202 PROFESSIONAL INSTITUTIONS. 



respect and loyalty ascriptions of worth which, raised to a 

 higher power, become worship, Nor does it need any stretch 

 of imagination to perceive that these natural displays of joy, 

 at first made spontaneously before one who approaches in 

 triumph as a benefactor and glorifier of his people, come, 

 in course of time, to be observances used on all public occa 

 sions as demonstrations of allegiance; while, simultane 

 ously, the irregular j limpings and gesticulations with- un 

 rhythmical shouts and cries, at first arising without concert, 

 gradually by repetition become regularized into the meas 

 ured movements w r e know as dances and into the organized 

 utterances constituting songs. Once more, it is easy to see 

 that out of groups of subjects thus led into irregular, ova 

 tions, and by and by into regular laudatory receptions, there 

 will eventually arise some who, distinguished by their skill, 

 are set apart as dancers and singers, and presently acquire 

 the professional character. 



Before passing to the positive evidence which supports 

 this interpretation, it may be well to remark that negative 

 evidence is furnished by those savages who have no perma 

 nent chiefs or rudimentary kings; for among them these 

 incipient professional actions are scarcely to be traced. 

 They do indeed show us certain rude dances with noisy ac 

 companiments; but these are representations of war and 

 the chase. Though the deeds of ^celebrated warriors may 

 occasionally be simulated in ways implying praise of them, 

 there do not commonly arise at this stage the laudations 

 constituted by joyous gesticulations and triumphant songs 

 in face of a conqueror. At later stages ceremonies of this 

 primitive kind develop into organized exercises performed 

 by masses of warriors. Thus among the Kaffirs war-dances 

 constitute the most important part of training, and the men 

 engage in them frequently; and it is said that the move 

 ments in the grand dances of the Zulus, resemble military 

 evolutions. So, too, Thomson writes that the war-dance 

 of the New Zealanders approximated in precision to the 



