pagan and christian creeds-第50章

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alyzed　into　lesser　degrees；　with　useful　result　but　at　present　I　only　desire　to　draw　attention　to　them　in　the　rough；　so　to　speak；　to　show　that　it　is　from　them　and　from　their　passage　one　into　another　that　there　has　flowed　by　a　perfectly　natural　logic　and　concatenation　the　strange　panorama　of　humanity's　religious　evolutionits　superstitions　and　magic　and　sacrifices　and　dancings　and　ritual　generally；　and　later　its　incantations　and　prophecies；　and　services　of　speech　and　verse；　and　paintings　and　forms　of　art　and　figures　of　the　gods。　A　wonderful　Panorama　indeed；　or　poem　of　the　Centuries；　or；　if　you　like；　World…symphony　with　three　great　leading　motives！


And　first　we　have　the　stage　of　Simple　Consciousness。　For　hundreds　of　centuries　（we　cannot　doubt）　Man　possessed　a　degree　of　consciousness　not　radically　different　from　that　of　the　higher　Animals；　though　probably　more　quick　and　varied。　He　saw；　he　heard；　he　felt；　he　noted。　He　acted　or　reacted；　quickly　or　slowly；　in　response　to　these　impressions。　But　the　consciousness　of　himSELF；　as　a　being　separate　from　his　impressions；　as　separate　from　his　surroundings；　had　not　yet　arisen　or　taken　hold　on　him。　He　was　an　instinctive　part；　of　Nature。　And　in　this　respect　he　was　very　near　to　the　Animals。　Self…consciousness　in　the　animals；　in　a　germinal　form　is　there；　no　doubt；　but　EMBEDDED；　so　to　speak；　in　the　general　world　consciousness。　It　is　on　this　account　that　the　animals　have　such　a　marvellously　acute　perception　and　instinct；　being　embedded　in　Nature。　And　primitive　Man　had　the　same。　Also　we　must；　as　I　have　said　before；　allow　that　man　in　that　stage　must　have　had　the　same　sort　of　grace　and　perfection　of　form　and　movement　as　we　admire　in　the　（wild）　animals　now。　It　would　be　quite　unreasonable　to　suppose　that　he；　the　crown　in　the　same　sense　of　creation；　was　from　the　beginning　a　lame　and　ill…made　abortion。　For　a　long　period　the　tribes　of　men；　like　the　tribes　of　the　higher　animals；　must　have　been　（on　the　whole；　and　allowing　for　occasional　privations　and　sufferings　and　conflicts）　well　adapted　to　their　surroundings　and　harmonious　with　the　earth　and　with　each　other。　There　must　have　been　a　period　resembling　a　Golden　Agesome　condition　at　any　rate　which；　compared　with　subsequent　miseries；　merited　the　epithet　'golden。'

It　was　during　this　period　apparently　that　the　system　of　Totems　arose。　The　tribes　felt　their　relationship　to　their　winged　and　fourfooted　mates　（including　also　other　objects　of　nature）　so　deeply　and　intensely　that　they　adopted　the　latter　as　their　emblems。　The　pre…civilization　Man　fairly　worshipped；　the　animals　and　was　proud　to　be　called　after　them。　Of　course　we　moderns　find　this　strange。　We；　whose　conceptions　of　these　beautiful　creatures　are　mostly　derived　from　a　broken…down　cab…horse；　or　a　melancholy　milk…rummaged　cow　in　a　sooty　field；　or　a　diseased　and　despondent　lion　or　eagle　at　the　Zoo；　have　never　even　seen　or　loved　them　and　have　only　wondered　with　our　true　commercial　instinct　what　profit　we　could　extract　from　them。　But　they；　the　primitives；　loved　and　admired　the　animals；　they　domesticated　many　of　them　by　the　force　of　a　natural　friendship；＇1＇　and　accorded　them　a　kind　of　divinity。　This　was　the　age　of　tribal　solidarity　and　of　a　latent　sense　of　solidarity　with　Nature。　And　the　point　of　it　all　is　（with　regard　to　the　subject　we　have　in　hand）　that　this　was　also　the　age　from　which　by　a　natural　evolution　the　sense　of　Religion　came　to　mankind。　If　Religion　in　man　is　the　sense　of　ties　binding　his　inner　self　to　the　powers　of　the　universe　around　him；　then　it　is　evident　I　think　that　primitive　man　as　I　have　described　him　possessed　the　REALITY　of　this　sense　though　so　far　buried　and　subconscious　that　he　was　hardly　aware　of　it。　It　was　only　later；　and　with　the　coming　of　the　Second　Stage；　that　this　sense　began　to　rise　distinctly　into　consciousness。

＇1＇　See　ch。　iv。　Tylor　in　his　Primitive　Culture　（vol。　i；　p。　460；　edn。　1903）　says：　〃The　sense　of　an　absolute　psychical　distinction　between　man　and　beast；　so　prevalent　in　the　civilized　world；　is　hardly　to　be　found　among　the　lower　races。〃


Let　us　pass　then　to　the　Second　Stage。　There　is　a　moment　in　the　evolution　of　a　childsomewhere　perhaps　about　the　age　of　three＇1＇when　the　simple　almost　animal…like　consciousness　of　the　babe　is　troubled　by　a　new　elementSELF…consciousness。　The　change　is　so　marked；　so　definite；　that　（in　the　depth　of　the　infant's　eyes）　you　can　almost　SEE　it　take　place。　So　in　the　evolution　of　the　human　race　there　has　been　a　periodalso　marked　and　definite；　though　extending　intermittent　over　a　vast　interval　of　timewhen　on　men　in　general　there　dawned　the　consciousness　of　THEMSELVES；　of　their　own　thoughts　and　actions。　The　old　simple　acceptance　of　sensations　and　experiences　gave　place　to　REFLECTION。　The　question　arose：　〃How　do　these　sensations　and　experiences　affect　ME？　What　can　_I_　do　to　modify　them；　to　encourage　the　pleasurable；　to　avoid　or　inhibit　the　painful；　and　so　on？〃　From　that　moment　a　new　motive　was　added　to　life。　The　mind　revolved　round　a　new　centre。　It　began　to　spin　like　a　little　eddy　round　its　own　axis。　It　studied　ITSELF　first　and　became　deeply　concerned　about　its　own　pleasures　and　pains；　losing　touch　the　while　with　the　larger　life　which　once　dominated　itthe　life　of　Nature；　the　life　of　the　Tribe。　The　old　unity　of　the　spirit；　the　old　solidarity；　were　broken　up。

＇1＇　See　Bucke's　Cosmic　Consciousness　（Philadelphia；　1901）；　pp。　1　and　39；　also　W。　McDougall's　Social　Psychology　（1908）；　p。　146　where　the　same　age　is　tentatively　suggested。


I　have　touched　on　this　subject　before；　but　it　is　so　important　that　the　reader　must　excuse　repetition。　There　came　an　inevitable　severance；　an　inevitable　period　of　strife。　The　magic　mirror　of　the　soul；　reflecting　nature　as　heretofore　in　calm　and　simple　grace；　was　suddenly　cracked　across。　The　new　self…conscious　man　（not　all　at　once　but　gradually）　became　alienated　from　his　tribe。　He　lapsed　into　strife　with　his　fellows。　Ambition；　vanity；　greed；　the　love　of　domination；　the　desire　for　property　and　possessions；　set　in。　The　influences　of　fellowship　and　solidarity　grew　feebler。　He　became　alienated　from　his　great　Mother。　His　instincts　were　less　and　less　sureand　that　in　proportion　as　brain…　activity　and　self…regarding　calculation　took　their　place。　Love　and　mutual　help　were　less　compelling　in　proportion　as　the　demands　of　self…interest　grew　louder　and　more　insistent。　Ultimately　the　crisis　came。　Cain　murdered　his　brother　and　became　an　outcast。　The　Garden　of　Eden　and　the　Golden　Age　closed　their　gates　behind　him。　He　entered　upon　a　period　of　sufferinga　period　of　labor　and　toil　and　sorrow　such　as　he　had　never　before　known；　and　such　as　the　animals　certainly　have　never　known。　And　in　that　distressful　state；　in　that　doleful　valley　of　his　long　pilgrimage；　he　still　remains　to…day。

Thus　has　the　canker　of　self…consciousness　done　its　work。　It　would　be　foolish　and　useless　to　rail　against　the　process；　or　to　blame　any　one　for　it。　It　had　to　be。　Through　this　dismal　vale　of　self…seeking　mankind　had　to　passif　only　in　order　at　last　to　find　the　True　Self　which　was　（and　still　remains）　its　goal。　The　pilgrimage　will　not　last　for　ever。　Indeed　there　are　signs　that　the　recent　Great　War　and　the　following　Events　mark　the　lowest　point　of　descent　and　the　beginning　of　the　human　soul's　return　to　sanity　and　ascent　towards　the　heavenly　Kingdom。　No　doubt　Man　will　arrive　again　SOME　day　at　the　grace；　composure　and　leisurely　beauty　of　life　which　the　animals　realized　long　ago；　though　he　seems　a　precious　long　time　about　it；　and　when　all　this　nightmare　of　Greed　and　Vanity　and　Self…conceit　and　Cruelty　and　Lust　of　oppression　and　domination；　which　marks　the　present　period；　is　pastand　it　WILL　passthen　Humanity　will　come　again　to　its　Golden　Age　and　to　that　Paradise　of　redemption　and　peace　which　has　for　so　long　been　prophesied。

But　we　are　dealing　with　the　origins　of　Religion；　and　what　I　want　the　reader　to　see　is　that　it　was　just　this　breaking　up　of　the　old　psychologic　unity　and　continuity　of　man　with　his　surroundings　which　led　to　the　whole　panorama　of　the　rituals　and　creeds。　Man；　centering　round　himself；　necessarily　became　an　exile　from　the　great　Whole。　He　committed　the　sin　（if　it　was　a　sin）　of　Separation。　Anyhow　Nemesis　was　swift。　The　sense　of　loneliness　and　the　sense　of　guilt　came