The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1882-07-16

contained an expression OF the hope OF immor-
tally. and that the initiated learned to die
moro cheerfully than other mon. The punish
ment OF DEATH inflicted on those who revealed
the secrets OF these societies, could not have
applied. rs DIR. Millgan supposes. to the prop
agation OF the abstract doctrine Of Immortality,
for Of this there were abundant traces in the
current mythology and literature. 1t is
strange. also that in his discussion OF Greek
philosophy In its relation to religion the lee
turer should pay 80 little attention TO Pythag-
oras. who may be said to have founded the
ology and cosmogony OF his own. as we'll us a
| distinct ascetc sect
Much more exhaustive and satisfactory than
tho lecture just mentioned Is the essay on the
religion OF ancient Rome by DR.. James Mac
gregor. BY way Of proving that the doctrine
OF immortality had no place either in the pop
| ular or estoric crceds under the republic Dr.
Macgregor cites tho interesting fact that when
the punishment OF Catilne was under debate
Julius Caesar twho. it will be remembered held
at one time the Office OF Pontifcx Maximus)
based his argument against the death penalty
on the assumption that death was humiliation
and Cato. who opposed him. did not dis
| pute his premises. Cicero. indeed in
his vouminous writings. gives expression to
| themost contradictory views regarding future
state. He had caught from the Greek philoso-
piers the aspirations OF the human heart after
! immortality but they seem to have never taken
root in his own life. and when his end was
near he sought comfort rather from stoical
indifference than In the hope of continued ex-
istence. DR.. Macgregor lays due emphasis on
the extraordinary extent to which ceremonial
ism entered into every act OF a Romans
| life. private domestic. social and public.
| From this point of view he compares
| the Romanism Of the six and q half
centuries preceding the social war with
| Judaism. showing how tho sacred and the civil
were, In the case OF both peoples. inseparably
| combined how religion and politics went hand
in hand. and the Church and the State were lit
orally one. He might have added that the Diff
ference is that in Judea after the return from
Babylon. the Church absorbed the State
whereas in Rome the State absorbed the
Church. We think it a pity that DR.. Macgregor
| should have also omitted to notice the pecu-
| liarly dangerous influence which the tradi-
| tonal relations OF the civil authorities to re-
liglon exerted on Christianity after It was
| adopted by the Emperors and made the re-
| ligion of the State.
| 1t strikes US that the lecture on the ancient
religions Of Central America by DIR. John Lang
of Glasgow falls decidedly below the level OF its
| companions in this volume. So far as the
Maya religions concerned. which once
nourished In Yucatan. Honduras. Chiapas and
| Guatemala the materials for a definite and
| complete judgment are not yet forthcoming.
| Even the Aztec faith and the mider types OF
| religion developed by preceding offshoots OF
the Nahua stem in Anahuac have not been
exhaustively investigated. We have. on the
| whole. more adequate means OF interpreting
| the religion Of the Incas. which. both in the
cardinal doctrines OF its creed and in the main
features OF its ethical code. offers some sur
| eli ipta all e. tha al,
| system. On the ancient Peruvian faith 1t did
not fall within the scope of DR.. Lang's lecture
to touch but he might have done well to choose
it for a topic. instead Of the Maya religions,
about which so little is known.
OF all ancient faiths none has so much in.
terest for us as the Teutonic and Scandinavian
religion. 1t is. of course. from the Eddas that
we gain most OF our knowledge respecting this
form of paganism Behind the polytheistic
surface Of the Morse mythology there are
strong traces Of an earlier monotheism. Thus.
although Odin is nominally but the chief of
the twelve great gods. tho .Esir. who lived In
Aslard. yet he possesses in himself the at
tributes Of all the others who seem to be mere
emanations from him called forth by his con-
tact with the external world. From the point
OF view of the Eddas 1t may DO said that in
Odin all things live. move. and have
their being. and that from him comes
down everything that seems good
and perfect gift. II lie was chiefly worshipped
as the god OF war. this was because war was
really the main business OF the old Mortimer:
but Odin was also held to be the author Of all
knowledge and the fountain of every virtue
the punisher OF all sin. and the avenger of
every wrong. Tho great distinction. however
between the faith of the Northern races and
that Of the Greeks and Romans. was the belief
in the Immortality of the soul, which WAS uni