As has been well said, they were once happy thoughts of some bright particular genius bequeathed to posterity without so much as an accompanying name, and which proved so popular that they soon became but symbols themselves.
Their languages are paralleled by their whole life.

A lack of any fanciful ideas is one of the most salient traits of all Far Eastern races, if indeed a sad dearth of anything can properly be spoken of as salient.

Indirectly their want of imagination betrays itself in their every-day sayings and doings, and more directly in every branch of thought.

Originality is not their strong point.

Their utter ignorance of science shows this, and paradoxical as it may seem, their art, in spite of its merit and its universality, does the same.