The sun., 1912-07-15
How Rcli giOn Is DOrn-The VOL
lunQua.

No race that the white man has found
il profitable to drive from its original
possessions has had its character 50
thoroughly and so universally smirched
as the Australian. Until late years no
good word could be spoken for the
Australian black boy; his physical ap-
pearance. his lack Of intelligence. his
personal habits. his morals and customs
were alike repulsive. The need of
, cheap labor, however; the experience
of contact for century and the leisure
for scientific investigation are rapidly
rehabilitating him; it turns out that he
has good qualities. after all, and very
recently nameless Jackie received
from the King of England a medal for
bravery in saving life. The ethnolo-
gists are reveling in their discoveries
of Australian habits and of their intri-
cate social organization and complex
totem system; they believe they have
before them man in his most primitive
stage and are rearing up scientific air
castles from the facts of black boy ex-
istence. And just as Professor LOEB and
other biologists think that they have
discovered the secret Of the origin of
life in the lowest forms OF animals. n
combination Of sea urchin and salt
water, Mr.. j. c. GREGORY in the West
minister Rerier seeks in the most primi-
tive type Of man that can be observed
conveniently, the black boy, the birth
of the idea of religion
| While the Australian aborigines live
entirely in totemism and spend an in
credible amount Of time and attention
on the ceremonies connected with their
totems, Mr.. GREGORY can find no trace
of religion in them. The ceremonies
are dramatic representations of the life
of the animal, plant or natural force,
like rain, that is the totem; the object
is to make the totem act and thus pro-
vide a more abundant supply Of food
to the members of its clan. There is
no supernatural idea attached TO it.
Neither Is there any idea of priesthood
or possibility of the development OF
anything like one in the group attached
to each particular totem, for every in
dividual belongs to some totem and has
a special connection with il. There ID
no room for supernatural beings in the
shape Of the spirits of the dead, for the
Australian believes that he himself is
the reincarnation OF dead ancestor.
In only one totem belonging to the
Warramunga tribe does Mr.. GREGORY
see the element of supernaturalism, a
possible beginning of snake worship
which is by no means an uncommon
cult among other races.
Thisisthe Wollunqua, mythical snake
which to the natives, however, is very
real. 1t is infinite in length and ap-
parently dcathlcss. 1t lives in poo
and keeps it's tail there, but it can reach
heaven with it's head The natives use
both propitiation and coercion to keep il
from doing harm or inducing it to help
them, but they do not avoid the pool in
which the Wolunqua dwclls. In their
ceremony they represent it by lone
cigar shaped mound, decorated with
bands and patches, ono end shaped fol-
tn" head, the other for the tail. They
stroke the mound with IA gum branch
10 soothc the Wollunqua; they also at.
tack it with spears, hoomcrangs anG
clubs 10 drive the beast 10 It's lair. Ther,
is only on" Wol!unQua, whereas the Other
tot'ms are represented by the Who'll,
species, when they are animate the,
dl" and others take their place, b,
'h" Wollunqua lives ON forever. Mr.
: GREGORY, therefore, thinks that II ma,
he taken, with the attendant ceremonies
d .he beginning OF a religion, of whicl