CHAPTER XIV. 



THE MORAL INFLUENCES OF PRIESTHOODS. 



646. As was said when treating of &quot;The Military 

 Functions of Priests,&quot; there exists in most minds an erro 

 neous association between religious ministrations and moral 

 teachings. Though priests habitually enforce conduct which 

 in one way or other furthers preservation of the society ; yet 

 preservation of the society is so often furthered by conduct 

 entirely unlike that which we now call moral, that priestly 

 influence serves in many cases rather to degrade than to 

 elevate. 



Eeading as we do of the Tahitian god Oro, that when 

 war &quot;proceeded in its bloodiest forms, it was supposed 

 to afford him the highest satisfaction&quot; reading again of 

 the Mexican king Montezuma, that he avoided subduing the 

 neighbouring Tlascalans &quot; that he might have Men to 

 sacrifice &quot; (thus making Tlascala a preserve of victims for 

 the gods) reading once more of the Chibchas that &quot;the 

 sacrifices which they believed to be most welcome to their 

 gods were those of human blood ; &quot; we are reminded that 

 priests who carry on propitiations of cannibal deities 

 and deities otherwise atrocious (deities almost every 

 where worshipped in early days) have done anything but 

 foster high forms of conduct. Eobbery as well as murder 

 has had, and has still in some places, a religious sanctifi- 

 cation. Says Burton of the Beloochis, &quot; these pious thieves 

 never rob, save in the name of Allah.&quot; Of a robber- tribe 



