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

monotheism and intolerance Of other
tribal gods.
These volumes are filled with instance
after instance drawn from the primitives
all around the world, assembled to show
whence arises the concept of god and of
what nature It is. The gist Of 1t all Is,
as DR.. Frazer points out In the opening
chapter of The Dying Cod:
THE gods with whom his imagination
now peopled the darkness Of the I'M
known were indeed admitted by him to
be his superiors in knowledge and in
power, In the joyous splendor Of their
life and in the length Of It's duration.
But, though he knew II not. those glo-
rious and awful beings were merely, like
the spectre Of the Broken. the re-
Elections Of his own diminutive person.
ality exaggerated into gigantic proper
lions by distance and by the mists and
clouds upon which they were cast"
When such words are Invested Of
their imagery, when they are reduced
to bare fundamentals. we may properly
consider what is that In man, primitive
man, In the image Of which he fashions
god. Simplest of all Is anthropomorph-
ism; god IL to look like man. This Is
but an incident in q wider principle Of
zoomorphism. for It is only through the
accidental providence Of the stronger
battalions on a critical field that Dagon
is less respectable than Jupiter Capt.
tolinus or O.ympian Zeus. But to be In
the likeness OF anything on earth is not
the sum Of the whole matter. There is
more than mere outward gulse.
God Is superman. on this earth there
In "a I,,VA "a tV,;p AA lid
sometimes, the spear darts sometimes
wide Of the deer. the hook not always
takes the fish. Because there are these
failures at times In the important things
Of life the wish leads to the thought of
the perfect man who succeeds at all
times, therefore to god as the all-suc-
ceesful and who can be induced by
bribery. by wheedling, by threats. to
confer the degree Of success which man
does not possess in himself.
Within the range OF mans knowledge
Of himself he knows himself alive. He
lives from the first cry of the new born
infant. he lives through many a casual
~ which stretches him speeches., he
lives unto the last moan OF parting
breath. Here Is the great likeness Of
man In which god exists. He Is the
source Of life, he communicates that
mystery to the babe. he takes II back
from him who fails in his effort to re-
main alive. This Is not necessarily an
eternal god: being in the image Of man
his time comes to die and to pass on to
yet younger gods the supply OF life.
Thus. adding detail to detail and sup
porting each by the beliefs of many peo-
pie, DR.. Frazer builds up the concept OF
god. the greater man in each Of the
particulars Of which at any time man
is consciously in possession. Therefore.
as man grows great his god grows
great Always there Is coming into be-
ing a system Of religion with which a
system Of morality may in future de-
velopment be more or less intimately
associated.
To fear such a god is literally to be
afraid. There Is always something I'M
canny In unbroken success, II Is always
wise TO cast the ring into the sea
Thence comes a second time the Idea
Of sacrifice. At its simplest It is the
bribe to win the favor Of the god. 1t is
the purchase price Of the gift which
man needs. In the later period when
gods yet live 1t is the Precipitation, the
giving up of some part in order to save
somewhat from the wreck. Thus We
have the llbation, the giving up Of a
few drops of mans drink: the burnt,
offering of a part OF his food that he may
be safe in the enjoyment Of the rest ;
the offering OF the first born Of his
cattle that he may preserve the herd.
the first born Of his body that ne may
feel secure Of his family. The summit
Of this sacrifice Is when he offers up
his god in glorified sacrifice. The death
Of the god is the central theme in DR..
FraZer's work; he devotes three Of the
ten volumes to 1t and all the rest leads
up thereto; II is the acme of the fear
Of god.