79 8 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



satisfactorily for such accidents for to man in a low state of cult- 

 ure nothing happens by chance that the negro extended to natural 

 objects and features the theory of a third element which he had 

 hitherto restricted to himself ; or whether he had already formed 

 the belief that such objects and features possessed spiritual indi- 

 vidualities, and such accidents only proved to him the malignity 

 and power for evil of those beings, the result would be the same. 

 In either case he would seek to propitiate these powerful beings, 

 and that class of worship which we term Nature-worship would 

 originate. 



The theory of animism is divided into two parts, namely : that 

 which treats of the souls or ghosts of individual creatures or ob- 

 jects, capable of continued existence after the death or destruction 

 of the material part ; and that which treats of spiritual beings, or 

 gods, who are held to affect and control man's life and the events 

 of the material world. In explanation of the first belief we have 

 the well-known theory advanced by Mr. Herbert Spencer, Dr. Ty- 

 lor, and others, and which is now very generally accepted ; but 

 for the origin of the second belief we have no such satisfactory ex- 

 planation, and have to fall back upon the theory that the dei loci 

 the gods of mountains, rivers, lakes, rocks, and trees are deified 

 dead men, an explanation that will only apply in a few isolated 

 cases. Here, however, on the Gold and Slave Coasts of "West Africa, 

 we find ready to hand a belief which explains the origin of such 

 beings. If a tree should fall in the forest and crush a man, those 

 who witness the accident, or find the body crushed under the fallen 

 tree, have no hesitation in immediately attributing the disaster to 

 the indwelling spirit, or third element, of the tree. This is the 

 belief held, and the explanation invariably given. Naturally, 

 those indwelling spirits which time and experience show to be 

 harmless, are not much regarded ; the indwelling spirits of stones, 

 bushes, etc., are considered of but little importance, and, though 

 the belief in their existence remains, they are disregarded, and 

 the worship and offerings are applied to propitiate those which 

 are believed to possess both the power and the desire to injure. 

 Hence we find, generally speaking, that the features worshiped 

 are such as rivers, lakes, the sea, cliffs, mountains, etc. that is, 

 localities in which accidents are more liable to occur. The in- 

 dwelling spirits or third elements of such features are not regard- 

 ed as being inseparably bound up with them. Like the hra of 

 the man, each ordinarily resides in its own feature or object, but 

 can and does leave it temporarily. At a later stage, when priest- 

 craft has intervened, the indwelling spirit is held to enter the 

 image, made by the priests to represent it, while sacrifice is being 

 offered, and also the priest himself, who then becomes inspired. 



It is clear, from their construction, that the Tshi, Ga, and Ewi 



