Chap. II.] MENTAL POWERS 65 



ment without any apparent cause indicated the presence 

 of some strange living agent, and no stranger had a right 

 to be on his territory. 



The belief in spiritual agencies would easily pass into 

 the belief in the existence of one or more gods. For 

 savages would naturally attribute to spirits the same pas- 

 sions, the same love of vengeance or simplest form of jus- 

 tice, and the same affections which they themselves expe- 

 rienced. The Fuegians appear to be in this respect in an 

 mtermediate condition, for when the surgeon on board the 

 " Beagle " shot some young ducklings as specimens, York 

 Minster declared in the most solemn manner, " Oh ! Mr. 

 Bynoe, much rain, much snow, blow much ; " and this was 

 evidently a retributive punishment for v^asting human 

 food. So again he related how, when his brother killed a 

 " wild man," storms long raged, much rain and snow fell. 

 Yet we covild never discover that the Fuegians believed 

 in what we should call a God, or practised any religious 

 rites ; and Jemmy Button, with justifiable pride, stoutly 

 maintained that there was no devil in his land. This lat- 

 ter assertion is the more remarkable, as with savages the 

 belief in bad spirits is far more common than the belief in 

 good spirits. 



The feeling of religious devotion is a highly complex 

 one, consisting of love, complete submission to an exalted 

 and mysterious superior, a strong sense of dependence," 

 fear, reverence, gratitude, hope for the future, and perhaps 

 other elements. No being could experience so complex an 

 emotion until advanced in his intellectual and moral fac- 

 ulties to at least a moderately high level. ISTevertheless 

 we see some distant approach to this state of mind, in the 

 deep love of a dog for his master, associated with com- 

 plete submission, some fear, and perhaps other feelmgs. 



" See an able article on the Psychical Elements of Religion, by Mr. 

 L. Owen Pike, in ' Anthropolog. Review,' April, 18*70, p. Isiii. 

 4 



