darwin and modern science-第155节

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of　him；　a　kind　of　soul　to　be　carefully　concealed。　　By　pronouncing　a　name　you　bring　the　thing　itself　into　being。　　When　Elohim　would　create　Day　〃he　called　out　to　the　Light　'Day；'　and　to　the　Darkness　he　called　out　'Night'〃；　the　great　magician　pronounced　the　magic　Names　and　the　Things　came　into　being。　　〃In　the　beginning　was　the　Word〃　is　literally　true；　and　this　reflects　the　fact　that　our　CONCEPTUAL　world　comes　into　being　by　the　mental　process　of　naming。　（For　a　full　discussion　of　this　point　see　Beck；　〃Nachahmung〃　page　41；　〃Die　Sprache〃。）　　In　old　times　people　went　further；　they　thought　that　by　naming　events　they　could　bring　them　to　be；　and　custom　even　to…day　keeps　up　the　inveterate　magical　habit　of　wishing　people　〃Good　Morning〃　and　a　〃Happy　Christmas。〃

Number；　too；　is　part　of　the　supersensuous　world　that　is　thoroughly　religious。　　We　can　see　and　touch　seven　apples；　but　seven　itself；　that　wonderful　thing　that　shifts　from　object　to　object；　giving　it　its　SEVENness；　that　living　thing；　for　it　begets　itself　anew　in　multiplicationsurely　seven　is　a　fit　denizen　of　the　upper…world。　　Originally　all　numbers　dwelt　there；　and　a　certain　supersensuous　sanctity　still　clings　to　seven　and　three。　　We　still　say　〃Holy；　Holy；　Holy；〃　and　in　some　mystic　way　feel　the　holier。

The　soul　and　the　supersensuous　world　get　thinner　and　thinner；　rarer　and　more　rarified；　but　they　always　trail　behind　them　clouds　of　smoke　and　vapour　from　the　world　of　sense　and　space　whence　they　have　come。　　It　is　difficult　for　us　even　nowadays　to　use　the　word　〃soul〃　without　lapsing　into　a　sensuous　mythology。　　The　Cartesians'　sharp　distinction　between　res　extensa　non　cogitans　and　res　cogitans　non　extansa　is　remote。

So　far　then　man；　through　the　processes　of　his　thinking；　has　provided　himself　with　a　supersensuous　world；　the　world　of　sense…delusion；　of　smoke　and　cloud；　of　dream　and　phantom；　of　imagination；　of　name　and　number　and　image。　　The　natural　course　would　now　seem　to　be　that　this　supersensuous　world　should　develop　into　the　religious　world　as　we　know　it；　that　out　of　a　vague　animism　with　ghosts　of　ancestors；　demons；　and　the　like；　there　should　develop　in　due　order　momentary　gods　（Augenblicks…Gotter）；　tribal　gods；　polytheism；　and　finally　a　pure　monotheism。

This　course　of　development　is　usually　assumed；　but　it　is　not　I　think　quite　what　really　happens。　　The　supersensuous　world　as　we　have　got　it　so　far　is　too　theoretic　to　be　complete　material　of　religion。　　It　is　indeed　only　one　factor；　or　rather　it　is　as　it　were　a　lifeless　body　that　waits　for　a　living　spirit　to　possess　and　inform　it。　　Had　the　theoretic　factor　remained　uninformed　it　would　eventually　have　separated　off　into　its　constituent　elements　of　error　and　truth；　the　error　dying　down　as　a　belated　metaphysic；　the　truth　developing　into　a　correct　and　scientific　psychology　of　the　subjective。　　But　man　has　ritual　as　well　as　mythology；　that　is；　he　feels　and　acts　as　well　as　thinks；　nay　more　he　probably　feels　and　acts　long　before　he　definitely　thinks。　　This　contradicts　all　our　preconceived　notions　of　theology。　　Man；　we　imagine；　believes　in　a　god　or　gods　and　then　worships。　　The　real　order　seems　to　be　that；　in　a　sense　presently　to　be　explained；　he　worships；　he　feels　and　acts；　and　out　of　his　feeling　and　action；　projected　into　his　confused　thinking；　he　develops　a　god。　　We　pass　therefore　to　our　second　factor　in　religion：ritual。

The　word　〃ritual〃　brings　to　our　modern　minds　the　notion　of　a　church　with　a　priesthood　and　organised　services。　　Instinctively　we　think　of　a　congregation　meeting　to　confess　sins；　to　receive　absolution；　to　pray；　to　praise；　to　listen　to　sermons；　and　possibly　to　partake　of　sacraments。　　Were　we　to　examine　these　fully　developed　phenomena　we　should　hardly　get　further　in　the　analysis　of　our　religious　conceptions　than　the　notion　of　a　highly　anthropomorphic　god　approached　by　purely　human　methods　of　personal　entreaty　and　adulation。

Further；　when　we　first　come　to　the　study　of　primitive　religions　we　expect　a　priori　to　find　the　same　elements；　though　in　a　ruder　form。　　We　expect　to　see　〃The　heathen　in　his　blindness　bow　down　to　wood　and　stone；〃　but　the　facts　that　actually　confront　us　are　startlingly　dissimilar。　　Bowing　down　to　wood　and　stone　is　an　occupation　that　exists　mainly　in　the　minds　of　hymn…writers。　　The　real　savage　is　more　actively　engaged。　　Instead　of　asking　a　god　to　do　what　he　wants　done；　he　does　it　or　tries　to　do　it　himself；　instead　of　prayers　he　utters　spells。　　In　a　word　he　is　busy　practising　magic；　and　above　all　he　is　strenuously　engaged　in　dancing　magical　dances。　　When　the　savage　wants　rain　or　wind　or　sunshine；　he　does　not　go　to　church；　he　summons　his　tribe　and　they　dance　a　rain…dance　or　wind…dance　or　sun…dance。　　When　a　savage　goes　to　war　we　must　not　picture　his　wife　on　her　knees　at　home　praying　for　the　absent；　instead　we　must　picture　her　dancing　the　whole　night　long；　not　for　mere　joy　of　heart　or　to　pass　the　weary　hours；　she　is　dancing　his　war…dance　to　bring　him　victory。

Magic　is　nowadays　condemned　alike　by　science　and　by　religion；　it　is　both　useless　and　impious。　　It　is　obsolete；　and　only　practised　by　malign　sorcerers　in　obscure　holes　and　corners。　　Undoubtedly　magic　is　neither　religion　nor　science；　but　in　all　probability　it　is　the　spiritual　protoplasm　from　which　religion　and　science　ultimately　differentiated。　　As　such　the　doctrine　of　evolution　bids　us　scan　it　closely。　　Magic　may　be　malign　and　private；　nowadays　it　is　apt　to　be　both。　　But　in　early　days　magic　was　as　much　for　good　as　for　evil；　it　was　publicly　practised　for　the　common　weal。

The　gist　of　magic　comes　out　most　clearly　in　magical　dances。　　We　think　of　dancing　as　a　light　form　of　recreation；　practised　by　the　young　from　sheer　joie　de　vivre　and　unsuitable　for　the　mature。　　But　among　the　Tarahumares　（Carl　Lumholtz；　〃Unknown　Mexico〃；　page　330；　London；　1903。）　in　Mexico　the　word　for　dancing；　nolavoa；　means　〃to　work。〃　　Old　men　will　reproach　young　men　saying　〃Why　do　you　not　go　to　work？〃　meaning　why　do　you　not　dance　instead　of　only　looking　on。　　The　chief　religious　sin　of　which　the　Tarahumare　is　conscious　is　that　he　has　not　danced　enough　and　not　made　enough　tesvino；　his　cereal　intoxicant。

Dancing　then　is　to　the　savage　WORKING；　DOING；　and　the　dance　is　in　its　origin　an　imitation　or　perhaps　rather　an　intensification　of　processes　of　work。　（Karl　Bucher；　〃Arbeit　und　Rhythmus〃；　Leipzig　（3rd　edition）；　1902；　passim。）　　Repetition；　regular　and　frequent；　constitutes　rhythm　and　rhythm　heightens　the　sense　of　will　power　in　action。　　Rhythmical　action　may　even；　as　seen　in　the　dances　of　Dervishes；　produce　a　condition　of　ecstasy。　　Ecstasy　among　primitive　peoples　is　a　condition　much　valued；　it　is　often；　though　not　always；　enhanced　by　the　use　of　intoxicants。　　Psychologically　the　savage　starts　from　the　sense　of　his　own　will　power；　he　stimulates　it　by　every　means　at　his　command。　　Feeling　his　will　strongly　and　knowing　nothing　of　natural　law　he　recognises　no　limits　to　his　own　power；　he　feels　himself　a　magician；　a　god；　he　does　not　pray；　he　WILLS。　　Moreover　he　wills　collectively　（The　subject　of　collective　hallucination　as　an　element　in　magic　has　been　fully　worked　out　by　MM。　Hubert　and　Mauss。　　〃Theorie　generale　de　la　Magie〃；　In　〃L'Annee　Sociologique〃；　19023；　page　140。）；　reinforced　by　the　will　and　action　of　his　whole　tribe。　　Truly　of　him　it　may　be　said　〃La　vie　deborde　l'intelligence；　l'intelligence　c'est　un　retrecissement。〃　　（Henri　Bergson；　〃L'Evolution　Creatrice〃；　page　50。）

The　magical　extension　and　heightening　of　personality　come　out　very　clearly　in　what　are　rather　unfortunately　known　as　MIMETIC　dances。　　Animal　dances　occur　very　frequently　among　primitive　peoples。　　The　dancers　dress　up　as　birds；　beasts；　or　fishes；　and　reproduce　the　characteristic　movements　and　habits　of　the　animals　impersonated。　　So　characteristic　is　this　impersonation　in　magical　dancing　that　among　the　Mexicans　the　word　for　magic；　navali；　means　〃disguise。〃　　K。　Th。　Preuss；　〃Archiv　f。　　Religionswissenschaft〃；　1906；　page　97。）　　A　very　common　animal　dance　is　the　frog…dance。　　When　it　rains　the　frogs　croak。　　If　you　desire　rain　you　dress　up　like　a　frog　and　croak　and　jump。　　We　think　of　such　a　performance　as　a　conscious　imitation。　　The　man；　we　think；　is　more　or　less　LIKE　a　frog。　　That　is　not　how　primitive　man　thinks；　indeed；　he　scarcely　thinks　at　all；　what　HE　wants　done　the　frog　can　do　by　croaking　and　jumping；　so　he　croaks　and　jumps　and；　for　all　he　can；　BECOMES　a　frog。　　〃L'intelligence　animale　JOUE　sans　doute　les　representations　plutot　qu'elle　ne　les　pense。〃　　（Bergson；　〃L'Evolution　Creatrice〃；　page　205。）

We　shall　best　understand　this　primitive　state　of　mind　if　we　study　the　child　〃born　in　sin。〃　　If　a　child　is　〃playing　at　lions〃　he　does　not　IMITATE　a　lion；　i。e。　he　does　not　consciously　try　to　be　a　thing　more　or　less　like　a　lion；　he　BECOMES　one。　　His　reaction；　his　terror；　is　the　same　as　if　the　real　lion　were　there。　　It　is　this　childlike　power　of　utter　impersonation；　of　BEING　the　thing　we　act　or　even　see　acted；　this　extension　and　intensification　of　our　own　personality　that　lives　deep　down　in　all　of　us　and　is　the　very　seat　and　secret　of　our　joy　in　the　drama。

A　child's　mind　is　indeed　throughout　the　best　clue　to　the　understanding　of　savage　magic。　　A　young　and　vital　child　knows　no　limit　to　his　own　will；　and　it　is　the　only　reality　to　him。　　It　is　no