the soul of the far east-第5章

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　paid　to　birthdays　during　early　childhood；　but　even　then　their　observance　is　quite　secondary　in　importance　to　that　of　the　great　impersonal　anniversaries　of　the　third　day　of　the　third　moon　and　the　fifth　day　of　the　fifth　moon。　These　two　occasions　celebrated　the　coming　of　humanity　into　the　world　with　an　impersonality　worthy　of　the　French　revolutionary　calendar。　The　first　of　them　is　called　the　festival　of　girls；　and　commemorates　the　birth　of　girls　generally；　the　advent　of　the　universal　feminine；　as　one　may　say。　　The　second　is　a　corresponding　anniversary　for　boys。　Owing　to　its　sex；　the　latter　is　the　greater　event　of　the　two；　and　in　consequence　of　its　most　conspicuous　feature　is　styled　the　festival　of　fishes。　　The　fishes　are　hollow　paper　images　of　the　〃tai〃　from　four　to　six　feet　in　length；　tied　to　the　top　of　a　long　pole　planted　in　the　ground　and　tipped　with　a　gilded　ball。　　Holes　in　the　paper　at　the　mouth　and　the　tail　enable　the　wind　to　inflate　the　body　so　that　it　floats　about　horizontally；　swaying　hither　and　thither；　and　tugging　at　the　line　after　the　manner　of　a　living　thing。　　The　fish　are　emblems　of　good　luck；　and　are　set　up　in　the　courtyard　of　every　house　where　a　son　has　been　born　during　the　year。　　On　this　auspicious　day　Tokio　is　suddenly　transformed　into　eighty　square　miles　of　aquarium。

For　any　more　personal　purpose　New　Year's　day　eclipses　all　particular　anniversaries。　　Then　everybody　congratulates　everybody　else　upon　everything　in　general；　and　incidentally　upon　being　alive。　　Such　substitution　of　an　abstract　for　a　concrete　birthday；　although　exceedingly　convenient　for　others；　must　at　least　conduce　to　self…forgetfulness　on　the　part　of　its　proper　possessor；　and　tend　inevitably　to　merge　the　identity　of　the　individual　in　that　of　the　community。

It　fares　hardly　better　with　the　Far　Oriental　in　the　matter　of　marriage。　Although　he　is；　as　we　might　think；　the　person　most　interested　in　the　result；　he　is　permitted　no　say　in　the　affair　whatever。　　In　fact；　it　is　not　his　affair　at　all；　but　his　father's。　His　hand　is　simply　made　a　cat's…paw　of。　　The　matter　is　entirely　a　business　transaction；　entered　into　by　the　parent　and　conducted　through　regular　marriage　brokers。　　In　it　he　plays　only　the　part　of　a　marionette。　　His　revenge　for　being　thus　bartered　out　of　what　might　be　the　better　half　of　his　life；　he　takes　eventually　on　the　next　succeeding　generation。

His　death　may　be　said　to　be　the　most　important　act　of　his　whole　life。　For　then　only　can　his　personal　existence　be　properly　considered　to　begin。　　By　it　he　joins　the　great　company　of　ancestors　who　are　to　these　people　of　almost　more　consequence　than　living　folk；　and　of　much　more　individual　distinction。　　Particularly　is　this　the　case　in　China　and　Korea；　but　the　same　respect；　though　in　a　somewhat　less　rigid　form；　is　paid　the　dead　in　Japan。　　Then　at　last　the　individual　receives　that　recognition　which　was　denied　him　in　the　flesh。　In　Japan　a　mortuary　tablet　is　set　up　to　him　in　the　house　and　duly　worshipped；　on　the　continent　the　ancestors　are　given　a　dwelling　of　their　own；　and　even　more　devotedly　reverenced。　　But　in　both　places　the　cult　is　anything　but　funereal。　　For　the　ancestral　tombs　are　temples　and　pleasure　pavilions　at　the　same　time；　consecrated　not　simply　to　rites　and　ceremonies；　but　to　family　gatherings　and　general　jollification。　　And　the　fortunate　defunct　must　feel；　if　he　is　still　half　as　sentient　as　his　dutiful　descendants　suppose；　that　his　earthly　life；　like　other　approved　comedies；　has　ended　well。

Important；　however；　as　these　critical　points　in　his　career　may　be　reckoned　by　his　relatives；　they　are　scarcely　calculated　to　prove　equally　epochal　to　the　man　himself。　　In　a　community　where　next　to　no　note　is　ever　taken　of　the　anniversary　of　his　birth；　some　doubt　as　to　the　special　significance　of　that　red…letter　day　may　not　unnaturally　creep　into　his　own　mind。　　While　in　regard　to　his　death；　although　it　may　be　highly　flattering　for　him　to　know　that　he　will　certainly　become　somebody　when　he　shall　have　ceased；　practically；　to　be　anybody；　such　tardy　recognition　is　scarcely　timely　enough　to　be　properly　appreciated。　　Human　nature　is　so　earth…tied；　after　all；　that　a　post…mundane　existence　is　very　apt　to　seem　immaterial　as　well　as　be　so。

With　the　old　familiar　landmarks　of　life　obliterated　in　this　wholesale　manner；　it　is　to　be　doubted　whether　one　of　us；　placed　in　the　midst　of　such　a　civilization；　would　know　himself。　　He　certainly　would　derive　but　scanty　satisfaction　from　the　recognition　if　he　did。　Even　Nirvana　might　seem　a　happy　limbo　by　comparison。　　With　a　communal；　not　to　say　a　cosmic；　birthday；　and　a　conventional　wife；　he　might　well　deem　his　separate　existence　the　shadow　of　a　shade　and　embrace　Buddhism　from　mere　force　of　circumstances。

Further　investigation　would　not　shake　his　opinion。　　For　a　far…oriental　career　is　thoroughly　in　keeping　with　these；　its　typical　turning…points。　From　one　end　of　its　course　to　the　other　it　is　painfully　impersonal。　　In　its　regular　routine　as　in　its　more　salient　junctures；　life　presents　itself　to　these　races　a　totally　different　affair　from　what　it　seems　to　us。　　The　cause　lies　in　what　is　taken　to　be　the　basis　of　socio…biology；　if　one　may　so　express　it。

In　the　Far　East　the　social　unit；　the　ultimate　molecule　of　existence；　is　not　the　individual；　but　the　family。

We　occidentals　think　we　value　family。　　We　even　parade　our　pretensions　so　prominently　as　sometimes　to　tread　on　other　people's　prejudices　of　a　like　nature。　　Yet　we　scarcely　seem　to　appreciate　the　inheritance。　For　with　a　logic　which　does　us　questionable　credit；　we　are　proud　of　our　ancestors　in　direct　proportion　to　their　remoteness　from　ourselves；　thus　permitting　Democracy　to　revenge　its　insignificance　by　smiling　at　our　self…imposed　satire。　　To　esteem　a　man　in　inverse　ratio　to　the　amount　of　remarkable　blood　he　has　inherited　is；　to　say　the　least；　bathetic。　　Others；　again；　make　themselves　objectionable　by　preferring　their　immediate　relatives　to　all　less　connected　companions；　and　cling　to　their　cousins　so　closely　that　affection　often　culminates　in　matrimony；　nature's　remonstrances　notwithstanding。　　But　with　all　the　pride　or　pleasure　which　we　take　in　the　members　of　our　particular　clan；　our　satisfaction　really　springs　from　viewing　them　on　an　autocentric　theory　of　the　social　system。　　In　our　own　eyes　we　are　the　star　about　which；　as　in　Joseph's　dream；　our　relatives　revolve　and　upon　which　they　help　to　shed　an　added　lustre。　Our　Ptolemaic　theory　of　society　is　necessitated　by　our　tenacity　to　the　personal　standpoint。　　This　fixed　idea　of　ours　causes　all　else　seemingly　to　rotate　about　it。　　Such　an　egoistic　conception　is　quite　foreign　to　our　longitudinal　antipodes。　　However　much　appearances　may　agree；　the　fundamental　principles　upon　which　family　consideration　is　based　are　widely　different　in　the　two　hemispheres。　　For　the　far…eastern　social　universe　turns　on　a　patricentric　pivot。

Upon　the　conception　of　the　family　as　the　social　and　political　unit　depends　the　whole　constitution　of　China。　　The　same　theory　somewhat　modified　constitutes　the　life…principle　of　Korea；　of　Japan；　and　of　their　less　advanced　cousins　who　fill　the　vast　centre　of　the　Asiatic　continent。　　From　the　emperor　on　his　throne　to　the　common　coolie　in　his　hovel　it　is　the　idea　of　kinship　that　knits　the　entire　body　politic　together。　　The　Empire　is　one　great　family；　the　family　is　a　little　empire。

The　one　developed　out　of　the　other。　　The　patriarchal　is；　as　is　well　known；　probably　the　oldest　political　system　in　the　world。　All　nations　may　be　said　to　have　experienced　such　a　paternal　government；　but　most　nations　outgrew　it。

Now　the　interesting　fact　about　the　yellow　branch　of　the　human　race　is；　not　that　they　had　so　juvenile　a　constitution；　but　that　they　have　it；　that　it　has　persisted　practically　unchanged　from　prehistoric　ages。　　It　is　certainly　surprising　in　this　kaleidoscopic　world　whose　pattern　is　constantly　changing　as　time　merges　one　combination　of　its　elements　into　another；　that　on　the　other　side　of　the　globe　this　set　should　have　remained　the　same。　　Yet　in　spite　of　the　lapse　of　years；　in　spite　of　the　altered　conditions　of　existence；　in　spite　of　an　immense　advance　in　civilization；　such　a　primitive　state　of　society　has　continued　there　to　the　present　day；　in　all　its　essentials　w