pagan and christian creeds-第23章

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an　Greed　devastating　the　habitable　world　and　destroying　its　unworthy　civilization。　And　the　process　must　go　onnecessarily　must　go　onuntil　Self…consciousness；　ceasing　its　vain　quest　（vain　in　both　senses）　for　the　separate　domination　of　life；　surrenders　itself　back　again　into　the　arms　of　the　Mother…consciousness　from　which　it　originally　sprang　surrenders　itself　back；　not　to　be　merged　in　nonentity；　but　to　be　affiliated　in　loving　dependence　on　and　harmony　with　the　cosmic　life。

＇1＇　Compare　also　other　myths；　like　Cupid　and　Psyche；　Lohengrin　etc。；　in　which　a　fatal　curiosity　leads　to　tragedy。

＇2＇　German　Sunde；　sin；　and　sonder；　separated；　Dutch　zonde；　sin；　Latin　sons；　guilty。　Not　unlikely　that　the　German　root　Suhn；　expiation；　is　connected；　Suhn…bock；　a　scape…goat。


All　this　I　have　dealt　with　in　far　more　detail　in　Civilization：　its　Cause　and　Cure；　and　in　The　Art　of　Creation；　but　I　have　only　repeated　the　outline　of　it　as　above；　because　some　such　outline　is　necessary　for　the　proper　ordering　and　understanding　of　the　points　which　follow。

We　are　not　concerned　now　with　the　ultimate　effects　of　the　'Fall'　of　Man　or　with　the　present…day　fulfilment　of　the　Eden…curse。　What　we　want　to　understand　is　how　the　'Fall'　into　self…consciousness　led　to　that　great　panorama　of　Ritual　and　Religion　which　we　have　very　briefly　described　and　summarized　in　the　preceding　chapters　of　this　book。　We　want　for　the　present　to　fix　our　attention　on　the　COMMENCEMENT　of　that　process　by　which　man　lapsed　away　from　his　living　community　with　Nature　and　his　fellows　into　the　desert　of　discord　and　toil；　while　the　angels　of　the　flaming　sword　closed　the　gates　of　Paradise　behind　him。

It　is　evident　I　think　that　in　that　'golden'　stage　when　man　was　simply　the　crown　and　perfection　of　the　animals　and　it　is　hardly　possible　to　refuse　the　belief　in　such　a　stagehe　possessed　in　reality　all　the　essentials　of　Religion。＇1＇　It　is　not　necessary　to　sentimentalize　over　him；　he　was　probably　raw　and　crude　in　his　lusts　of　hunger　and　of　sex；　he　was　certainly　ignorant　and　superstitious；　he　loved　fighting　with　and　persecuting　'enemies'　（which　things　of　course　all　religions　to…dayexcept　perhaps　the　Buddhist　love　to　do）；　he　was　dominated　often　by　unreasoning　Fear；　and　was　consequently　cruel。　Yet　he　was　full　of　that　Faith　which　the　animals　have　to　such　an　admirable　degree　unhesitating　faith　in　the　inner　promptings　of　his　OWN　nature；　he　had　the　joy　which　comes　of　abounding　vitality；　springing　up　like　a　fountain　whose　outlet　is　free　and　unhindered；　he　rejoiced　in　an　untroubled　and　unbroken　sense　of　unity　with　his　Tribe；　and　in　elaborate　social　and　friendly　institutions　within　its　borders；　he　had　a　marvelous　sense…acuteness　towards　Nature　and　a　gift　in　that　direction　verging　towards　〃second…sight〃；　strengthened　by　a　convictionwhich　had　never　become　CONSCIOUS　because　it　had　never　been　QUESTIONED　of　his　own　personal　relation　to　the　things　outside　him；　the　Earth；　the　Sky；　the　Vegetation；　the　Animals。　Of　such　a　Man　we　get　glimpses　in　the　far　pastthough　indeed　only　glimpses；　for　the　simple　reason　that　all　our　knowledge　of　him　comes　through　civilized　channels；　and　wherever　civilization　has　touched　these　early　peoples　it　has　already　withered　and　corrupted　them；　even　before　it　has　had　the　sense　to　properly　observe　them。　It　is　sufficient；　however；　just　to　mention　peoples　like　some　of　the　early　Pacific　Islanders；　the　Zulus　and　Kafirs　of　South　Africa；　the　Fans　of　the　Congo　Region　（of　whom　Winwood　Reade＇2＇　speaks　so　highly）；　some　of　the　Malaysian　and　Himalayan　tribes；　the　primitive　Chinese；　and　even　the　evidence　with　regard　to　the　neolithic　peoples　of　Europe；＇3＇　in　order　to　show　what　I　mean。

＇1＇　See　S。　Reinach；　Cults；　Myths；　etc。；　introduction：　〃The　primitive　life　of　humanity；　in　so　far　as　it　is　not　purely　animal；　is　religious。　Religion　is　the　parent　stem　which　has　thrown　off；　one　by　one；　art；　agriculture；　law；　morality；　politics；　etc。〃

＇2＇　Savage　Africa；　ch。　xxxvii。

＇3＇　See　Kropotkin's　Mutual　Aid；　ch。　iii。


Perhaps　one　of　the　best　ideas　of　the　gulf　of　difference　between　the　semi…civilized　and　the　quite　primal　man　is　given　by　A。　R。　Wallace　in　his　Life　（Vol。　i；　p。　288）：　〃A　most　unexpected　sensation　of　surprise　and　delight　was　my　first　meeting　and　living　with　man　in　a　state　of　nature　with　absolute　uncontaminated　savages！　This　was　on　the　Uaupes　river。　。　。　。　They　were　all　going　about　their　own　work　or　pleasure；　which　had　nothing　to　do　with　the　white　men　or　their　ways；　they　walked　with　the　free　step　of　the　independent　forest…dweller　。　。　。　original　and　self…sustaining　as　the　wild　animals　of　the　forests；　absolutely　independent　of　civilization　。　。　。　living　their　own　lives　in　their　own　way；　as　they　had　done　for　countless　generations　before　America　was　discovered。　Indeed　the　true　denizen　of　the　Amazonian　forests；　like　the　forest　itself；　is　unique　and　not　to　be　forgotten。〃　Elsewhere＇3＇　Wallace　speaks　of　the　quiet；　good…natured；　inoffensive　character　of　these　copper…colored　peoples；　and　of　their　quickness　of　hand　and　skill；　and　continues：　〃their　figures　are　generally　superb；　and　I　have　never　felt　so　much　pleasure　in　gazing　at　the　finest　statue　as　at　these　living　illustrations　of　the　beauty　of　the　human　form。〃


＇3＇　Travels　on　the　Amazon　（1853）；　ch。　xvii。


Though　some　of　the　peoples　just　mentioned　may　be　said　to　belong　to　different　grades　or　stages　of　human　evolution　and　physically　some　no　doubt　were　far　superior　to　others；　yet　they　mostly　exhibit　this　simple　grace　of　the　bodily　and　mental　organism；　as　well　as　that　closeness　of　tribal　solidarity　of　which　I　have　spoken。　The　immense　antiquity；　of　the　clan　organization；　as　shown　by　investigations　into　early　marriage；　points　to　the　latter　conclusion。　Travellers　among　Bushmen；　Hottentots；　Fuegians；　Esquimaux；　Papuans　and　other　peoplespeoples　who　have　been　pushed　aside　into　unfavorable　areas　by　the　invasion　of　more　warlike　and　better…equipped　races；　and　who　have　suffered　physically　in　consequenceconfirm　this。　Kropotkin；　speaking　of　the　Hottentots；　quotes　the　German　author　P。　Kolben　who　travelled　among　them　in　1275　or　so。　〃He　knew　the　Hottentots　well　and　did　not　pass　by　their　defects　in　silence；　but　could　not　praise　their　tribal　morality　highly　enough。　Their　word　is　sacred；　he　wrote；　they　know　nothing　of　the　corruption　and　faithless　arts　of　Europe。　They　live　in　great　tranquillity　and　are　seldom　at　war　with　their　neighbors；　and　are　all　kindness　and　goodwill　to　one　　another。〃＇1＇　Kropotkin　further　says：　〃Let　me　remark　that　when　Kolben　says　'they　are　certainly　the　most　friendly；　the　most　liberal　and　the　most　benevolent　people　to　one　another　that　ever　appeared　on　the　earth'　he　wrote　a　sentence　which　has　continually　appeared　since　in　the　description　of　savages。　When　first　meeting　with　primitive　races；　the　Europeans　usually　make　a　caricature　of　their　life；　but　when　an　intelligent　man　has　stayed　among　them　for　a　longer　time　he　generally　describes　them　as　the　'kindest'　or　the　'gentlest'　race　on　the　earth。　These　very　same　words　have　been　applied　to　the　Ostyaks；　the　Samoyedes；　the　Eskimos；　the　Dyaks；　the　Aleuts；　the　Papuans；　and　so　on；　by　the　highest　authorities。　I　also　remember　having　read　them　applied　to　the　Tunguses；　the　Tchuktchis；　the　Sioux；　and　several　others。　The　very　frequency　of　that　high　commendation　already　speaks　volumes　in　itself。〃＇2＇

＇1＇　P。　Kropotkin；　Mutual　Aid；　p。　90。　W。　J。　Solias　also　speaks　in　terms　of　the　highest　praise　of　the　Bushmen〃their　energy；　patience；　courage；　loyalty；　affection；　good　manners　and　artistic　sense〃　（Ancient　Hunters；　1915；　p。　425）。

＇2＇　Ibid；　p。　91。


Many　of　the　tribes；　like　the　Aleuts；　Eskimos；　Dyaks；　Papuans；　Fuegians；　etc。；　are　themselves　in　the　Neolithic　stage　of　culturethough　for　the　reason　given　above　probably　degenerated　physically　from　the　standard　of　their　neolithic　ancestors；　and　so　the　conclusion　is　forced　upon　one　that　there　must　have　been　an　IMMENSE　PERIOD；＇1＇　prior　to　the　first　beginnings　of　'civilization；'　in　which　the　human　tribes　in　general　led　a　peaceful　and　friendly　life　on　the　earth；　comparatively　little　broken　up　by　dissensions；　in　close　contact　with　Nature　and　in　that　degree　of　sympathy　with　and　understanding　of　the　Animals　which　led　to　the　establishment　of　the　Totem　system。　Though　it　would　be　absurd　to　credit　these　tribes　with　any　great　degree　of　comfort　and　well…being　according　to　our　modern　standards；　yet　we　may　well　suppose　that　the　memory　of　this　long　period　lingered　on　for　generations　and　generations　and　was　ultimately　idealized　into　the　Golden　Age；　in　contrast　to　the　succeeding　period　of　everlasting　warfare；　rancor　and　strife；　which　came　in　with　the　growth　of　Property　with　its　greeds　and　jealousies；　and　the　accentuation　of　Self…consciousness　with　all　its　vanities　and　ambitions。

＇1＇　See　for　estimates　of　periods　ch。　xiv；　also；　for　the　peacefulness　of　these　early　peoples；　Havelock　Ellis　on　〃The　Origin　of　War；〃　where　he　says　〃We　do　not　find　the　WEAPONS　of　warfare　or　the　WOUNDS　of　warfare　among　these　Palaeolithic　remains　。　。　。　it　was　with　civilization　that　the　art　of　killing　developed；　i。　e。　within　the　last　10；000　or　12；000　years　when　Neolithic　men　（who　became　our　ancestors）　were　just　arriving。〃


I　say　that　each　tribe　at　this　early　stage　of　development　had　within　it　the　ESSENTIALS　of　what　we　call　Religion　namely　a　bedrock　sense　of　its　community　with　Nature；　and　of　the　Common　life　among　its　membersa　sense　so　intimate　and　fundamental　that　it　was　hardly　aware　of　itself　（any　more　than　the　fish　is　aware　of　the　sea　in　which　it　lives）；　but　yet　was　really　the　matrix　of　tribal　thought　and　the　spring　of　tribal　action。　It　was　this　sense　of　unity　which　was　destined　by　the　growth　of　SELF…CONSCIOUSNESS　to　come　to　light　and　evidence　in　the　shape　of　all　manner　of　rituals　and　ceremonials；　and　by　the　growth　of　the　IMAGINATIVE　INTELLECT　to　embody　itself　in　the　figures　and　forms　of　all　manner　of　deities。

Let　us　examine　into　this　a　little　more　closely。　A　lark　soaring　in　the　eye　of　the　sun；　and　singing　rapt　between　its　〃heaven　and　home〃　realizes　no　doubt　in　actual　fact　all　that　those　two　words　mean　to　us；　yet　its　realization　is　quite　subconscious。　It　does　not　define　its　own　experience：　it　FEELS　but　it　does　not　THINK。　In　order　to　come　to　the　stage　of　THINKING　it　would　perhaps　be　necessary　that　the　lark　should　be　exiled　from　the　earth　and　the　sky；　and　confined　in　a　cage。　Early　Man　FELT　the　great　truths　and　realities　of　Lifeoften　I　believe　more　purely　than　we　do　but　he　could　not　give　form　to　his　experience。　THAT　stage　came　when　he　began　to　lose　touch　with　these　realities；　and　it　showed　itself　in　rites　and　ceremonials。　The　inbreak　of　self…consciousness　brought　OUT　the　facts　of　his　inner　life　into　ritualistic　and　afterwards　into　intellectual　forms。

Let　me　give　examples。　For　a　long　time　the　Tribe　is　all　in　all；　the　individual　is　completely　subject　to　the　'Spirit　of　the　Hive'；　he　does　not　even　THINK　of　contravening　it。　Then　the　day　comes　when　self…interest；　as　apart　from　the　Tribe；　becomes　sufficiently　strong　to　drive　him　against　some　tribal　custom。　He　breaks　the　tabu；　he　eats　the　forbidden　apple；　he　sins　against　the　tribe；　and　is　cast　out。　Suddenly　he　finds　himself　an　exile；　lonely；　condemned　and　deserted。　A　horrible　sense　of　distress　seizes　himsomething　of　which　he　had　no　experience　before。　He　tries　to　think　about　it　all；　to　understand