the golden bough-第26章

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ciety　there　is　hardly　a　person　who　does　not　dabble　in　magic。　Thus；　whereas　a　man…god　of　the　former　or　inspired　type　derives　his　divinity　from　a　deity　who　has　stooped　to　hide　his　heavenly　radiance　behind　a　dull　mask　of　earthly　mould；　a　man…god　of　the　latter　type　draws　his　extraordinary　power　from　a　certain　physical　sympathy　with　nature。　He　is　not　merely　the　receptacle　of　a　divine　spirit。　His　whole　being；　body　and　soul；　is　so　delicately　attuned　to　the　harmony　of　the　world　that　a　touch　of　his　hand　or　a　turn　of　his　head　may　send　a　thrill　vibrating　through　the　universal　framework　of　things；　and　conversely　his　divine　organism　is　acutely　sensitive　to　such　slight　changes　of　environment　as　would　leave　ordinary　mortals　wholly　unaffected。　But　the　line　between　these　two　types　of　man…god；　however　sharply　we　may　draw　it　in　theory；　is　seldom　to　be　traced　with　precision　in　practice；　and　in　what　follows　I　shall　not　insist　on　it。　We　have　seen　that　in　practice　the　magic　art　may　be　employed　for　the　benefit　either　of　individuals　or　of　the　whole　community；　and　that　according　as　it　is　directed　to　one　or　other　of　these　two　objects　it　may　be　called　private　or　public　magic。　Further；　I　pointed　out　that　the　public　magician　occupies　a　position　of　great　influence；　from　which；　if　he　is　a　prudent　and　able　man；　he　may　advance　step　by　step　to　the　rank　of　a　chief　or　king。　Thus　an　examination　of　public　magic　conduces　to　an　understanding　of　the　early　kingship；　since　in　savage　and　barbarous　society　many　chiefs　and　kings　appear　to　owe　their　authority　in　great　measure　to　their　reputation　as　magicians。

Among　the　objects　of　public　utility　which　magic　may　be　employed　to　secure；　the　most　essential　is　an　adequate　supply　of　food。　The　examples　cited　in　preceding　pages　prove　that　the　purveyors　of　food　the　hunter；　the　fisher；　the　farmer　all　resort　to　magical　practices　in　the　pursuit　of　their　various　callings；　but　they　do　so　as　private　individuals　for　the　benefit　of　themselves　and　their　families；　rather　than　as　public　functionaries　acting　in　the　interest　of　the　whole　people。　It　is　otherwise　when　the　rites　are　performed；　not　by　the　hunters；　the　fishers；　the　farmers　themselves；　but　by　professional　magicians　on　their　behalf。　In　primitive　society；　where　uniformity　of　occupation　is　the　rule；　and　the　distribution　of　the　community　into　various　classes　of　workers　has　hardly　begun；　every　man　is　more　or　less　his　own　magician；　he　practises　charms　and　incantations　for　his　own　good　and　the　injury　of　his　enemies。　But　a　great　step　in　advance　has　been　taken　when　a　special　class　of　magicians　has　been　instituted；　when；　in　other　words；　a　number　of　men　have　been　set　apart　for　the　express　purpose　of　benefiting　the　whole　community　by　their　skill；　whether　that　skill　be　directed　to　the　healing　of　diseases；　the　forecasting　of　the　future；　the　regulation　of　the　weather；　or　any　other　object　of　general　utility。　The　impotence　of　the　means　adopted　by　most　of　these　practitioners　to　accomplish　their　ends　ought　not　to　blind　us　to　the　immense　importance　of　the　institution　itself。　Here　is　a　body　of　men　relieved；　at　least　in　the　higher　stages　of　savagery；　from　the　need　of　earning　their　livelihood　by　hard　manual　toil；　and　allowed；　nay；　expected　and　encouraged；　to　prosecute　researches　into　the　secret　ways　of　nature。　It　was　at　once　their　duty　and　their　interest　to　know　more　than　their　fellows；　to　acquaint　themselves　with　everything　that　could　aid　man　in　his　arduous　struggle　with　nature；　everything　that　could　mitigate　his　sufferings　and　prolong　his　life。　The　properties　of　drugs　and　minerals；　the　causes　of　rain　and　drought；　of　thunder　and　lightning；　the　changes　of　the　seasons；　the　phases　of　the　moon；　the　daily　and　yearly　journeys　of　the　sun；　the　motions　of　the　stars；　the　mystery　of　life；　and　the　mystery　of　death；　all　these　things　must　have　excited　the　wonder　of　these　early　philosophers；　and　stimulated　them　to　find　solutions　of　problems　that　were　doubtless　often　thrust　on　their　attention　in　the　most　practical　form　by　the　importunate　demands　of　their　clients；　who　expected　them　not　merely　to　understand　but　to　regulate　the　great　processes　of　nature　for　the　good　of　man。　That　their　first　shots　fell　very　far　wide　of　the　mark　could　hardly　be　helped。　The　slow；　the　never…ending　approach　to　truth　consists　in　perpetually　forming　and　testing　hypotheses；　accepting　those　which　at　the　time　seem　to　fit　the　facts　and　rejecting　the　others。　The　views　of　natural　causation　embraced　by　the　savage　magician　no　doubt　appear　to　us　manifestly　false　and　absurd；　yet　in　their　day　they　were　legitimate　hypotheses；　though　they　have　not　stood　the　test　of　experience。　Ridicule　and　blame　are　the　just　meed；　not　of　those　who　devised　these　crude　theories；　but　of　those　who　obstinately　adhered　to　them　after　better　had　been　propounded。　Certainly　no　men　ever　had　stronger　incentives　in　the　pursuit　of　truth　than　these　savage　sorcerers。　To　maintain　at　least　a　show　of　knowledge　was　absolutely　necessary；　a　single　mistake　detected　might　cost　them　their　life。　This　no　doubt　led　them　to　practise　imposture　for　the　purpose　of　concealing　their　ignorance；　but　it　also　supplied　them　with　the　most　powerful　motive　for　substituting　a　real　for　a　sham　knowledge；　since；　if　you　would　appear　to　know　anything；　by　far　the　best　way　is　actually　to　know　it。　Thus；　however　justly　we　may　reject　the　extravagant　pretensions　of　magicians　and　condemn　the　deceptions　which　they　have　practised　on　mankind；　the　original　institution　of　this　class　of　men　has；　take　it　all　in　all；　been　productive　of　incalculable　good　to　humanity。　They　were　the　direct　predecessors；　not　merely　of　our　physicians　and　surgeons；　but　of　our　investigators　and　discoverers　in　every　branch　of　natural　science。　They　began　the　work　which　has　since　been　carried　to　such　glorious　and　beneficent　issues　by　their　successors　in　after　ages；　and　if　the　beginning　was　poor　and　feeble；　this　is　to　be　imputed　to　the　inevitable　difficulties　which　beset　the　path　of　knowledge　rather　than　to　the　natural　incapacity　or　wilful　fraud　of　the　men　themselves。

2。　The　Magical　Control　ofRain

OF　THE　THINGS　which　the　public　magician　sets　himself　to　do　for　the　good　of　the　tribe；　one　of　the　chief　is　to　control　the　weather　and　especially　to　ensure　an　adequate　fall　of　rain。　Water　is　an　essential　of　life；　and　in　most　countries　the　supply　of　it　depends　upon　showers。　Without　rain　vegetation　withers；　animals　and　men　languish　and　die。　Hence　in　savage　communities　the　rain…maker　is　a　very　important　personage；　and　often　a　special　class　of　magicians　exists　for　the　purpose　of　regulating　the　heavenly　water…supply。　The　methods　by　which　they　attempt　to　discharge　the　duties　of　their　office　are　commonly；　though　not　always；　based　on　the　principle　of　homoeopathic　or　imitative　magic。　If　they　wish　to　make　rain　they　simulate　it　by　sprinkling　water　or　mimicking　clouds：　if　their　object　is　to　stop　rain　and　cause　drought；　they　avoid　water　and　resort　to　warmth　and　fire　for　the　sake　of　drying　up　the　too　abundant　moisture。　Such　attempts　are　by　no　means　confined；　as　the　cultivated　reader　might　imagine；　to　the　naked　inhabitants　of　those　sultry　lands　like　Central　Australia　and　some　parts　of　Eastern　and　Southern　Africa；　where　often　for　months　together　the　pitiless　sun　beats　down　out　of　a　blue　and　cloudless　sky　on　the　parched　and　gaping　earth。　They　are；　or　used　to　be；　common　enough　among　outwardly　civilised　folk　in　the　moister　climate　of　Europe。　I　will　now　illustrate　them　by　instances　drawn　from　the　practice　both　of　public　and　private　magic。

Thus；　for　example；　in　a　village　near　Dorpat；　in　Russia；　when　rain　was　much　wanted；　three　men　used　to　climb　up　the　fir…trees　of　an　old　sacred　grove。　One　of　them　drummed　with　a　hammer　on　a　kettle　or　small　cask　to　imitate　thunder；　the　second　knocked　two　fire…brands　together　and　made　the　sparks　fly；　to　imitate　lightning；　and　the　third；　who　was　called　the　rain…maker；　had　a　bunch　of　twigs　with　which　he　sprinkled　water　from　a　vessel　on　all　sides。　To　put　an　end　to　drought　and　bring　down　rain；　women　and　girls　of　the　village　of　Ploska　are　wont　to　go　naked　by　night　to　the　boundaries　of　the　village　and　there　pour　water　on　the　ground。　In　Halmahera；　or　Gilolo；　a　large　island　to　the　west　of　New　Guinea；　a　wizard　makes　rain　by　dipping　a　branch　of　a　particular　kind　of　tree　in