2 o8 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



the zootheistic and physitheistic stages into monotheism, and 

 spasmodically succeeded ; but the body of the people never 

 reached the stage of monotheism until after the Babylonian cap- 

 tivity. Most writers have explained this on the theory that the 

 terrible chastisement of that captivity finally brought them to 

 submission; but it is more probable that their forced relations 

 with their more cultured conquerors gave them new ideas never 

 before entertained, which infused modifications into their religion. 

 The resulting combination produced those characteristics of that 

 religion which have been regarded as the most admirable. 



The general account of the Israelite lapses is not unlike that 

 given in modern times by missionaries, who also have been im- 

 petuous in attempting the instantaneous transport of Indians 

 through stages that are marked by ages. Tribes of Indians have 

 been converted, and they were reported and recorded as being in 

 that permanent condition. A few years later, from some dissatis- 

 faction, they returned to their shaman and their dreams, which 

 return was then reported as a lapse. It was not, in fact, a lapse, 

 but the claim that they had been converted was premature. There 

 is, however, this distinction between the Israelites and the In- 

 dians : that the former were allowed to return to Palestine and 

 carry out their old ideas with improvements ; while the Indians, 

 remaining under the same foreign influences and continually 

 growing weaker, were forced to abandon all their faith and to 

 accept that of their conquerors without composition. 



The stories of the conversion of Indians by thousands would 

 seem false to one who did not know that they were ready to be- 

 lieve any new thing because they before had no fixed belief. The 

 record of the Israelites is not so clear, because old ; but they surely 

 adopted the Satanic doctrine and the "Mosaic cosmology," and 

 continued adopting foreign beliefs until a late date in their his- 

 tory. 



The most judicious remarks ever made by missionaries were 

 those of the Rev. Messrs. D. Lee and J. H. Frost, who, after ten 

 years in Oregon of what has been considered successful work, an- 

 nounced their abandonment of their former tenet that if the hea- 

 then were converted to Christianity civilization followed of course. 

 They confessed that civilization must begin before Christianity 

 could even be understood. Acute travelers throughout the world 

 have perceived the same fact ; and it is not a too violent simile to 

 say that Christianity, belonging to the plane of civilization and to 

 that only, sits on a savage or barbarian as a bishop's mitre would 

 on a naked Hottentot. 



The Israelites were not suddenly lifted from their barbarian 

 condition. It was not possible. As regards the culture strata 

 we may take a lesson from geology. Coal is not found in the Si- 



