The sun., 1882-01-08

which is at the bottom OF all human
actions in the savage state Tho hunter
he says. wishes for plenty OF game. the fisher
man for abundance Of fish. tho husbandman for
a good harvest; and all these are conscious tha,
some thing or power or being which they can
not control gives and wthholds success. and
that thing. being. or power they worship.
Man wills that the gods fulfil his wishes.
Hence is twofod need; first. that tie goda
shall know his wishes, AMI. secondly. that they
be inclined to fulfil thcm."
In following out this line OF thought. Hart
mann INSERTS that sacrifices we're primi-
| lively intended as bribes. and consisted Of such
things as were supposed to crafty tho appettes
OF the deities to whom they we're offered He
Ia confirmed In this resp set. it may be observed.
by tho delight which Homer and other ancient
| poets make tho gods take in the smell OF blood
| and OF burnt sacrifices. AMI which in the
| Hebrow scriptures Is attributed to Jehovah.
A relic. too OF this primitive idea is apparently
| found in the incense at this day burned In
churches, and which. in remote ages. was sup
| posed to be agreeable to tho nostrlls OF the
| deity worshippod. Whatever degree OF refine
| ment the religious sense in its development
| may have attained. there is much to support
| Hartmann's view that 1t originally arose
| from mans helplcssness and his effort to secure
| the assistance OF something mightiar than him
self. by the use OF means which he knew would
! prevail with him were he in position to re-
! spond to tho appeal Among us. for example
men. and particularly women. are often re-
| ligious according as they are weak and licted
| and lrreIigous as they are strong or prosper
Gus. 80 that worldly success is regarded now. rs
| il was in the days OF the psa.mlst. as a him
drance to spiritual improvement, and worldly
| adversely as spiritual blessing. Tho Rbject-
| ness, too. with which men In peril OF death by
| fire. shipwreck. and other catastrophes betake
| themselves to prayer us soon as they see that
their efforts for delivernnce fruit!ess. proves
that in such cases. at least. the religious senti-
| ment is nothing moro nor less than an intense
| desire for help.
AS primitive religion grew out OF mans sub
| lection to nature. and he accordingly erected
| into objects OF worship the most striking OF tho
| natural forces with which he was acquainted.
so tho primitive conception o. the region whore
| tho gods dwelt was based upon the more strik-
ing features Of tho visible universe. The
heavens became the abode OF the ioitcst divini-
ties those OF less exalted desroo were supposed
to roam the earth. while the mysterious realm
beneath the earth out OF which in appearance
tho morning sun. the clouds. and the
storms arose. and into which tho setting
sun went down in darkness. WAS assigned
to the mischief making doitos which,
good. became In process OF timo n clas, by
themselves. Thousands OF years have since
elapsed. but mon still look up whom they think
and speak of God as II Ho dwelt in tho region
above our heads. although science tells US IL Is
no higher and no further from tho earth than
that which occupies an opposite re!ation while
spirits Of evil are imagined 10 be under our
feet. where in 'nct there is the same heavenly
space that there is over US.
The conception OF gods and OF tho place Of
their abode being attained and their worship
by prayers and sacrifices a. bribe5 to secure
their favor eng established. n farther step in
tho development o! religion was. according To
Hartmann the extension Of ,s sanction to
precepts OF morality. In the same way that man
In his weakness invoked tho gods 10 give him
food and protect him from disease and death.
so. as his civilization advanced. AMI with it his
possessions and his love OF comfort increased
no made respect FOR the rights OF property
and Of the person q religious duty. a vo-
lation OF which the gods would punish
as an offence against themselves What the au-
thor saws on this head is instructive il not
convincing. and reminds the reader strongly OF
Herbert Speucer's treatment OF imlar subjects
An oath. rs he points out. is sworn upon the
assumption that the deity invoked Will punish
perjury: thu object by which the oath is taken
the head for Instance or the upiiftcd hand
ID offered Us pledge OF the swearer's sincerity
TO be conlscated II he proves false: so tha. tho
man nowadays who li'ts UP his right hand when
he is sworn as 4 witness. or otherwise. really
follows the ancient example OF Offering to lose
that member II he proves a perjurer. A curse
in Ike manner Is. as We can see when We reflect
upon IT, now. ss II always WAS. an invocation to |
God to do for us by way OF punishment or re-
venGe upon those who have harmed us that
which We are unable 10 do for ourselves By an |
extension Of tho idea all wrongs were made Of |
fences against the gods as well as against men. |
and thus Divine protection was obtained where
human strength failed.
We get thus a primitive religion with gods |
and a heaven. forms OF worship and \ moro or |
less complete system OF morality. The gods |
were. however. many in number. and each vas |
regarded rs god without considering the aues- |
tion how far his claims interte-ed With those Of |
other goda. As distinguished from state OF |
religion in which al. the various gods were en- |
braced in one genera! view and erected into |
sort o, divine senate. which "a polytheism |
Hartmann. following Dr. Mailer calls this |
worship Of many single aud irdepend- |
ent gods henottesni. a word compounded |
from tho Greek h1i. ono. or single. and htOS. |
God and he proceeds to trace tile notifications
il suffered under tho civil zltion Of the Greeks
the Romans. and the German races. Among
the Greeks. who exalted beauty above every
thing else. the gods became embo1.ments OF
beauty and grace; their temples and their wor-
ship were made the occasion FOR the ex-
ercise OF the arts OF sculpture. architecture.
and poetry; while tho morality iucu.catei
was chiefly tho cultivation of polteIess
and good manners. The Romans. on tho
other hand. being moro practiea! peo-
Die. like our own Aug.o-SaNon race their
gods were estecmed for tlt'ir usefulness as pro-
tectors and guides, Their worship was simple
in form, and their morality was. Ike ours
fountel Oh raspect for the rights Of thoir fel-
low citizens, and on = sincere regard for ono's
country Au.oGe the Germans. iIhah.t.rs a
gloomy, lnhospltable region. where the winters
are long AMI tho summers short. the gods were
viewed as subjected - maign inflIenees which
they could only partially Withstand: they were
supposed to endure the sat.le pninfUl toll with |
which men'- lie WAS carried on. aud their ulti-
mate Jr.tny. like that o, tho world and of man
kind. WAS destruction. This gave a tragic