the soul of the far east-第31章

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he　career　of　the　Far　Eastern　peoples。　　The　first　result　scarcely　needs　to　be　proved　to　us；　who　are　only　too　ready　to　believe　it　without　proof。　　It　is；　nevertheless；　a　fact。　　Viewed　unprejudicedly；　their　civilization　is　not　so　advanced　a　one　as　our　own。　　Although　they　are　certainly　our　superiors　in　some　very　desirable　particulars；　their　whole　scheme　is　distinctly　more　aboriginal　fundamentally。　It　is　more　finished；　as　far　as　it　goes；　but　it　does　not　go　so　far。　Less　rude；　it　is　more　rudimentary。　　Indeed；　as　we　have　seen；　its　surface…perfection　really　shows　that　nature　has　given　less　thought　to　its　substance。　　One　may　say　of　it　that　it　is　the　adult　form　of　a　lower　type　of　mind…specification。

The　second　effect　is　scarcely　less　patent。　　How　slow　their　progress　has　been；　if　for　centuries　now　it　can　be　called　progress　at　all；　is　world…known。　　Chinese　conservatism　has　passed　into　a　proverb。　The　pendulum　of　pulsation　in　the　Middle　Kingdom　long　since　came　to　a　stop　at　the　medial　point　of　rest。　　Centre　of　civilization；　as　they　call　themselves；　one　would　imagine　that　their　mind…machinery　had　got　caught　on　their　own　dead　centre；　and　now　could　not　be　made　to　move。　Life；　which　elsewhere　is　a　condition　of　unstable　equilibrium；　there　is　of　a　fatally　stable　kind。　　For　the　Chinaman's　disinclination　to　progress　is　something　more　than　vis　inertiae；　it　has　become　an　ardent　devotion　to　the　status　quo。　　Jostled；　he　at　once　settles　back　to　his　previous　condition　again；　much　as　more　materially；　after　a　lifetime　spent　in　California；　at　his　death　his　body　is　punctiliously　embalmed　and　sent　home　across　five　thousand　miles　of　sea　for　burial。　With　the　Japanese　the　condition　of　affairs　is　somewhat　different。　Their　tendency　to　stand　still　is　of　a　purely　passive　kind。　　It　is　a　state　of　neutral　equilibrium；　stationary　of　itself　but　perfectly　responsive　to　an　impulse　from　without。　　Left　to　their　own　devices；　they　are　conservative　enough；　but　they　instantly　copy　a　more　advanced　civilization　the　moment　they　get　a　chance。　　This　proclivity　on　their　part　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　Eas