356 SOCIAL AND RELIGIOUS CONDITION OF 



The Kyouug'tlia, of Chittagoug, are Biiddliists. Their vilhige temples 

 contain a small stand of bells, and an image of Boodh, which the villa- 

 gers generally worship morning and evening; "first," as Captain Lewin 

 states, "ringing the bells to let him know they are there." The Sinto 

 temples of the Snn Goddess in Japan also contain a bell, intended, as 

 Bishop Smith tells ns, "to arouse the goddess, and to awaken her atten- 

 tion to the prayers of her worshippers." 



Casalis states that when a Kaftir is on a marauding expedition, he 

 gives utterance to those cries and hisses in v/hich cattle-drivers indulge 

 when they drive a herd before them, thinking in this manner to persuade 

 the poor divinities of the country they are attacking, that he is bring- 

 ing cattle to their worshippers, instead of coming to take it from them. 



Many other illustrations might be given, but these are sufficient to 

 show how low and degraded is the savage conception of the Divine 

 nature. Gradually, however, as the human mind expands, it becomes 

 capable of higlier and higher realizations. 



I will now describe verj^ shortly the religions of some savage races, 

 beginning with the lowest, which may be called Animism. 



The religion of the Australian, if it can be so called, consists of a 

 belief in the existence of ghosts, or spirits, or at any rate of evil beings 

 who are not mere men. This belief cannot be said to influence them by 

 day, but it renders them very unwilling to quit their camp-fire by night, 

 or to sleep near a grave. They have no idea of creation, nor do they 

 use prayers; they have no religious forms, ceremonies, or worship. 

 They do not believe in a Supremo Deity, or in the immortality of the 

 soul, nor is morality in any way connected with their religion. 



An interesting account of the religious condition of the northern 

 natives has been given by a Mrs. Thomson, a Scotchwoman, who was 

 wrecked on that coast, and lived alone with the natives for nearly five 

 years, when she was rescued by a English ship. The Australians all 

 over the continent have an idea that when the blacks die they turn into 

 whites. Mrs. Thomson herself was taken for the ghost of a woman 

 named Giom, and when she was teased by the children, the men would 

 often say, "Leave her alone, poor thing; she is nothing, only a ghost." 



This, however, did not prevent a man named Baroto making her his 

 wife, which shows how little is really implied in the statement that the 

 Australians believe in the existence of spirits. In reality they do no 

 more than believe in the existence of men slightly different from and 

 somewhat more powerful than themselves. 



FETICHISM. 



The Fetichism of the Xegro is a step in advance, because the influence 

 of religion is much raised in importance. Nevertheless, from one point 

 of view, Fetichism may be regarded as an anti-religion ; for the Negro 

 believes that by means of the Fetich he can coerce and control the 

 deity. 



Indeed, Fetichism is mere witchcraft. We know that all over the 

 world would-be magicians think that if they can obtain a part of an 

 enemy, or even a bit of his clothing, they thus obtain a control over 

 him. 



Nay, even the knowledge of the name is supposed to confer a certain 

 power. Hence the importance which savages attach to names. Thus, 

 for instance, the true name of the beautiful Pocahontas, a celebrated 

 Virginian chieftainess, was Matokes ; but this name was carefully con- 

 cealed from the English, lest it should give them a power over her. For 



