360 SOCIAL AND RELIGIOUS CONDITION OF 



pouring out libations of milk, and offering prayers to it. The Kotas 

 worship two siher plates, which they regard as husband and wife. They 

 have no other deity. The Kinumbas worship stones, trees, and ant-hills. 

 The Toreas, another neighboring hill tribe, worship especially a gold 

 nosering, which x^robably once belonged to one of their women. 



Many other inanimate objects have also been worshipped. Debrossea 

 mentions an instance of a king of hearts being made into a deity. 



The South Sea Islanders, who represent a distinctly higher phase of 

 civilization than the hill tribes of Hindostan, or the red Indians of 

 North America, present us also with a higher form of religion. Their 

 deities are conceived as more powerful. In many islands there are tradi- 

 tions of a powerful being who raised the land from below the waters, and in 

 Tonga, until lately, it is said that the verj^ hook was shown with which 

 this was effected; still the deities cannot be regarded as creators, 

 because both earth and water existed before then. Neither was the 

 religion of the South Sea Islanders connected with morality. Their 

 deities were not supiiosed to reward the good or to punish the evil. In 

 the Tonga and other islands the common people were not supposed to 

 have souls at all. In Tahiti the natives believed in a future life, and 

 even in the existence of separation between the spirits, some going to a 

 much haiipier place than others. This, however, was not considered to 

 depend on their conduct during life, but on their rank — the chiefs going 

 to the happier, the remainder of the people to the less desirable locality. 



The Feejeeans believe that, as they die, sucli will be their condition 

 after death. Moreover, the road to mhulu, or heaven, is long and diffi- 

 cult; many souls i^erish by the way, and no diseased or infirm person 

 could possibly succeed in overcoming all the dangers of the road. 

 Hence, as soon as a man feels the approach of old age, he notifies to his 

 children that it is time for him to die. A family consultation is then 

 held, a day appointed, and the grave dug. Mr. Hunt gives a striking 

 description of such a ceremony once witnessed by him. A young man 

 came to him and invited him to attend his mother's funeral, which Avas 

 just going to take i)lace. Mr. Hunt accepted the invitation and joined 

 the procession, but was surprised to see no corpse. He asked Avhere the 

 mother was, when the young man pointed out his mother, who, in Mr. 

 Hunt's words, was walking along "as gay and lively as any of those 

 present." When they arrived at the grave, she took an affectionate 

 farewell of her children and friends, and then cheerfully submitted to be 

 strangled. 



So general, indeed, was this custom in the Feejee Islands, that in 

 many villages there were literally no old people, all having been put to 

 death; and if we are shocked at the error which led to such dreadful 

 results, we may at least see something to admire in the firm faith with 

 which they acted up to their religious belief. 



It will be observed that, up to this stage, religion is entirely deficient 

 in certain characteristics with which it is generally regarded as inti- 

 mately associated. The deities are mortal ; they are not creators ; no 

 importance is attached to true prayers; virtue is not rewarded, nor vice 

 punished; there are no temi^les or priests; and, lastly, there are no 

 idols. 



Up to this stage, indeed, we find the same ideas and beliefs scattered 

 throughout the whole world, among races in the same low stage of men- 

 tal development. 



From this point, however, differences of circumstance, differences of 

 government, difi'erences of character, materially intiuence the forms of 

 religious belief. Natives of cold climates regard the sun as beneficent, 



