IS CEREMONIAL INSTITUTIONS. 



embrace of her child, will remind all that the strength of the 

 embrace (unless restrained to prevent mischief) measures 

 the strength of the feeling; and while reminded that the 

 feeling thus naturally vents itself in muscular actions, they 

 may further see that these actions are directed in such 

 wavs as to give satisfaction to the feeling by yield 

 ing a vivid consciousness of possession. That between 

 adults allied emotions originate like acts, scarcely needs add 

 ing. It is not so much these facts, however, as the 

 derived facts, which we have to take note of. Here is an 

 other root for a ceremony: an embrace, too, serving to ex 

 press liking, serves to propitiate in cases where it is not nega 

 tived by those observances which subjection entails. It 

 occurs where governmental subordination is but little devel 

 oped. Of some Snake Indians we read, &quot; the three men 

 immediately leaped from their horses, came up to Captain 

 Lc\vis, and embraced him with great cordiality.&quot; Marcy 

 tells of a Comanche that, &quot; seizing me in his brawny arms 

 while we were yet in the saddle, and laying his greasy head 

 upon my shoulder, lie inflicted upon me a most bruin-like 

 squeeze.&quot; And Snow says, the Fuegiaii &quot; friendly mode of 

 salutation was anything but agreeable. The men came 

 and hugged me, very much like the grip of a bear.&quot; 



Discharging itself in muscular actions which, in cases 

 like the foregoing, are directed to an end, feeling in other 

 cases discharges itself in undirected muscular actions. The 

 resulting changes are habitually, rhythmical. Each con 

 siderable movement of a limb brings it to a position at which 

 a counter-movement is easy; both because the muscles pro 

 ducing the counter-movement are then in the best positions 

 lor contraction, and because they have had a brief rest. 

 Hence the naturalness of striking the hands together or 

 against other parts. We see this as a spontaneous manifesta 

 tion of pleasure among children; and we find it giving ori 

 gin to a ceremony among the uncivilized. Clapping of the 

 hands is &quot; the highest mark of respect &quot; in Loango; and it 



