268 Musings by Camp- Fire and Wayside 



portion to their monstrosity. The uglier the idol 

 the more devout the worshiper. Nor is this prin- 

 ciple lost when it rises into the wider ranges of 

 religion. The more shocking a dogma be to the 

 moral or intellectual sense, the more it is admired 

 and cherished by its devotees. The love of the 

 horrible is an earlier passion in the human heart 

 than the love of the beautiful, therefore ignorance 

 and curiosity revel in scenes that are revolting to a 

 cultured mind and heart. Nor can they be dissi- 

 pated by evidence or reason. They are beyond the 

 range of the one and above the level of the other. 

 Natural outgrowths of the mind in a lower stage of 

 development, they never wholly disappear, but are 

 like a disused and atrophied physical organ, which, 

 while diminished, persists, and sometimes makes 

 trouble. The most enlightened man will at times 

 shudder with a superstitious fear that came into his 

 blood a thousand years ago. His reason laughs in 

 vain while his heart quails. 



It is probable that the gruesome in superstition 

 arose out of man's experiences in his perilous strug- 

 gle for existence — experiences which were for the 

 most part both miserable and dangerous. The deer 

 or the bird does not for a moment forget to lift its 

 head suspiciously and search its surroundings for 

 the approach of an enemy. Though its eyes may 

 be employed in looking for food, its ears and its 

 nostrils are sleepless sentinels, always on guard. 

 Not otherwise was the situation of primitive man, 



