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o　form　some　conception　of　the　extraordinary　hold　which　that　ancient　system　of　superstition　has　had　on　the　human　mind　in　all　ages　and　all　countries。　Accordingly　I　propose　to　consider　the　subject　in　some　detail。

Chapter　3。　Sympathetic　Magic。

1。　The　Principles　of　Magic

IF　we　analyse　the　principles　of　thought　on　which　magic　is　based；　they　will　probably　be　found　to　resolve　themselves　into　two：　first；　that　like　produces　like；　or　that　an　effect　resembles　its　cause；　and；　second；　that　things　which　have　once　been　in　contact　with　each　other　continue　to　act　on　each　other　at　a　distance　after　the　physical　contact　has　been　severed。　The　former　principle　may　be　called　the　Law　of　Similarity；　the　latter　the　Law　of　Contact　or　Contagion。　From　the　first　of　these　principles；　namely　the　Law　of　Similarity；　the　magician　infers　that　he　can　produce　any　effect　he　desires　merely　by　imitating　it：　from　the　second　he　infers　that　whatever　he　does　to　a　material　object　will　affect　equally　the　person　with　whom　the　object　was　once　in　contact；　whether　it　formed　part　of　his　body　or　not。　Charms　based　on　the　Law　of　Similarity　may　be　called　Homoeopathic　or　Imitative　Magic。　Charms　based　on　the　Law　of　Contact　or　Contagion　may　be　called　Contagious　Magic。　To　denote　the　first　of　these　branches　of　magic　the　term　Homoeopathic　is　perhaps　preferable；　for　the　alternative　term　Imitative　or　Mimetic　suggests；　if　it　does　not　imply；　a　conscious　agent　who　imitates；　thereby　limiting　the　scope　of　magic　too　narrowly。　For　the　same　principles　which　the　magician　applies　in　the　practice　of　his　art　are　implicitly　believed　by　him　to　regulate　the　operations　of　inanimate　nature；　in　other　words；　he　tacitly　assumes　that　the　Laws　of　Similarity　and　Contact　are　of　universal　application　and　are　not　limited　to　human　actions。　In　short；　magic　is　a　spurious　system　of　natural　law　as　well　as　a　fallacious　guide　of　conduct；　it　is　a　false　science　as　well　as　an　abortive　art。　Regarded　as　a　system　of　natural　law；　that　is；　as　a　statement　of　the　rules　which　determine　the　sequence　of　events　throughout　the　world；　it　may　be　called　Theoretical　Magic：　regarded　as　a　set　of　precepts　which　human　beings　observe　in　order　to　compass　their　ends；　it　may　be　called　Practical　Magic。　At　the　same　time　it　is　to　be　borne　in　mind　that　the　primitive　magician　knows　magic　only　on　its　practical　side；　he　never　analyses　the　mental　processes　on　which　his　practice　is　based；　never　reflects　on　the　abstract　principles　involved　in　his　actions。　With　him；　as　with　the　vast　majority　of　men；　logic　is　implicit；　not　explicit：　he　reasons　just　as　he　digests　his　food　in　complete　ignorance　of　the　intellectual　and　physiological　processes　which　are　essential　to　the　one　operation　and　to　the　other。　In　short；　to　him　magic　is　always　an　art；　never　a　science；　the　very　idea　of　science　is　lacking　in　his　undeveloped　mind。　It　is　for　the　philosophic　student　to　trace　the　train　of　thought　which　underlies　the　magician's　practice；　to　draw　out　the　few　simple　threads　of　which　the　tangled　skein　is　composed；　to　disengage　the　abstract　principles　from　their　concrete　applications；　in　short；　to　discern　the　spurious　science　behind　the　bastard　art。

If　my　analysis　of　the　magician's　logic　is　correct；　its　two　great　principles　turn　out　to　be　merely　two　different　misapplications　of　the　association　of　ideas。　Homoeopathic　magic　is　founded　on　the　association　of　ideas　by　similarity：　contagious　magic　is　founded　on　the　association　of　ideas　by　contiguity。　Homoeopathic　magic　commits　the　mistake　of　assuming　that　things　which　resemble　each　other　are　the　same：　contagious　magic　commits　the　mistake　of　assuming　that　things　which　have　once　been　in　contact　with　each　other　are　always　in　contact。　But　in　practice　the　two　branches　are　often　combined；　or；　to　be　more　exact；　while　homoeopathic　or　imitative　magic　may　be　practised　by　itself；　contagious　magic　will　generally　be　found　to　involve　an　application　of　the　homoeopathic　or　imitative　principle。　Thus　generally　stated　the　two　things　may　be　a　little　difficult　to　grasp；　but　they　will　readily　become　intelligible　when　they　are　illustrated　by　particular　examples。　Both　trains　of　thought　are　in　fact　extremely　simple　and　elementary。　It　could　hardly　be　otherwise；　since　they　are　familiar　in　the　concrete；　though　certainly　not　in　the　abstract；　to　the　crude　intelligence　not　only　of　the　savage；　but　of　ignorant　and　dull…witted　people　everywhere。　Both　branches　of　magic；　the　homoeopathic　and　the　contagious；　may　conveniently　be　comprehended　under　the　general　name　of　Sympathetic　Magic；　since　both　assume　that　things　act　on　each　other　at　a　distance　through　a　secret　sympathy；　the　impulse　being　transmitted　from　one　to　the　other　by　means　of　what　we　may　conceive　as　a　kind　of　invisible　ether；　not　unlike　that　which　is　postulated　by　modern　science　for　a　precisely　similar　purpose；　namely；　to　explain　how　things　can　physically　affect　each　other　through　a　space　which　appears　to　be　empty。

It　may　be　convenient　to　tabulate　as　follows　the　branches　of　magic　according　to　the　laws　of　thought　which　underlie　them：

I　will　now　illustrate　these　two　great　branches　of　sympathetic　magic　by　examples；　beginning　with　homoeopathic　magic。

2。　Homoeopathic　or　Imitative　Magic

PERHAPS　the　most　familiar　application　of　the　principle　that　like　produces　like　is　the　attempt　which　has　been　made　by　many　peoples　in　many　ages　to　injure　or　destroy　an　enemy　by　injuring　or　destroying　an　image　of　him；　in　the　belief　that；　just　as　the　image　suffers；　so　does　the　man；　and　that　when　it　perishes　he　must　die。　A　few　instances　out　of　many　may　be　given　to　prove　at　once　the　wide　diffusion　of　the　practice　over　the　world　and　its　remarkable　persistence　through　the　ages。　For　thousands　of　years　ago　it　was　known　to　the　sorcerers　of　ancient　India；　Babylon；　and　Egypt；　as　well　as　of　Greece　and　Rome；　and　at　this　day　it　is　still　resorted　to　by　cunning　and　malignant　savages　in　Australia；　Africa；　and　Scotland。　Thus　the　North　American　Indians；　we　are　told；　believe　that　by　drawing　the　figure　of　a　person　in　sand；　ashes；　or　clay；　or　by　considering　any　object　as　his　body；　and　then　pricking　it　with　a　sharp　stick　or　doing　it　any　other　injury；　they　inflict　a　corresponding　injury　on　the　person　represented。　For　example；　when　an　Ojebway　Indian　desires　to　work　evil　on　any　one；　he　makes　a　little　wooden　image　of　his　enemy　and　runs　a　needle　into　its　head　or　heart；　or　he　shoots　an　arrow　into　it；　believing　that　wherever　the　needle　pierces　or　the　arrow　strikes　the　image；　his　foe　will　the　same　instant　be　seized　with　a　sharp　pain　in　the　corresponding　part　of　his　body；　but　if　he　intends　to　kill　the　person　outright；　he　burns　or　buries　the　puppet；　uttering　certain　magic　words　as　he　does　so。　The　Peruvian　Indians　moulded　images　of　fat　mixed　with　grain　to　imitate　the　persons　whom　they　disliked　or　feared；　and　then　burned　the　effigy　on　the　road　where　the　intended　victim　was　to　pass。　This　they　called　burning　his　soul。

A　Malay　charm　of　the　same　sort　is　as　follows。　Take　parings　of　nails；　hair；　eyebrows；　spittle；　and　so　forth　of　your　intended　victim；　enough　to　represent　every　part　of　his　person；　and　then　make　them　up　into　his　likeness　with　wax　from　a　deserted　bees'　comb。　Scorch　the　figure　slowly　by　holding　it　over　a　lamp　every　night　for　seven　nights；　and　say：

It　is　not　wax　that　I　am　scorching；　It　is　the　liver；　heart；　and　spleen　of　So…and…so　that　I　scorch。

After　the　seventh　time　burn　the　figure；　and　your　victim　will　die。　This　charm　obviously　combines　the　principles　of　homoeopathic　and　contagious　magic；　since　the　image　which　is　made　in　the　likeness　of　an　enemy　contains　things　which　once　were　in　contact　with　him；　namely；　his　nails；　hair；　and　spittle。　Another　form　of　the　Malay　charm；　which　resembles　the　Ojebway　practice　still　more　closely；　is　to　make　a　corpse　of　wax　from　an　empty　bees'　comb　and　of　the　length　of　a　footstep；　then　pierce　the　eye　of　the　image；　and　your　enemy　is　blind；　pierce　the　stomach；　and　he　is　sick；　pierce　the　head；　and　his　head　aches；　pierce　the　breast；　and　his　breast　will　suffer。　If　you　would　kill　him　outright；　transfix　the　image　from　the　head　downwards；　enshroud　it　as　you　would　a　corpse；　pray　over　it　as　if　you　were　praying　over　the　dead；　then　bury　it　in　the　middle　of　a　path　where　your　victim　will　be　sure　to　step　over　it。　In　order　that　his　blood　may　not　be　on　your　head；　you　should　say：

It　is　not　I　who　am　burying　him；　It　is　Gabriel　who　is　burying　him。

Thus　the　guilt　of　the　murder　will　be　laid　on　the　shoulders　of　the　archangel　Gabriel；　who　is　a　great　deal　better　able　to　bear　it　than　you　are。

If　homoeopathic　or　imitative　magic；　working　by　means　of　images；　has　commonly　been　practised　for　the　spiteful　purpose　of　putting　obnoxious　people　out　of　the　world；　it　has　also；　though　far　more　rarely；　been　employed　with　the　benevolent　intention　of　helping　others　into　it。　In　other　words；　it　has　been　used　to　facilitate　childbirth　and　to　procure　offspring　for　barren　women。　Thus　among　the　Bataks　of　Sumatra　a　barren　woman；　who　would　become　a　mother；　will　make　a　wooden　image　of　a　child　and　hold　it　in　her　lap；　believing　that　this　will　lead　to　the　fulfilment　of　her　wish。　In　the　Babar　Archipelago；　when　a　woman　desires　to　have　a　child；　she　invites　a　man　who　is　himself　the　father　of　a　large　family　to　pray　on　her　behalf　to　Upulero；　the　spirit　of　the　sun。　A　doll　is　m