the soul of the far east-第10节

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　practically　the　unfortunate　had　none　to　lose　in　either　event；　it　would　seem　to　be　a　case　of　taking　away　from　a　man　that　which　he　hath　not。　　So　contumacious　a　thing　is　custom。　　It　is　indeed　lucky　that　popular　prejudice　interposes　some　limit　to　this　fictitious　method　of　acquiring　children。　　A　trifling　predilection　for　the　real　thing　in　sonships　is　absolutely　vital；　even　to　the　continuance　of　the　artificial　variety。　　For　if　one　generation　ever　went　in　exclusively　for　adoption；　there　would　be　no　subsequent　generation　to　adopt。

As　it　to　give　the　finishing　touch　to　so　conventional　a　system　of　society；　a　man　can　leave　it　under　certain　circumstances　with　even　greater　ease　than　he　entered　it。　　He　can　become　as　good　as　dead　without　the　necessity　of　making　way　with　himself。　　Theoretically；　he　can　cease　to　live　while　still　practically　existing；　for　it　is　always　open　to　the　head　of　a　family　to　abdicate。

The　word　abdicate　has　to　our　ears　a　certain　regal　sound。　We　instinctively　associate　the　act　with　a　king。　　Even　the　more　democratic　expression　resign　suggests　at　once　an　office　of　public　or　quasi　public　character。　　To　talk　of　abdicating　one's　private　relationships　sounds　absurd；　one　might　as　well　talk　of　electing　his　parents；　it　would　seem　to　us。　　Such　misunderstanding　of　far…eastern　social　possibilities　comes　from　our　having　indulged　in　digressions　from　our　more　simple　nomadic　habits。　　If　in　imagination　we　will　return　to　our　ancestral　muttons　and　the　then　existing　order　of　things；　the　idea　will　not　strike　us　as　so　strange；　for　in　those　early　bucolic　days　every　father　was　a　king。　　Family　economics　were　the　only　political　questions　in　existence　then。　　The　clan　was　the　unit。　　Domestic　disputes　were　state　disturbances；　and　clan…claims　the　only　kind　of　international　quarrels。　　The　patriarch　was　both　father　to　his　people　and　king。

As　time　widened　the　family　circle　it　eventually　reached　a　point　where　cohesion　ceased　to　be　possible。　　The　centrifugal　tendency　could　no　longer　be　controlled　by　the　centripetal　force。　　It　split　up　into　separate　bodies；　each　of　them　a　family　by　itself。　　In　their　turn　these　again　divided；　and　so　the　process　went　on。　　This　principle　has　worked　universally；　the　only　difference　in　its　action　among　different　races　being　the　greater　or　less　degree　of　the　evolving　motion。　　With　us　the　social　system　has　been　turning　more　and　more　rapidly　with　time。　　In　the　Far　East　its　force；　instead　of　increasing；　would　seem　to　have　decreased；　enabling　the　nebula　of　its　original　condition　to　keep　together　as　a　single　mass；　so　that　to…day　a　whole　nation；　resembling　a　nebula　indeed　in　homogeneity；　is　swayed　by　a　single　patriarchal　principle。　　Here；　on　the　contrary；　so　rapid　has　the　motion　become　that　even　brethren　find　themselves　scattered　to　the　four　winds。

An　Occidental　father　and　an　Oriental　head　of　a　family　are　no　longer　really　correlative　terms。　　The　latter　more　closely　resembles　a　king　in　his　duties；　responsibilities；　and　functions　generally。　　Now；　in　the　Middle　Ages　in　Europe；　when　a　king　grew　tired　of　affairs　of　state；　he　abdicated。　　So　in　the　Far　East；　when　the　head　of　a　family　has　had　enough　of　active　life；　he　abdicates；　and　his　eldest　son　reigns　in　his　stead。

From　that　moment　he　ceases　to　belong　to　the　body　politic　in　any　active　sense。　　Not　that　he　is　no　longer　a　member　of　society　nor　unamenable　to　its　general　laws；　but　that　he　has　become　a　respectable　declasse；　as　it　were。　　He　has　entered；　so　to　speak；　the　social　nirvana；　a　not　unfitting　first　step；　as　he　regards　it；　toward　entering　the　eventual　nirvana　beyond。　　Such　abdication　now　takes　place　without　particular　cause。　　After　a　certain　time　of　life；　and　long　before　a　man　grows　old；　it　is　the　fashion　thus　to　make　one's　bow。


Chapter　4。　Language。

A　man's　personal　equation；　as　astronomers　call　the　effect　of　his　individuality；　is　kin；　for　all　its　complexity；　to　those　simple　algebraical　problems　which　so　puzzled　us　at　school。　　To　solve　either　we　must　begin　by　knowing　the　values　of　the　constants　that　enter　into　its　expression。　　Upon　the　a　b　c's　of　the　one；　as　upon　those　of　the　other；　depend　the　possibilities　of　the　individual　x。

Now　the　constants　in　any　man's　equation　are　the　qualities　that　he　has　inherited　from　the　past。　　What　a　man　does　follows　from　what　he　is；　which　in　turn　is　mostly　dependent　upon　what　his　ancestors　have　been；　and　of　all　the　links　in　the　long　chain　of　mind…evolution；　few　are　more　important　and　more　suggestive　than　language。　　Actions　may　at　the　moment　speak　louder　than　words；　but　methods　of　expression　have　as　tell…tale　a　tongue　for　bygone　times　as　ways　of　doing　things。

If　it　should　ever　fall　to　my　lot　to　have　to　settle　that　exceedingly　vexed　Eastern　question；not　the　emancipation　of　ancient　Greece　from　the　bondage　of　the　modern　Turk；　but　the　emancipation　of　the　modern　college　student　from　the　bond　of　ancient　Greek；I　should　propose；　as　a　solution　of　the　dilemma；　the　addition　of　a　course　in　Japanese　to　the　college　list　of　required　studies。　　It　might　look；　I　admit；　like　begging　the　question　for　the　sake　of　giving　its　answer；　but　the　answer；　I　think；　would　justify　itself。

It　is　from　no　desire　to　parade　a　fresh　hobby…horse　upon　the　university　curriculum　that　I　offer　the　suggestion；　but　because　I　believe　that　a　study　of　the　Japanese　language　would　prove　the　most　valuable　of　ponies　in　the　academic　pursuit　of　philology。　　In　the　matter　of　literature；　indeed；　we　should　not　be　adding　very　much　to　our　existing　store；　but　we　should　gain　an　insight　into　the　genesis　of　speech　that　would　put　us　at　least　one　step　nearer　to　being　present　at　the　beginnings　of　human　conversation。　　As　it　is　now；　our　linguistic　learning　is　with　most　of　us　limited　to　a　knowledge　of　Aryan　tongues；　and　in　consequence　we　not　only　fall　into　the　mistake　of　thinking　our　way　the　only　way；　which　is　bad　enough；　but；　what　is　far　worse；　by　not　perceiving　the　other　possible　paths　we　quite　fail　to　appreciate　the　advantages　or　disadvantages　of　following　our　own。　We　are　the　blind　votaries　of　a　species　of　ancestral　language…worship；　which；　with　all　its　erudition；　tends　to　narrow　our　linguistic　scope。　　A　study　of　Japanese　would　free　us　from　the　fetters　of　any　such　family　infatuation。　　The　inviolable　rules　and　regulations　of　our　mother…tongue　would　be　found　to　be　of　relative　application　only。　　For　we　should　discover　that　speech　is　a　much　less　categorical　matter　than　we　had　been　led　to　suppose。　　We　should　actually　come　to　doubt　the　fundamental　necessity　of　some　of　our　most　sacred　grammatical　constructions；　and　even　our　reverenced　Latin　grammars　would　lose　that　air　of　awful　absoluteness　which　so　impressed　us　in　boyhood。

An　encouraging　estimate　of　a　certain　missionary　puts　the　amount　of　study　needed　by　the　Western　student　for　the　learning　of　Japanese　as　sufficient；　if　expended　nearer　home；　to　equip　him　with　any　three　modern　European　languages。　　It　is　certainly　true　that　a　completely　strange　vocabulary；　an　utter　inversion　of　grammar；　and　an　elaborate　system　of　honorifics　combine　to　render　its　acquisition　anything　but　easy。　　In　its　fundamental　principles；　however；　it　is　alluringly　simple。

In　the　first　place；　the　Japanese　language　is　pleasingly　destitute　of　personal　pronouns。　　Not　only　is　the　obnoxious　〃I〃　conspicuous　only　by　its　absence；　the　objectionable　antagonistic　〃you〃　is　also　entirely　suppressed；　while　the　intrusive　〃he〃　is　evidently　too　much　of　a　third　person　to　be　wanted。　　Such　invidious　distinctions　of　identity　apparently　never　thrust　their　presence　upon　the　simple　early　Tartar　minds。　　I；　you；　and　he；　not　being　differences　due　to　nature；　demanded；　to　their　thinking；　no　recognition　of　man。

There　is　about　this　vagueness　of　expression　a　freedom　not　without　its　charm。　　It　is　certainly　delightful　to　be　able　to　speak　of　yourself　as　if　you　were　somebody　else；　choosing　mentally　for　the　occasion　any　one　you　may　happen　to　fancy；　or；　it　you　prefer；　the　possibility　of　soaring　boldly　forth　into　the　realms　of　the　unconditioned。

To　us；　at　first　sight；　however；　such　a　lack　of　specification　appears　wofully　incompatible　with　any　intelligible　transmission　of　ideas。　　So　communistic　a　want　of　discrimination　between　the　meum　and　the　tuumto　say　nothing　of　the　claims　of　a　possible　third　partywould　seem　to　be　as　fatal　to　the　interchange　of　thoughts　as　it　proves　destructive　to　the　trafficking　in　commodities。　　Such；　nevertheless；　is　not　the　result。　　On　the　contrary；　Japanese　is　as　easy　and　as　certain　of　comprehension　as　is　English。　　On　ninety　occasions　out　of　a　hundred；　the　context　at　once　makes　clear　the　person　meant。

In　the　very　few　really　ambiguous　cases；　or　those　in　which；　for　the　sake　of　emphasis；　a　pronoun　is　wanted；　certain　consecrated　expressions　are　introduced　for　the　purpose。　　For　eventually　the　more　complex　social　relations　of　increasing　civilization　compelled　some　sort　of　distant　recognition。　　Accordingly；　compromises　with　objectionable　personality　were　effected　by　circumlocutions　promoted　to　a　pronoun's　office；　becoming　thus　pro…pronouns；　as　it　were。　Very　noncommittal　expressions　they　are；　most　of　them；　such　as：　〃the　augustness；〃　meaning　you；　〃that　honorable　side；〃　or　〃that　corner；〃　denoting　some　third　person；　the　exact　term　employed　in　any　given　instance　scrupulously　betokening　the　relative　respect　in　w