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。