The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-03-01

his success continue, the impermanent
leadership tends to become fixed and
the king comes into the scheme OF life.
Because Of the possession while yet
among his fellow men Of this piece OF
the divine the king becomes a god. at
least the Immediately present manifes-
tation Of the god. When this intcrlac-
ing Of powers has become established
popular belief accepts things as they
are and invents a reason. the great king
Is of the line of the gods and the rec
ord Of the generations of progenitors
may readily be adjusted so as to estab-
llsh the fact. Thus Divus Augustus is
not entirely the phrase Of adulation OF
a servile people in Rome, 1t harks back
to a subsis,ing belief that the rulers Of
men were indeed gods and the sons OF
god. This association OF the rOya, and
the divine is 70 completely established
by DR.. Frazer In his citations from all
the races of the world that we are to
regard II as a Fundamental, truth Of
primitive societies. Among the Samo-
ans, and It Is q matter Of regret that the
material had not become available in
time for his study Of the kingshlp. the
king has taken a position above the
divine: In the family tree Of Mata'afa
the creator 10 introduced a. . member
Of a cadet branch Of the family along
about the sixth generation. than which
the dignity Of . royal house could
aspire no higher.
Since the king has this piece Of the
divine, since the king represents god.
since the king Is god. therefore man
honors the king as he worships god.
There Is this difference; when man wor-
ships his god his plea Is for some Of
that which he lacks. for an intangible
benefit. for life and for success In the
pursuits OF life. To secure these mys-
tic. because unknowable. benefits he
makes his offering Of material objects.
But the king is closer to his worshipper,
for the offerings he can make return
in kind. the answer to the prayer ad-
dressed to the king is concrete and not
abstruse, therefore Is the king the
source Of honor.
To the king as to the god man sacri-
fees more or less Of that which ne
holds in the highest regard in order that
he may enjoy the use Of the remainder.
To the king are offered the best Of the
crop and the best Of the vintage. the
Pare aur ccrts parallels the sacrifice of
Isaac by Abraham. the king 10 sacri-
feed to his own royalty even as god is
sacrificed to his own divinity. Indeed
one Of the most lucidly elaborated cpl
sodes Of the whole theme Of primitive
religion expounded In 1.-THE Golden
Bough" is this peculiar worship OF god
by killing him, OF the king by killing
him.
Before leaving god and king let US
look for a moment at the images OF the
objects of worship. To Pliny in Bithy-
mia 1t was sufficient that Christians
should purge themselves of their heresy
by pouring wine before the image of the
emperor and in so well organized a So
ciety We can see that this was symbol
ism. But when Moses broke the tables
Of the law in his wrath when he beheld
the worship Of the calf at the foot even
OF Sinai was that symbolic, was the calf
the image Of god or was It god? The
result Of Independent examination OF
the acts OF worship Of primitive races
confirms DR.. Frazer's Judgment that
among people wholly primitive the So
called idol Is not only representation
OF god but that II is In every particular
d god and Is worshipped as a god. Thus
only are we able to comprehend the
true position OF the Palladium in Athens
and the Kaaba at Mecca whose religious
quality was so firmly intrenched that
the Prophet had to At It into his scheme
of a holy city.