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

Here we have hastily sketched q verv
few OF the greater themes Of his text
book OF primitive religion and have en-
deavored to illustrate after what man
ner the early man has created god and
the soul and the hereafter.
/ 1t now remains to note a few COM
ments upon the work in its entirety. for
the validity Of the method conditions
the accuracy OF the result
DR.. Frazer has based his argument
upon an enormous collection of ma
teral from every imaginable source,
In fact II is difficult to imagine that
anything can have escaped his indefat-
!gable research. But the validity OF
the argument must rest upon the credi-
bility of the witnesses and the accuracy
of their evidence. 1t does not appear
that he has evaluated the testimony.
single instance will serve to illustrate
this point. In his study Of the affairs
OF Tonga he draws upon the narrative
OF William Mariner, who spent some
tempestuous months in the Friendly
Islands. Mariner had the advantage Of
being an eyewitness Of a savagery as
vet unmodifed. but he saw only those
things which attracted the attention Of
young and ignorant sailor lad, and
his narrative was written for him by a
clergyman upon his return to London.
thus introducing a second perturbation
factor. a century later Basil Thomson.
trained as n barrister and employed as
| administrator OF the savage state. saw
less but reported better that which re-
manned for him to see. 1t would appear
that here was a case where the value
OF the evidence should have been care
fully weighed and determined. A SINH
lar instance nearer home may illustrate
the same point. The author cites In
support of one OF his contentious the
report OF "a custom In vogue among the
Chippewa Indians of Minnesota. A few
pages onward he cites In confirmation
a custom Of the Ojlbway. not APP
parently having observed that these ara
the same Indians in variant spellings.
Monumental as this work is seen to
be, II deals with but a single episode In
a great and as yet untouched theme,
the psychology of primitive man. Here
We have only the growth OF the religious
idea and the origin of superstition and
magic. theme which can scarcely be
treated In its true adjustment to primi-
tive life until We become familiar with
early psychology. That study has not
yet peen maue, aitnOusn an eXCelIent
step in that direction has been taken
in Wundt's "Volkerpsychologe." which
has kept even pace with the final shap-
ing Of Frazers ideas. The brilliant
work of the great German seems not to
have influenced DR.. Frazer. yet in many
of the topics they seem to have been
working over the same material.
In the magnitude Of this great en-
encyclopaedia of the birth and evolution Of
the religious idea these faults are but
minor blemishes and tend to correct
themselves. They amount to little
when We set them against the important
fact that now we have In English a
great work which deals with one of the
strong principles actuating the primi-
tives who lie at the base OF our culture
and whose simple beliefs have set a
twist into the matters of our faith and
practice which only In such studies as
these can be identified as the older
faiths which in the progress Of life
toward better conditions we have cast
aside but which refuse wholly to for
sake the deeper recesses of our nature.