82 LIMITATIONS TO THE USE OF ANTHROPOLOGIC DATA. 
of myths current among any people and believed by them—comprises a 
system of explanations of all the phenomena of the universe discerned 
by them; but such explanations are always mixed with much extraneous 
matter, chiefly incidents in the history of the personages who were the 
heroes of mythologie deeds. 
Every mythology has for its basis a theology—a system of gods who 
are the actors, and to whom are attributed the phenomena to be ex- 
plained—for the fundamental postulate in mythology is “some one does 
it,” such being the essential characteristic of subjective reasoning. As 
peoples pass from one stage of culture to another, the change is made 
by developing a new sociology with all its institutions, by the develop- 
ment of new arts, by evolution of language, and, in a degree no less, by 
a change in philosophy; but the old philosophy is not supplanted. The 
change is made by internal growth and external accretion. 
Fragments of the older are found in the newer. This oider material 
in the newer philosophy is often used for curious purposes by many 
scholars. One such use I wish to mention here. The nomenclature which 
has survived from the earlier state is supposed to be deeply and occultly 
symbolic and the mythic narratives to be deeply and occultly allegoric. 
In this way search is made for some profoundly metaphysic cosmogony; 
some ancient beginning of the mythology is sought in which mystery is 
wisdom and wisdom is mystery. 
The objective or scientific method of studying a mythology is to col- 
lect and collate its phenomena simply as it is stated and understood by 
the people to whom it belongs. In tracing back the threads of its his- 
torical development the student should expect to find it more simple and 
childlike in every stage of his progress. 
It is vain to search for truth in mythologic philosophy, but it is im- 
portant to search for veritable philosphies, that they may be properly 
compared and that the products of the human mind in its various stages 
of culture may be known; important in the reconstruction of the history 
of philosophy; and important in furnishing necessary data to psychology. 
No labor can be more fruitless than the search in mythology for true 
philosophy ; and the efforts to build up from the terminology and narra- 
tives of mythologies an occult symbolism and system of allegory is but 
to create a new and fictitious body of mythology. 
There is a symbolism inherent in language and found in all philoso- 
phy, true or false, and such symbolism was cultivated as an occult art in 
the early history of civilization when picture-writing developed into con- 
ventional writing, and symbolism is an interesting subject for study, but 
it has been made a beast of burden to carry packs of metapbysic non- 
sense. 
