THE GENESIS OF SUPERSTITIONS. 525 



forms are inevitably formed. The laws of mental association necessi- 

 tate these primitive notions of transmutation, of metamorphosis, of 

 duality ; and, until experiences have been systematized, no limits or 

 restraints are known. With the eyes of developed knowledge we look 

 at the snow as a particular form of crystallized water, and at hail as 

 drops of rain which congealed as they fell. When these become fluid 

 we say they have thawed thinking of the change as a physical effect of 

 heat ; and, similarly, when the hoar-frost fringing the sprays turns 

 into hanging drops, or when the surface of the pool solidifies and 

 again liqueties. But, looked at with the eyes of absolute ignorance, 

 these are transmutations of substance passings from one kind of ex- 

 istence into another kind of existence. And in like ways are neces- 

 sarily conceived all the changes above enumerated. 



Let us now ask what happens in the primitive mind when there has 

 been accumulated this heterogeneous assemblage of crude ideas, hav- 

 ing, amid their differences, certain resemblances. In conformity with 

 the law of evolution, every aggregate tends to integrate, and to differ- 

 entiate while it integrates. The aggregate of primitive ideas must do 

 this. After what manner will it do it ? At the outset, these multi- 

 tudinous vague notions form a loose mass without ordei\ They slowly 

 segregate, like cohering with like, and so forming indefinitely-marked 

 groups. When these groups begin to form a consolidated whole, con- 

 stituting a general conception of the way in which things at large go 

 on, they must do it in the same way : such coherence of the groups as 

 arises must be due to some likeness among the members of all the 

 groups. We have seen that there is such a likeness this common 

 trait of duality joined with this aptitude for passing from one mode 

 of existence to another. 



Integration must commence by the recognition of some conspicuous 

 typical case. It is a truth perpetually illustrated, that accumulated 

 facts lying in disorder begin to assume some order if an hypothesis is 

 thrown among them. When into a chaos of detached observations is 

 inti'oduced an observation akin to them in which a causal relation is 

 discernible, it forthwith commences assimilating to itself from this 

 heap of observations those which are congruous, and tends even to 

 coerce into union those of which the congruity is not manifest. One 

 may say that as the protoplasm forming an unfertilized germ remains 

 inert until the matter of a sperm-cell is joined with it, but begins to 

 organize when this addition is made, so a loose aggregate of observa- 

 tions continues unsystematized in the absence of an hypothesis, but 

 under the stimulus of an hypothesis undergoes changes bringing about 

 a coherent systematic doctrine. What particular example, then, of 

 this prevalent duality plays the part of an organizing principle to the 

 aggregate of primitive ideas ? We must not look for an hypothesis 

 properly so called : an hypothesis is an implement of inquiry not to be 

 framed by the primitive mind. We must look for some experience in 



