofeverything,\"than\"Iknownothing。\"Itisindeedyouwhoarewanting,notthething。
Thequestionofverbsleadsustoanothermatterbearingonthesubjectofimpersonality;namely,thearrangementofthewordsinaJapanesesentence。TheTartarmodeofgrammaticalconstructionisverynearlytheinverseofourown。ThefundamentalruleofJapanesesyntaxis,thatqualifyingwordsprecedethewordstheyqualify;thatis,anideaiselaboratelymodifiedbeforeitissomuchasexpressed。Thispracticeplacestheheareratsomeawkwardpreliminarydisadvantage,inasmuchasthestoryisnearlyoverbeforehehasanynotionwhatitisallabout;butreallyitputsthespeakertomuchmoretrouble,forheisobligedtofashionhiswholesentencecompleteinhisbrainbeforehestartstospeak。
ThisislargelyinconsequenceoftwoomissionsinTartaretymology。
ThereareinJapanesenorelativepronounsandnotemporalconjunctions;conjunctions,thatis,forconnectingconsecutiveevents。Thewantofthesewordsprecludestheadmissionofafterthoughts。Postscriptsinspeechareimpossible。Thefunctionsofrelativesareperformedbyposition,explanatoryorcontinuativeclausesbeingmadetoprecededirectlythewordtheyaffect。
Ludicrousanachronisms,notunlikethoseexperiencedbyAliceinherlooking—glassjourney,areoccasionedbythispractice。Forexample,\"Themerrymonarchwhoendedbyfallingavictimtoprofoundmelancholia\"becomes\"Toprofoundmelancholiaavictimbyfallingendedmerrymonarch,\"andthesympathetichearerweepsfirstandlaughsafterward,whenchronologicallyheshouldbedoingpreciselytheopposite。
Alikeinversionofthenaturalorderofthingsresultsfromtheabsenceoftemporalconjunctions。InJapanese,thoughnounscanbeadded,actionscannot;youcansay\"hatandcoat,\"butnot\"dressedandcame。\"Conjunctionsareusedonlyforspace,neverfortime。Objectsthatexisttogethercanbejoinedinspeech,butitisnotallowablethustoconnectconsecutiveevents。
\"Havingdressed,came\"istheJapaneseidiom。Tospeakotherwisewouldbetoviolatetheunities。ForaJapanesesentenceisasingleroundedwhole,notabunchoffactslooselytiedtogether。
Itisasmuchaunitinitscompositionasanoveloradramaiswithus。Suchartisticperiods,however,areanythingbutconvenient。IntheirnicelycontrivedinvolutiontheystrikinglyresemblethosecuriousnestsofChineseboxes,whereentireshellsliecloselypackedonewithinanother,——averymarvelofingeniousandperfectlyunnecessaryconstruction。Onemustbeantipodallycomprehensivetoentertaintheidea;asitis,theideaentertainsus。
Onthesamegeneralplan,thenounsprecedetheverbsinthesentence,andareineverywaythemoreimportantpartsofspeech。
Theconsequenceisthatinordinaryconversationtheverbscomesolateinthedaythattheynotinfrequentlygetleftoutaltogether。
FortheJapanesearemuchgiventodockingtheirphrases,acustomtheGermansmightdowelltoadopt。Now,nounsdenotefacts,whileverbsexpressaction,andaction,asconsideredinhumanspeech,ismostlyofhumanorigin。Inthisprecedenceaccordedtheimpersonalelementinlanguageoverthepersonal,weobserveagainthecomparativeimportanceassignedthetwo。InJapaneseestimation,thefirstplacebelongstonature,thesecondonlytoman。
Asiftomarkbeyondadoubttheinsignificanceofthepartmanplaysintheirthought,sentencesareusuallysubjectless。Althoughitisacommonpracticetobeginaphrasewiththecentralwordoftheidea,isolatedfromwhatfollowsbytheemphasizingparticle\"wa\"(whichmeans\"asto,\"theFrench\"quanta\"),thewordthussingledoutfordistinctionisfarmorelikelytobetheobjectofthesentencethanitssubject。Thehabitisanalogoustotheuseofourphrase\"speakingof,\"——thatis,simplyanemphaticmodeofintroducingafreshthought;onlythatwiththem,thepracticebeingtheruleandnottheexception,nocorrespondinglyabrupteffectisproducedbyit。Oustedthusfromthepostofhonor,thesubjectisnotevenpermittedthesecondplace。Indeed,itusuallyfailstoputinanappearanceanywhere。Youmaysearchthroughsentenceaftersentencewithoutmeetingwiththeslightestsuggestionofsuchathing。Whensounusualananomalyasamotivecauseisdirectlyadduced,itowesitsmention,nottothefactofbeingthesubject,butbecauseforotherreasonsithappenstobetheimportantwordofthethought。Thetruthis,theJapaneseconceptionofeventsisonlyveryvaguelysubjective。Anactionislookeduponmoreashappeningthanasbeingperformed,asimpersonallyratherthanpersonallyproduced。Theideaisdue,however,toanythingbutphilosophicprofundity。Itspringsfromthemostsuperficialofchildishconceptions。FortheJapanesemindisquitethereverseofabstract。Itsconsiderationofthingsisconcretetoaprimitivedegree。Thelanguagereflectsthefact。Thefewabstractideasthesepeoplenowpossessarenotrepresented,forthemostpart,bypureJapanese,butbyimportedChineseexpressions。Theislandersgotsuchgeneralnotionsfromtheirforeigneducation,andtheyimportedideaandwordatthesametime。
Summingup,asitwere,inpropriapersonatheimpersonalityofJapanesespeech,thewordfor\"man,\"\"hito,\"isidenticalwith,andprobablyoriginallythesamewordas\"hito,\"thenumeral\"one;\"
anounandanumeral,fromwhichAryanlanguageshavecoinedtheonlyimpersonalpronountheypossess。Ontheonehand,wehavetheGerman\"mann;\"ontheother,theFrench\"on\"。Whileasiftogivetheofficialsealtotheonenessofmanwiththeuniverse,thewordmono,thing,isapplied,withoutthefaintestimplicationofinsult,tomen。
Such,then,isthemouldintowhich,aschildren,thesepeoplelearntocasttheirthought。Whataninfluenceitmustexertupontheirsubsequentviewsoflifewehavebuttoaskofourownmemoriestoknow。Witheachoneofus,ifwearetoadvancebeyondthestepsofthelastgeneration,therecomesatimewhenourgrowingideasrefuseanylongertofitthechildishgroovesinwhichweweretaughttoletthemrun。Howgreatthewrenchiswhenthissuprememomentarriveswehaveallfelttookeenlyevertoforget。Wehesitate,wedelay,toabandonthebeliefswhich,datingfromthedawnofourbeing,seemtousevenasapartofourveryselves。
Fromthereligionofourmothertothebirthofourboyishfirstlove,allourearlyassociationssenddownrootssodeepthatlongafterourmindshaveoutgrownthemourheartsrefusetogivethemup。Evenwhenreasonconquersatlast,sentimentstillthrobsatthevoidstheynecessarilyhaveleft。
IntheFarEast,thisfondnessfortheoldisfurtherconsecratedbyreligion。Theworshipofancestorssetsitssealuponthetraditionsofthepast,tobreakwhichwereimpiousaswellassad。
Thegoldenage,thattimewheneachmanhimselfwasyoung,haslingeredoninthelandswhereitisalwaysmorning,andwheremanhasneverpassedtohisprosaicnoon。Befittingtheplaceisthemindwefindthere。Asitslanguagesoclearlyshows,itstillisinthatearlyimpersonalstatetowhichweallawakefirstbeforewebecomeawareofthatsomethingwelaterknowsowellasself。
Particularlypotentwiththesepeopleistheirlanguage,forareasonthatalsolendsitadditionalinteresttous,——becauseitistheirown。AmongthemassofforeignthoughttheJapaneseimitativenesshascausedthenationtoadopt,hereisonethingwhichisindigenous。Halfofthepresentspeech,itistrue,isofChineseimportation,butconservatismhaskepttheotherhalfpure。
Fromwhatitrevealswecanseehoweachmanstartsto—daywiththesameimpersonaloutlookuponlifetheracehadreachedcenturiesago,andwhichithassincekeptunchanged。Theman’smindhasdonelikewise。
FootnotetoChapter4
[1]ProfessorBasilHallChamberlain:TheJapaneseLanguage。
Chapter5。NatureandArt。
WehaveseenhowimpersonalistheformwhichFarEasternthoughtassumeswhenitcrystallizesintowords。Letusturnnowtoaconsiderationofthethoughtsthemselvesbeforetheyarethusstereotypedfortransmissiontoothers,andscanthemastheyfindexpressionunconsciouslyintheman’sdoings,orseekitconsciouslyinhisdeeds。
TotheFarOrientalthereisonesubjectwhichsopermeatesandpervadeshiswholebeingastobetohim,notsomuchaconsciousmatterofthoughtasanunconsciousmodeofthinking。Foritisathingwhichshapesallhisthoughtsinsteadofconstitutingthesubstanceofoneparticularsetofthem。Thatsubjectisart。
Toitheisbornastoabirthright。Artisticperceptioniswithhimaninstincttowhichheintuitivelyconforms,andforwhichheinheritstheskillofcountlessgenerations。Fromthetipsofhisfingerstothetipsofhistoes,inwhoseuseheissurprisinglyproficient,heistheartistallover。Admirable,however,asishismanualdexterity,hismentalaltitudeisstillmoretobeadmired;foritisartistictoperfection。Hisperceptionofbeautyisaskeenashiscomprehensionofthecosmosiscrude;forwhilewithsciencehehasnotevenaspeakingacquaintance,withartheisontermsofthemostaffectionateintimacy。
TothewholeFarEasternworldscienceisastranger。Suchnescienceispatenteveninmattersseeminglyscientific。ForalthoughtheChinesecivilization,evenintheso—calledmoderninventions,wasalreadyoldwhileourslaystillinthecradle,itwastonoscientificspiritthatitsdiscoveriesweredue。NotwithstandingthefactthatCathaywasthehappypossessorofgunpowder,movabletype,andthecompassbeforesuchthingsweredreamtofinEurope,sheowedthemtonoknowledgeofphysics,chemistry,ormechanics。
Itwasasarts,notassciences,theywereinvented。Anditspeaksvolumesforhercivilizationthatsheburntherpowderforfireworks,notforfirearms。TotheWestalonebelongsthecreditofmanufacturingthatarticleforthesakeofkillingpeopleinsteadofmerelykillingtime。
ThescientificisnottheFarOrientalpointofview。Towishtoknowthereasonsofthings,thatirrepressibleyearningoftheWesternspirit,isnocharacteristicoftheChinaman’smind,norisitaTartartrait。Metaphysics,aspeciesofspeculationthathasusuallyprovedpeculiarlyattractivetomankind,probablyfromitsnotrequiringanyscientificcapitalwhatever,wouldseemthemostlikelyplacetoseekit。Butuponsuchmattershehasexpendednoimaginationofhisown,havingquietlytakenontrustfromIndiawhathenowprofesses。Asforscienceproper,ithasreachedathishandsonlythequasimorphologicstage;thatis,itconsistsofcataloguesconcoctedaccordingtotheingenuityoftheindividualandresemblestherealthingaboutasmuchasahaphazardarrangementofhumanbonesmightbeexpectedtoresembleaman。
Notonlyisthespiritofthesubjectleftoutaltogether,butthemereoutwardsemblanceismisleading。Forpseudo—scientificcollectionsoffactswhichneverrisetobeclassificationsofphenomenaformstohisideatheacmeoferudition。Hismathematics,forexample,consistsofasetofempiricrules,ofwhichnoexplanationisevervouchsafedthetaughtforthesimplereasonthatitisquiteunknowntotheteacher。ItisnoteveneasytodecidehowmuchofwhatthereisisJesuitical。Ofmorerecentscienceshehasstilllessnotion,particularlyofthenaturalones。Physics,chemistry,geology,andthelikearemattersthathaveneverenteredhishead。Eveninstudiesmoreimmediatelyconnectedwithobviouseverydaylife,suchaslanguage,history,customs,itistrulyremarkablehowlittlehepossessesthepowerofgeneralizationandinference。Hiselaboratelistsoffactsareimposingtypographically,butarenotevenformallyimportant,whilehisreasoningaboutthemisasexquisiteabitofscientificsatireascouldwellbeimagined。
Butwiththeartsitisquiteanothermatter。Whileyouwillsearchinvain,inhiscivilization,forexplanationsofeventhemostsimpleofnature’slaws,youwillmeetateveryturnwithdevicesforthebeautifyingoflife,whichmaystandnotunworthilybesidetheproductsofnature’sownskill。Whateverthesepeoplefashion,fromthetoyofanhourtothetriumphsofalltime,istouchedbyatasteunknownelsewhere。TostrolldowntheBroadwayofTokioofaneveningisaliberaleducationineverydayart。Asyouenteritthereopensoutinfrontofyouafairy—likevistaofillumination。
Twolonglinesofgaylylightedshops,stretchingoffintothedistance,lookoutacrosstwoequallyendlessrowsoftorch—litbooths,thedecorousyellowgleamoftheonecontrastingstrangelywiththedemoniacalredflareoftheother。Thisperspectiveofpleasurefulfilsitspromise。Asyourfeetfollowyoureyesyoufindyourselfinaveritableshoppers’paradise,thegalaxyoftwinkleresolvingintoworldsofdelight。Nordoyoulongremainamerespectator;fortheshopsopentheirarmstoyou。Nocoldglassrevealstheircharmsonlytoshutyouoff。Theirwareslieinvitinglyexposedtothepublic,seemingtoyoualreadyhalfyourown。Attheveryfirstyoucometoyoustopinvoluntarily,lostinadmirationoverwhatyoutaketobebric—a—brac。Itisonlyafterwardsyoulearnthattheobjectofyourecstasywasthecommonestofkitchencrockery。Nextdooryouhaltagain,thistimeinfrontofsomeleathernpocket—books,stampedwithdesignsincolortotemptyouinstantlytoemptyyourwalletformorenewonesthanyouwilleverhavethemeanstofill。Ifyoudosucceedintearingyourselfawaypurse—whole,itisonlytofallavictimtosomepaintedfansofsoexquisiteamakeanddecorationthatescapeshortofpossessionisimpossible。Opposedasstubbornlyasyoumaybetoidlepurchaseathome,hereyouwillfindyourselfthepreyofanacutecaseofshoppingfeverbeforeyouknowit。Norwillitbemuchconsolationsubsequentlytodiscoverthatyouhavesquanderedyourpatrimonyuponthemostordinaryarticlesofevery—dayuse。
Ifindespairyouturnforrefugetothebooths,youwillbuthavedeliveredyourselfintotheembraceofstillmoreirresistiblefascinations。Forthenocturnalsquattersaretherefortheexpresspurposeofcatchingthesusceptible。Theshopsweremodestlyattractivefromtheirnature,buttheboothsdeliberatelymakeeyesatyou,andwithtellingeffect。Theveryatmosphereisbewitching。
Theluridsmurkinessofthetorcheslendsanappropriateweirdnesstothefigureoftheuncouthlycladpedlarwho,withthepolitenessofthearch—fiendhimself,displaystoaneagergroupthefatalfascinationsofsomenewconceit。Herethelatestthingininventions,agutta—percharat,which,forreasonsbestknowntothevender,scampersaboutsqueakingwithamimicrytoshametheoriginal,holdsanadmiringcrowdspellboundwithmingledtrepidationanddelight。Thereanativezoetrope,indefatigableroundofpleasure,whosetopfashionedafterthetypeofaturbinewheelenablesacandleatthecentreingeniouslytosupplybothilluminationandmotivepoweratthesametime,affordstoasmanyascanfindroomonitscircumferenceapeepatthecompositeanticsofaconsecutivelypicturedmonkeyintheactofjumpingabox。
Beyondthis\"wheeloflife\"liesspreadoutonamatamosthappyfamilyofcurios,thewholeofwhichyouarequitepreparedtopurchaseenbloc。Whilealittlefartheronstandsaflowershowwhichseemstobecoylybeckoningtoyouastheblossomsnodtheirheadstoanimperceptiblebreeze。Sooneattractionfairlyjostlesitsneighborforrecognitionfromthegaythousandsthatlikeyourselfstrollpastinholidaydelight。Chatteringchildreninbrilliantcolors,volublewomenandtalkativemeninquieterbutnolesspicturesquecostumes,streamoninkaleidoscopiccontinuity。
Andyou,carriedalongbythecurrent,wanderthusformileswiththetideofpleasure—seekers,till,lateatnight,whenatlastyouturnreluctantlyhomeward,youfeelasonedoeswhenwakenedfromsometoodelightfuldream。
Orinsteadofnight,supposeitdayandtheplaceatemple。Withthosewhoareenteringyouentertoothroughtheoutergatewayintothecourtyard。Atthefartherendrisesabuildingthelikeofwhichforrichnessofeffectyouhaveprobablyneverbeheldorevenimagined。Infrontofyouaflightofwhitestonestepsleadsuptoaterracewhoseparapet,alsoofstone,isdiaperedforhalfitsheightandopenlatticeworktherest。Thispiazzagivesentrancetoabuildingorsetofbuildingswhoseeverydetailchallengestheeye。
Twelvepillarsofsnow—whitewoodsheathedinpartwithbronze,arrangedinfourrows,make,asitwere,thebonesofthestructure。
Thespacebetweenthecentrecolumnsliesopen。Theothertripletsarewebbedinthemiddleandconnected,onthesidesandfront,bygrillesofwoodandbronzeformingontheoutsideacoupleofembrasuresoneitherhandtheentranceinwhichstandtheguardianNio,twocolossaldemons,GogandMagog。Insteadofcapitals,afriezebristlingwithChineselionsprotectsthetopofthepillars。
Abovethisinplaceofentablaturerisestierupontierofdecoration,eachtierprojectingbeyondtheonebeneath,andthetopmostofallterminatinginabalconywhichencirclesthewholesecondstory。
Theparapetofthisbalconyisonemassofornament,anditscorniceanotherrowoflions,browninsteadofwhite。Thesecondstoryisnolesscrowdedwithcarving。Twelvepillarsmakeitsribs,thespacesbetweenbeingfilledwithelaboratewoodwork,whileontoprestmorefriezes,morecornices,clusteredwithexcrescencesofallcolorsandkinds,andguardedbylionsinnumerable。Tobegintotellthedetailsofsomulti—facetedagemwereartisticallyimpossible。
Itisajewelofathousandrays,yetwhosebeautiesblendintooneastheprismatictintscombinetowhite。Andthen,afterthefirstdazzleofadmiration,whenthespiritofcuriosityurgesyoutopenetratethecentreaisle,loandbeholditisbutagate!Thedupeofunexpectedsplendor,youhavebeenpayingcourttothemeansofapproach。Itisonlyaportalafterall。Forasyoupassthrough,youcatchaglimpseofabuildingbeyondmoregorgeousstill。
Likeingeneraltothefirst,unlikeitindetail,resemblingitonlyasthemistressmaythemaid。Butwhoshallconvinceofcharmbyenumeratingthefeaturesofaface!Fromthetilesofitsterracetotheencrustedgablesthatdrapeitaswithsomerichbejewelledmantlefallingaboutitinthemostgracefuloffolds,itistheveryeasternprincessofabuildingstandinginthemajestyofhercourttogiveyouaudience。
Apebblypath,alowflightofstonesteps,apausetoleaveyourshoeswithoutthesill,andyoutreadinthetwilightofreverenceuponthemoss—likematswithin。Therichnessofitsouterornament,soimpressiveatfirst,is,youdiscover,butpreludetothelavishluxuryofitsinterior。Lacquer,bronze,pigments,deckitsceilinganditssidesinsuchprofusionthatitseemstoyouasifarthadexpanded,inthecongenialatmosphere,intoatropicalluxurianceofdecoration,andgrewhereasnaturallyontemplesasinthejunglecreepersdoontrees。Yetallisbutsettingtowhattheplacecontains;objectsofbigotryandvirtuethatappealtotheartisticasmuchastothereligiousinstinctsofthedevout。Moresacredstillarethethingstreasuredinthesanctumofthepriests。Thereyouwillfindgemsofartforwhosesakeonlythemostabnormalimpersonalitycanpreventyoufrombreakingthetenthcommandment。
Ofthevaluesetuponthemyoucanformadistantapproximationfromtheexceedingrichnessandtheamazingnumberofthesilkclothsandlacqueredboxesinwhichtheyaresoreligiouslykept。Asyougazethus,amidthesoul—satisfyingreposeofthespot,atsomemasterpiecefromthebrushofMotonobu,youfindyourselfwondering,inafancifulsortofway,whetherBuddhistcontemplationisnotafterallonlyanothernameforthecontemplationofthebeautiful,sincedevoteestotheoneareexofficiosuchvotariesoftheother。
DissimilarasarethesetwoglimpsesofJapaneseexistence,inonepointthebustlingstreetandthehushedtemplearealike,——inthenamelessgracethatbeautifiesboth。
Thisspiritisevenmoreremarkableforitsall—pervasivenessthanforitsinherentexcellence。Bothobjectivelyandsubjectivelyitscatholicityisremarkable。Itimbueseverything,andaffectseverybody。SouniversallyisitappliedtothedailyaffairsoflifethattheremaybesaidtobenomechanicalartsinJapansimplybecauseallsuchhavebeenraisedtothepositionoffinearts。Thelowestartisanisessentiallyanartist。ModernFrenchnomenclatureonthesubject,inspiteofthesatiretowhichthemoreprosaicAnglo—Saxonhassubjectedit,ispeculiarlyapplicablethere。