pagan and christian creeds-第27章

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nies　of　re…birth；　eucharistic　feasts；　sexual　communions；　orgiastic　celebrations　of　the　common　life；　and　a　host　of　other　thingsall　SAID　plainly　enough　what　was　meant；　but　not　in　WORDS。　Partly　no　doubt　it　was　that　at　some　early　time　words　were　more　difficult　of　command　and　less　flexible　in　use　than　actions　（and　at　all　times　are　they　not　less　expressive？）。　Partly　it　was　that　mankind　was　in　the　child…stage。　The　Child　delights　in　ritual；　in　symbol；　in　expression　through　material　objects　and　actions：

　See；　at　his　feet　some　little　plan　or　chart；　　Some　fragment　from　his　dream　of　human　life；　　Shaped　by　himself　with　newly　learned　art；　　　　　　A　wedding　or　a　festival；　　　　　　A　mourning　or　a　funeral；　　　　　　　　　　　And　this　hath　now　his　heart。

And　primitive　man　in　the　child…stage　felt　a　positive　joy　in　ritual　celebrations；　and　indulged　in　expressions　which　we　but　little　understand；　for　these　had　then　his　heart。

One　of　the　most　pregnant　of　these　expressions　was　DANCING。　Children　dance　instinctively。　They　dance　with　rage；　they　dance　with　joy；　with　sheer　vitality；　they　dance　with　pain；　or　sometimes　with　savage　glee　at　the　suffering　of　others；　they　delight　in　mimic　combats；　or　in　animal　plays　and　disguises。　There　are　such　things　as　Courting…dances；　when　the　mature　male　and　female　go　through　a　ritual　togethernot　only　in　civilized　ball…rooms　and　the　back…parlors　of　inns；　but　in　the　farmyards　where　the　rooster　pays　his　addresses　to　the　hen；　or　the　yearling　bull　to　the　cowwith　quite　recognized　formalities；　there　are　elaborate　ceremonials　performed　by　the　Australian　bower…birds　and　many　other　animals。　All　these　things　at　any　rate　in　children　and　animalscome　before　speech；　and　anyhow　we　may　say　that　LOVE…RITES；　even　in　mature　and　civilized　man；　hardly　ADMIT　of　speech。　Words　only　vulgarize　love　and　blunt　its　edge。

So　Dance　to　the　savage　and　the　early　man　was　not　merely　an　amusement　or　a　gymnastic　exercise　（as　the　books　often　try　to　make　out）；　but　it　was　also　a　serious　and　intimate　part　of　life；　an　expression　of　religion　and　the　relation　of　man　to　non…human　Powers。　Imagine　a　young　dancerand　the　admitted　age　for　ritual　dancing　was　commonly　from　about　eighteen　to　thirtycoming　forward　on　the　dancing…ground　or　platform　for　the　INVOCATION　OF　RAIN。　We　have　unfortunately　no　kinematic　records；　but　it　is　not　impossible　or　very　difficult　to　imagine　the　various　gestures　and　movements　which　might　be　considered　appropriate　to　such　a　rite　in　different　localities　or　among　different　peoples。　A　modern　student　of　Dalcroze　Eurhythmics　would　find　the　problem　easy。　After　a　time　a　certain　ritual　dance　（for　rain）　would　become　stereotyped　and　generally　adopted。　Or　imagine　a　young　Greek　leading　an　invocation　to　Apollo　to　STAY　SOME　PLAGUE　which　was　ravaging　the　country。　He　might　as　well　be　accompanied　by　a　small　body　of　co…dancers；　but　he　would　be　the　leader　and　chief　representative。　Or　it　might　be　a　WAR…DANCE　as　a　more　or　less　magical　preparation　for　the　raid　or　foray。　We　are　familiar　enough　with　accounts　of　war…dances　among　American　Indians。　C。　O。　Muller　in　his　History　and　Antiquities　of　the　Doric　Race＇1＇　gives　the　following　account　of　the　Pyrrhic　dance　among　the　Greeks；　which　was　danced　in　full　armor：〃Plato　says　that　it　imitated　all　the　attitudes　of　defence；　by　avoiding　a　thrust　or　a　cast；　retreating；　springing　up；　and　crouching…as　also　the　opposite　movements　of　attack　with　arrows　and　lances；　and　also　of　every　kind　of　thrust。　So　strong　was　the　attachment　to　this　dance　at　Sparta　that；　long　after　it　had　in　the　other　Greek　states　degenerated　into　a　Bacchanalian　revel；　it　was　still　danced　by　the　Spartans　as　a　warlike　exercise；　and　boys　of　fifteen　were　instructed　in　it。〃　Of　the　Hunting…　dance　I　have　already　given　instances。＇2＇　It　always　had　the　character　of　Magic　about　it；　by　which　the　game　or　quarry　might　presumably　be　influenced；　and　it　can　easily　be　understood　that　if　the　Hunt　was　not　successful　the　blame　might　well　be　attributed　to　some　neglect　of　the　usual　ritual　mimes　or　movementsno　laughing　matter　for　the　leader　of　the　dance。

＇1＇　Book　IV；　ch。　6；　Section　7。

＇2＇　See　also　Winwood　Reade's　Savage　Africa；　ch。　xviii；　in　which　he　speaks　of　the　〃gorilla　dance；〃　before　hunting　gorillas；　as　a　〃religious　festival。〃


Or　there　were　dances　belonging　to　the　ceremonies　of　Initiationdances　both　by　the　initiators　and　the　initiated。　Jane　E。　Harrison　in　Themis　（p。　24）　says；　〃Instruction　among　savage　peoples　is　always　imparted　in　more　or　less　mimetic　dances。　At　initiation　you　learn　certain　dances　which　confer　on　you　definite　social　status。　When　a　man　is　too　old　to　dance；　he　hands　over　his　dance　to　another　and　a　younger；　and　he　then　among　some　tribes　ceases　to　exist　socially。　。　。　。　The　dances　taught　to　boys　at　initiation　are　frequently　if　not　always　ARMED　dances。　These　are　not　necessarily　warlike。　The　accoutrement　of　spear　and　shield　was　in　part　decorative；　in　part　a　provision　for　making　the　necessary　hubbub。〃　（Here　Miss　Harrison　reproduces　a　photograph　of　an　Initiation　dance　among　the　Akikuyu　of　British　East　Africa。）　The　Initiation…　dances　blend　insensibly　and　naturally　with　the　Mystery　and　Religion　dances；　for　indeed　initiation　was　for　the　most　part　an　instruction　in　the　mysteries　and　social　rites　of　the　Tribe。　They　were　the　expression　of　things　which　would　be　hard　even　for　us；　and　which　for　rude　folk　would　be　impossible；　to　put　into　definite　words。　Hence　arose　the　expressionwhose　meaning　has　been　much　discussed　by　the　learned〃to　dance　out　（）　a　mystery。〃＇1＇　Lucian；　in　a　much…quoted　passage；＇2＇　observes：　〃You　cannot　find　a　single　ancient　mystery　in　which　there　is　not　dancing　。　。　。　and　this　much　all　men　know；　that　most　people　say　of　the　revealers　of　the　mysteries　that　they　'dance　them　out。'　〃　Andrew　Lang；　commenting　on　this　passage；＇3＇　continues：　〃Clement　of　Alexandria　uses　the　same　term　when　speaking　of　his　own　'appalling　revelations。'　So　closely　connected　are　mysteries　with　dancing　among　savages　that　when　Mr。　Orpen　asked　Qing；　the　Bushman　hunter；　about　some　doctrines　in　which　Qing　was　not　initiated；　he　said：　'Only　the　initiated　men　of　that　dance　know　these　things。'　To　'dance'　this　or　that　means　to　be　acquainted　with　this　or　that　myth；　which　is　represented　in　a　dance　or　ballet　d'action。　So　widely　distributed　is　the　practice　that　Acosta　in　an　interesting　passage　mentions　it　as　familiar　to　the　people　of　Peru　before　and　after　the　Spanish　conquest。〃　＇And　we　may　say　that　when　the　'mysteries'　are　of　a　sexual　nature　it　can　easily　be　understood　that　to　'dance　them　out'　is　the　only　way　of　explaining　them！＇

＇1＇　Meaning　apparently　either　simply　to　represent；　or；　sometimes　to　DIVULGE；　a　mystery。

＇2＇