The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1882-05-07


race with tho crecds OF other races mus,
remain tentative aud unau,horltaiivc So lone,
M MI those crrcls havo not boon dersiycly d..
nnDl-until. in other words tho data FROM,
which infcrsnces arc drawn hlvo boon uccr.
rately AMI eNhnustivcly collected II isno,,
viction that this preliminary tnsk hns not L,o,
nd 'q'iatcly peri rmei and Il wish to clrrl.t,
AMI roclify one part Of u dstectv record which
hlvo led tho author OF this you no to ,y.s,i
gate from strictly historical ,int Of yi,,y ib,
b ,Iirfs OF tho primitive hrynns. and uny,p,
determined whit they actually warn Il, a,lvt
out tho conclu iions to which these data. .,,.n
by themselves. aeem to point
Plainly the nrst thing nee l;ul In nm i,.,i.
though II is fro llcntly ovcr'po,nl--lst .,
precisely what yoI arc loohin for; and y,..,,I
ingly Mr.. Keary begins with d,Nnin, tho ..,r..
in which he employs the word belief" ia
distinguishes 1t sharply on tho one hand IRON,
Mr.. Spcnocr's definition ol RELIGION ,is .u
d priori theory of the universe. aud ON the
other from Mr.. Matthew AruD'd', definition I
religion. TO wit. morality touchriNhy ON ton.
For the purpose OF this inguiry belief IL nix N
to mean tho capacity for Worship" FOR Il
says the author. you will cnnsider the ratrr,
Of man. you VIII md that with him it ulwu,., hns
bpcn and still IL true that the thing IN lNlja
inward or outward world which he sYrs .,r-ly
OF worship is essentially the thing in WI \ L,
believes; and conversely that rs WHO N9.eh,pl
nothing believes in nothing" And hero Yg-
M irk Of Carlyle Is quoted TO tho eiIec .'Hi Tho
man who cannot wonder. who does noi .uh t.
unIIy wonder and worship. though h. no'I AZ
the results Of scientific research in hi. 10
hcad. Is bit II pair Of speotlcles brhiud "hi,h
there is no eye. Some exceptions inaY l"r-
bars. bs taken to this definition of b'i but
the author adheres To 1t throughout, and tlltt
is oil wo can demand OF him.
II is this capacity of worship this suh'le IN
stinct OF belief-sharol no dJub: in s-.no la
gree. by tho lower animals. since, ~ Bacon
said. tho beasts look up TO man IA man to Cod
which Hes at the root. not Of religion only.
but Of all imaginative creation. seeing that m
poetry and art. ~ ther history to+tiiio-. have
their roots in wonder and in worship. Tho
first fruits Of mans poetic floulty in H. COM
morce with nature arc Mr.. Kedry th!gG'. not
tho spirits OF departed ancestors. bat b,ings
which personlfy the moro impr"s-sy" or
violent OF natures phenomena. They are
not spun out from tho imuc nation.
indcrend ,ntly OF the prompting OF OUT
ward nature; they arc conceived as being
in the most literal sonse the actors and agents
OF what nature has set forth. 1t il with such
creations. with boings whose character Is d.
termined for them. to n great extent. by tho
phonomona which they porsonify that
tho student In the history OF belief
has first to do. 1t Is long before hs
need be concerned with an anthropGnorrho
dcty-much less with IL supernatural be-
| ing who is pure abstraction. " H. first"
| says Mr.. Kcary. gains Acquaintance with
| those simpler divine ones OF primitive lays
| who are gods Of the sunshine and the -i"r ~ IT
tho earth glad in it's Ercencry or stripped hlro
| by wintry decay. Of tho countless laughing
waves OF tho sea. OF the wind which biO~aah
| where IL Iisteth."
Before pursuing in tho light OF phiolO:y his
inquiry what beliefs were cherished. or. in
othor words what objects had called into activ-
| ity the capacity for worship among the most
remote progcnitors OF the Indo- European
races. Dir. Keary points out how belief in his
use of the word differs from religion as defined
| by Mr.. Spencer. According to our author il IL
| the sense Of the unknown rs an instinct or an
emotion which has contributed to the fJrna-
| ton Of creods According to Mr.. Spencer it IL
| not the mere feeling Of mystery which is para
mount in primal belief. but tho desire to OK
| plain away that mystery. Mr.. Kcnry insists that
belief comes into existence at n stage
| of mental development when man is
not reasonable enough to have theory
| about anything, much less about existence
| in the abstract. The history Of language shows
| that at the outset man possesses only s"naa-
| tions. then concepts. and. thirdly. in p"rc'nts.
some ndumbrations and germs OF thought In
| the beGinning'of his upward course mans in
| stincts far outweigh his rcasounga, and re-
| liGon must therefore he pronounced the
| child Of instinct. not Of logic. Mans first be-
| lief and worship must have boen-!f we may
| trust the guidance OF philo|CGy-things very
different from n theory Of the universe; and
these being much more instructive than
reasonable. II fell out that ut first tho physical
| parts OF nature were worshippcd essentially for
| Them avCS 10 ism ~ IA
| the alteration Of naturp's forces. it was at fist
the very essenco Of the divine thing that it was
not human. Non-humanity IL tho specific
! feature OF the nature gods adorcd by our re-
| niotest Aryan ancestors.
| self Mr.; hearys intereslins Application Of his
principles to particular myths and e ends.
at tho comment ON Mr.. Arnods definition Of
| religion. as morality touched with emotion.
! However applicable this may bo To roi.,iou at
| does not hold good of the instructive beliefs
| with which the author IL concerned. For II long
period in mans history. belief has 50 liule q
sy t. morality that throughout tho chapters y
b"2k religion Is scarcely once contrmplat,d
IN lis distinctly ethical uSp"ct. The idea of tho
| divinity has always responded to the instinct
"f Worship, md that worsh'r was given liz u
the Hi'.gS Of nature were still the gods lie
moral law could ~carcciybs i'ird.cateI Of lhym.
| Whatever Butler rlny cirque 20 The con- AR.
there is n" direct moral lesson in nature SorES;
She brings 10 death. she h.!n,,s I" lit; ,Ii
tina! Ia liI we SO" in her And since. ac',rlius
IL Mr.. k"arY the luimtiv" h,'irf. r,urrrl,l j.
SCI cNc!usiNeiy With The outward world ana its
changes, 1t low that GnL wlr'n the VOID
| was ilrsi used, could not have h""n synony>
! nous with goat. BY and bv mic'd W,iaH =
! h lief has become HAthroPpuI. rpHir. ami no
nature soi has been trAn-f"rneI into u \ yiu-
! ~ liz" unto man N "hurl't"r then the laws {
| h"inG which nprly Ia human uti"n7 h'rorls
! no, htwH also; The G"d-. thea should grow,
| and do grow for the uu~t IGilt. into ideals 1t
! human nature, and The worship Of tncm b..
! comes IN "fr"t Worship ri EoolNn-s. II -u.l
! a relatively late stage in the Process of spirit
! unl development, but not I'm " then. Wr "nq
! recognize Il truth in Mr. Arnnii sni4ihrs,Ai Llat
| religion is morality touched 10y cmolipn.
Hook Notes.
An amount IN variety " p,'jtinl' ir',.n,.
ti"n. MT usually f'gui IA cnm.ia'un> Of '.. It