NO. 61. — 1908 ] PROCEEDINGS. 



67 



a malevolent description ; and he felt sure that, if any one 

 could get a thorough insight into the mind of the Vedda, which, 

 of course, was an impossibility, he would find something there 

 standing in the same relation as religion did to the civilized 

 mind. No matter how primitive a race might be, something in 

 the nature of a belief in the supernatural was engendered in man, 

 as much as anything by the natural fear that the surroundings 

 in which he constantly lived inspired in him , and which was found 

 in the civilized child's dread of darkness — the fear of the unknown 

 which was at the back of every human mind, and which 

 he did not believe was absent in any people, no matter how 

 primitive. 



The speaker then gave an amusing description of a theory of the 

 creation of the world in vogue among the Dusuns of North Borneo. 

 The story, he remarked, illustrated how even the most primitive 

 people could devise remarkably clever creation myths and 

 explanations of problems which had puzzled humanity from the 

 highest to the lowest ever since the Creator fashioned the 

 universe. 



8. Mr. C. M. Fernando , in proposing a vote of thanks to Profes- 

 sor Moszkowski for his Paper , said that the Society had been very 

 lucky in the past, as, indeed, at present, in inviting and getting 

 Papers, not only from its own Members, but from distinguished 

 scientists, whose names were known in Europe. To-night they 

 had a repetition of that happy experience, which was a sort of 

 overture to the concert which was to come. He referred to the 

 presence of Dr. and Mrs. Seligmann in Ceylon, who were living 

 with the Veddas, and who would by and by endeavour to give 

 them the latest information — the latest scientific knowledge— of 

 these Ceylon aborigines. It was very sad to think that there were 

 now only 50 real Veddas left alive. Possibly they would very soon 

 be quite extinct. The thanks of the Society, and of all those 

 interested in the Island's ancient history, were due to the Ceylon 

 Government for having secured the services of Dr. Seligmann 

 just in the nick of time. He had pleasure in congratulating the 

 Society, not merely on the Paper read, but upon the very interesting 

 light thrown upon it by the remarks of the Colonial Secretary. 

 The writer, however, he agreed with Mr. Clifford, was surely 

 somewhat inconsistent when he stated that the belief in a deity 

 was preceded by a belief in an evil spirit, and yet that the Veddas 

 who believed in a " yakka," which every one knew to be an evil 

 spirit, did not believe in the corresponding good spirit. He 

 ventured to think that the Professor had not sufficient time to 

 gather the information of good as opposed to evil spirits. This, 

 however, might act as a guide to Dr. Seligmann, who, thus 

 attracted to notice the point, might in the future provide them 

 with full information. With regard to the Veddas as a race, 

 he believed they were the remnants of the people who once filled 

 all Ceylon, and who were driven into the jungle, not by Western 

 civilization, but by Aryan civilization. The Veddas were driven 

 into the wilderness by an Aryan invasion of Ceylon prior to the 



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