Volume II Part 10 (1/2)

Perhaps Ithe su about Tokyo I suppose I shall have to take her there And I want to visit Koano (?)--where all the Souls of the Dead go,--and one ata too I ahter again That kind of Governor is rare, and I think will soon cease to exist in japan He always seehtful type of the old days,--like the princes of the _ehon_: theto the saeneration will not be kind and open-hearted and unselfish, I fear: they will become hard of character like the Western people,--more intellectual and less moral For old japan, in unselfishness, was as far in advance of the West as she was materially behind it

[Illustration: THE shi+NTO TEMPLE OF KIZUKI]

The curling-up of the toe in the statue of Inada-Hi to the canons of Western sculpture (which is still generally governed by the Greek spirit),--because it shows the raceful position But I thought after looking awhile at it, that it was really natural Not natural from the standpoint of a modern people whose toes have lost both sy of leather shoes; but natural a a people whose feet are well shaped and whose toes re tropical races the toes retain extraordinary flexibility; but I don't think any English girl could put her great-toe into the attitude taken by that of Inada-Hiined that this ,--the involuntary shrinking of a wouess What it really ot in another letter to tell you that Herbert Spencer, in one of his recent volumes (”Individual Life”) severely criticized some of the Mombusho Readers and other publications as ie and the passion of hatred and bloodshed One thing is certain, that Readers for japanese students ought to be edited in japan, and edited in a particular manner with especial reference to national character and feeling I prize the Mombusho Readers, because I learn so much from them; but as text-books they are not ritten, and they do not appeal to the student's natural love of novelty It is hopeless to interest boys in stories they know already by heart in their own language They hat is new and strange and beautiful--But no thanks will ever be given to the man who tries to do the ell; and his work itself will almost certainly be spoiled by the emendations and interpolations of a co should be done quite independently of officialdolish by a fast memory-system I can't tell whether I will succeed or not: if I find it strains her tooIn the course of teaching I notice so of what you tell me about Izureater

LAFCADIO HEARN

TO ELLWOOD HENDRICK

kuoing to be a pleasant letter,--though it may have interest for you I don't hesitate to tell hts, and I rather think the latter alone would cease to be interesting Besides, we are all most interested in what most closely relates to the realities of life; and the realities of life are ugly to no ss out of reach; but the diet of dreah for the sense of friendshi+p to live upon So here goes for the lamentations,--or as a Frenchht cite a fourth, a fifth;--but happily there are lights I htful friend here, Professor Chamberlain, and I told you about Major McDonald

I ah man of the world I must be only a contemptible fool Even to a friend like you who are not spoiled and cannot be spoiled by your _ of a fool

Be that as it may,--here I am Nohat is this fool to do?

Suppose I should seek a place as teacher of English literature

Everybody thinks he can teach English literature, and the public doesn't care particularly: it takes its pabuluely on trust On whose trust? Oh! the trust of the trustees,--and the respectable people

Now I aicum_ of every Christian faith Sine this is vanity! It doesn't require any greatness to be spotted It is just like a prostitute trying to becoet ereat about it

If I had any position worth hunting up, the cry would be raised that an atheist, a debauchee, a disreputable ex-reporter was corrupting theliterature That is position No 3 As Fiske says, the heretic is not now burned at the stake; but there is an organized policy to starve hi about him And even Fiske (because he is poor) dares not take the whole position of Spencer

But I don't want to pretend myself a martyr for any worthy cause I am not I am _not respectable_: that is the wholeinfluence of women would never be exerted for reeable,--and what I could win by ressiveness and no cunning And I arey There is no chance of beco independent, as I will never be allowed to hold a position that pays well I shall never be able to do my best in literary matters; for I shall never have the leisure, the means, or the opportunities of travel I want

To all this _jeremiade_, then, you must think for reply, in the words of Herbert Spencer: ”My dear friend, the first necessity for success in life is to be a good animal As an animal you don't ell at all

Furthermore you are out of harmony mentally and morally with the life of society: you represent broken-down tissue There is sohostly part of you, but it would never have been developed under comfortable circuht your miserable little _animula_ into some sort of shape It will never have full opportunity to express itself, doubtless; but perhaps that is better It ht otherwise inal force to move the sea of human mind to any storm of aspiration Perhaps, in some future state of--” But here Spencer stops

I think civilization is a fraud, because I don't like the hopeless struggle If I were very rich I should perhaps think quite differently--or, ould be still ion under an empire preaches the divinity of autocracy; under a monarchy, the divinity of aristocracy In this industrial epoch it is the servant of the overned by God, and business by religion,--”whoever says the contrary, let him be anathe above or below that is to be denounced by the ospel of God and business

Hence the howl about Jay Gould, ith splendid, brutal frankness, exposed to the entire universe the real laws of business,--without any preaching at all,--and overrode society and law and became supreme

Wherefore I hold that a statue should be erected to hiht All the missionaries are down on ”that anonymous writer” as usual I wrote an article to prove that Gould was the grandest moral teacher of the century Even ser the writer of that article I was accused of declaring that the end justified the means I had not said so; but I quoted American authorities to show Gould had created and made effective the railroad-transportation systelish financial authorities to prove that that very transportation syste the United States from bankruptcy The facts were unanswerable (at least by the clerics); and they proved that in order to get power to save a whole nation from ruin,--Gould had to ruin a few thousand people Wherefore I am called ”immoral, low, beastly”

nobody _knows_ it is I; but soue-spot” of japan by the dear missionaries Next week I'll try them with an article on ”The Abomination of Civilization”

But I have at home a little world of about eleven people, to whoentle world It is only happy when I am happy If I even look tired, it is silent, and walks on tiptoe It is awhen I can help it,--for others would fret ht My little wife and I have saved nearly 2000 japanese dollars between us I think I'll be able to make her independent When I've done that, I can let the teaching go, and wander about awhile, and write ”sketches” at 10 per page

Ever affectionately, LAFCADIO HEARN

TO ELLWOOD HENDRICK

kumAMOTO, April, 1893

DEAR HENDRICK,--You never wrote a more wonderful letter than that last letter full of penetrating things Now one of norance of practical worldly wisdom;--for instance, I could not sit down and talk to a mas which both of us would understand, at all All that world of business is to me a mystery and a marvel incomprehensible Moreover, it is the revelation of mental powers of a very subtle order, as much beyond me as mathematics,--so that I cannot but respect the forces manifested, even if I deplore the directions in which they are sometimes exercised Your sketch of the two ical relations was perfectly delicious,--and like nearly everything you write to ave me the pleasure of a novel sensation