EDITORIAL AND GENERAL 



169 



lineal and color combinations with se- 

 crets of preserving plant-life. Artificial 

 and embroidered flowers are worn on 

 the hair or on the dress by women ; but 

 real living flowers we prefer to enjoy, 

 not as a part of our personal adorn- 

 ment, but as objects of admiration out- 

 side ourselves. This is one explanation 

 of why portrait painting was compar- 

 atively neglected by our classical 

 artists, who devoted their skill more 

 to natural scenery, and to plant and 

 animal life. Supposing that the hang- 

 ing picture in the alcove represented 

 a sailing-boat on the sea, we should 

 place before it an incense-burner in the 

 shap of a crab or tortoise, which would 

 suggest an idea of the beach. Then 

 the spectator of these art objects can 

 be a part of the whole group. He may 

 imagine himself standing on the porch 

 of his seaside villa. It is rather gratui- 

 tous, therefore, to have his kind prom- 

 inently duplicated in the picture. 



Nor was our sense of smell left un- 

 cultivated. Incense parties were in 

 vogue. A brand of incense slowly 

 burning in a burner was passed around ; 

 each one of the party named, after- 

 ward, ten to fifteen ingredients com- 

 posing the brand ; and the successful 

 guesser received the proffered prize. 

 It may not be convenient to have very 

 sensitive olfactory nerves when trav- 

 eling in some parts of the world, but 

 certainly there is enough variety of 

 sweet odours, perfumes, and aromas 

 to make our noses worth having and 

 educating. Moreover, a good smell 

 suggests cleanliness, order and health. 

 Ancient warriors of Japan made it a 

 rule to burn incense to their helmets 

 on the eve of a decisive battle, so that, 

 if they were unfortunately killed on 

 the field, the foe or comrade who 

 should take care of their bodies might 

 be saved much unpleasantness. In 

 the recent conflict with Russia, many 

 a Japanese soldier and sailor substi- 

 tuted for incense a sprinkle of perfume 

 on clean, fresh underwear. Most of 

 them used perfume for the first time 

 in their lives, simply for the sake of 

 being clean and presentable even after 

 death. 



Tea-drinking was introduced from 

 China about seven centuries ago by 

 Japanese monks, with a view to keep- 

 ing themselves awake for nocturnal 

 meditation. It has since developed in- 

 to our tea ceremony, which combines 

 keen appreciation of delicate taste and 

 flavor with grace and elegance of de- 

 partment. Cooking itself is a fine art 

 with us. Eatables of all colors, all 

 chopped into fine pieces, are often 

 arranged in fanciful forms of landscape 

 gardening. Sometimes it requires 

 much discernment to detect what we 

 are eating. Toward the end of a ban- 

 quet, the chief cuisinier would be sum- 

 moned before leading guests, who 

 would compliment on the skill dis- 

 played, and thank accordingly. Of 

 course such comments should be intel- 

 ligent and appreciative, and made with- 

 out recourse to foolish questions. And 

 our use of chop-sticks from early child- 

 hood, instead of knives, forks and 

 spoons, has trained our fingers in man- 

 ual dexterity, which is further reen- 

 forced by the handling of writing- 

 brushes, and caligraphy is a branch of 

 fine art both in China and Japan. 

 Good hand-writing is valued just as 

 much as good painting. 



Thus we create a beautiful world of 

 sense-enjoyment, which no nation of 

 land-grabbers can possibly wrest from 

 us. 



Cooperation in a Great work. 



Soon, very soon, our brief lives will 

 be lived, and our affairs will have pass- 

 ed away. Uncounted generations will 

 tread heedlessly upon our tomb-. 

 What is the use of living, if it be not 

 to strive for noble causes, and to make 

 this muddled world a better place for 

 those who will live in it after we have 

 gone? — 'Winston S. Churchill. 



We are sure that we live in this 

 world, and that our successors will 

 also live in it. There is no doubt in 

 that. This is not a matter of faith but 

 of realizaton, or — sad as is the truth — 

 it may be of ignoring by ignorance or 

 bv indifference. 



