326 BIOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF HUMAN PROBLEMS 



unto his wife/' appears to the Japanese one of the 

 most immoral sentiments ever uttered. Mr. Hearn 

 tells us: "The reserve of Japanese literature regard- 

 ing that love which is the great theme of our greatest 

 novelists and poets is exactly paralleled by the 

 reserve of Japanese society in regard to the same 

 topic. The typical woman often figures in Japanese 

 romance as a heroine; as a perfect mother; as a 

 pious daughter, willing to sacrifice all for duty ; as a 

 loyal wife, who follows her husband into battle, 

 never as a sentimental maiden, dying, or making 

 others die, for love." It would not be fair to infer 

 from this oriental relation of man and woman that 

 the man does not love his wife. The Japanese 

 may love his wife ; in fact, it is his duty to love her. 

 But affection must be subordinated to duty, and is 

 actually so subordinated. 



That there accrue to a nation very distinct advan- 

 tages from the existence of social ideals which place 

 duty to parents and the state above all else, is a 

 proposition which might be strongly defended. On 

 the other hand, the successful maintenance of this 

 attitude leads the Anglo-Saxon to suspect that the 

 Japanese must possess a nature relatively thin in 

 many finer emotional qualities built on the sexual 

 instinct a nature which has never acquired the 

 somewhat dangerous instability which at least during 

 short periods makes it possible to make extreme 

 sacrifices for a love far more spiritual than physical 

 in its character. The poverty of Japanese emotional 



