the golden bough-第22节

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of　magic　must　have　wrought　a　radical　though　probably　slow　revolution　in　the　minds　of　those　who　had　the　sagacity　to　make　it。　The　discovery　amounted　to　this；　that　men　for　the　first　time　recognised　their　inability　to　manipulate　at　pleasure　certain　natural　forces　which　hitherto　they　had　believed　to　be　completely　within　their　control。　It　was　a　confession　of　human　ignorance　and　weakness。　Man　saw　that　he　had　taken　for　causes　what　were　no　causes；　and　that　all　his　efforts　to　work　by　means　of　these　imaginary　causes　had　been　vain。　His　painful　toil　had　been　wasted；　his　curious　ingenuity　had　been　squandered　to　no　purpose。　He　had　been　pulling　at　strings　to　which　nothing　was　attached；　he　had　been　marching；　as　he　thought；　straight　to　the　goal；　while　in　reality　he　had　only　been　treading　in　a　narrow　circle。　Not　that　the　effects　which　he　had　striven　so　hard　to　produce　did　not　continue　to　manifest　themselves。　They　were　still　produced；　but　not　by　him。　The　rain　still　fell　on　the　thirsty　ground：　the　sun　still　pursued　his　daily；　and　the　moon　her　nightly　journey　across　the　sky：　the　silent　procession　of　the　seasons　still　moved　in　light　and　shadow；　in　cloud　and　sunshine　across　the　earth：　men　were　still　born　to　labour　and　sorrow；　and　still；　after　a　brief　sojourn　here；　were　gathered　to　their　fathers　in　the　long　home　hereafter。　All　things　indeed　went　on　as　before；　yet　all　seemed　different　to　him　from　whose　eyes　the　old　scales　had　fallen。　For　he　could　no　longer　cherish　the　pleasing　illusion　that　it　was　he　who　guided　the　earth　and　the　heaven　in　their　courses；　and　that　they　would　cease　to　perform　their　great　revolutions　were　he　to　take　his　feeble　hand　from　the　wheel。　In　the　death　of　his　enemies　and　his　friends　he　no　longer　saw　a　proof　of　the　resistless　potency　of　his　own　or　of　hostile　enchantments；　he　now　knew　that　friends　and　foes　alike　had　succumbed　to　a　force　stronger　than　any　that　he　could　wield；　and　in　obedience　to　a　destiny　which　he　was　powerless　to　control。

Thus　cut　adrift　from　his　ancient　moorings　and　left　to　toss　on　a　troubled　sea　of　doubt　and　uncertainty；　his　old　happy　confidence　in　himself　and　his　powers　rudely　shaken；　our　primitive　philosopher　must　have　been　sadly　perplexed　and　agitated　till　he　came　to　rest；　as　in　a　quiet　haven　after　a　tempestuous　voyage；　in　a　new　system　of　faith　and　practice；　which　seemed　to　offer　a　solution　of　his　harassing　doubts　and　a　substitute；　however　precarious；　for　that　sovereignty　over　nature　which　he　had　reluctantly　abdicated。　If　the　great　world　went　on　its　way　without　the　help　of　him　or　his　fellows；　it　must　surely　be　because　there　were　other　beings；　like　himself；　but　far　stronger；　who；　unseen　themselves；　directed　its　course　and　brought　about　all　the　varied　series　of　events　which　he　had　hitherto　believed　to　be　dependent　on　his　own　magic。　It　was　they；　as　he　now　believed；　and　not　he　himself；　who　made　the　stormy　wind　to　blow；　the　lightning　to　flash；　and　the　thunder　to　roll；　who　had　laid　the　foundations　of　the　solid　earth　and　set　bounds　to　the　restless　sea　that　it　might　not　pass；　who　caused　all　the　glorious　lights　of　heaven　to　shine；　who　gave　the　fowls　of　the　air　their　meat　and　the　wild　beasts　of　the　desert　their　prey；　who　bade　the　fruitful　land　to　bring　forth　in　abundance；　the　high　hills　to　be　clothed　with　forests；　the　bubbling　springs　to　rise　under　the　rocks　in　the　valleys；　and　green　pastures　to　grow　by　still　waters；　who　breathed　into　man's　nostrils　and　made　him　live；　or　turned　him　to　destruction　by　famine　and　pestilence　and　war。　To　these　mighty　beings；　whose　handiwork　he　traced　in　all　the　gorgeous　and　varied　pageantry　of　nature；　man　now　addressed　himself；　humbly　confessing　his　dependence　on　their　invisible　power；　and　beseeching　them　of　their　mercy　to　furnish　him　with　all　good　things；　to　defend　him　from　the　perils　and　dangers　by　which　our　mortal　life　is　compassed　about　on　every　hand；　and　finally　to　bring　his　immortal　spirit；　freed　from　the　burden　of　the　body；　to　some　happier　world；　beyond　the　reach　of　pain　and　sorrow；　where　he　might　rest　with　them　and　with　the　spirits　of　good　men　in　joy　and　felicity　for　ever。

In　this；　or　some　such　way　as　this；　the　deeper　minds　may　be　conceived　to　have　made　the　great　transition　from　magic　to　religion。　But　even　in　them　the　change　can　hardly　ever　have　been　sudden；　probably　it　proceeded　very　slowly；　and　required　long　ages　for　its　more　or　less　perfect　accomplishment。　For　the　recognition　of　man's　powerlessness　to　influence　the　course　of　nature　on　a　grand　scale　must　have　been　gradual；　he　cannot　have　been　shorn　of　the　whole　of　his　fancied　dominion　at　a　blow。　Step　by　step　he　must　have　been　driven　back　from　his　proud　position；　foot　by　foot　he　must　have　yielded；　with　a　sigh；　the　ground　which　he　had　once　viewed　as　his　own。　Now　it　would　be　the　wind；　now　the　rain；　now　the　sunshine；　now　the　thunder；　that　he　confessed　himself　unable　to　wield　at　will；　and　as　province　after　province　of　nature　thus　fell　from　his　grasp；　till　what　had　once　seemed　a　kingdom　threatened　to　shrink　into　a　prison；　man　must　have　been　more　and　more　profoundly　impressed　with　a　sense　of　his　own　helplessness　and　the　might　of　the　invisible　beings　by　whom　he　believed　himself　to　be　surrounded。　Thus　religion；　beginning　as　a　slight　and　partial　acknowledgment　of　powers　superior　to　man；　tends　with　the　growth　of　knowledge　to　deepen　into　a　confession　of　man's　entire　and　absolute　dependence　on　the　divine；　his　old　free　bearing　is　exchanged　for　an　attitude　of　lowliest　prostration　before　the　mysterious　powers　of　the　unseen；　and　his　highest　virtue　is　to　submit　his　will　to　theirs：　In　la　sua　volontade　è　nostra　pace。　But　this　deepening　sense　of　religion；　this　more　perfect　submission　to　the　divine　will　in　all　things；　affects　only　those　higher　intelligences　who　have　breadth　of　view　enough　to　comprehend　the　vastness　of　the　universe　and　the　littleness　of　man。　Small　minds　cannot　grasp　great　ideas；　to　their　narrow　comprehension；　their　purblind　vision；　nothing　seems　really　great　and　important　but　themselves。　Such　minds　hardly　rise　into　religion　at　all。　They　are；　indeed；　drilled　by　their　betters　into　an　outward　conformity　with　its　precepts　and　a　verbal　profession　of　its　tenets；　but　at　heart　they　cling　to　their　old　magical　superstitions；　which　may　be　discountenanced　and　forbidden；　but　cannot　be　eradicated　by　religion；　so　long　as　they　have　their　roots　deep　down　in　the　mental　framework　and　constitution　of　the　great　majority　of　mankind。

The　reader　may　well　be　tempted　to　ask；　How　was　it　that　intelligent　men　did　not　sooner　detect　the　fallacy　of　magic？　How　could　they　continue　to　cherish　expectations　that　were　invariably　doomed　to　disappointment？　With　what　heart　persist　in　playing　venerable　antics　that　led　to　nothing；　and　mumbling　solemn　balderdash　that　remained　without　effect？　Why　cling　to　beliefs　which　were　so　flatly　contradicted　by　experience？　How　dare　to　repeat　experiments　that　had　failed　so　often？　The　answer　seems　to　be　that　the　fallacy　was　far　from　easy　to

detect；　the　failure　by　no　means　obvious；　since　in　many；　perhaps　in　most　cases；　the　desired　event　did　actually　follow；　at　a　longer　or　shorter　interval；　the　performance　of　the　rite　which　was　designed　to　bring　it　about；　and　a　mind　of　more　than　common　acuteness　was　needed　to　perceive　that；　even　in　these　cases；　the　rite　was　not　necessarily　the　cause　of　the　event。　A　ceremony　intended　to　make　the　wind　blow　or　the　rain　fall；　or　to　work　the　death　of　an　enemy；　will　always　be　followed；　sooner　or　later；　by　the　occurrence　it　is　meant　to　bring　to　pass；　and　primitive　man　may　be　excused　for　regarding　the　occurrence　as　a　direct　result　of　the　ceremony；　and　the　best　possible　proof　of　its　efficacy。　Similarly；　rites　observed　in　the　morning　to　help　the　sun　to　rise；　and　in　spring　to　wake　the　dreaming　earth　from　her　winter　sleep；　will　invariably　appear　to　be　crowned　with　success；　at　least　within　the　temperate　zones；　for　in　these　regions　the　sun　lights　his　golden　lamp　in　the　east　every　morning；　and　year　by　year　the　vernal　earth　decks　herself　afresh　with　a　rich　mantle　of　green。　Hence　the　practical　savage；　with　his　conservative　instincts；　might　well　turn　a　deaf　ear　to　the　subtleties　of　the　theoretical　doubter；　the　philosophic　radical；　who　presumed　to　hint　that　sunrise　and　spring　might　not；　after　all；　be　direct　consequences　of　the　punctual　performance　of　certain　daily　or　yearly　ceremonies；　and　that　the　sun　might　perhaps　continue　to　rise　and　trees　to　blossom　though　the　ceremonies　were　occasionally　intermitted；　or　even　discontinued　altogether。　These　sceptical　doubts　would　naturally　be　repelled　by　the　other　with　scorn　and　indignation　as　airy　reveries　subversive　of　the　faith　and　manifestly　contradicted　by　experience。　Can　anything　be　plainer；　he　might　say；　than　that　I　light　my　twopenny　candle　on　earth　and　that　the　sun　then　kindles　his　great　fire　in　heaven？　I　should　be　glad　to　know　whether；　when　I　have　put　on　my　green　robe　in　spring；　the　trees　do　not　afterwards　do　the　same？　These　are　facts　patent　to　everybody；　and　on　them　I　take　my　stand。　I　am　a　plain　practical　man；　not　one　of　your　theorists　and　splitters　of　hairs　and　choppers　of　logic。　Theories　and　speculation　and　all　that　may　be　very　well　in　their　way；　and　I　have　not　the　least　objection　to　your　indulging　in　them；　provided；　of　course；　you　do　not　put　them　in　practice。　But　give　me　leave　to　stic