200 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



to restrict vengeance and maintain peace. Hence the right of 

 sanctuary, which appeared later as a prerogative of religion, was 

 in its origin sociologic. 



The avenger of blood among the Indians generally had the 

 right to slay the criminal if found within a specified time, for in- 

 stance, two days after the act ; but if he should escape beyond such 

 period, the avenger could no longer pursue, and was himself liable 

 if he should persevere. The clan or clans concerned interfered at 

 that stage in prescribed modes. Among some tribes localities 

 (called by Adair the " cities of refuge ") were designated, in which 

 the accused could remain in safety until the general settlement 

 of accounts at the next annual festival. Compare Numbers xxxv, 

 12 : " And they shall be with you cities of refuge from the avenger ; 

 that the man-slayer die not, until he stand before the congrega- 

 tion in judgment." 



The functions of the avenger of blood are only referred to in 

 the Pentateuch, but were well known in ordinary cases. The law 

 treats of the exceptional circumstances of an accidental homicide. 

 There is a trace, in Deuteronomy xxiii, of the general communal 

 sanctuary in Israel. It enacts that any town or village shall be 

 an asylum for an escaped slave. In Exodus xxi, the altar (pre- 

 sumably any one of the numerous village altars) is mentioned as 

 a refuge. In the cities of refuge the sanctuary was used only for 

 the mitigation of the revenge of blood. 



A mode of bringing to notice the barbarian stage of the Israel- 

 ites at the time under consideration is to translate into English 

 familiar personal names from the Old Testament, such as the 

 Dog, the Dove, the Hyena, the Lion's Whelp, the Strong Ass, the 

 Adder, and the Eunning Hind. This brings into immediate con- 

 nection the English translation of Indian names, such as Big- 

 Bear, White Buffalo, Wolf, Red Cloud, Black Hawk, Fox, Crow, 

 and Turtle. Such Israelite names were probably of Gentile 

 origin, that is, from the clan or gens, for the Israelites were surely 

 Gentiles in the true sense, although later they abjured the charge. 

 But individuals among them may also have adopted such names 

 because they could be represented objectively. Such selection is 

 made by some Indians apart from their totemic designation. In- 

 dians possess very few names that can not be represented in picto- 

 graphs ; and the very large topic of tattooing is connected with 

 this device antecedent to writing. The compilers of the Old Tes- 

 tament probably desired to break down a former practice, as is 

 shown in Leviticus xix, 28 : " Ye shall not print any marks upon 

 you/' And there are other similar indications. 



Adoption. The early history after the exodus shows many 

 cases of adoption from among the neighboring tribes in which 

 the captive or the stranger adopted became a member of one of 



