pagan and christian creeds-第22章

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nalization　is　taking　place；　in　preparation　for　the　final　or　third　stage　in　which　the　knowledge　will　be　re…absorbed　and　become　direct　and　intuitional　on　a　high　and　harmonious　planesomething　like　the　present　intuition　of　the　animals　as　we　perceive　it　on　the　animal　plane。　However　this　general　subject　is　one　on　which　I　shall　touch　again；　and　I　do　not　propose　to　dwell　on　it　at　any　length　now。

There　is　a　third　alternative　theory　（3）a　combination　of　（1）　and　（2）namely；　that　if　one　accepts　（2）　and　the　idea　that　at　any　given　stage　of　human　development　there　is　a　PREDISPOSITION　to　certain　symbols　and　rites　belonging　to　that　stage；　then　it　is　much　more　easy　to　accept　theory　（1）　as　an　important　factor　in　the　spread　of　such　symbols　and　rites；　for　clearly；　then；　the　smallest　germ　of　a　custom　or　practice；　transported　from　one　country　or　people　to　another　at　the　right　time；　would　be　sufficient　to　wake　the　development　or　growth　in　question　and　stimulate　it　into　activity。　It　will　be　seen；　therefore；　that　the　important　point　towards　the　solution　of　this　whole　puzzling　question　is　the　discussion；　of　theory　（2）and　to　this　theory；　as　illustrated　by　the　world…wide　myth　of　the　Golden　Age；　I　will　now　turn。



IX。　MYTH　OF　THE　GOLDEN　AGE

The　tradition　of　a　〃Golden　Age〃　is　widespread　over　the　world；　and　it　is　not　necessary　to　go　at　any　length　into　the　story　of　the　Garden　of　Eden　and　the　other　legends　which　in　almost　every　country　illustrate　this　tradition。　Without　indulging　in　sentiment　on　the　subject　we　may　hold　it　not　unlikely　that　the　tradition　is　justified　by　the　remembrance；　among　the　people　of　every　race；　of　a　pre…civilization　period　of　comparative　harmony　and　happiness　when　two　things；　which　to…day　we　perceive　to　be　the　prolific　causes　of　discord　and　misery；　were　absent　or　only　weakly　developednamely；　PROPERTY　and　SELF…CONSCIOUSNESS。＇1＇

＇1＇　For　a　fuller　working　out　of　this；　see　Civilisation：　its　Cause　and　Cure；　by　E。　Carpenter；　ch。　i。


During　the　first　century　B。C。　there　was　a　great　spread　of　Messianic　Ideas　over　the　Roman　world；　and　Virgil's　4th　Eclogue；　commonly　called　the　Messianic　Eclogue；　reflects　very　clearly　this　state　of　the　public　mind。　The　expected　babe　in　the　poem　was　to　be　the　son　of　Octavian　（Augustus）　the　first　Roman　emperor；　and　a　messianic　halo　surrounded　it　in　Virgil's　verse。　Unfortunately　it　turned　out　to　be　a　GIRL！　However　there　is　little　doubt　that　Virgil　did　in　that　very　sad　age　of　the　world；　an　age　of　〃misery　and　massacre；〃　and　in　common　with　thousands　of　others　look　for　the　coming　of　a　great　'redeemer。'　It　was　only　a　few　years　earlierabout　B。C。　70that　the　great　revolt　of　the　shamefully　maltreated　Roman　slaves　occurred；　and　that　in　revenge　six　thousand　prisoners　from　Spartacus'　army　were　nailed　on　crosses　all　the　way　from　Rome　to　Capua　（150　miles）。　But　long　before　this　Hesiod　had　recorded　a　past　Golden　Age　when　life　had　been　gracious　in　communal　fraternity　and　joyful　in　peace；　when　human　beings　and　animals　spoke　the　same　language；　when　death　had　followed　on　sleep；　without　old　age　or　disease；　and　after　death　men　had　moved　as　good　daimones　or　genii　over　the　lands。　Pindar；　three　hundred　years　after　Hesiod；　had　confirmed　the　existence　of　the　Islands　of　the　Blest；　where　the　good　led　a　blameless；　tearless；　life。　Plato　the　same；＇1＇　with　further　references　to　the　fabled　island　of　Atlantis；　the　Egyptians　believed　in　a　former　golden　age　under　the　god　R　to　which　they　looked　back　with　regret　and　envy；　the　Persians　had　a　garden　of　Eden　similar　to　that　of　the　Hebrews；　the　Greeks　a　garden　of　the　Hesperides；　in　which　dwelt　the　serpent　whose　head　was　ultimately　crushed　beneath　the　heel　of　Hercules；　and　so　on。　The　references　to　a　supposed　far…back　state　of　peace　and　happiness　are　indeed　numerous。

＇1＇　See　arts。　by　Margaret　Scholes；　Socialist　Review；　Nov。　and　Dec。　1912。


So　much　so　that　latterly；　and　partly　to　explain　their　prevalence；　a　theory　has　been　advanced　which　may　be　worth　while　mentioning。　It　is　called　the　〃Theory　of　intra…uterine　Blessedness；〃　and；　remote　as　it　may　at　first　appear；　it　certainly　has　some　claim　for　attention。　The　theory　is　that　in　the　minds　of　mature　people　there　still　remain　certain　vague　memories　of　their　pre…natal　days　in　the　maternal　wombmemories　of　a　life　which；　though　full　of　growing　vigor　and　vitality；　was　yet　at　that　time　one　of　absolute　harmony　with　the　surroundings；　and　of　perfect　peace　and　contentment；　spent　within　the　body　of　the　motherthe　embryo　indeed　standing　in　the　same　　relation　to　the　mother　as　St。　Paul　says　WE　stand　to　God；　〃IN　whom　we　live　and　move　and　have　our　being〃；　and　that　these　vague　memories　of　the　intra…uterine　life　in　the　individual　are　referred　back　by　the　mature　mind　to　a　past　age　in　the　life　of　the　RACE。　Though　it　would　not　be　easy　at　present　to　positively　confirm　this　theory；　yet　one　may　say　that　it　is　neither　improbable　nor　unworthy　of　consideration；　also　that　it　bears　a　certain　likeness　to　the　former　ones　about　the　Eden…gardens；　etc。　The　well…known　parallelism　of　the　Individual　history　with　the　Race…history；　the　〃recapitulation〃　by　the　embryo　of　the　development　of　the　race；　does　in　fact　afford　an　additional　argument　for　its　favorable　reception。

These　considerations；　and　what　we　have　said　so　often　in　the　foregoing　chapters　about　the　unity　of　the　Animals　（and　Early　Man）　with　Nature；　and　their　instinctive　and　age…long　adjustment　to　the　conditions　of　the　world　around　them；　bring　us　up　hard　and　fast　against　the　following　conclusions；　which　I　think　we　shall　find　difficult　to　avoid。

We　all　recognize　the　extraordinary　grace　and　beauty；　in　their　different　ways；　of　the　（wild）　animals；　and　not　only　their　beauty　but　the　extreme　fitness　of　their　actions　and　habits　to　their　surroundingstheir　subtle　and　penetrating　Intelligence　in　fact。　Only　we　do　not　generally　use　the　word　〃Intelligence。〃　We　use　another　word　（Instinct）　and　rightly　perhaps；　because　their　actions　are　plainly　not　the　result　of　definite　self…conscious　reasoning；　such　as　we　use；　carried　out　by　each　individual；　but　are　（as　has　been　abundantly　proved　by　Samuel　Butler　and　others）　the　systematic　expression　of　experiences　gathered　up　and　sorted　out　and　handed　down　from　generation　to　generation　in　the　bosom　of　the　racean　Intelligence　in　fact；　or　Insight；　of　larger　subtler　scope　than　the　other；　and　belonging　to　the　tribal　or　racial　Being　rather　than　to　the　isolated　individuala　super…consciousness　in　fact；　ramifying　afar　in　space　and　time。

But　if　we　allow　（as　we　must）　this　unity　and　perfection　of　nature；　and　this　somewhat　cosmic　character　of　the　mind；　to　exist　among　the　Animals；　we　can　hardly　refuse　to　believe　that　there　must　have　been　a　period　when　Man；　too；　hardly　as　yet　differentiated　from　them；　did　himself　possess　these　same　qualitiesperhaps　even　in　greater　degree　than　the　animalsof　grace　and　beauty　of　body；　perfection　of　movement　and　action；　instinctive　perception　and　knowledge　（of　course　in　limited　spheres）；　and　a　period　when　he　possessed　above　all　a　sense　of　unity　with　his　fellows　and　with　surrounding　Nature　which　became　the　ground　of　a　common　consciousness　between　himself　and　his　tribe；　similar　to　that　which　Maeterlinck；　in　the　case　of　the　Bees；　calls　the　Spirit　of　the　Hive。＇1＇　It　would　be　difficult；　nay　impossible；　to　suppose　that　human　beings　on　their　first　appearance　formed　an　entire　exception　in　the　process　of　evolution；　or　that　they　were　completely　lacking　in　the　very　graces　and　faculties　which　we　so　admire　in　the　animalsonly　of　course　we　see　that　（LIKE　the　animals）　they　would　not　be　SELF…conscious　in　these　matters；　and　what　perception　they　had　of　their　relations　to　each　other　or　to　the　world　around　them　would　be　largely　inarticulate　and　SUB…consciousthough　none　the　less　real　for　that。

＇1＇　See　The　Life　of　the　Bee　by　Maurice　Maeterlinck；　and　for　numerous　similar　cases　among　other　animals；　P。　Kropotkin's　Mutual　Aid：　a　factor　in　Evolution。


Let　us　then　grant　this　preliminary　assumptionand　it　clearly　is　not　a　large　or　hazardous　oneand　what　follows？　It　followssince　to…day　discord　is　the　rule；　and　Man　has　certainly　lost　the　grace；　both　physical　and　mental；　of　the　animalsthat　at　some　period　a　break　must　have　occurred　in　the　evolution…process；　a　discontinuity　similar　perhaps　to　that　which　occurs　in　the　life　of　a　child　at　the　moment　when　it　is　born　into　the　world。　Humanity　took　a　new　departure；　but　a　departure　which　for　the　moment　was　signalized　as　a　LOSSthe　loss　of　its　former　harmony　and　self…adjustment。　And　the　cause　or　accompaniment　of　this　change　was　the　growth　of　Self…consciousness。　Into　the　general　consciousness　of　the　tribe　（in　relation　to　its　environment）　which　in　fact　had　constituted　the　mentality　of　the　animals　and　of　man　up　to　this　stage；　there　now　was　intruded　another　kind　of　consciousness；　a　consciousness　centering　round　each　little　individual　self　and　concerned　almost　entirely　with　the　interests　of　the　latter。　Here　was　evidently　a　threat　to　the　continuance　of　the　former　happy　conditions。　It　was　like　the　appearance　of　innumerable　little　ulcers　in　a　human　bodya　menace　which　if　continued　would　inevitably　lead　to　the　break…up　of　the　body。　It　meant　loss　of　tribal　harmony　and　nature…adjustment。　It　meant　instead　of　unity　a　myriad　conflicting　centres；　it　meant　alienation　from　the　spirit　of　the　tribe；　the　separation　of　man　from　man；　discord；　recrimination；　and　the　fatal　unfolding　of　the　sense　of　sin。　The　process　symbolized　itself　in　the　legend　of　the　Fall。　Man　ate　of　the　Tree　of　the　knowledge　of　good　and　evil。　Sometimes　people　wonder　why　knowledge　of　any　kind　and　especially　the　knowledge　of　good　and　evilshould　have　brought　a　curse。　But　the　reason　is　obvious。　Into；　the　placid　and　harmonious　life　of　the　animal　and　human　tribes　fulfilling　their　days　in　obedience　to　the　slow　evolutions　and　age…long　mandates　of　nature；　Self…consciousness　broke　with　its　inconvenient　and　impossible　query：　〃How　do　these　arrangements　suit　ME？　Are　they　good　for　me；　are　they　evil　for　me？　I　want　to　know。　I　WILL　KNOW！〃　Evidently　knowledge　（such　knowledge　as　we　understand　by　the　word）　only　began；　and　could　only　begin；　by　queries　relating　to　the　little　local　self。　There　was　no　other　way　for　it　to　begin。　Knowledge　and　self…　consciousness　were　born；　as　twins；　together。　Knowledge　therefore　meant　Sin＇1＇；　for　self…consciousness　meant　sin　（and　it　means　sin　to…day）。　Sin　is　Separation。　That　is　probably　（though　disputed）　the　etymology　of　the　word　that　which　sunders。＇2＇　The　essence　of　sin　is　one's　separation　from　the　whole　（the　tribe　or　the　god）　of　which　one　is　a　part。　And　knowledgewhich　separates　subject　from　object；　and　in　its　inception　is　necessarily　occupied　with　the　'good　and　evil'　of　the　little　local　self；　is　the　great　engine　of　this　separation。　＇Mark！　I　say　nothing　AGAINST　this　association　of　Self…consciousness　with　'Sin'　（so…called）　and　'Knowledge'　（so…called）。　The　growth　of　all　three　together　is　an　absolutely　necessary　part　of　human　evolution；　and　to　rail　against　it　would　be　absurd。　But　we　may　as　well　open　our　eyes　and　see　the　fact　straight　instead　of　blinking　it。＇　The　culmination　of　the　process　and　the　fulfilment　of　the　'curse'　we　may　watch　to…day　in　the　towering　expansion　of　the　self…conscious　individualized　Intellectscience　as　the　handmaid　of　human　Greed　devastating　the　habitable　world　and　destroying　its　unworthy　civilization。　And　the　process　m