714 Causes and Course of Organic Evolution 



religion of nature, which the Iranian nation shared with the 

 Indian people." 



As Floody shows, the Jewish observance of it was of the 

 most general kind, until after the Exile, when, through that 

 contact of the Jews with the Iranian Zoroastrians which has 

 been successfully traced by Mills (22S) and others, it became 

 a sacred day by law. Still later, the Rabbins hedged it round 

 with those irksome and unnatural observances that Christ 

 at times exposed and ignored. 



Finally the calm, refreshing, and spiritual benefits which 

 its appropriate observance can bring to man have been in- 

 creasingly recognized during recent years. 



The stars similarly engaged man's attention and interest, 

 till they also became to him enduring personalities. The 

 earthly objects even, that he in earlier ages regarded as being 

 haunted by or associated with vague departed spirits, be- 

 came linked with great unseen personalities, that were only 

 inferior to the gods of the heavens. Thus fire, the sea, the 

 growing and also the reproductive powers of nature, the light- 

 ning, and many other exhibitions of energy became prominent 

 objects of reverence, and in some cases of love, in some cases 

 of fear. 



Therefore, even though without the exact knowledge to 

 reason upon it in most instances, mankind was slowly but 

 surely realizing that the world and the heavens were the arenas 

 for mighty displays of energy, power, might, in presence of 

 which man himself was truly "the creature of a day." Each 

 separate exhibition or center of such energy became to him 

 a token of some sublime spirit Power behind it, who so re- 

 vealed himself to man. 



Thus originated the great pantheon of gods and goddesses 

 which was already fully recognized by the Iranians, the Baby- 

 lonians, the Egyptians, the Aryans, when ancient records of 

 4000 to 8000 years ago reveal to us their religious beliefs. 



To civilized man of today some of these beliefs seem truly 

 foolish, superstitious, and vain. But, face to face often with 

 the forces of nature, the nobler though untutored minds amongst 



