The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1871-02-16
THE OLD CONFIDENCE IN SUPER
STITION.
BY JOHN FIsKE.

That prosaic and eoldly, rational
II ID II temper which modern men are wont
TO regard natural phenomena was in
early times unknown. We have come
rT togregard all Tevents as taking place
"A Regularly, in stfietlconformity to law
whatever other official theories may be
we instinctively take this view of
things. But our primitive ancestors
knew nothing about laws of nature,
nothing about physical forces, moth
: '.a9oisA ing about the necessary regularity of
things. There was a time in the his
tory of mankind when these things
had never been inquired into, and
szsa soss when no generalizations about them
had been framed, tested, or established.
There was no conception of an order
= 81 of nature, and therefore no distinct
conception of supernatural order OF
sas things. There was no belief in mir
All als acles as infractions of natural laws,
~ but there was belief in the occur
20. renee of wonderful events too mighty
~ ;aets, to have been brought about by ordi-
haa ps nary means. There was an unlimited
s4sa capacity for believing and fancying,
- taE because fancy and belief had not yet
ss. SCI I -I5 been checked and headed offin vari-
Gus directions by established rules of
experience. Physical science is very
late acquisition of the. human mind,
- Asis' but we are already sufficiently imbued
with it to be almost completely dis
I tabled from coInprehending the
a. bas thoughts of our ancestors. "How
eidssn Finn cosmogonists could have believ-
e s;.s - - ed the earth and heaven TO be made
rev 4saHout of a severed egg, the upper con-
cave shell representing heaven, the
yoke being earth, and the crystal sur
.sssS rounding fluid the circumalnbient
ocean, is to us incomprehensible ; and
Xxi 4sys vet it,remains g. TACT that they did SO
81 sdsiregard them How the Seaiidinavi-
@ ans could have supposed the noun
tains to be the Wondering bones of a
mighty JOtun. and the earth to be his
fostering flesh, we cannot conceive;
zfIaas sEet such theory was soleinnly taught
:ysaa b and accepted. How the. ancient In
ss49 allians could regard the rain clouds as
cows with full udders MIXED by the
winds of heaven is beyond our COM
pfehension, and yet their Veda con-
tsins indisputable testimony to the
- fact that they were SO regarded We
4 zol shsve only to oread Mr. Barring 9Gould's
book CT s'Curious Myths" from which
] have just quoted, or to dir, into Mr..
$. tThofpe's great treaties on On orthern
Mythology" to realize how vast is
aa. ~ the difference between our stand
-ssv point and that from which, In the lat
es.s < ter middle ages, our Immediate fore
fathers regarded things The fright
tul superstition of, wefewolves is q |
good instance. In those days it was
firmly believed that men could be, |
-I9e5 and were in the habit of being. trans |
formed into wolves. 1t was believed
Stlat women might bring forth snakes
or poodle-dogs. 1t was believed that |
if a man had his side pierced in bat.
tie, you could him by nursing
the sword which inflicted the wound |
s'As ate as 1900 German writer
would illustrrte a thunder-s storm de-
stroying a crop of corn by a picture
of a. dragon devouring the produce
Of the field with his flaming tongue
and iron teeth."-E1ons the Atlantic |
Monthly for February. -