NATURAL PHILOSOPHY. Ixxvii 



NATURAL PHILOSOPHY. 



^In the manner of considering the transcendental world and in view- 

 ing the problems of the supernatural we perceive enormous differences 

 among the various races of mankind. These differences mainly arise from 

 the degree of animism and anthropomorphism applied to the deities sup- 

 posed to represent the powers of nature and to rule the world. The primi- 

 tive man regards everything showing life or spontaneous motion as ani- 

 mated by a spirit and endowed with cei'tain human faculties ; whereas 

 among the more advanced nations these same gods and genii appear more 

 fully anthropomorphized, and their moral and intellectual attributes more 

 accurately defined. In monotheism all the physical and moral powers sup- 

 posed to rule the universe become unified into one "Supreme Being." 



A people's religion always rests upon a basis laid down in remote 

 ages, and faithfully depicts the intellectual and moral qualities of its spirit- 

 ual leaders at that period. Were they ferocious and cruel, the gods whom 

 they imposed upon the people are barbaric also ; were they kind and mild- 

 mannered, then their deities show these same mental qualities. Deities act 

 by miracles, and are miracles themselves; for a miracle or act contraven- 

 ing Jhe laws of nature is the only causality which the mind of primitive 

 man is able to imagine to solve the difficult problems of physics, meteorol- 

 ogy and other processes of nature As thei'e is no connected system in 

 any of tlie savage religions, it is by no means difficult to overthrow the 

 beliefs of a primitive people and to substitute others for it, provided the 

 new ones are resting upon the same fundamental principle of spirits, dei- 

 ties and miracles. Dreams are to the savage man what the Bible is to us — 

 the source of divine revelation, with the important difference that he can 

 produce revelation through dreams at will. The more thoughtful religions 

 of Asia establish a thorough distinction between spirit and matter, and thus 

 dualistically establish idealism as opposite to materialism; but in America 

 no religion goes any further than to atteinjjf such a distinction. Tlie higher 

 Asiatic religions establish priesthoods, idols, ceremonial worship, divine 

 oracles, prayer and sacrifice, and attempt to elevate man's character by 

 moral teachings; here in the western hemispliere ceremony is magic and 



