18 



DISCOVERY 



our conscious mode of thought has evolved and with 

 which it must, therefore, by the laws of development, 

 retain a connection. 



The conscious self can say, "It is as though I were 

 standing alone and rmprotected," or "It is as though 

 I were getting into deep water," but to the primitive 

 child-self the metaphor is real ; to primitive man a 

 " murderous look " is no figure of speech but actual 

 fact, and the child soimdly kicks the loose stair-rod 

 for its hostility in tripping him up. Here there is no 

 " as though," for that comes later in our development, 

 and by its use we rob this mode of thought of its 

 potentiality of being translated into actions that we 

 have learned from experience to be futile. Besides 

 treating the metaphor or symbol as a reality, there is 

 another primitive trait in the expression of the 

 irrational fear, for in almost all the examples quoted 

 we find that the primary cause of fear lies within 

 ourselves and is, at bottom, a fear of ourselves, which 

 is displaced on to some external object. The opera- 

 tion of projection is a common mental process, more 

 especially among primitive people, and is sufficiently 

 illustrated by the belief that we are more commonly 

 tempted bv the devil than by our own waward 

 instincts. 



In the case of fear it has this value, that it provides 

 an outlet by which the fear can in some measure be 

 " worked off," and its attachment to an external object 

 enables the sufferer in neurotic cases to believe that 

 by taking precaution he can escape the fear or safe- 

 guard himself against it, but as Burton says ^ ; " Melan- 

 choly men have an inward cause, a perpetual fume 

 and darkness, causing fear, grief, and suspicion, which 

 they cany with them, an object that cannot he re- 

 moved, but sticks as close as a shadow to a body — 

 and who can expel or overrun his shadow ? 



BIBLIOGRAPHY 



Bradby, M. K. : Psycho-analysis and its Place in Life. (Oxford 



University Press, 1919, lis. bd.) 

 MacDougal, W. : Social Psychology. (T. Fisher Unwin, Ltd, 



1919, 8s. 6d.) 

 Trotter, W. : Instincts of the Herd in Peace and War. (Methuen 



& Co., Ltd., 1019, 6s. 6rf.) 



UNIVERSITY INTELLIGENCE 



Trinity College, Cambridge, offers for the second time a 

 Research Studentship, of a vahie varying with the need of the 

 student but not exceeding ^^200 a year, to a non-member of the 

 University of Cambridge who proposes to enter that University 

 in October 1922 as a candidate for the degree of Ph.D. 

 Applications should be sent as early as possible in July, and not 

 later than July 25, to the Senior Tutor, who will supply further 

 particulars on request. 



' In The Anatomy of Melancholy, first published in 1621. 

 There is an edition of it in Bohn's Standard Library. 



Primitive Architectural 

 Canons 



By Arthur Bowes, A.M.I.C.E. 



In architecture, as distinct from building construction, 

 the relative proportions of the various parts of a 

 building are an essential factor if it is to embody 

 conceptions of beauty or any suggestions by the use of 

 symbols. Measurement and the adoption of units of 

 measurement thus become necessities in the primt-eval 

 stages of the art. In the July issue of Discovery, 

 I showed how the Hexapla or Six-pointed Star, the 

 Pythagorean or 3.4.5 triangle, and other simple geo- 

 metrical figures were largely used in early ages as 

 unitary measures, and how, also, these fundamental 

 figures can still be traced in the design of structures 

 where their presence has been hitherto unsuspected. 

 I offer some further examples here in the hope of 

 inducing more detailed investigations into a subject 

 both wide in extent and historically interesting. 



The Hexapla, or Double Triangle or Six-pointed 

 Star, is probably the most ancient of such unitary 

 figures on account of the ease with which it could be 

 constnicted. It is based on the aggregation of equi- 

 lateral triangles, and would be fonned in primitive 

 times by the use of three measuring rods of equal 

 length placed end to end. Strings or cords might have 

 been used, as we know definitely that they were used 

 very early in Egyptian civilisation, but the measuring 

 rod is one of the most venerable appliances. It still 

 exists amongst us, if only in name, as the " rod, pole, 

 or perch" of land measure, varying in length from 

 5! to 8 yds., while our yard measure and 6-ft. staff 

 are everyday examples. 



In setting out the Hexapla on the site of a building, 

 the process would be something like the following. 

 The centre point would be first decided upon, then 

 the triangle ABC formed by placing the rods end 

 to end as in Fig. i. The rod AC being left in position, 

 AB and BC would be transferred to new positions 

 in order to form the triangle ACD, and so on until 

 the whole figure was completed. The accuracy would 

 be checked by the closing in of the last and first tri- 

 angles, and also by the prolongation of the lines to the 

 outside points, or "landmarks," indicated by the 

 figures I, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. The use of the Hexapla has 

 been so largely dealt with in architectural hterature 

 that it will be sufficient here to call attention to some 

 examples not refened to by other writers. In Lincoln 

 Cathedral the vertical section of the south transept is 

 based on three hexagons such as fomi the central part 

 of the Hexapla. The ground plan of Coningsburgh 

 Castle is obviously a hexagon. In the Rhine Valley 



