102 
The Minor Tribes 
The civilized man would be apt to imagine that 
these wild African fetishists are easily converted 
to a “ purer creed.” The contrary is everywhere 
and absolutely the case; their faith is a web 
woven with threads of iron. The negro finds it 
almost impossible to rid himself of his belief; the 
spiritual despotism is the expression of his organiza¬ 
tion, a part of himself. Progressive races, on the 
other hand, can throw off or exchange every part 
of their religion, except perhaps the remnant of 
original and natural belief in things unseen—in 
fact, the Fetishist portion, such as ghost-ex¬ 
istence and veneration of material objects, places, 
and things. I might instance the Protestant mis¬ 
sionary who, while deriding the holy places at 
Jerusalem, considers the “ Cedars of Lebanon” 
sacred things, and sternly forbids travellers to 
gather the cones. 
The stereotyped African answer to Europeans 
ridiculing these institutions, including wizard- 
spearing and witch-burning is, “ There may be no 
magic, though I see there is, among you whites. 
But we blacks have known many men who have 
been bewitched and diedT Even in Asia, when¬ 
ever I spoke contemptuously to a Moslem of his 
Jinns, or to a Flindu of his Rakshasa, the rejoinder 
invariably was, “ You white men are by nature so 
hot that even our devils fear you.” 
Witchcraft, which has by no means thoroughly 
