The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1856-02-17

IdoIateKS q An 0oxts-Rlre, Sheep, Cat and
Nsgre-Wershlppsu.
Man is . worshipping animal. II we had
not God, said Voltaire, It would be necessary
to invent Him. For in every human breast,
now, through all past time, and probably for
ever, does, has, and will rule craving for
something to worship, some being to venerate,
some creature or essence to make an idol of,
and cherish a. o divinity. Some times it has
been being clothed with attributes of supe-
riority, at whose feet superstitious mortals have
knelt, to implore divine favor, or to seek res
pite from divine wrath. Again, men have
raised above Themselves creatures naturally
far beneath them-the lower orders of man.
kind, and the lowest organizations of animals,
whose natural humility has apparently en-
HANGED the merit of elevating them. Or, again,
impalpable substances, or ideal existences
have been deifed, and have enjoyed wor-
ship the more substantial in proportion to the
uDreality and consequently the expansiblity
Of its object.
The first men naturally sought gods in
animate and inanimate nature. The Isra-
elites in an hour Of agony and back
sliding, deserted the worship Of the
column Of fire and smoke for that of
brazen calf. They became calf worshippers;
and not all the rage Of Aaron, or all the elo-
quence of Noses could thoroughly eradicate
the passion from their hearts. Centuries after
wards, they met in private to worship the COW.
Even Moses in bis iconoclastic zeal, only pro-
posed to substitute the serpent for the calf
he was q serpent worshipper.
At parallel ages, Hindus and Egyptians
made mensgeries Of their temples. There was
not brute without its altar and its priests.
On the border of the Ganges the god Fo GER
tainly entered the body of some animal; for
fear of emitting the right one, the whole ami
NAL creation, from the vulture to the constric-
tor, was deified, and swarm of devotees wor-
shipped beast, bird, fish and reptile alike,
while herds Of debauched Brahmins lowered
themselves beneath the level Of the lowest
living thing by their loathsome immoralities
Visbnu was incarnate ae an ape. To the ape
then prayed the Hindu maiden that he would
grant her fruitfulness, and an easy death; to
the ape the Indian warrior returned thanks
that he had been permitted to murder his
sleeping enemy without detection. Zeus Am
mon had been seen under the fleece OF ram;
Apis and Osiris, of loving pair Of horned
cattle; Babastis of a cat. So the cat, and the
cow, and the ram received divine honors
They had their temples and their priests; their
holy boats on the Nile; their professions when
the overflow began; their rich offerings; their
poets and their pious. enthusiastic, retiring
worshippers. When the COW, Apis, died, all
Egypt was searched for her successor. The
fortunate animal must be spotted in particu-
lar way, and streaked likewise; her horns must
be of such length, and with prescribed
curve; her whole appearance must be such as
to charm her priests Once, six months
elapsed before cow could be found to suit
hands Of the impatient devotees. But the
Egyptians delved lower still for divinities.
They gave divine honors to the onion. An
Egyptian Of moderate means, station and edu-
cation-such man, for instance, as might be
clergyman or merchant in our time said
his prayers to an onion, and handled it with
respectful awe.
Rising higher than these, the Syrians, Per-
slams, Chaldeans, and host Of other nations,
worshipped the sun, moon and stars There
was something elevating in the Persian rite.
Before daybreak the Persian gentleman as
cended his roof turned to the East, and watch
ed for the sunrise. When the straight rays
few, he fell on his face, and repeated with fer
vor some maxims of common place morality
He thanked his god that it lighted the earth,
warmed him, and taught his crops to grow.
Nor less touching was the devotion of the pure
Phonician girl to the goddess Of chastity-the
moon-whose gentle light harmonized with
the purity of her own heart; or to the distant
star, in which her priest taught her to view a
sy mbol Of her fortune-a bright heavenly pro-
tector. And if the Syrian worship of their sun
god partook more of Egyptian masquerade
than Of oriental solemnity: it was none the less
imposing; probably none the less sincere.
The Etruscan. in the simple domesticity of
his habits, saw his god on his hearth, in
the blazing logs. His creed had but one
article--Iove of home. His Lares and Penates
must not be removed. Soon, however, these
simple notions and the grand and vague ina
gerry of the East gave way to the more practi-
cal systems of Greece and Rome. Men were
defed--doubtless, great, good, ingenious men
such excellent citizens as had left fane and
honor attached to their name on dying-an
Apollo, Hercules, Vulcan, Neptune, a
Prometheua, Ceres. Fancy gave to these,
goddesses largely endowed with human frail.
ties and sensual attractions: and mauk, a Wor-
shipped the new fashioned godhead v til re-
newed fervor. Then came the iconoclast,
Christianity, giant in the yigor Of youth
combating pigmies in the decrepitude of age:
and for time, men worshipped Christ and his
ministers.
But the abstract service ola spiritual divinity
did not suffice the craving for idols in the