190 Natural Salvation. 



Ever since neolithic days there are evidences that 

 human beings have regarded death with repugnance and 

 fear and have made rude efforts looking to salvation. 

 The primitive religious cults all breathed this grief at 

 death, this desire for more life. 



But for the last ten thousand years human beings gen- 

 erally have despaired of escape from death by self-effort, 

 and made their appeal for salvation to supernatural 

 powers. In their ignorance of nature and the causes of 

 natural phenomena, a vagrant belief in disembodied spirit 

 life took form : the " shadow," the shade, the psyche, the 

 umbra, the manes, the wraith, the ghost. 



Full of doubt and of fear as the belief was, it yet proved 

 a species of solace, solace for the hard fate of individual 

 life. The hope of more life has never been given up, 

 never can be given up, since otherwise life would not be 

 life ; but as death appeared inevitable, our far human an- 

 cestors comforted themselves with this quasi belief in 

 " soul " life after death. The comfort was always hazy ; 

 the hope had always to struggle against common sense, 

 and faith was ever infirm ; yet, after a manner, the sick 

 and dying found a nebulous solace in it; death was a 

 little easier. 



Sacerdos entered, put on his robe and took charge of 

 the vagrant belief in ghost life. What had been merely a 

 fitful belief was exploited in a creed, with doctrines. 

 Rite and ritual were prescribed, sacrifices enjoined, and 



