the soul of the far east-第13章

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A　lack　of　personality　is；　as　we　have　seen；　the　occasion　of　this　courtesy；　it　is　also　its　cause。

That　politeness　should　be　one　of　the　most　marked　results　of　impersonality　may　appear　surprising；　yet　a　slight　examination　will　show　it　to　be　a　fact。　　Looked　at　a　posteriori；　we　find　that　where　the　one　trait　exists　the　other　is　most　developed；　while　an　absence　of　the　second　seems　to　prevent　the　full　growth　of　the　first。　This　is　true　both　in　general　and　in　detail。　　Courtesy　increases；　as　we　travel　eastward　round　the　world；　coincidently　with　a　decrease　in　the　sense　of　self。　　Asia　is　more　courteous　than　Europe；　Europe　than　America。　Particular　races　show　the　same　concomitance　of　characteristics。　France；　the　most　impersonal　nation　of　Europe；　is　at　the　same　time　the　most　polite。

Considered　a　priori；　the　connection　between　the　two　is　not　far　to　seek。　　Impersonality；　by　lessening　the　interest　in　one's　self；　induces　one　to　take　an　interest　in　others。　　Introspection　tends　to　make　of　man　a　solitary　animal；　the　absence　of　it　a　social　one。　The　more　impersonal　the　people；　the　more　will　the　community　supplant　the　individual　in　the　popular　estimation。　　The　type　becomes　the　interesting　thing　to　man；　as　it　always　is　to　nature。　　Then；　as　the　social　desires　develop；　politeness；　being　the　means　to　their　enjoyment；　develops　also。

A　second　omission　in　Japanese　etymology　is　that　of　gender。　　That　words　should　be　credited　with　sex　is　a　verbal　anthropomorphism　that　would　seem　to　a　Japanese　exquisitely　grotesque；　if　so　be　that　it　did　not　strike　him　as　actually　immodest。　　For　the　absence　of　gender　is　simply　symptomatic　of　a　much　more　vital　failing；　a　disregard　of　sex。　Originally；　as　their　language　bears　witness；　the　Japanese　showed　a　childish　reluctance　to　recognizing　sex　at　all。　　Usually　a　single　sexless　term　was　held　sufficient　for　a　given　species；　and　did　duty　collectively　for　both　sexes。　　Only　where　a　consideration　of　sex　thrust　itself　upon　them；　beyond　the　possibility　of　evasion；　did　they　employ　for　the　male　and　the　female　distinctive　expressions。　　The　more　intimate　the　relation　of　the　object　to　man；　the　more　imperative　the　discriminating　name。　　Hence　human　beings　possessed　a　fair　number　of　such　special　appellatives；　for　a　man　is　a　palpably　different　sort　of　person　from　his　grandmother；　and　a　mother…in…law　from　a　wife。　　But　it　is　noteworthy　that　the　artificial　affinities　of　society　were　as　carefully　differentiated　as　the　distinctions　due　to　sex；　while　ancestral　relationships　were　deemed　more　important　than　either。

Animals；　though　treated　individually　most　humanely；　are　vouchsafed　but　scant　recognition　on　the　score　of　sex。　　With　them；　both　sexes　share　one　common　name；　and　commonly；　indeed；　this　answers　quite　well　enough。　　In　those　few　instances　where　sex　enters　into　the　question　in　a　manner　not　to　be　ignored；　particles　denoting　〃male〃　or　〃female〃　are　prefixed　to　the　general　term。　　How　comparatively　rare　is　the　need　of　such　specification　can　be　seen　from　the　way　in　which；　with　us；　in　many　species；　the　name　of　one　sex　alone　does　duty　indifferently　for　both。　　That　of　the　male　is　the　one　usually　selected；　as　in　the　case　of　the　dog　or　horse。　　If；　however；　it　be　the　female　with　which　man　has　most　to　do；　she　is　allowed　to　bestow　her　name　upon　her　male　partner。　　Examples　of　the　latter　description　occur　in　the　use　of　〃cows〃　for　〃cattle；〃　and　〃hens〃　for　〃fowls。〃　A　Japanese　can　say　only　〃fowl；〃　defined；　if　absolutely　necessary；　as　〃he…fowl〃　or　〃she…fowl。〃

Now　such　a　slighting　of　one　of　the　most　potent　springs　of　human　action；　sex；　with　all　that　the　idea　involves；　is　not　due　to　a　pronounced　misogynism　on　the　part　of　these　people；　but　to　a　much　more　effective　neglect；　a　great　underlying　impersonality。　Indifference　to　woman　is　but　included　in　a　much　more　general　indifference　to　mankind。　　The　fact　becomes　all　the　more　evident　when　we　descend　from　sex　to　gender。　　That　Father　Ocean　does　not；　in　their　verbal　imagery；　embrace　Mother　Earth；　with　that　subtle　suggestion　of　humanity　which　in　Aryan　speech　the　gender　of　the　nouns　hints　without　expressing；　is　not　due　to　any　lack　of　poesy　in　the　Far　Oriental　speaker；　but　to　the　essential　impersonality　of　his　mind；　embodied　now　in　the　very　character　of　the　words　he　uses。　　A　Japanese　noun　is　a　crystallized　concept；　handed　down　unchanged　from　the　childhood　of　the　Japanese　race。　　So　primitive　a　conception　does　it　represent　that　it　is　neither　a　total　nor　a　partial　symbol；　but　rather　the　outcome　of　a　first　vague　generality。　　The　word　〃man；〃　for　instance；　means　to　them　not　one　man；　still　less　mankind；　but　that　indefinite　idea　which　struggles　for　embodiment　in　the　utterance　of　the　infant。　It　represents　not　a　person；　but　a　thing；　a　material　fact　quite　innocent　of　gender。　　This　early　state　of　semi…consciousness　the　Japanese　never　outgrew。　　The　world　continued　to　present　itself　to　their　minds　as　a　collection　of　things。　　Nor　did　their　subsequent　Chinese　education　change　their　view。　　Buddhism　simply　infused　all　things　with　the　one　universal　spirit。

As　to　inanimate　objects；　the　idea　of　supposing　sex　where　there　is　not　even　life　is　altogether　too　fanciful　a　notion　for　the　Far　Eastern　mind。

Impersonality　first　fashioned　the　nouns；　and　then　the　nouns；　by　their　very　impersonality；　helped　keep　impersonal　the　thought　and　fettered　fancy。　　All　those　temptings　to　poesy　which　to　the　Aryan　imagination　lie　latent　in　the　sex　with　which　his　forefathers　humanized　their　words；　never　stir　the　Tartar　nor　the　Chinese　soul。　They　feel　the　poetry　of　nature　as　much　as；　indeed　much　more　than；　we；　but　it　is　a　poetry　unassociated　with　man。　　And　this；　too；　curiously　enough；　in　spite　of　the　fact　that　to　explain　the　cosmos　the　Chinamen　invented；　or　perhaps　only　adapted；　a　singularly　sexual　philosophy。　　For　possibly；　like　some　other　portions　of　their　intellectual　wealth；　they　stole　it　from　India。　　The　Chinese　conception　of　the　origin　of　the　world　is　based　on　the　idea　of　sex。　According　to　their　notions　the　earth　was　begotten。　　It　is　true　that　with　them　the　cosmos　started　in　an　abstract　something；　which　self…produced　two　great　principles；　but　this　pair　once　obtained；　matters　proceeded　after　the　analogy　of　mankind。　　The　two　principles　at　work　were　themselves　abstract　enough　to　have　satisfied　the　most　unimpassioned　of　philosophers。　　They　were　simply　a　positive　essence　and　a　negative　one；　correlated　to　sunshine　and　shadow；　but　also　correlated　to　male　and　female　forces。　　Through　their　mutual　action　were　born　the　earth　and　the　air　and　the　water；　from　these；　in　turn；　was　begotten　man。　　The　cosmical　modus　operandi　was　not　creative　nor　evolutionary；　but　sexual。　　The　whole　scheme　suggests　an　attempt　to　wed　abstract　philosophy　with　primitive　concrete　mythology。

The　same　sexuality　distinguishes　the　Japanese　demonology。　　Here　the　physical　replaces　the　philosophical；　instead　of　principles　we　find　allegorical　personages；　but　they　show　just　the　same　pleasing　propensity　to　appear　in　pairs。

This　attributing　of　sexes　to　the　cosmos　is　not　in　the　least　incompatible　with　an　uninterested　disregard　of　sex　where　it　really　exists。　　It　is　one　thing　to　admit　the　fact　as　a　general　law　of　the　universe；　and　quite　another　to　dwell　upon　it　as　an　important　factor　in　every…day　affairs。

How　slight　is　the　Tartar　tendency　to　personification　can　be　seen　from　a　glance　at　these　same　Japanese　gods。　　They　are　a　combination　of　defunct　ancestors　and　deified　natural　phenomena。　　The　evolving　of　the　first　half　required　little　imagination；　for　fate　furnished　the　material　ready　made；　while　in　conjuring　up　the　second　moiety；　the　spirit…evokers　showed　even　less　originality。　　Their　results　were　neither　winsome　nor　sublime。　　The　gods　whom　they　created　they　invested　with　very　ordinary　humanity；　the　usual　endowment　of　aboriginal　deity；　together　with　the　customary　superhuman　strength。　If　these　demigods　differed　from　others　of　their　class；　it　was　only　in　being　more　commonplace；　and　in　not　meddling　much　with　man。　Even　such　personification　of　natural　forces；　simple　enough　to　be　self…suggested；　quickly　disappeared。　　The　various　awe…compelling　phenomena　soon　ceased　to　have　any　connection　with　the　anthropomorphic　noumena　they　had　begotten。　　For　instance；　the　sun…goddess；　we　are　informed；　was　one　day　lured　out　of　a　cave