the soul of the far east-第23章

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art　is　not　out　of　keeping　with　our　theory。　　On　the　contrary；　it　is　precisely　what　was　to　have　been　expected；　for　we　see　the　very　same　apparent　contradiction　in　characters　we　are　thrown　with　every　day。　　Imitation　is　the　natural　substitute　for　originality。　The　less　strong　a　man's　personality　the　more　prone　is　he　to　adopt　the　ideas　of　others；　on　the　same　principle　that　a　void　more　easily　admits　a　foreign　body　than　does　space　that　is　already　occupied；　or　as　a　blank　piece　of　paper　takes　a　dye　more　brilliantly　for　not　being　already　tinted　itself。

The　third　result；　the　remarkable　homogeneity　of　the　people；　is　not；　perhaps；　so　universally　appreciated；　but　it　is　equally　evident　on　inspection；　and　no　less　weighty　in　proof。　　Indeed；　the　Far　Eastern　state　of　things　is　a　kind　of　charade　on　the　word；　for　humanity　there　is　singularly　uniform。　　The　distance　between　the　extremes　of　mind…development　in　Japan　is　much　less　than　with　us。　　This　lack　of　divergence　exists　not　simply　in　certain　lines　of　thought；　but　in　all　those　characteristics　by　which　man　is　parted　from　the　brutes。　In　reasoning　power；　in　artistic　sensibility；　in　delicacy　of　perception；　it　is　the　same　story。　　If　this　were　simply　the　impression　at　first　sight；　no　deductions　could　be　drawn　from　it；　for　an　impression　of　racial　similarity　invariably　marks　the　first　stage　of　acquaintance　of　one　people　by　another。　　Even　in　outward　appearance　it　is　so。　We　find　it　at　first　impossible　to　tell　the　Japanese　apart；　they　find　it　equally　impossible　to　differentiate　us。　　But　the　present　resemblance　is　not　a　matter　of　first　impressions。　　The　fact　is　patent　historically。　The　men　whom　Japan　reveres　are　much　less　removed　from　the　common　herd　than　is　the　case　in　any　Western　land。　　And　this　has　been　so　from　the　earliest　times。　　Shakspeares　and　Newtons　have　never　existed　there。　　Japanese　humanity　is　not　the　soil　to　grow　them。　The　comparative　absence　of　genius　is　fully　paralleled　by　the　want　of　its　opposite。　　Not　only　are　the　paths　of　preeminence　untrodden；　the　purlieus　of　brutish　ignorance　are　likewise　unfrequented。　　On　neither　side　of　the　great　medial　line　is　the　departure　of　individuals　far　or　frequent。　　All　men　there　are　more　alike；so　much　alike；　indeed；　that　the　place　would　seem　to　offer　a　sort　of　forlorn　hope　for　disappointed　socialists。　　Although　religious　missionaries　have　not　met　with　any　marked　success　among　the　natives；　this　less　deserving　class　of　enthusiastic　disseminators　of　an　all…possessing　belief　might　do　well　to　attempt　it。　　They　would　find　there　a　very　virgin　field　of　a　most　promisingly　dead　level。　　It　is　true；　human　opposition　would　undoubtedly　prevent　their　tilling　it；　but　Nature；　at　least；　would　not　present　quite　such　constitutional　obstacles　as　she　wisely　does　with　us。

The　individual's　mind　is；　as　it　were；　an　isolated　bit　of　the　race　mind。　　The　same　set　of　traits　will　be　found　in　each。　　Mental　characteristics　there　are　a　sort　of　common　property；　of　which　a　certain　undifferentiated　portion　is　indiscriminately　allotted　to　every　man　at　birth。　　One　soul　resembles　another　so　much；　that　in　view　of　the　patriarchal　system　under　which　they　all　exist；　there　seems　to　the　stranger　a　peculiar　appropriateness　in　so　strong　a　family　likeness　of　mind。　　An　idea　of　how　little　one　man's　brain　differs　from　his　neighbor's　may　be　gathered　from　the　fact；　that　while　a　common　coolie　in　Japan　spends　his　spare　time　in　playing　a　chess　twice　as　complicated　as　ours；　the　most　advanced　philosopher　is　still　on　the　blissfully　ignorant　side　of　the　pons　asinorum。

We　find；　then；　that　in　all　three　points　the　Far　East　fulfils　what　our　theory　demanded。

There　is　one　more　consideration　worthy　of　notice。　　We　said　that　the　environment　had　not　been　the　deus　ex　materia　in　the　matter；　but　that　the　soul　itself　possessed　the　germ　of　its　own　evolution。　　This　fact　does　not；　however；　preclude　another；　that　the　environment　has　helped　in　the　process。　　Change　of　scene　is　beneficial　to　others　besides　invalids。　　How　stimulating　to　growth　a　different　habitat　can　prove；　when　at　all　favorable；　is　perhaps　sufficiently　shown　in　the　case　of　the　marguerite；　which；　as　an　emigrant　called　white…weed；　has　usurped　our　fields。　　The　same　has　been　no　less　true　of　peoples。　　Now　these　Far　Eastern　peoples；　in　comparison　with　our　own　forefathers；　have　travelled　very　little。　　A　race　in　its　travels　gains　two　things：　first　it　acquires　directly　a　great　deal　from　both　places　and　peoples　that　it　meets；　and　secondly　it　is　constantly　put　to　its　own　resources　in　its　struggle　for　existence；　and　becomes　more　personal　as　the　outcome　of　such　strife。　　The　changed　conditions；　the　hostile　forces　it　finds；　necessitate　mental　ingenuity　to　adapt　them　and　influence　it　unconsciously。　　To　see　how　potent　these　influences　prove　we　have　but　to　look　at　the　two　great　branches　of　the　Aryan　family；　the　one　that　for　so　long　now　has　stayed　at　home；　and　the　one　that　went　abroad。　Destitute　of　stimulus　from　without；　the　Indo…Aryan　mind　turned　upon　itself　and　consumed　in　dreamy　metaphysics　the　imagination　which　has　made　its　cousins　the　leaders　in　the　world's　progress　to…day。　　The　inevitable　numbness　of　monotony　crept　over　the　stay…at…homes。　　The　deadly　sameness　of　their　surroundings　produced　its　unavoidable　effect。　　The　torpor　of　the　East；　like　some　paralyzing　poison；　stole　into　their　souls；　and　they　fell　into　a　drowsy　slumber　only　to　dream　in　the　land　they　had　formerly　wrested　from　its　possessors。　　Their　birthright　passed　with　their　cousins　into　the　West。

In　the　case　of　the　Altaic　races　which　we　are　considering；　cause　and　effect　mutually　strengthened　each　other。　　That　they　did　not　travel　more　is　due　primarily　to　a　lack　of　enterprise　consequent　upon　a　lack　of　imagination；　and　then　their　want　of　travel　told　upon　their　imagination。　　They　were　also　unfortunate　in　their　journeying。　　Their　travels　were　prematurely　brought　to　an　end　by　that　vast　geographical　Nirvana　the　Pacific　Ocean；　the　great　peaceful　sea　as　they　call　it　themselves。　　That　they　would　have　journeyed　further　is　shown　by　the　way　their　dreams　went　eastward　still。　　They　themselves　could　not　for　the　preventing　ocean；　and　the　lapping　of　its　waters　proved　a　nation's　lullaby。

One　thing；　I　think；　then；　our　glance　at　Far　Eastern　civilization　has　more　than　suggested。　　The　soul；　in　its　progress　through　the　world；　tends　inevitably　to　individualization。　　Yet　the　more　we　perceive　of　the　cosmos　the　more　do　we　recognize　an　all…pervading　unity　in　it。　Its　soul　must　be　one；　not　many。　　The　divine　power　that　made　all　things　is　not　itself　multifold。　　How　to　reconcile　the　ever…increasing　divergence　with　an　eventual　similarity　is　a　problem　at　present　transcending　our　generalizations。　　What　we　know　would　seem　to　be　opposed　to　what　we　must　infer。　　But　perception　of　how　we　shall　merge　the　personal　in　the　universal；　though　at　present　hidden　from　sight；　may　sometime　come　to　us；　and　the　seemingly　irreconcilable　will　then　turn　out　to　involve　no　contradiction　at　all。　For　this　much　is　certain：　grand　as　is　the　great　conception　of　Buddhism；　majestic　as　is　the　idea　of　the　stately　rest　it　would　lead　us　to；　the　road　here　below　is　not　one　the　life　of　the　world　can　follow。　　If　earthly　existence　be　an　evil；　then　Buddhism　will　help　us　ignore　it；　but　if　by　an　impulse　we　cannot　explain　we　instinctively　crave　activity　of　mind；　then　the　great　gospel　of　Gautama　touches　us　not；　for　to　abandon　selfegoism；　that　is；　not　selfishness　is　the　true　vacuum　which　nature　abhors。　　As　for　Far　Orientals；　they　themselves　furnish　proof　against　themselves。　　That　impersonality　is　not　man's　earthly　goal　they　unwittingly　bear　witness；　for　they　are　not　of　those　who　will　survive。　　Artistic　attractive　people　that　they　are；　their　civilization　is　like　their　own　tree　flowers；　beautiful　blossoms　destined　never　to　bear　fruit；　for　whatever　we　may　conceive　the　far　future　of　another　life　to　be；　the　immediate　effect　of　impersonality　cannot　but　be　annihilating。　　If　these　people　continue　in　their　old　course；　their　earthly　career　is　closed。　　Just　as　surely　as　morning　passes　into　afternoon；　so　surely　are　these　races　of　the　Far　East；　if　unchanged；　destined　to　disappear　before　the　advancing　nations　of　the　West。　　Vanish　they　will　off　the　face　of　the　earth　and　leave　our　planet　the　eventual　possession　of　the　dwellers　where　the　day　declines。　　Unless　their　newly　imported　ideas　really　take　root；　it　is　from　this　whole　world　that　Japanese　and　Koreans；　as　well　as　Chinese；　will　inevitably　be　excluded。　　Their　Nirvana　is　already　being　realized；　already　it　has　wrapped　Far　Eastern　Asia　in　its　winding…sheet；　the　shroud　of　those　whose　day　was　but　a　dawn；　as　if　in　prophetic　keeping　with　the　names　they　gave　their　homes；the　Land　of　the　Day's　Beginning；　and　the　Land　of　the　Morning　Calm。





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