Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1869-06-23

else. somebody Noulu ne SURF ~ Wy "'N f'
to piecos,-thcrc are always such people about
and then paper war might happen. Now con-
troyersy is often useful, and under many circum-
stances. and when conducted improper spirit, 1t is
instructive. will confess that ! like it, But
upon this particular field, where bgoty ind
prejudice are more frequent weapons than reason
and sound sense. abhor it. So my definition Of
religion will still remain exclusively my own pri'
yate property.
Why then ask the question some cayller may
say. Let him read on.
1t was once belief among many good people
for there are good people 10 be found, that Is, rc
lively good peope-that among all tribes OF man.
kind, be they ever 50 savage, there exists some
kind of Religion. Pope must have had some
such idea when, penning that " Universal
PRAYER" which has been received by the world
with such diversity Of emotion, he wrote r.
Father Of all in every age,
In every cline adorcd
BY nint hy savage and by sagci
Jehovah, JOve, on Lord."
do not profess to number myself among the
good people aforesaid. Neyorthelcss, ! too had
once that belief. though have it mo- longer My
conversion, or pcrycrsion, whichever YOU like,
took place some years ago. / can say without
much fear Of contradiction, that was destined in
early times to pass much Of my life in the study
Of aboriginal character aboriginal customs aud
primitive pcculiarites. AZ any rate, whether OF
not You will admit that that was my destiny,
have done f. | began too at the bottom of the
tree for my first introduction WAS 10 the remnant
of the now extinct tribes Of Van Diemcns Land
From these, my intercourse with savage tribes
has spread over a large portion oil the globe and
one of the consequences is that do not believe
in either the Universally of religion or cannibal-
ism. repeat | do not believe in cannibulisn
even though have numbered among my acluoint-
ances many ladies and gentlemen who are com
monty called cannibals.
But il was in the interior OF Australia that my
faith in the existence Of an universal religion was
first shaken Whether was right or wrong
Others may judge for all turns upon what ",
mean hy Religion. Australia was peopled from
the islands of the Indian Archipelago But it /.
vast territory, and by nature only thinly sup
piled with means Tor human subsistence Conse
qucntly, the population is thin and scattered
The tribes arc small, and although they are moi
always as distinct one from another as were ID,
aboriginal inhabitants of North America, they
nevertheless show many points Of difference
have never been able TO discover much traditional
lore among them and very many have no belle
whatever in either future, or % remote past
These have no superstitions nor any mith in
spirit Of good or evil They worship nothing
They have no IDOLS sacrifices nor ceremonies
They have words In their language for god
justice or sin. They know no distinction between
virtue and yice-or between right and wrong
They merely live.
/ There are others who have belief, not 10
Supreme good, but IN spirit Of evil This De
mon is black and of huge proportions In differ
ent places he has different names, bat his func
tions and character are everywhere the same
lie is not worshiped nor proptated in any way
bat is an object Of the greatest awe. lie live
among the trees, and feeds upon babies He /
an unmitigted thief, and prone to steal womo
and young children Nor is his conversation
edilying those who know best say that il i
nothing but obscenity and abuse, imprec,tion
and lies fle is ever full Of mischief, and has to
his attendants a countless multitude Of little spir
its, black and disreputable as himself, who hay
their homes on the boughs and in the scrub
Among some of the least unintelligent tribe
there remains a faint tradition Of a time when Ia
land was under water, and when everybody wa
killed except black fellow and his children. VIII
owed their safety 70 a large bird. Thesc tribe
and some others have also formed an idea Of a ia
ture state, but it does not appear 10 date iarthc
back in their history than the arrival among then
of white men. Astonishei at the discovery tia
there were people OF a color different from thei
own, they soon agreed that these must be- black
fellows risen from the dead They had long won
dered what became Of the dead. and this theor,
explained the difficulty to their satisfaction. T,
it may probably also he explained the fact Of III,
attention with which they at first listened 10 thu
teaching of white men, though experience ha
since unhappily told them that preaching is no
synonymous with practice Others again be-
lieyel in future Of happy hunting fields, whep
there shall be much fish, many kangaroos, an,
no trouble. But none of these have any object Of
worship, yenemtion or idolatry They know n,
Providence They lead purely animal existence
And yet believe that even these people are capa-
bic of higher destiny here on earth and that
with all their bauenness Of power, they present
nothing that iustihes the thanksgiving propensi
ties which civilization has too strongly practiced
against aboriginal tribes
Again, the language of the Kallirs contains no
word which denotes the being Of any god neither
have the Mpongwees any Object Of worship or
idolatry Bosiesman's ideas Of the difference
between good aud wicked are peculiar. and that
popularity is more than quaint 10 one of the
most intelligent among them, one too who had
not been without some intercourse with the Mis-
slonaries, the direct question was one day put .
and he replied that it was good to steal another
man wife and wicked when his own wife was
stolen.
The natives Of the Andaman islands are not
more advanced than the Australians and when
Whitebourne visited the Esquimaux-no more
than two and half centuries ago-he said OF
them They have no knowledge Of God and live
under no form of civil government"
Sir j. Emerson Tenmut, who, with annie on.
portunties closely investigated the manners and
- N''N N'iiS"AN'e AhiAi8 MS Icrllcncf m
Ceyloni says Of the Veddahs -" They have no
knowledge ola god or Of a future state no tenn
pies, idols, affairs, prayers or charms" know.
however, that some at least of the Cinealese have
superstitions, for they practice sorcery 50 let US
do them full justice when, for instance thew
seek to compass the death of an enemy, they pro-
cure the skull of a male child. Preference Is
given to one which has been killed for the pur-
pose, and to frst-born but never learned
that these points are essential 10 success The
skull is carefully cleaned and scmped. and then
certain cabalistic signs are carved upon tin
GLIDING the name OF the person upon whom the
charm is to operate. A paste Is then prepared
with sand from the footprints Of the victim mois-
tened with his saliva and mixed with a piece Of
his hair This being spread upon a leaden plate
IS taken with the skull to the graveyard Of the
village, and for forty nights successfully evil spir.
It's are invoked. The belief is, that, as the plate
dries and the ceremony proceeds, the victim will
waste away and die.
But viii not multiply facts. The subject is
well nigh inexhaustible, and the limits Of nv
N mNn nlu