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Learning SQL Third Edition Alan Beaulieu Digital
Instant Download
Author(s): Alan Beaulieu
ISBN(s): 9781492057611, 1492057614
File Details: PDF, 5.69 MB
Year: 2020
Language: english
 Th itio
Ed
ird n
Learning
SQL
Generate, Manipulate, and Retrieve Data

Alan Beaulieu
 THIRD EDITION

Learning SQL
Generate, Manipulate, and Retrieve Data

Alan Beaulieu

Beijing Boston Farnham Sebastopol Tokyo

Learning SQL
by Alan Beaulieu
Copyright © 2020 Alan Beaulieu. All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America.
Published by O’Reilly Media, Inc., 1005 Gravenstein Highway North, Sebastopol, CA 95472.
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thereof complies with such licenses and/or rights.

978-1-492-05761-1
[MBP]
 Table of Contents

Preface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi

1. A Little Background. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Introduction to Databases 1
Nonrelational Database Systems 2
The Relational Model 5
Some Terminology 7
What Is SQL? 8
SQL Statement Classes 9
SQL: A Nonprocedural Language 10
SQL Examples 11
What Is MySQL? 13
SQL Unplugged 14
What’s in Store 15

2. Creating and Populating a Database. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Creating a MySQL Database 17
Using the mysql Command-Line Tool 18
MySQL Data Types 20
Character Data 20
Numeric Data 23
Temporal Data 25
Table Creation 27
Step 1: Design 27
Step 2: Refinement 28
Step 3: Building SQL Schema Statements 30
Populating and Modifying Tables 33
Inserting Data 33

iii
 Updating Data 38
Deleting Data 38
When Good Statements Go Bad 39
Nonunique Primary Key 39
Nonexistent Foreign Key 39
Column Value Violations 40
Invalid Date Conversions 40
The Sakila Database 41

3. Query Primer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Query Mechanics 45
Query Clauses 47
The select Clause 48
Column Aliases 50
Removing Duplicates 51
The from Clause 53
Tables 53
Table Links 56
Defining Table Aliases 57
The where Clause 58
The group by and having Clauses 60
The order by Clause 61
Ascending Versus Descending Sort Order 63
Sorting via Numeric Placeholders 64
Test Your Knowledge 65
Exercise 3-1 65
Exercise 3-2 65
Exercise 3-3 65
Exercise 3-4 65

4. Filtering. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Condition Evaluation 67
Using Parentheses 68
Using the not Operator 69
Building a Condition 70
Condition Types 71
Equality Conditions 71
Range Conditions 73
Membership Conditions 77
Matching Conditions 79
Null: That Four-Letter Word 82
Test Your Knowledge 85

iv | Table of Contents
 Exercise 4-1 86
Exercise 4-2 86
Exercise 4-3 86
Exercise 4-4 86

5. Querying Multiple Tables. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

What Is a Join? 87
Cartesian Product 88
Inner Joins 89
The ANSI Join Syntax 91
Joining Three or More Tables 93
Using Subqueries as Tables 95
Using the Same Table Twice 96
Self-Joins 98
Test Your Knowledge 99
Exercise 5-1 99
Exercise 5-2 99
Exercise 5-3 100

6. Working with Sets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

Set Theory Primer 101
Set Theory in Practice 104
Set Operators 105
The union Operator 106
The intersect Operator 108
The except Operator 109
Set Operation Rules 111
Sorting Compound Query Results 111
Set Operation Precedence 112
Test Your Knowledge 114
Exercise 6-1 114
Exercise 6-2 114
Exercise 6-3 114

7. Data Generation, Manipulation, and Conversion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Working with String Data 115
String Generation 116
String Manipulation 121
Working with Numeric Data 129
Performing Arithmetic Functions 129
Controlling Number Precision 131
Handling Signed Data 133

Table of Contents | v
 Working with Temporal Data 134
Dealing with Time Zones 134
Generating Temporal Data 136
Manipulating Temporal Data 140
Conversion Functions 144
Test Your Knowledge 145
Exercise 7-1 145
Exercise 7-2 145
Exercise 7-3 145

8. Grouping and Aggregates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147

Grouping Concepts 147
Aggregate Functions 150
Implicit Versus Explicit Groups 151
Counting Distinct Values 152
Using Expressions 153
How Nulls Are Handled 153
Generating Groups 155
Single-Column Grouping 155
Multicolumn Grouping 156
Grouping via Expressions 157
Generating Rollups 157
Group Filter Conditions 159
Test Your Knowledge 160
Exercise 8-1 160
Exercise 8-2 160
Exercise 8-3 160

9. Subqueries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
What Is a Subquery? 161
Subquery Types 163
Noncorrelated Subqueries 163
Multiple-Row, Single-Column Subqueries 164
Multicolumn Subqueries 169
Correlated Subqueries 171
The exists Operator 173
Data Manipulation Using Correlated Subqueries 174
When to Use Subqueries 175
Subqueries as Data Sources 176
Subqueries as Expression Generators 182
Subquery Wrap-Up 184
Test Your Knowledge 185

vi | Table of Contents
 Exercise 9-1 185
Exercise 9-2 185
Exercise 9-3 185

10. Joins Revisited. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187

Outer Joins 187
Left Versus Right Outer Joins 190
Three-Way Outer Joins 191
Cross Joins 192
Natural Joins 198
Test Your Knowledge 199
Exercise 10-1 200
Exercise 10-2 200
Exercise 10-3 (Extra Credit) 200

11. Conditional Logic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201

What Is Conditional Logic? 201
The case Expression 202
Searched case Expressions 202
Simple case Expressions 204
Examples of case Expressions 205
Result Set Transformations 205
Checking for Existence 206
Division-by-Zero Errors 208
Conditional Updates 209
Handling Null Values 210
Test Your Knowledge 211
Exercise 11-1 211
Exercise 11-2 211

12. Transactions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213

Multiuser Databases 213
Locking 214
Lock Granularities 214
What Is a Transaction? 215
Starting a Transaction 217
Ending a Transaction 218
Transaction Savepoints 219
Test Your Knowledge 222
Exercise 12-1 222

Table of Contents | vii

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BROKEN BUTTERFLIES
 BROKEN
BUTTERFLIES

BY
HENRY WALSWORTH KINNEY

TORONTO
THE MUSSON BOOK COMPANY
Limited

Copyright, 1924,
By Little, Brown, and Company.
——
All rights reserved
Published February, 1924

Printed in the United States of America

BROKEN BUTTERFLIES
 CONTENTS
PAGE
CHAPTER I 3
CHAPTER II 16
CHAPTER III 21
CHAPTER IV 30
CHAPTER V 39
CHAPTER VI 51
CHAPTER VII 72
CHAPTER VIII 94
CHAPTER IX 110
CHAPTER X 124
CHAPTER XI 133
CHAPTER XII 139
CHAPTER XIII 154
CHAPTER XIV 175
CHAPTER XV 195
CHAPTER XVI 225
CHAPTER XVII 248
CHAPTER XVIII 263
CHAPTER XIX 277
CHAPTER XX 293
CHAPTER XXI 301
CHAPTER XXII 301

BROKEN BUTTERFLIES
 CHAPTER I
The black bow of the Tenyo Maru cut into the broad ribbon of
moonlight stretching, interminably, straight into the vast spaces of
the opalescent night. Somewhere ahead, bathed in that same pale
illumination, invisible, lay Japan.
Arms folded over the rail, Hugh Kent looked forward into the opaque
dimness. From the main deck below the plaint of a bamboo flute
came softly up to him. The following wind brought stray bits of the
dance music from astern where the cabin passengers were enjoying
their last night at sea. Ahead the Orient, dim, mysterious,
indefinitely veiled as the flute notes—behind him the virile, strident,
restless clamor of the West; ever approaching, the two, East and
West, seeking to blend, even partly blending, yet each as yet too
strongly individual, mutually strange, to combine in full harmony.
The vastness of space, vagueness of translucent darkness, shimmer
of niveous sparkle of foam cascaded before the tall prow and
glimmer of phosphorescence flickering in the dark water below, all
induced to introspection, reflection, vague wonder as to what lay
before him, what new revelations would life in Japan bring to him.
It had surely changed vastly in the score of years which had passed
since he had left it, at fifteen. He would find much that he knew
though, would enjoy recapturing fluency in the speech which he had
prattled expertly as a toddler in amah's care and as a boy in the
streets and gardens of Kyoto. It would be a new, a more
sophisticated Japan that he would see, spoiled without doubt; still
how he had longed for years to return, to rediscover.
A shadow fell over his thoughts. How he had cherished that dream,
a few years ago, during the first years of their marriage, to go there
with Isabel. How they had both looked forward to it, to the time
when he should attain a post as correspondent at Tokyo for one of
the great dailies, to which his knowledge of the language gave him
good reason to aspire. Even after the first years of marriage had
passed, when in time they had gradually drifted apart, had become
almost indifferent, he had hoped that when Japan should provide a
new scene for their lives, it might be possible to revive interest, to
make a new start. He had felt that it contained some vague
potentiality of that sort, and when the offer came from the San
Francisco Herald to be its Tokyo correspondent, he had felt certain
that the opportunity had come for them, that she would appreciate it
as well as he. For that reason he had said nothing to her about it
until every arrangement had been made, the contract signed, that
he might carry the glad tidings to her, complete, that the realization
of all that this meant to them might sweep her off her feet and
envelop her, as it had him. And then the shock of her absolute
coldness, when he had brought his surprise to her; her absolute
refusal to go to Japan. It had thrown him off his feet, confused him,
so that when she reproached him with secrecy, with having taken
this important step without even consulting her, trying to learn her
wishes, he had been able to explain only confusedly how with the
very best intentions he had meant to give her a splendid surprise;
how, in fact, he had had to restrain himself from telling her when
the first inkling of the great news came, just in order that he might
make the marvel of the revelation more complete. As he had tried to
justify himself, to explain, to convince her, her indifference had
baffled him—surely, commonplace and torpid as their relations had
become, he had never felt towards her the indifference which she
apparently felt towards him. And this had been followed by her
absolute refusal to go with him, accompanied by her statement that
she did not object to his going, that, in fact, she could understand
that he must not lose the great opportunity, that it really might be
for the best for both of them to live apart for some time, for some
years—she had veiled her speech in obscure indefiniteness, giving
him, suddenly, the impression that she expected that they would
never come together again.
It had been borne in on him that in her heart she welcomed this as
an opportunity to end, through propitious circumstance, a
relationship which had become apathetic, a marriage which had
failed. He could understand her feeling—the thought was not
unfamiliar to him—but she had evidently progressed much farther
than had he on the road of indifference. Further conversations had
brought the same result. She had resolutely refused to place
credence in his belief that life in a new country might revive
affection. She was not romantic, she had said, and it was plain that
separation would cause neither of them to suffer. He had felt that
had she given him but a little encouragement, the slightest
sympathy, he might ardently have swept her over to his belief that
here lay a chance for renewal of the affection of the first years; but
her indifference had chilled him.
So they had parted, phlegmatically. Now he felt certain that this
episode had come to an end. He had tried marriage, and it had been
a failure. And such a stupid failure. There had been no other
woman, and, he felt sure, no other man. It had failed simply through
inanition. Still, it might have been worse. At least, there was no
heartbreak, no anguish. He had tried the marriage experiment.
Probably he would never have been content until he had tried it.
Now, he had found that it did not work; yet he was not much the
worse. He enjoyed the company of women only in the manner of a
mild stimulant. Thus he would live henceforth. He would have his
new work to occupy him, and curiosity to lift the curtain veiling the
mystery of marriage would not affect him. Like men who regard lack
of desire for liquor as an asset, thus he felt that his freedom from
relation to, from craving for woman would be an advantage. It would
make for a peaceful and well-ordered life.
His thoughts lost themselves in indefiniteness, a pleasant Nirvana of
emptiness which resented the sound of footsteps approaching along
the deck behind him. He turned, annoyed. Still, it was not so bad.
He would rather have it be Lüttich than any of the others. The
Russian had a fortunate faculty of sympathetic adjustment, of ever
being able to attune himself to one's mood of the moment, serious,
gay, reflective. And he admired his talents, the facility with which he
spoke French, German, English, even Japanese, his easy mastery of
the violin, and, above all, his unobtrusive friendliness. He felt for
him, also, sympathy for his misfortunes and admiration for the
careless manner in which he had adapted himself to new
circumstances. Hardships as an officer during the war, imprisonment,
escape through Siberia, and, finally, adjustment to a fairly precarious
existence as a teacher of languages and the violin to Japanese, had
caused no bitterness. "You never know what it is to be free from
care until you have lost everything," he had explained to Hugh.
"Nichivo!"
Lüttich pointed out into the night before them. "To-morrow, Japan.
What will it bring?"
Hugh smiled. "Something like that. One dreams, reflects, speculates
at the future."
The Russian snapped his fingers. "Unprofitable. If the dreams are
pleasant, disappointment and disillusionment follow. If they are
unpleasant, why, they are not worth having. The true philosophy lies
in gathering the fullest measure of the pleasures of the moment.
This is the last night on board, remember. They are short of men, as
usual. Come on. Join the dance, and have a drink with me, auf
wiedersehen in Japan."
They walked aft together, where the ship's orchestra played to the
couples dancing in the obscure half-light of the moon and the
Japanese lanterns strung crisscross in wavy lines. Along the wall of
the deckhouse tables and chairs had been set close together so as
to give room for the dancers. They sat down and had their drink.
Hugh was still half immersed in reverie, but the Russian was active,
febrile. Presently he joined the dancers. Hugh watched the scene
languidly. He could always find enjoyment, food for idle speculation
in the odd assortment of passengers, international, Americans and
Japanese predominating; some falling into easily defined classes,
missionaries, business men, tourists; others more definitely
characteristic, individualistic; some particularly interesting in their
baffling of curiosity, about whom ship's gossip had contrived fanciful
fables.
At the table next to him sat Baron Saiki, returning after years of
service at the Japanese Embassy at Washington, man of the world,
polyglot, marvelously well informed in international politics, a striking
contrast to his wife, who spoke little and who appeared to have
retained, in spite of years of residence abroad, the self-effacement
of Japanese women. Another contrast, again, was young Miss
Suzuki, who sat with them, college educated in America, stylish, with
even a French-like chic, in her fashionable gown and cleverly
arranged hair. Farther over was Miss Wilson, an American
stenographer returning to Yokohama, after a vacation in California,
with Miss Elliott, who had lived long in Japan where she was
beginning to make a success with her painting, water colors
following largely the manner of the Japanese color prints, but
combining therewith a hint of Maxfield Parrish, with intense blues
and deft arrangement of light and shadow contrast, which she
cleverly contrived to work out into a style quite peculiarly her own.
She was one of the passengers whom Hugh hoped he would meet
again in his life in Japan.
Still farther over was a group of tourists, guidebooks on the table
before them, arranging the itinerary for a breathless chase through
the most conspicuous marvels of Japan. Then a table with a couple
of girls with bobbed hair, and a youth on his way to Shanghai.
Farther over were others whose faces were half effaced in the
shadows. The approach to land caused general animation. The
dancers swung and gyrated to the rhythm of jazz. Good-bys were
said and promises to meet in Japan made as drinks more numerous
than usual marked the last night at sea.
"Are you glad to come back to Japan?"
It was Miss Suzuki who had turned to him. She spoke in Japanese.
He had often practiced speaking the language with her, rejoicing at
the facility with which he was regaining the once familiar tongue.
"Of course, though to me it will be like a new country," he answered.
"But I know that you must certainly be happy to return."
He was surprised to see the wistful expression which came over her
face. "I don't know." She spoke in English. He had noticed that she
found greater facility therein than in Japanese. "I don't know. I was
only eight when I left Japan. I am afraid I have become too foreign
in my ways and my mind, and my parents are such old-fashioned
Japanese. It may be very difficult; I am really quite afraid."
The orchestra crashed into a new dance. From the dimness beyond
the lanterns the ship's Adonis strode into the light, a young fellow on
his way to Tokyo as a student interpreter. He walked towards Miss
Wilson. Hugh saw her straighten expectantly, eyes meeting the boy.
But Adonis' roving eye had perceived Miss Kanae, a Japanese girl
who with her parents had joined the ship at Honolulu. He changed
direction, bowed, smiled, and the two glided in among the dancing
couples.
Miss Wilson flushed angrily. Her glance swept away, encountered his
for a moment, took in his companion with obvious disapproval.
"I don't see how a white man can bring himself to dance with one of
these."
It was said loudly enough to carry across the tables. Evidently
intentionally, with a desire to wound. Hugh saw the Baron wince
almost imperceptibly. He knew that the girl at his side must have
heard. The orchestra fiddled on to a crashing finish. The dancers
called for an encore. The violins struck up again. Hugh turned to her.
"I wish you would let me have this dance, Miss Suzuki?"
He saw her flush. "I think I would rather not. I did not think you
danced. I have not seen you dance at all."
"I have not." He did not care greatly for dancing. "But this is the last
night, you know. Surely you will not deny me this one dance at
parting."
She hesitated. He bowed ceremoniously. She arose slowly, and he
led her out among the dancers. He was pleased to find how lightly
she danced, elfin-like fine and graceful movements following his. The
glare of Miss Wilson's eyes directly into his as they passed her gave
him grim satisfaction. He knew that she knew what was in his mind.
She would be implacable. How easy it was to make enemies in this
world. He danced mechanically. The thought spoiled his enjoyment.
Then his mind reverted to his partner. She was smiling up to him.
What a shame it was to wound wantonly such a dainty child, for,
after all, that was all she was.
"We shall dance often like this, in Japan, shall we not?"
"I don't know." Her smile became a little dubious. "I hope so. We
shall see."
He made up his mind that he must try to come into touch with her in
Tokyo. The music ceased. He led her back to her seat. The Baron
smiled. "You will have a drink with me before we go below, Mr. Kent.
It is getting late, but we shall have our nightcap." They drank slowly.
"I hope to see you in Tokyo," said the Baron. "Your business will take
you to the Foreign Office very often, I know. I expect to be in Japan
for a while. Look me up there. I may be of some use to you. Good
night."
After all, how easy it was to make friends, also.
They arose. The Baroness bowed to him silently. The girl gave him
her hand. "Good night. Arigato de gozaimazu." She smiled to him
and followed the others before he could collect himself to reply. She
was a charming child. He hoped that he would come to know her
better, in Japan.
The Russian came up to him. "Good boy." He patted him on the
shoulder. So others had noticed. He looked over for the Wilson girl,
but she had disappeared. Miss Elliott caught his glance, beckoned
him over.
"You throw yourself into the battle quickly, even before you have
reached Japan," she smiled. "You have chosen your side early. It
may not be entirely wise, but I liked it. Thank you."
It embarrassed him. "But surely it was the only thing to do, you
know. She heard it. It was so unexpected, so utterly undeserved."
"I know. Still, you will see much of just that kind of thing in Japan. I
feel sorry for that poor girl. She will have a hard time, and she
suspects it. You know, she went to America when she was only eight
years old, was adopted by her uncle and aunt. They sent her to
college. She has been thoroughly foreignized. Now they have both
died and she is going back to her own family. I know of them. Her
brothers have both been abroad and have the foreign manner, but
they are Japanese. She is nothing, neither Japanese nor foreign, or,
rather, she is both, Japanese body and foreign mind. And her
parents are typically old-fashioned Japanese. She has learned to
expect the courtesy, the deference paid our women, the 'ladies first'
of our world. Now she will be forced into the strait-jacket of
Japanese women. She will be beautifully dressed and will have
motor cars and all that, but she will learn that her freedom is gone,
her personality is gone, and that it is 'men first' always in Japan.
That is the way it will be with her with the Japanese, and then, if
she goes with the foreigners, if she is allowed to mingle with them
well—you saw what happened to-night. It is fortunate for her that
she will not live in Yokohama. In Tokyo it is better. There the
foreigners are scattered, and they mingle more sympathetically,
generally, with the Japanese; but in Yokohama, where all the
foreigners live together in the Settlement, with their little cliques,
and coteries, and constant gossip and observing what every one
does, there a girl like she is much held at arm's length. It is the
women mainly who cause it. They make the men feel that they must
not show too much interest, or they suffer their displeasure."
"But a girl like that; why she's a mere child!"
"A mere child." She laughed. "I have so often wondered, when the
men always say that about these girls, whether they really are so
dense. Is it possible that the mere smallness and quaintness really
blind them. Can't they see that they are as much women as we are,
with the same thoughts, with passions as intense as those of all
other women. Of course, many of the men must know better, must
have learned——" She seemed to seek for words, gave it up,
laughed. "You know, I am becoming involved in a delicate subject.
After all, you must see for yourself and form your own conclusions."
The Russian was coming towards them. She rose. "It is late, and we
must be up early if we are to see Fuji. If you want more information,
ask Mr. Lüttich. Men can explain such things better. Good night."
"Lüttich," Kent turned to the Russian. "Miss Elliott was just hinting
that the lot of the foreign-educated Japanese girl in Japan is not a
very happy one. What do you know about it? It interests me."
Lüttich shrugged his shoulders. "One of the pangs of the transition
that Japan is going through. It is the whole keynote to Japan to-day.
The nation is trying to squeeze a feudal chain and mail outfit in
under the white shirt front of modernity, and the process causes
difficulties. The point is that, with all her modern veneer, railroads,
electric lights, factories, street cars and all that, Japan is still feudal
entirely in thought. Take your friend, Baron Saiki, for instance; as
polished a diplomat as you can find in Washington or London. To-
morrow, back in Japan, his mind will be as feudal as was that of his
ancestors three hundred years ago. In fact, it has always remained
so, but the Japanese have learned to put on a foreign suit of
thought, just as they put on a foreign suit of clothes, and, under it
all, the old feudal thought remains unchanged, just like their skins.
"In that way you see these well-bred men and women of Japan
attending social functions, dressed like us, acting like us, following
our codes and manners, and that is about all you see of their lives,
the modern, the outward part. But the everyday life, that which goes
on behind the walls and shoji, which you seldom get even a glimpse
of, that has not changed. There the old feudal era is persisting. The
wife is subservient to her husband, the daughters must obey and
serve their brothers. And after all, it works well; in fact, apparently
better than our system. They have practically no marital scandals.
The Empire is built on the foundation of the family and it seems to
wear well; it would be foolish to tamper with it, to try to replace it
with something, our system, for instance, which is hardly a success.
And it is my firm belief that generally the Japanese women are
happy, every bit as happy as those of America or Europe. That
system is what they have always known. It may be the bliss which is
born of ignorance, but as long as the ignorance remains they are
happy.
"Now that is where the point comes in about girls like Miss Suzuki.
She has become accustomed to our ways, our point of view. She
expects to take the usual precedence, to receive the usual courtesies
from men, to be waited on by them. And now, in her home, the men
will walk in advance and she will follow. If she drops something she
will pick it up herself, but if her brothers drop it, she will have to
scramble after it, and if a servant is not handy, they will order her
about like one. Now, if she had never seen anything else all her life,
that would be natural; she would never give it a thought. But she
has grown up under our conventions. She cannot help but long for
the courtesy, the deference, which she has become used to, which
she craves for. But, first of all, she does not go out much, as do our
girls, for Japanese women don't attend, generally, social functions
where both sexes are present, except garden parties, receptions and
other boresome affairs. But even if she does go out, say to teas,
hotel dances and such things, and even if she receives there from
the modernized young Japanese the outward show of courtesy
which is part of modern social usage, she knows that it is all for the
moment only. Her brother who picks up her fan at the Imperial Hotel
will send her scurrying for his slippers at home. If she marries the
young blood who obsequiously leads her to her seat in the ballroom,
she will jolly well walk behind him if she marries him.
"That, I think, is the tragedy of the modernized Japanese girl, that
she has had a glimpse of ideals which she will probably never attain.
Of course, there may be some heart-burning at the attitude of some
of the foreign lady cats, who would prevent white men from
associating with the Japanese girls. It is natural that they resent the
charm which these girls have for many of the young men who
should be the exclusive property of the women of their own race;
but that obtains mainly in Yokohama, and very little in Tokyo, where
the foreigners are scattered and where the biggest guns in the social
world are undeniably Japanese. And outside of some isolated
incidents like that to-night, I don't think that point counts much. The
fact is that while the Japanese girl who has had some contact with
foreigners undoubtedly wishes that our manner of treating our
women might be extended to them, you will find that marriages of
ladies of the aristocracy with foreigners are extremely rare. The man
who thinks he is regarded as a prize simply because he is white is a
fool. Among the lower and middle classes it is probably different. To
many of these girls the courtesy and consideration shown by foreign
men to their women must contrast sharply with the prospect of a life
of constant obedience, subservience and drudgery, first to her
brothers and then to her husband. They say that once a Japanese
girl has had relations with a foreigner, at least a decent foreigner,
she almost never wishes to take up with men of her own people.
I've seen a lot of cases which make me believe that this is true. But
girls of the class of Miss Suzuki are practically never allowed to
marry foreigners, and foreigners of their class hardly ever marry
Japanese. So they must be unhappy, poor dears. They despise the
trammels of Japanese married life, and that which they have learned
to wish for they can't attain. The lives of these girls, the pioneers of
their sex in attainment of western culture, is one of the many
tragedies of Japan in transition."
 CHAPTER II
They arrived too late in the morning to see Fuji-san. Clouds lay over
the mountain ranges and smoky haze obscured the land, only the
nearest foreshore appearing, gray, formless, without detail. It might
have been the California coast, any coast line, in fact. Only the
sampans which passed them, standing out to sea, with their
characteristic square sails, high galleon-like poops, indicated the
Orient. They passed quarantine. A launch came up smartly to the
ship's ladder. A tall man in pongee waved his big white sun-helmet
up to Kent.
It was Erik Karsten. Kent had expected to see him. They had been
friends, when Karsten was dramatic and art critic on the Herald,
before he had gone to Japan some years ago. They had
corresponded and Kent had looked after his son, young Mortimer
Karsten, until the boy had graduated from the university and had
gone to Europe for further study. Karsten had written him, when he
had heard that he was coming to Japan, that he must make his
home with him, at least until he decided to make other
arrangements. It made it particularly pleasant. They were warm
friends.
They climbed up the ladder, police officials, steamship agents,
Karsten and the rest. The friends shook hands.
"By Cæsar, but it is good to see you," said Karsten. "I have been
feeling a bit lonesome these last few years. I am glad you will stay
with me, at least for a while. Here, give your trunk keys to Martin.
He will see your stuff through the customs. It will be too late to get
to Tokyo for tiffin, so we will eat at the Grand. Then you can take a
turn about Yokohama, and we'll be in Tokyo in time for dinner."
He went through the usual form of police examination. The steamer
crept up to the wharf. Yokohama was as he had expected, the
foreign settlement drab and tedious as of old; the typically Japanese
section had receded a bit farther into the background; there were a
few more red-brick official buildings. The return brought no thrill.
Even the rickshaw seemed commonplace after he had ridden in it a
few minutes. He felt as if he had been away from Japan only a score
of weeks rather than a score of years.
Though he had halfway expected this, he was disappointed. Karsten
read his thought.
"Yokohama always disappoints, doesn't it? I shall never forget my
shock when I first came to the Fabled Orient and found this
nondescript changeling of a city. Tokyo is becoming spoiled, too.
They are covering it with electric poles, tangles of wires, atrocious
buildings, all the dreariness of civilization, which they have a positive
genius for making as obtrusive as possible. It seems almost that
when they copy our civilization they make a point of making the
worst parts thereof the most conspicuous. They can endow them
with a hideousness which you don't find in any other place in the
world. Still, Tokyo is not as bad as Yokohama. You may still find
large quarters which are Japan. I have found such a place. I hope
you will like it."
They arrived at Karsten's house late in the afternoon. Hugh felt his
hopes rise as they left the prosy, noisy main streets and their
rickshaws began a tortuous journey through narrow alleys, through
a typically Japanese quarter, with clean wooden houses, latticed
paper windows, grilled entrances, bamboo fences, and daintily
contrived roofed gates through which might be glimpsed miniature
gardens, with dwarfed pines, stone lanterns, curved paths of broad
gray stones.
A steep stone stairway, winding erratically up the hillside against
which nestled the quarter below, brought them to Karsten's house.
Thank God, here was a place such as he would wish to live in, which
was in harmony with his dreams of the spirit of Japan. Japanese in
every detail, set in a cool garden overlooking the cluster of houses
through which they had passed. In the rear lay a great temple, set
in extensive grounds, a cool, calm space shadowed by old trees
conveying a feeling of vast, eternal peace.
"You see, I am almost literally between the devil and the deep sea."
Karsten swept his hand before him. "These houses below are a
geisha quarter, as you might know by the immaculate trimness and
careful detail. It is more characteristic at night, when the lights are
lit. You'll see. There, behind us, in the temple grounds, you may
always find peace, rest. Can it be a sort of telepathic influence? I
don't know; but it seems almost as if centuries of calm meditation,
projection of their minds into the infinite by generations of priests,
the devout prayers of hundreds of thousands of worshipers, from
cradle to grave, have permeated the whole space with an
atmosphere, an aura of infinite peace. I am absolutely pagan. I have
no creed or religious philosophy whatever. Still, sitting alone in this
place, letting my thoughts go, I come nearer the idea that there is
something, some one, some force, above, beyond, eternal,
dominant, controlling the universe. Buddha, God, call it by whatever
name you like, but some vast, hidden, mysterious force. Anyway, if I
am troubled, agitated, here I may always find peace."
They entered the house. A tall, handsome Japanese woman met
them, bowed deeply, gracefully. "O hairi nasai. Please enter."
The soft, deep ring of her voice, its musical modulation; the richness
of her silks in spite of their somber shades; the every evidence that
here was a woman of refinement, a gentlewoman, startled Kent.
Plainly this was no servant. Could it be that Karsten had contracted
one of these indefinite Loti'esque temporary arrangements which are
fairly common in Japan? Still, then he would have said something
about it. He wondered.
But Karsten gave no explanation.
"Jun-san, this is Kent-san. Kent, Jun-san has been looking forward to
your coming. She is pleased that you speak Japanese. She speaks
no English."
She clapped her hands. A servant came, took their hats. They
entered a large, cool room, upstairs, whence they had a full view of
the clusters of geisha houses below. Jun-san followed, brought tea.
He noticed that she drank also. Evidently not a servant; probably an
"oku-san," after all? Still, in such case it was odd that Karsten had
not mentioned it. Well, time would tell soon enough. He liked her
presence there, sitting gracefully, Japanese-fashion, on a silk
cushion, ever watchful, attentive to anticipate their wants. Her mere
being there lent an air of rich, but delicate, exotic Oriental beauty to
the room, as though she were some infinitely wonderful, gorgeous
ornament, contrived to harmonize with, to add grace to the
surroundings. He liked the soft, slow smile when she answered him
in her grave contralto voice; but he noticed that when she was not
speaking, when he and Karsten were conversing in English, when
she took no part, she was ever watching Karsten, with an expression
of sadness, it seemed to him, a hint of wistfulness. It oppressed him
a little with its indefinite mystery. He tried to put the thought away,
as he went on talking with Karsten, but he could not free himself
from the sense of an oppression of sadness, vaguely permeating the
house as might a breath of heavy incense. He felt himself seized,
unaccountably, knowing no definite reason, with a feeling of
compassion, of sympathy, for Jun-san.
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