240 Evolution of Theology. 



objects. Hence the evolution of mythologies, with their 

 deities of the upper and nether worlds, of air, earth and 

 ocean, assigned each to a specific province or function, and 

 differentiated into ranks, orders and hierarchies. It is not 

 possible to define clearly the line where pure fetishism ends 

 and mythologizing begins. There is an element of mythol- 

 ogy in all fetish-worship, through and by the idea of per- 

 sonification, which, invariably, as we have seen, underlies 

 the latter ; and, on the other hand, an element of fetish- 

 worship is discoverable in the most elaborate mythological 

 systems. The broad difference, however, is between a frag- 

 mentary and disjointed view of things, and an orderly con- 

 ception, or an attempt at it. Mythology is further specially 

 characterized by the rise and growth of myths, or theistic 

 legends, as the word implies. This of itself gives evidence 

 of mental advance. When primitive man first attempted 

 an explanation of the mysterious powers and activities 

 around him, and, as a result, evolved the story and legend, 

 he had begun to ask the question Why ? and in fact had 

 begun to philosophize. The numerous instances adduced 

 by Spencer and others show that this tendency to myth- 

 making was in operation at the earliest periods, among the 

 lowest tribes of which we have any account, co-eval with 

 pure fetish-worship; insomuch so that we must concede 

 the period when fetish-worship alone prevailed to have been 

 antecedent to all records. 



We have already, in considering the Evolution of Society, 

 seen how, as a result of the integration, or consolidation of 

 social structures, there results within the social structure 

 itself, divisions into specific lines of action, among classes 

 of its individual members. Primitive societies, loosely ag- 

 gregated, exhibit no considerable diversity of trades, or gov- 

 ernmental processes. These arise, and have been evolved 

 into the modern highly complex social orders by the com- 

 pacting of the social mass. The same principle is apparent 

 in the evolution of the purely mental conceptions which 

 underlie all theological development. It is only under what 

 may be called an integration of theistic ideas that variety 

 and classification among these become possible. For exam- 

 ple, savages of a low type will take for their fetish-god any 

 chance object which they believe will serve the purpose of 

 bringing them success in their immediate undertaking, or 

 afford them protection in immediate dr>uger. But commu- 



