as　a　means　of　giving　the　organism　a　new　start　in　severe　caseshas　really　come　down　to　us　through　the　ages　from　this　early　source。＇1＇　The　real　medicine…man；　Mr。　Marett　says；　is　largely　a　'faith…healer'　and　'soul…doctor'；　he　believes　in　his　vocation；　and　undergoes　much　for　the　sake　of　it：　〃The　main　point　is　to　grasp　that　by　his　special　initiation　and　the　rigid　taboos　which　he　practisesnot　to　speak　of　occasional　remarkable　gifts；　say　of　trance　and　ecstasy；　which　he　may　inherit　by　nature　and　have　improved　by　arthe　HAS　access　to　a　wonder…working　power。　。　。　。　And　the　great　need　of　primitive　folk　is　for　this　healer　of　souls。〃　Our　author　further　insists　on　the　enormous　play　and　influence　of　Fear　in　the　savage　minda　point　we　have　touched　on　alreadyand　gives　instances　of　Thanatomania；　or　cases　where；　after　a　quite　slight　and　superficial　wound；　the　patient　becomes　so　depressed　that　he；　quite　needlessly；　persists　in　dying！　Such　cases；　obviously；　can　only　be　countered　by　Faith；　or　something　（whatever　it　may　be）　which　restores　courage；　hope　and　energy　to　the　mind。　Nor　need　I　point　out　that　the　situation　is　exactly　the　same　among　a　vast　number　of　'patients'　to…day。　As　to　the　value；　in　his　degree；　of　the　medicine…man　many　modern　observers　and　students　quite　agree　with　the　above。＇2＇　Also　as　the　present　chapter　is　on　Ritual　Dancing　it　may　not　be　out　of　place　to　call　attention　to　the　supposed　healing　of　sick　people　in　Ceylon　and　other　places　by　Devil…dancingthe　enormous　output　of　energy　and　noise　in　the　ritual　possibly　having　the　effect　of　reanimating　the　patient　（if　it　does　not　kill　him）；　or　of　expelling　the　disease　from　his　organism。
  ＇1＇　Milk　（〃fast…milk〃　or　vrata）　was；　says　Mr。　Hewitt；　the　only　diet　in　the　Soma…sacrifice。　See　Ruling　Races　of　Prehistoric　Times　（preface）。　The　Soma　itself　was　a　fermented　drink　prepared　with　ceremony　from　the　milky　and　semen…like　sap　of　certain　plants；　and　much　used　in　sacrificial　offerings。　（See　Monier…Williams。　Sanskrit　Dictionary。）
  ＇2＇　See　Winwood　Reade　（Savage　Africa）；　Salamon　Reinach　（Cults；　Myths　and　Religions）；　and　others。
  With　regard　to　the　practical　intelligence　of　primitive　peoples；　derived　from　their　close　contact　with　life　and　nature；　Bishop　Colenso's　experiences　among　the　Zulus　may　appropriately　be　remembered。　When　expounding　the　Bible　to　these　supposedly　backward　'niggers'　he　was　met　at　all　points　by　practical　interrogations　and　arguments　which　he　was　perfectly　unable　to　answerespecially　over　the　recorded　passage　of　the　Red　Sea　by　the　Israelites　in　a　single　night。　From　the　statistics　given　in　the　Sacred　Book　these　naughty　savages　proved　to　him　absolutely　conclusively　that　the　numbers　of　fugitives　were　such　that　even　supposing　them　to　have　marchedmen；　women　and　childrenFIVE　ABREAST　and　in　close　order；　they　would　have　formed　a　column　100　miles　long；　and　this　not　including　the　baggage；　sheep　and　cattle！　Of　course　the　feat　was　absolutely　impossible。　They　could　not　have　passed　the　Red　Sea　in　a　night　or　a　week　of　nights。
  But　the　sequel　is　still　more　amusing　and　instructive。　Colenso；　in　his　innocent　sincerity；　took　the　side　of　the　Zulus；　and　feeling　sure　the　Church　at　home　would　be　quite　glad　to　have　its　views　with　regard　to　the　accuracy　of　Bible　statistics　corrected；　wrote　a　book　embodying　the　amendments　needed。　Modest　as　his　criticisms　were；　they　raised　a　STORM　of　protest　and　angry　denunciation；　which　even　led　to　his　deposition　for　the　time　being　from　his　bishopric！　While　at　the　same　time　an　avalanche　of　books　to　oppose　his　heresy　poured　forth　from　the　press。　Lately　I　had　the　curiosity　to　look　through　the　British　Museum　catalogue　and　found　that　in　refutation　of　Colenso's　Pentateuch　Examined　some　140　（a　hundred　and　forty）　volumes　were　at　that　time　published！　To…day；　I　need　hardly　say；　all　these　arm…chair　critics　and　their　works　have　sunk　into　utter　obscurity；　but　the　arguments　of　the　Zulus　and　their　Bishop　still　stand　unmoved　and　immovable。
  This　is　a　case　of　searching　intelligence　shown　by　'savages；'　an　intelligence　founded　on　intimate　knowledge　of　the　needs　of　actual　life。　I　think　we　may　say　that　a；　similarly　instinctive　intelligence　（sub…conscious　if　you　like）　has　guided　the　tribes　of　men　on　the　whole　in　their　long　passage　through　the　Red　Sea　of　the　centuries；　from　those　first　days　of　which　I　speak　even　down　to　the　present　age；　and　has　in　some　strange；　even　if　fitful；　way　kept　them　along　the　path　of　that　final　emancipation　towards　which　Humanity　is　inevitably　moving。
  XII。　THE　SEX…TABOO
  Inthe　course　of　the　last　few　chapters　I　have　spoken　more　than　once　of　the　solidarity　and　continuity　of　Christianity；　in　its　essential　doctrines；　with　the　Pagan　rites。　There　is；　however；　one　notable　exception　to　this　statement。　I　refer　of　course　to　Christianity's　treatment　of　Sex。　It　is　certainly　very　remarkable　that　while　the　Pagan　cults　generally　made　a　great　deal　of　all　sorts　of　sex…rites；　laid　much　stress　upon　them；　and　introduced　them　in　what　we　consider　an　unblushing　and　shameless　way　into　the　instincts　connected　with　it。　I　say　'the　Christian　Church；'　on　the　whole　took　quite　the　opposite　lineignored　sex；　contemned　it；　and　did　much　despite　to　the　perfectly　natural　instincts　connected　with　it。　I　say　'the　Christian　Church；'　because　there　is　nothing　to　show　that　Jesus　himself　（if　we　admit　his　figure　as　historical）　adopted　any　such　extreme　or　doctrinaire　attitude；　and　the　quite　early　Christian　teachers　（with　the　chief　exception　of　Paul）　do　not　exhibit　this　bias　to　any　great　degree。　In　fact；　as　is　well　known；　strong　currents　of　pagan　usage　and　belief　ran　through　the　Christian　assemblies　of　the　first　three　or　four　centuries。　〃The　Christian　art　of　this　period　remained　delightfully　pagan。　In　the　catacombs　we　see　the　Saviour　as　a　beardless　youth；　like　a　young　Greek　god；　sometimes　represented；　like　Hermes　the　guardian　of　the　flocks；　bearing　a　ram　or　lamb　round　his　neck；　sometimes　as　Orpheus　tuning　his　lute　among　the　wild　animals。〃＇1＇　The　followers　of　Jesus　were　at　times　even　accusedwhether　rightly　or　wrongly　I　know　not　of　celebrating　sexual　mysteries　at　their　love…feasts。　But　as　the　Church　through　the　centuries　grew　in　power　and　scope
  with　its　monks　and　their　mutilations　and　asceticisms；　and　its　celibate　clergy；　and　its　absolute　refusal　to　recognize　the　sexual　meaning　of　its　own　acclaimed　symbols　（like　the　Cross；　the　three　fingers　of　Benediction；　the　Fleur　de　Lys　and　so　forth）it　more　and　more　consistently　defined　itself　as　anti…sexual　in　its　outlook；　and　stood　out　in　that　way　in　marked　contrast　to　the　earlier　Nature…religions。
  ＇1＇　Angels'　Wings；　by　E。　Carpenter；　p。　104。
  It　may　be　said　of　course　that　this　anti…sexual　tendency　can　be　traced　in　other　of　the　pre…Christian　Churches；　especially　the　later　ones；　like　the　Buddhist；　the　Egyptian；　and　so　forth；　and　this　is　perfectly　true；　but　it　would　seem　that　in　many　ways　the　Christian　Church　marked　the　culmination　of　the　tendency；　and　the　fact　that　other　cults　participated　in　the　taboo　makes　us　all　the　more　ready　and　anxious　to　inquire　into　its　real　cause。
  To　go　into　a　disquisition　on　the　Sex…rites　of　the　various　pre…　Christian　religions　would　be　'a　large　order'larger　than　I　could　attempt　to　fill；　but　the　general　facts　in　this　connection　are　fairly　patent。　We　know；　of　course；　from　the　Bible　that　the　Syrians　in　Palestine　were　given　to　sexual　worships。　There　were　erect　images　（phallic）　and　〃groves〃　（sexual　symbols）　on　every　high　hill　and　under　every　green　tree；＇1＇　and　these　same　images　and　the　rites　connected　with　them　crept　into　the　Jewish　Temple　and　were　popular　enough　to　maintain　their　footing　there　for　a　long　period　from　King　Rehoboam　onwards；　notwithstanding　the　efforts　of　Josiah＇2＇　and　other　reformers　to　extirpate　them。　Moreover　there　were　girls　and　men　（hierodouloi）　regularly　attached　during　this　period　to　the　Jewish　Temple　as　to　the　heathen　Temples；　for　the　rendering　of　sexual　services；　which　were　recognized　in　many　cases　as　part　of　the　ritual。　Women　were　persuaded　that　it　was　an　honor　and　a　privilege　to　be　fertilized　by　a　'holy　man'　（a　priest　or　other　man　connected　with　the　rites）；　and　children　resulting　from　such　unions　were　often　called　〃Children　of　God〃an　appellation　which　no　doubt　sometimes　led　to　a　legend　of　miraculous　birth！　Girls　who　took　their　place　as　hierodouloi　in　the　Temple　or　Temple…precincts　were　expected　to　surrender　themselves　to　men…worshipers　in　the　Temple；　much　in　the　same　way；　probably；　as　Herodotus　describes　in　the　temple　of　the　Babylonian　Venus　Mylitta；　where　every　native　woman；　once　in　her　life；　was　supposed　to　sit　in　the　Temple　and　have　intercourse　with　some　stranger。＇3＇　Indeed　the　Syrian　and　Jewish　rites　dated　largely　from　Babylonia。　〃The　Hebrews　entering　Syria；〃　says　Richard　Burton＇4＇　〃found　it　religionized。　by　Assyria　and　Babylonia；　when　the　Accadian　Ishtar　had　passed　West；　and　had　become　Ashtoreth；　Ashtaroth；　or　Ashirah；　the　Anaitis　of　Armenia；　the　Phoenician　Astarte；　and　the　Greek　Aphrodite；　the　great　Moon…　goddess　who　is　queen　of　Heaven　and　Love。〃　The　word　translated　〃grove〃　as　above；　in　our　Bible；　is　in　fact　Asherah；　which　connects　it　pretty　clearly　with　the　Babylonian　Queen　of　Heaven。
  ＇1＇　1　Kings　xiv。　22…24。
  ＇2＇　2　Kings　xxiii。
  ＇3＇　See　Herodotus　i。　199；　also　a　reference　to　this　custom　in　the　apocryphal　Baruch；