arily　be　the　Virgin　Earth　itself；　mother　of　all　things。　Anyhow　it　was　a　wonderful　Intuition；　slumbering　as　it　would　seem　in　the　breast　of　early　man；　that　the　Great　Earth　after　giving　birth　to　all　living　creatures　would　at　last　bring　forth　a　Child　who　should　become　the　Saviour　of　the　human　race。
  There　is　of　course　the　further　theory；　entertained　by　some；　that　virgin…parturitiona　kind　of　Parthenogenesis　has　as　a　matter　of　fact　occasionally　occurred　among　mortal　women；　and　even　still　does　occur。　I　should　be　the　last　to　deny　the　POSSIBILITY　of　this　（or　of　anything　else　in　Nature）；　but；　seeing　the　immense　difficulties　in　the　way　of　PROOF　of　any　such　asserted　case；　and　the　absence　so　far　of　any　thoroughly　attested　and　verified　instance；　it　would；　I　think；　be　advisable　to　leave　this　theory　out　of　account　at　present。
  But　whether　any　of　the　EXPLANATIONS　spoken　of　are　right　or　wrong；　and　whatever　explanation　we　adopt；　there　remains　the　FACT　of　the　universality　over　the　world　of　this　legend　affording　another　instance　of　the　practical　solidarity　and　continuity　of　the　Pagan　Creeds　with　Christianity。
  XI。　RITUAL　DANCING
  It　is　unnecessary　to　labor　the　conclusion　of　the　last　two　or　three　chapters；　namely　that　Christianity　grew　out　of　the　former　Pagan　Creeds　and　is　in　its　general　outlook　and　origins　continuous　and　of　one　piece　with　them。　I　have　not　attempted　to　bring　together　ALL　the　evidence　in　favor　of　this　contention；　as　such　work　would　be　too　vast；　but　more　illustrations　of　its　truth　will　doubtless　occur　to　readers；　or　will　emerge　as　we　proceed。
  I　think　we　may　take　it　as　proved　（1）　that　from　the　earliest　ages；　and　before　History；　a　great　body　of　religious　belief　and　ritualfirst　appearing　among　very　primitive　and　unformed　folk；　whom　we　should　call　'savages'has　come　slowly　down；　broadening　and　differentiating　itself　on　the　way　into　a　great　variety　of　forms；　but　embodying　always　certain　main　ideas　which　became　in　time　the　accepted　doctrines　of　the　later　Churchesthe　Indian；　the　Egyptian；　the　Mithraic；　the　Christian；　and　so　forth。　What　these　ideas　in　their　general　outline　have　been　we　can　perhaps　best　judge　from　our　〃Apostles'　Creed；〃　as　it　is　recited　every　Sunday　in　our　churches。
  〃I　believe　in　God　the　Father　Almighty；　Maker　of　heaven　and　earth：　And　in　Jesus　Christ　his　only　Son　our　Lord；　who　was　conceived　by　the　Holy　Ghost；　born　of　the　Virgin　Mary；　suffered　under　Pontius　Pilate；　was　crucified；　dead　and　buried。　He　descended　into　Hell；　the　third　day　he　rose　again　from　the　dead；　He　ascended　into　heaven；　and　sitteth　on　the　right　hand　of　God　the　Father　Almighty；　from　thence　he　shall　come　to　judge　the　quick　and　the　dead。　I　believe　in　the　Holy　Ghost；　the　holy　Catholic　Church；　the　communion　of　Saints；　the　Forgiveness　of　sins；　the　Resurrection　of　the　body；　and　the　life　everlasting。　Amen。〃
  Here　we　have　the　All…Father　and　Creator；　descending　from　the　Sky　in　the　form　of　a　spirit　to　impregnate　the　earthly　Virgin…mother；　who　thus　gives　birth　to　a　Saviour…hero。　The　latter　is　slain　by　the　powers　of　Evil；　is　buried　and　descends　into　the　lower　world；　but　arises　again　as　God　into　heaven　and　becomes　the　leader　and　judge　of　mankind。　We　have　the　confirmation　of　the　Church　（or；　in　earlier　times；　of　the　Tribe）　by　means　of　a　Eucharist　or　Communion　which　binds　together　all　the　members；　living　or　dead；　and　restores　errant　individuals　through　the　Sacrifice　of　the　hero　and　the　Forgiveness　of　their　sins；　and　we　have　the　belief　in　a　bodily　Resurrection　and　continued　life　of　the　members　within　the　fold　of　the　Church　（or　Tribe）；　itself　regarded　as　eternal。
  One　has　only；　instead　of　the　word　'Jesus；'　to　read　Dionysus　or　Krishna　or　Hercules　or　Osiris　or　Attis；　and　instead　of　'Mary'　to　insert　Semele　or　Devaki　or　Alcmene　or　Neith　or　Nana；　and　for　Pontius　Pilate　to　use　the　name　of　any　terrestrial　tyrant　who　comes　into　the　corresponding　story；　and　lo！　the　creed　fits　in　all　particulars　into　the　rites　and　worship　of　a　pagan　god。　I　need　not　enlarge　upon　a　thesis　which　is　self…evident　from　all　that　has　gone　before。　I　do　not　say；　of　course；　that　ALL　the　religious　beliefs　of　Paganism　are　included　and　summarized　in　our　Apostles'　Creed；　foras　I　shall　have　occasion　to　note　in　the　next　chapterI　think　some　very　important　religious　elements　are　there　OMITTED；　but　I　do　think　that　all　the　beliefs　which　ARE　summarized　in　the　said　creed　had　already　been　fully　represented　and　elaborately　expressed　in　the　non…Christian　religions　and　rituals　of　Paganism。
  Further　（2）　I　think　we　may　safely　say　that　there　is　no　certain　proof　that　the　body　of　beliefs　just　mentioned　sprang　from　any　one　particular　centre　far　back　and　radiated　thence　by　dissemination　and　mental　contagion　over　the　rest　of　the　world；　but　the　evidence　rather　shows　that　these　beliefs　were；　for　the　most　part；　the　SPONTANEOUS　outgrowths　（in　various　localities）　of　the　human　mind　at　certain　stages　of　its　evolution；　that　they　appeared；　in　the　different　races　and　peoples；　at　different　periods　according　to　the　degree　of　evolution；　and　were　largely　independent　of　intercourse　and　contagion；　though　of　course；　in　cases；　considerably　influenced　by　it；　and　that　one　great　and　all…important　occasion　and　provocative　of　these　beliefs　was　actually　the　RISE　OF　SELF…CONSCIOUSNESSthat　is；　the　coming　of　the　mind　to　a　more　or　less　distinct　awareness　of　itself　and　of　its　own　operation；　and　the　consequent　development　and　growth　of　Individualism；　and　of　the　Self…centred　attitude　in　human　thought　and　action。
  In　the　third　place　（3）　I　think　we　may　seeand　this　is　the　special　subject　of　the　present　chapterthat　at　a　very　early　period；　when　humanity　was　hardly　capable　of　systematic　expression　in　what　we　call　Philosophy　or　Science；　it　could　not　well　rise　to　an　ordered　and　literary　expression　of　its　beliefs；　such　as　we　find　in　the　later　religions　and　the　'Churches'　（Babylonian；　Jewish；　East　Indian；　Christian；　or　what…not）；　and　yet　that　it　FELT　these　beliefs　very　intensely　and　was　urged；　almost　compelled；　to　their　utterance　in　some　form　or　other。　And　so　it　came　about　that　people　expressed　themselves　in　a　vast　mass　of　ritual　and　myth　customs；　ceremonies；　legends；　storieswhich　on　account　of　their　popular　and　concrete　form　were　handed　down　for　generations；　and　some　of　which　linger　on　still　in　the　midst　of　our　modern　civilization。　These　rituals　and　legends　were；　many　of　them；　absurd　enough；　rambling　and　childish　in　character；　and　preposterous　in　conception；　yet　they　gave　the　expression　needed；　and　some　of　them　of　course；　as　we　have　seen；　were　full　of　meaning　and　suggestion。
  A　critical　and　commercial　Civilization；　such　as　ours；　in　which　（notwithstanding　much　TALK　about　Art）　the　artistic　sense　is　greatly　lacking；　or　at　any　rate　but　little　diffused；　does　not　as　a　rule　understand　that　poetic　RITES；　in　the　evolution　of　peoples；　came　naturally　before　anything　like　ordered　poems　or　philosophy　or　systematized　VIEWS　about　life　and　religionsuch　as　WE　love　to　wallow　in！　Things　were　FELT　before　they　were　spoken。　The　loading　of　diseases　into　disease…boats；　of　sins　onto　scape…goats；　the　propitiation　of　the　forces　of　nature　by　victims；　human　or　animal；　sacrifices；　ceremonies　of　re…birth；　eucharistic　feasts；　sexual　communions；　orgiastic　celebrations　of　the　common　life；　and　a　host　of　other　thingsall　SAID　plainly　enough　what　was　meant；　but　not　in　WORDS。　Partly　no　doubt　it　was　that　at　some　early　time　words　were　more　difficult　of　command　and　less　flexible　in　use　than　actions　（and　at　all　times　are　they　not　less　expressive？）。　Partly　it　was　that　mankind　was　in　the　child…stage。　The　Child　delights　in　ritual；　in　symbol；　in　expression　through　material　objects　and　actions：
  See；　at　his　feet　some　little　plan　or　chart；　　Some　fragment　from　his　dream　of　human　life；　　Shaped　by　himself　with　newly　learned　art；　　　　　　A　wedding　or　a　festival；　　　　　　A　mourning　or　a　funeral；　　　　　　　　　　　And　this　hath　now　his　heart。
  And　primitive　man　in　the　child…stage　felt　a　positive　joy　in　ritual　celebrations；　and　indulged　in　expressions　which　we　but　little　understand；　for　these　had　then　his　heart。
  One　of　the　most　pregnant　of　these　expressions　was　DANCING。　Children　dance　instinctively。　They　dance　with　rage；　they　dance　with　joy；　with　sheer　vitality；　they　dance　with　pain；　or　sometimes　with　savage　glee　at　the　suffering　of　others；　they　delight　in　mimic　combats；　or　in　animal　plays　and　disguises。　There　are　such　things　as　Courting…dances；　when　the　mature　male　and　female　go　through　a　ritual　togethernot　only　in　civilized　ball…rooms　and　the　back…parlors　of　inns；　but　in　the　farmyards　where　the　rooster　pays　his　addresses　to　the　hen；　or　the　yearling　bull　to　the　cowwith　quite　recognized　formalities；　there　are　elaborate　ceremonials　performed　by　the　Australian　bower…birds　and　many　other　animals。　All　these　things　at　any　rate　in　children　and　animalscome　before　speech；　and　anyhow　we　may　say　that　LOVE…RITES；　even　in　mature　and　civilized　man；　hardly　ADMIT　of　speech。　Words　only　vulgarize　love　and　blunt　its　edge。
  So　Dance　to　the　savage　and　the　early　man　was　not　merely　an　amusement　or　a　gymnastic　exercise　（as　the　books　often　try　to　make　out）；　but　it　was　also　a　serious　and　intimate　part　of　life；　an　expression　of　religion　and　the　relation　of　man　to　non…human　Powers。　Imagine　a　young　dancerand　the　admitted　age　for　ritual　dancing　was　co