In reading or hearing Japanese, the English-speaking resident continually stumbles on his own religious cant and orthodox expressions, which he believes to be peculiar to his own atmosphere, that have a meaning entirely different from the natural sense: “this vale of tears,” :this evil world,” “gone to his reward,” “dust and ashes,” “worm of the dust,” and many phrases which so many think are exclusively Christian or evangelical, are echoed in Japanese.
So much is this true, that the missionaries, in translating religious books, are at first delighted to find exact equivalents for many expressions desirable in technical theology, or for what may fairly be termed pious slang, but will not use them, for fear or misleading the reader, or rather of failing to lead him out of his old notions into the new faith which it is desired to teach.
So general have the use and affectation of Chinese become, that in many instances the pedantic Chinese name or word has been retained in the mouths of the people, while the more beautiful native term is almost lost. In general, however, only the men were devoted to Chinese, while the cultivation of the Japanese language was left tot the women. This task the women nobly discharged, fully maintaining the credit of the native literature.
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From General Nelson A. Miles
Thrilling Stories of The Russian-Japanese War, 1904
