312 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



stand the course of human thought ; and I shall therefore not apologize 

 for pursuing the question a little further. 



Having had them counted, I find that in those four parts of the 

 " Descriptive Sociology " which give accounts of the uncivilized races, 

 there are 697 extracts which refer to the ghost-theory : illustrating 

 the belief in a wandering double which goes away during sleep, or 

 fainting, or other form of insensibility, and deserts the body for a 

 longer period at death, — a double which can enter into and possess 

 other persons, causing disease, epilepsy, insanity, etc., which gives rise 

 to ideas of spirits, demons, etc., and which originates propitiation and 

 worship of ghosts. On the other hand there are 87 extracts which 

 refer to the worship of inanimate objects or belief in their super- 

 natural powers. Now even did these 87 extracts support Mr. Harri- 

 son's view, this ratio of 8 to 1 would hardly justify his statement that 

 the facts " make for my [his] view as often as any other." But these 

 87 extracts do not make for his view. To get proof that the inani- 

 mate objects are worshipped for themselves simply, instances must be 

 found in which such objects are worshipped among peoples who have 

 no ghost-theory ; for wherever the ghost-theory exists it comes into 

 play and originates those supernatural powers which certain objects 

 are supposed to have. When by unrelated tribes scattered all over 

 the world, we find it held that the souls of the dead are supposed to 

 haunt the neighboring forests — when we learn that the Karen thinks 

 " the spirits of the departed dead crowd around him ; " * that the So- 

 ciety Islanders imagined spirits " surrounded them night and day 

 watching every action ; " f that the Nicobar people annually compel 

 *' all the bad spirits to leave the dwelling ; " J that an Arab never 

 throws anything away without asking forgiveness of the Efrits he may . 

 strike ; " * and that the Jews thought it was because of the multitudes 

 of spirits in synagogues that "the dress of the Rabbins become so soon 

 old and torn through their rubbing ; " || — when we find the accompany- 

 ing belief to be that ghosts or spirits are capable of going into, and 

 emerging from, solid bodies in general, as well as the bodies of the 

 quick and the dead ; it becomes obvious that the presence of one of 

 these spirits swarming around, and capable of injuring or benefiting 

 living persons, becomes a sufllcient reason for propitiating an object it 

 is assumed to have entered : the most trivial peculiarity sufiicing to 

 suggest possession — such possession being, indeed, in some cases con- 

 ceived as universal, as by the Eskimo, who think every object is ruled 

 by " its or his iJiiih, which word signifies ' man,'' and also oioner or in- 



* " Journal of Asiatic Society of Bengal," xxiv, part ii, p. 196. 

 f Ellis, " Polynesian Researches," vol. i, p. 525. 



X " Journ. As. Soc. of Ben.," xv, pp. S48, 349. 



* Bastian, "Mensch," li, 109, 113. 



II "Supernatural Religion," 2d ed., vol. i, p. 112. 



