The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-04-07


mcnt was in vogue among the earliest Romans
and also among the native Irish-men.
women. and children, and oven cattle,
In Ireland. lcaping through or passing
over sacred bOnflrcs annually kindled in
honor Of q Kettle deity. This rite. no doubt.
was the abomnation so severely rcprobated by
the sacred historians Of the Jews, the custom.
namely of parents making their sons and
daughters pass through fire. which. by the way,
is still followed by mothers in certain parts OF
india who leap over small burning fagot
with their children in their arms Although
commentators usually construe the expression
in the Bible to mean the burning of infants
alive as offerings to Baal or Mooch. Mr.. Knight
finds IL more consonant with history and
analogy to refer most of such illusions to the in
nocent mode of publication which survived
among the inhabitants of Italy until the downfall
OF hcathenism and was practiscd up to very
late date in Christian Ireland.
Mr. Knight induces and analyses n great
number OF passages from classical writers bear
ing on the esoterc doctrine of the existence
and nature Of the soul In symbolical writing
the celestial or ETHEREAL soul was represented by
the Psyche or butterfly breaking from its torpid
chrysalis and mounting in the air Like other
animal symbols this gradually melted among
the Greeks into the human form. the original
Such an alegory would naturally be favorite
subject Of art. and It accordingly seems to have
been more diversified and repeated 10y sculptors
and lapidarics than any other; although being
inappcablc to communities there is ho trace Of
1t on any coin. The fate Of the umbra. or torres
trial soul-the region to which II retired at the
dissolution OF tho body. and the degree Of SEN
sibility which 1t continued to enioy-are subjects
Of much obscurity. and belong to the poetry ra-
Their than the doctrnal religion OF the ancicnts
But the corporal residence Of this grosser
principle. a. we'll as Of the divine particle. was
supposed to be the blood whence in Ulysses
cyocation Of the dead the shades are spoken II
MS void Of all perception until they had tasted
the blood Of victims In like manner. according
to Pausanias. the prophecies Of Argos became
possessed OF the knowledge Of futurity by tast-
ing the blood Of lamb offered In sacrifice. II
Is not improbable that the eanctity attributed to
rod or purple color arose from lis simiitude TO
that Of blood. it having been customary In
primitive Roman times not only 20 paint the
faces of statues Of the deities with vcrmlion.
but also the bodies of the consuls during the
sacred ceremony OF the triumph. from which
ancient practice the Imperial purple OF later
ages may have been derived.
The extent to which tho Orphic religion re-
vcaled in the mysteries recognized the immor-
''' W VI. 'V"' 10 ~ '''''. N'''''
p"V'"'.'n i'oi" Iiu,"i u 40 ~, "'"' ,"'"
n'"', ~ ''"o,e s"' ""V pVis""'. wv ',"'','"'''
''" NO, Wv 9Osi "",n ou1o 'i'0u i'o'" .',o ~
"'''",i eu,vis Voi'V"'en'' "oi WI nv, -
conscious. know that thou art better grounded
ia "o so'I'u ViH'cs VI p''nps"S nun
u'"oN' t"eii' ior INC ">s''' 9',."''s :" wy,
hho"h 10 US VINO oe'ons 10 'he Dr"'nv'"ou.
III announcer paSsase OIL ,he s"ile nu,hor MI
hn'e''' 'i'ihhs ne traces the source Oh ''e '''ie-
S"su'" ""u'.i'n vi SIX 'nous"nu yours, on
WIZ" ~ nun s'''7S Jus '',n '''" IVY '"co'"s-
iV"i ",",rs' ri"'ui'" "oruS "re' ln'ol"h-
pus uecihres' as inc uo'trine oil '1e hagans'
uin' ,ne Rous WIN ni'erhnte.S conquer ana ne
supeoted LOT 'hree lnous"hu years ana 'nht
Secohu ''iree 'hous"hu years vi contest ana uc-
snuruon VIII uhe pi"ce between .n'm' ui"' III
'hc Gnu i"ues 'Ahrinah' VIII DC ucrVoyeu' anu
men made happy IN state nclsher eating tood
nor casting shadow
special object ~ study IN THIS treatise is the
Mystic Drama OF Eleusis, as the sacred rites
or orgies OF the Great Mother pcmcter arc o'ten
called mo marvellous longevity OF ms wor-
snip. ana its W. 10 prevalence ms regards space