The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1882-05-17
Evolution in Magic.

Magic had its beginning in devil-wor-
ship. Sayages in all countries fear de-
mons and wicked sorcerers before they
think of good God, many of them, in
deed, looking down with contempt upon
q supreme being who could be friendly
to them, Just as boys sneer at a too in
dulgent schoolmaster. As Dean Swift
says, whereas our desires prompt us to
pray, the wild Indian is oftener put
upon his knees by his fears. Hence re-
Iigion in its primitive manifestations is
pure magic, and nothing but magic, con-
sisting, as we still find it-in surviving
forms of primeval Shamanism, in exor-
cisms or propitiations of evil spirits. So
long as mems own actions and impulses
are the only law they know, they, like
children, attribute human feelings and
intentions to all substances, animate
and inaninate, and even to the natural
elements. There is no actual difference
between the logic of the child who beats
the floor because, when he fell on it, he
bumped his head, and that of the savage
or ignorant Christian who maltreats and
browns the statue of god or saint be-
cause his prayers have not been an
swered. The human struggle for eXis-
tence is at first as severe as that of the
worry himself as to his future destiny he
must concern himself about the present.
Before he seeks to provide for his soul,
he must overcome the obstacles that lie
in the way of the body; and, his associ-
ative powers being in their infancy, his
manner of accomplishing this is llogi-
cal. Priests among savages are magi-
clans, because their authority rests on
imaginary and dreaded power. They
are supposed to control the elements, to
send health and disease, and to give
both life and death, some savages say
ing that if there were no wizards then
would men live forever. Thus, they
are honored as the holders of the keys
to human happiness and prosperity.
Butler says truly in Hudibras-
"Doubtless the pleasure IS as great
ofbelng cheated rs to cheat;"
for, in proportion as there are men
ready to invent absurd reasonings, cred
ulous people show their willingness to
accept their absufdities. Primitive
magicians invest sticks and stones with
supernatural power, and their followers
at once place all their faith therein !;
they declare that screams and noises as
of Bedlam let loose will influence and
Danish the demons, and the people cele-
brate religious ceremonies which consist
of yells and dances, contortions and ges-
ticulations. In primitive magic there
may be q germ of the trsscendental
philosophy of the mystics, who could
only describe the infinite as diametrical-
ly opposed to the finite. Ii sayages
shrink before shadows, then must
shadows or spirits cover before sub
stances, their fear increasing in proper
ton as these are hfeless or soulless.
Man lives in world of noise; hence the
land of shadows is, as New Zealanders
believe and European poets sing, a
silent one, and at the beating of drums,
the blowing of whistles, the ringing OF
bells, and the shouting of human voices
the evil spirits are bewildered and van
quished. There is a very beautiful and
strange South Sea poem, reminding one
of picture by Carpaccio, aud which,
like Salis's poem of The Silent Land,
| describes the invisible world as one OF
utter Elisabeth Robins, in At-
| Ldntic MONTHLY.