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he victimsjust as in Greece； Egypt and Assyria； the fawn…skin or bull…hide or goat…skin or fish… skin of the victims is worn by the celebrants。 Finally； an image of the god was made out of paste； and this was divided into morsels and eaten in a hideous sacrament by those who communicated。〃＇2＇
＇1＇ Compare the festival of Thargelia at Athens； originally connected with the ripening of the crops。 A procession was formed and the first fruits of the year offered to Apollo； Artemis and the Horae。 It was an expiatory feast； to purify the State from all guilt and avert the wrath of the god ＇the Sun＇。 A man and a woman； as representing the male and female population； were led about with a garland of figs ＇fertility＇ round their necks； to the sound of flutes and singing。 They were then scourged； sacrificed； and their bodies burned by the seashore。 （Nettleship and Sandys。）
＇2＇ A Lang； Myth； Ritual and Religion； vol。 ii； p。 97。
Revolting as this whole picture is； it represents as we know a mere thumbnail sketch of the awful practices of human sacrifice all over the world。 We hold up our hands in horror at the thought of Huitzilopochtli dropping children from his fingers into the flames； but we have to remember that our own most Christian Saint Augustine was content to describe unbaptized infants as crawling for ever about the floor of Hell！ What sort of god； we may ask； did Augustine worship？ The Being who could condemn children to such a fate was certainly no better than the Mexican Idol。
And yet Augustine was a great and noble man； with some by no means unworthy conceptions of the greatness of his God。 In the same way the Aztecs were in many respects a refined and artistic people； and their religion was not all superstition and bloodshed。 Prescott says of them＇1＇ that they believed in a supreme Creator and Lord 〃omnipresent； knowing all thoughts； giving all gifts； without whom Man is as nothinginvisible； incorporeal； one God； of perfect perfection and purity； under whose wings we find repose and a sure defence。〃 How can we reconcile St。 Augustine with his own devilish creed； or the religious belief of the Aztecs with their unspeakable cruelties？ Perhaps we can only reconcile them by remembering out of what deeps of barbarism and what nightmares of haunting Fear； man has slowly emergedand is even now only slowly emerging； by remembering also that the ancient ceremonies and rituals of Magic and Fear remained on and were cultivated by the multitude in each nation long after the bolder and nobler spirits had attained to breathe a purer air； by remembering that even to the present day in each individual the Old and the New are for a long period thus intricately intertangled。 It is hard to believe that the practice of human and animal sacrifice （with whatever revolting details） should have been cultivated by nine…tenths of the human race over the globe out of sheer perversity and without some reason which at any rate to the perpetrators themselves appeared commanding and convincing。 To…day ＇1918＇ we are witnessing in the Great European War a carnival of human slaughter which in magnitude and barbarity eclipses in one stroke all the accumulated ceremonial sacrifices of historical ages； and when we ask the why and wherefore of this horrid spectacle we are told； apparently in all sincerity； and by both the parties engaged； of the noble objects and commanding moralities which inspire and compel it。 We can hardly； in this last case； disbelieve altogether in the genuineness of the plea； so why should we do so in the former case？ In both cases we perceive that underneath the surface pretexts and moralities Fear is and was the great urging and commanding force。
＇1＇ Conquest of Mexico； Bk。 I； ch。 3。
The truth is that Sin and Sacrifice representif you once allow for the overwhelming sway of fearperfectly reasonable views of human conduct； adopted instinctively by mankind since the earliest times。 If in a moment of danger or an access of selfish greed you deserted your brother tribesman or took a mean advantage of him； you 'sinned' against him； and naturally you expiated the sin by an equivalent sacrifice of some kind made to the one you had wronged。 Such an idea and such a practice were the very foundation of social life and human morality； and must have sprung up as soon as ever； in the course of evolution； man became CAPABLE of differentiating himself from his fellows and regarding his own conduct as that of a 'separate self。' It was in the very conception of a separate self that 'sin' and disunity first began； and it was by 'sacrifice' that unity and harmony were restored； appeasement and atonement effected。
But in those earliest times； as I have already indicated more than once； man felt himself intimately related not only to his brother tribesman； but to the animals and to general Nature。 It was not so much that he THOUGHT thus as that he never thought OTHERWISE！ He FELT subconsciously that he was a part of all this outer world。 And so he adopted for his totems or presiding spirits every possible animal； as we have seen； and all sorts of nature…phenomena； such as rain and fire and water and clouds； and sun； moon and starswhich WE consider quite senseless and inanimate。 Towards these apparently senseless things therefore he felt the same compunction as I have described him feeling towards his brother tribesmen。 He could sin against them too。 He could sin against his totem…animal by eating it； he could sin against his 'brother the ox' by consuming its strength in the labor of the plough； he could sin against the corn by cutting it down and grinding it into flour； or against the precious and beautiful pine… tree by laying his axe to its roots and converting it into mere timber for his house。 Further still； no doubt he could sin against elemental nature。 This might be more difficult to be certain of； but when the signs of elemental displeasure were not to be mistakenwhen the rain withheld itself for months； or the storms and lightning dealt death and destruction； when the crops failed or evil plagues afflicted mankindthen there could be little uncertainty that he had sinned； and Fear； which had haunted him like a demon from the first day when he became conscious of his separation from his fellows and from Nature； stood over him and urged to dreadful propitiations。
In all these cases some sacrifice in reparation was the obvious thing。 We have seen that to atone for the cutting…down of the corn a human victim would often be slaughtered。 The corn…spirit clearly approved of this； for wherever the blood and remains of the victim were strewn the corn always sprang up more plentifully。 The tribe or human group made reparation thus to the corn； the corn…spirit signified approval。 The 'sin' was expiated and harmony restored。 Sometimes the sacrifice was voluntarily offered by a tribesman； sometimes it was enforced； by lot or otherwise； sometimes the victim was a slave； or a captive enemy； sometimes even an animal。 All that did not so much matter。 The main thing was that the formal expiation had been carried out； and the wrath of the spirits averted。
It is known that tribes whose chief food…animal was the bear felt it necessary to kill and cat a bear occasionally； but they could not do this without a sense of guilt； and some fear of vengeance from the great Bear…spirit。 So they ate the slain bear at a communal feast in which the tribesmen shared the guilt and celebrated their community with their totem and with each other。 And since they could not make any reparation directly to the slain animal itself AFTER its death； they made their reparation BEFORE； bringing all sorts of presents and food to it for a long anterior period； and paying every kind of worship and respect to it。 The same with the bull and the ox。 At the festival of the Bouphonia； in some of the cities of Greece as I have already mentioned； the actual bull sacrificed was the handsomest and most carefully nurtured that could be obtained； it was crowned with flowers and led in procession with every mark of reverence and worship。 And whenas I have already pointed outat the great Spring festival； instead of a bull or a goat or a ram； a HUMAN victim was immolated； it was a custom （which can be traced very widely over the world） to feed and indulge and honor the victim to the last degree for a WHOLE YEAR before the final ceremony； arraying him often as a king and placing a crown upon his head； by way of acknowledgment of the noble and necessary work he was doing for the general good。
What a touching and beautiful ceremony was thatbelonging especially to the North of Syria； and lands where the pine is so beneficent and beloved a treethe mourning ceremony of the death and burial of Attis！ when a pine…tree； felled by the axe； was hollowed out； and in the hollow an image （often itself carved out of pinewood） of the young Attis was placed。 Could any symbolism express more tenderly the idea that the glorious youthwho represented Spring； too soon slain by the rude tusk of Winter was himself the very human soul of the pine…tree？＇1＇ At some earlier period； no doubt； a real youth had been sacrificed and his body bound within the pine； but now it was deemed sufficient for the maidens to sing th