pagan and christian creeds-第32章

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ass　by　their　defects　in　silence；　but　could　not　praise　their　tribal　morality　highly　enough。　Their　word　is　sacred；　he　wrote；　they　know　nothing　of　the　corruption　and　faithless　arts　of　Europe。　They　live　in　great　tranquillity　and　are　seldom　at　war　with　their　neighbors；　and　are　all　kindness　and　goodwill　to　one　　another。〃＇1＇　Kropotkin　further　says：　〃Let　me　remark　that　when　Kolben　says　'they　are　certainly　the　most　friendly；　the　most　liberal　and　the　most　benevolent　people　to　one　another　that　ever　appeared　on　the　earth'　he　wrote　a　sentence　which　has　continually　appeared　since　in　the　description　of　savages。　When　first　meeting　with　primitive　races；　the　Europeans　usually　make　a　caricature　of　their　life；　but　when　an　intelligent　man　has　stayed　among　them　for　a　longer　time　he　generally　describes　them　as　the　'kindest'　or　the　'gentlest'　race　on　the　earth。　These　very　same　words　have　been　applied　to　the　Ostyaks；　the　Samoyedes；　the　Eskimos；　the　Dyaks；　the　Aleuts；　the　Papuans；　and　so　on；　by　the　highest　authorities。　I　also　remember　having　read　them　applied　to　the　Tunguses；　the　Tchuktchis；　the　Sioux；　and　several　others。　The　very　frequency　of　that　high　commendation　already　speaks　volumes　in　itself。〃＇2＇

＇1＇　P。　Kropotkin；　Mutual　Aid；　p。　90。　W。　J。　Solias　also　speaks　in　terms　of　the　highest　praise　of　the　Bushmen〃their　energy；　patience；　courage；　loyalty；　affection；　good　manners　and　artistic　sense〃　（Ancient　Hunters；　1915；　p。　425）。

＇2＇　Ibid；　p。　91。


Many　of　the　tribes；　like　the　Aleuts；　Eskimos；　Dyaks；　Papuans；　Fuegians；　etc。；　are　themselves　in　the　Neolithic　stage　of　culturethough　for　the　reason　given　above　probably　degenerated　physically　from　the　standard　of　their　neolithic　ancestors；　and　so　the　conclusion　is　forced　upon　one　that　there　must　have　been　an　IMMENSE　PERIOD；＇1＇　prior　to　the　first　beginnings　of　'civilization；'　in　which　the　human　tribes　in　general　led　a　peaceful　and　friendly　life　on　the　earth；　comparatively　little　broken　up　by　dissensions；　in　close　contact　with　Nature　and　in　that　degree　of　sympathy　with　and　understanding　of　the　Animals　which　led　to　the　establishment　of　the　Totem　system。　Though　it　would　be　absurd　to　credit　these　tribes　with　any　great　degree　of　comfort　and　well…being　according　to　our　modern　standards；　yet　we　may　well　suppose　that　the　memory　of　this　long　period　lingered　on　for　generations　and　generations　and　was　ultimately　idealized　into　the　Golden　Age；　in　contrast　to　the　succeeding　period　of　everlasting　warfare；　rancor　and　strife；　which　came　in　with　the　growth　of　Property　with　its　greeds　and　jealousies；　and　the　accentuation　of　Self…consciousness　with　all　its　vanities　and　ambitions。

＇1＇　See　for　estimates　of　periods　ch。　xiv；　also；　for　the　peacefulness　of　these　early　peoples；　Havelock　Ellis　on　〃The　Origin　of　War；〃　where　he　says　〃We　do　not　find　the　WEAPONS　of　warfare　or　the　WOUNDS　of　warfare　among　these　Palaeolithic　remains　。　。　。　it　was　with　civilization　that　the　art　of　killing　developed；　i。　e。　within　the　last　10；000　or　12；000　years　when　Neolithic　men　（who　became　our　ancestors）　were　just　arriving。〃


I　say　that　each　tribe　at　this　early　stage　of　development　had　within　it　the　ESSENTIALS　of　what　we　call　Religion　namely　a　bedrock　sense　of　its　community　with　Nature；　and　of　the　Common　life　among　its　membersa　sense　so　intimate　and　fundamental　that　it　was　hardly　aware　of　itself　（any　more　than　the　fish　is　aware　of　the　sea　in　which　it　lives）；　but　yet　was　really　the　matrix　of　tribal　thought　and　the　spring　of　tribal　action。　It　was　this　sense　of　unity　which　was　destined　by　the　growth　of　SELF…CONSCIOUSNESS　to　come　to　light　and　evidence　in　the　shape　of　all　manner　of　rituals　and　ceremonials；　and　by　the　growth　of　the　IMAGINATIVE　INTELLECT　to　embody　itself　in　the　figures　and　forms　of　all　manner　of　deities。

Let　us　examine　into　this　a　little　more　closely。　A　lark　soaring　in　the　eye　of　the　sun；　and　singing　rapt　between　its　〃heaven　and　home〃　realizes　no　doubt　in　actual　fact　all　that　those　two　words　mean　to　us；　yet　its　realization　is　quite　subconscious。　It　does　not　define　its　own　experience：　it　FEELS　but　it　does　not　THINK。　In　order　to　come　to　the　stage　of　THINKING　it　would　perhaps　be　necessary　that　the　lark　should　be　exiled　from　the　earth　and　the　sky；　and　confined　in　a　cage。　Early　Man　FELT　the　great　truths　and　realities　of　Lifeoften　I　believe　more　purely　than　we　do　but　he　could　not　give　form　to　his　experience。　THAT　stage　came　when　he　began　to　lose　touch　with　these　realities；　and　it　showed　itself　in　rites　and　ceremonials。　The　inbreak　of　self…consciousness　brought　OUT　the　facts　of　his　inner　life　into　ritualistic　and　afterwards　into　intellectual　forms。

Let　me　give　examples。　For　a　long　time　the　Tribe　is　all　in　all；　the　individual　is　completely　subject　to　the　'Spirit　of　the　Hive'；　he　does　not　even　THINK　of　contravening　it。　Then　the　day　comes　when　self…interest；　as　apart　from　the　Tribe；　becomes　sufficiently　strong　to　drive　him　against　some　tribal　custom。　He　breaks　the　tabu；　he　eats　the　forbidden　apple；　he　sins　against　the　tribe；　and　is　cast　out。　Suddenly　he　finds　himself　an　exile；　lonely；　condemned　and　deserted。　A　horrible　sense　of　distress　seizes　himsomething　of　which　he　had　no　experience　before。　He　tries　to　think　about　it　all；　to　understand　the　situation；　but　is　dazed　and　cannot　arrive　at　any　conclusion。　His　one　NECESSITY　is　Reconciliation；　Atonement。　He　finds　he　cannot　LIVE　outside　of　and　alienated　from　his　tribe。　He　makes　a　Sacrifice；　an　offering　to　his　fellows；　as　a　seal　of　sincerityan　offering　of　his　own　bodily　suffering　or　precious　blood；　or　the　blood　of　some　food…animal；　or　some　valuable　gift　or　otherif　only　he　may　be　allowed　to　return。　The　offering　is　accepted。　The　ritual　is　performed；　and　he　is　received　back。　I　have　already　spoken　of　this　perfectly　natural　evolution　of　the　twin…ideas　of　Sin　and　Sacrifice；　so　I　need　not　enlarge　upon　the　subject。　But　two　things　we　may　note　here：　（1）　that　the　ritual；　being　so　concrete　（and　often　severe）；　graves　itself　on　the　minds　of　those　concerned；　and　expresses　the　feelings　of　the　tribe；　with　an　intensity　and　sharpness　of　outline　which　no　words　could　rival；　and　（2）　that　such　rituals　may　have；　and　probably　did；　come　into　use　even　while　language　itself　was　in　an　infantile　condition　and　incapable　of　dealing　with　the　psychological　situation　except　by　symbols。　They；　the　rituals；　were　the　first　effort　of　the　primitive　mind　to　get　beyond；　subconscious　feeling　and　emerge　into　a　world　of　forms　and　definite　thought。

Let　us　carry　the　particular　instance；　given　above；　a　stage　farther；　even　to　the　confines　of　abstract　Thought　and　Philosophy。　I　have　spoken　of　〃The　Spirit　of　the　Hive〃　as　if　the　term　were　applicable　to　the　Human　as　well　as　to　the　Bee　tribe。　The　individual　bee　obviously　has　never　THOUGHT　about　that　'Spirit；'　nor　mentally　understood　what　Maeterlinck　means　by　it；　and　yet　in　terms　of　actual　experience　it　is　an　intense　reality　to　the　bee　（ordaining　for　instance　on　some　fateful　day　the　slaughter　of　all　the　drones）；　controlling　bee…movements　and　bee…　morality　generally。　The　individual　tribesman　similarly　steeped　in　the　age…long　human　life　of　his　fellows　has　never　thought　of　the　Tribe　as　an　ordaining　being　or　Spirit；　separate　from　himselfTILL　that　day　when　he　is　exiled　and　outcast　from　it。　THEN　he　sees　himself　and　the　tribe　as　two　opposing　beings；　himself　of　course　an　Intelligence　or　Spirit　in　his　own　limited　degree；　the　Tribe　as　a　much　greater　Intelligence　or　Spirit；　standing　against　and　over　him。　From　that　day　the　conception　of　a　god　arises　on　him。　It　may　be　only　a　totem…goda　divine　Grizzly…Bear　or　what　notbut　still　a　god　or　supernatural　Presence；　embodied　in　the　life　of　the　tribe。　This　is　what　Sin　has　taught　him。＇1＇　This　is　what　Fear；　founded　on　self…consciousness；　has　revealed　to　him。　The　revelation　may　be　true；　or　it　may　be　fallacious　（I　do　not　prejudge　it）；　but　there　it　isthe　beginning　of　that　long　series　of　human　evolutions　which　we　call　Religion。

＇1＇　It　is　to　be　noted；　in　that　charming　idyll　of　the　Eden　garden；　that　it　is　only　AFTER　eating　of　the　forbidden　fruit　that　Adam　and　Eve　perceive　the　Lord　God　walking　in　the　garden；　and　converse　with　him　（Genesis　iii。　8）。


＇For　when　the　human　mind　has　reached　that　stage　of　consciousness　in　which　each　man　realizes　his　own　'self'　as　a　rational　and　consistent　be