68 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 40 



character of animals, or of the existence of powers that are superior to 

 the mental and physical powers of man — are in their origin just as 

 little conscious as are the fundamental ideas of language. While, how- 

 ever, the use of language is so automatic that the opportunity never 

 arises for the fundamental notions to emerge into consciousness, 

 this happens very frequently in all phenomena relating to religion. 

 It would seem that there is no tribe in the world in which the religious 

 activities have not come to be a subject of thought. While the reli- 

 gious activities may have been performed before the reason for per- 

 forming them had become a subject of thought, they attained at an 

 early time such importance that man asked himself the reason why 

 he performed these actions. With this moment speculation in regard 

 to religous activities arose, and the whole series of secondary explana- 

 tions which form so vast a field of ethnological phenomena came into 

 existence. 



It is difficult to give a definite proof of the unconscious origin of 

 ethnic phenomena, because so many of them are, or have come to be, 

 subjects of thought. The best evidence that can be given for their 

 unconscious origin must be taken from our own experience, and I think 

 it is not difficult to show that certain groups of our activities, what- 

 ever the history of their earlier development may have been, develop 

 at present in each individual and in the whole people entirely sub-con- 

 sciously, and nevertheless are most potent in the formation of our opin- 

 ions and actions. Simple examples of this kind are actions which we 

 consider as proper and improper, and which may be found in great 

 numbers in what we call good manners. Thus table manners, which 

 on the whole are impressed vigorously upon the child while it is 

 still young, have a very fixed form. Smacking of the lips and bringing 

 the plate up to the mouth would not be tolerated, although no esthetic 

 or other reason could be given for their rigid exclusion; and it is 

 instructive to know that among a tribe like the Omaha it is considered 

 as bad" taste, when invited to eat, not to smack one's lips, because 

 this is a sign of appreciation of the meal. I think it will readily be 

 recognized that the simple fact that these habits are customary, while 

 others are not, is sufficient reason for eliminating those acts that are 

 not customary, and that the idea of propriety simply arises from the 

 continuity and automatic repetition of these acts, which brings 

 about the notion that manners contrary to custom are unusual, and 



