The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1876-01-20
IDOL WORSHIP AND FETISH WORSHIP

In an extract from advance sheets Of The
Principles Of Sociology" by Herbert Spen
Ger. we have some curious facts in relation
to ancient worship. Daily offerings were
made on the altar by the priest to the corpse
OF Tahitian chief, and the ancient Central
Americans performed kindred rites before
bodies dried by artificial heat. That along
with a developed system Of embal ming this
grew into mummy worship, Peruvians and
Egyptians have furnished proof. These
people had confused notions either that the
ghost of the dead man was present in the
mummy, or that the mummy was itself con-
scious. Among the Egyptians the embalm-
ed dead were sometime placed beside them
at table. By the Peruvians the dried corpse
of parent was carried round the fields
that he might see the state of the crops
Ellis tells US that in the Sandwich Islands
bones of the legs, arms, and sometimes Of the
skulls Of kings and principal chiefs are car
ried about by their descendants, under the
belief that the spirits exercise guardianship
over them. The Crees carry bones and
hair Of dead persons about for three ears.
The Tasmanians ''show anxiety to possess
themselves Of bone from the skull or the
arms Of their deceased relatives" The An
damanese widows may be seen with the
skulls of their deceased partners suspended
from their necks."
When dead lord had been burned among
the Mexicans, says Camargo, they careful
~ collected the ashes, and after having
kneaded then with human blood, they made
Of them an image Of the deceased, which
was kept in memory Of him. In Africa,
kindred observances occur. While a distin
guished king Of Congo is being embalmed.
says Bastian, wooden figure is set up in
the palace to represent him, and is daily
furnished with food and drink. In Mon
strelet'a chronicle book the burial Of
Of Charles vi. If France is described thus:
Over the coffin was an image Of the late
king, bearing rich crown Of gold and dia-
monds, and holding two shields, one Of gold,
and the other Of silver; the hands had white
gloves on, and the fingers were adorned
with vevy precious rings. This image was
dressed with cloth Of gold, ETC.
=. :. IN this state was solemnly
carried to the Church Of Notre Dame.
Monstrelet describes like figure used at
the burial Of Henry v. Of England, and the
efigies Of many English monarchs are said
to have been preserved in Westminster Alb
hey till they decayed.
Kane states that the Chinooks think por-
traits supernatural, and look at them with
the same ceremony as q dead person. That
a savage does think an efigy is inhabited
we have abundant proofs. Lander, decrib-
lug the Torubans, says q mother carries for
some time wooden figure Of her child, and
when she eats, puts part Of her food TO its
lips. The Samoiedes, according to Bastian,
feed the wooded images Of the dead. How
among the more advanced people Of these
regions there persists the idea that the idol
Of the good developed, as we have seen,
from the efhgy Of the dead man, is the re
sidencc of conscious being, is implied by
the following statement Of Erman respecting
the Russians Of Irkutsk:
Whatever famiiiarities may be permit ed
between the sexes, the only scruple by
which the young women are infallibly con-
tre.led is snperstitions dread OF being
along with their lovers in the presence OF
holy images. Conscientious difficulties Of
this kind, however, are frequently obviated
by putting these witnesses behind curtain