The life and letters of Lafcadio Hearn . ll of news and things to be grateful is some news here too. Mr. Kano is gone!We are all very, very sorry. . Perhaps I might go to Niigata during the is always, always, always talking about suppose I shall have to take her there. And Iwant to visit Kompira, and Zenkoji in Nagano ( ?) —where all the Souls of the Dead go, — and one mightdo all that and see Niigata too. I am very anxiousto see the dear kind Governor and his daughteragain. That kind of Governor is rare, and I thinkwill soon cease to exist in Japan. He always se
The life and letters of Lafcadio Hearn . ll of news and things to be grateful is some news here too. Mr. Kano is gone!We are all very, very sorry. . Perhaps I might go to Niigata during the is always, always, always talking about suppose I shall have to take her there. And Iwant to visit Kompira, and Zenkoji in Nagano ( ?) —where all the Souls of the Dead go, — and one mightdo all that and see Niigata too. I am very anxiousto see the dear kind Governor and his daughteragain. That kind of Governor is rare, and I thinkwill soon cease to exist in Japan. He always seemedto me a delightful type of the old days, — like theprinces of the ehon: the modernized Governorscarcely seems to belong to the same race. And theJapanese of the next generation will not be kindand open-hearted and unselfish, I fear: they willbecome hard of character like the Western people, —more intellectual and less moral. For old Japan, inunselfishness, was as far in advance of the West asshe was materially behind N O Pi o H TO SENTARO NISHIDA 105 The curling-up of the toe in the statue of Inada-Hime is not according to the canons of Westernsculpture (which is still generally governed by theGreek spirit), — because it shows the member inwhat is considered an ungraceful position. But Ithought after looking awhile at it, that it was reallynatural. Not natural from the standpoint of a mod-ern people whose toes have lost both symmetry andflexibility owing to the wearing of leather shoes; butnatural among a people whose feet are well shapedand whose toes remain supple, and to some degree,prehensile. Among tropical races the toes retainextraordinary flexibility; but I dont think anyEnglish girl could put her great-toe into the attitudetaken by that of Inada-Hime. I imagined that thismovement represented in the statue a little nervousfeeling, — the involuntary shrinking of a womanfrom sharp cold steel. But that is only a it really means I should like
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