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。〃 It takes us far far back to the Totem stage of folk…life； when the tribe； as I have already explained； crowned a victim…bull or bear or other animal with flowers； and honoring it with every offering of food and worship； sacrificed the victim to the Totem spirit of the tribe； and consumed it in an Eucharistic feastthe medicine…man or priest who conducted the ritual wearing a skin of the same beast as a sign that he represented the Totem… divinity； taking part in the sacrifice of 'himself to himself。' It reminds us of the Khonds of Bengal sacrificing their meriahs crowned and decorated as gods and goddesses； of the Aztecs doing the same； of Quetzalcoatl pricking his elbows and fingers so as to draw blood； which he offered on his own altar； or of Odin hanging by his own desire upon a tree。 〃I know I was hanged upon a tree shaken by the winds for nine long nights。 I was transfixed by a spear； I was moved to Odin； myself to myself。〃 And so on。 The instances are endless。 〃I am the oblation；〃 says the Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita；＇1＇ 〃I am the sacrifice； I the ancestral offering。〃 〃In the truly orthodox conception of sacrifice；〃 says Elie Reclus；＇2＇ 〃the consecrated offering； be it man； woman or virgin； lamb or heifer； cock or dove； represents tHE DEITY HIMSELF。 。 。 。 Brahma is the 'imperishable sacrifice'； Indra； Soma； Hari and the other gods； became incarnate in animals to the sole end that they might be immolated。 Perusha； the Universal Being； caused himself to be slain by the Immortals； and from his substance were born the birds of the air； wild and domestic animals； the offerings of butter and curds。 The world； declared the Rishis； is a series of sacrifices disclosing other sacrifices。 To stop them would be to suspend the life of Nature。 The god Siva； to whom the Tipperahs of Bengal are supposed to have sacrificed as many as a thousand human victims a year； said to the Brahamins： 'It is I that am the actual offering； it is I that you butcher upon my altars。' 〃
＇1＇ Ch。 ix； v。 16。
＇2＇ Primitive Folk； ch。 vi。
It was in allusion to this doctrine that R。 W。 Emerson； paraphrasing the Katha…Upanishad； wrote that immortal verse of his：…
If the red slayer thinks he slays； Or the slain thinks he is slain； They know not well the subtle ways I take； and pass； and turn again。
I say it is an astonishing thing to think and realize that this profound and mystic doctrine of the eternal sacrifice of Himself； ordained by the Great Spirit for the creation and salvation of the worlda doctrine which has attracted and fascinated many of the great thinkers and nobler minds of Europe； which has also inspired the religious teachings of the Indian sages and to a less philosophical degree the writings of the Christian Saintsshould have been seized in its general outline and essence by rude and primitive people before the dawn of history； and embodied in their rites and ceremonials。 What is the explanation of this fact？
It is very puzzling。 The whole subject is puzzling。 The world…wide adoption of similar creeds and rituals （and； we may add； legends and fairy tales） among early peoples； and in far…sundered places and times is so remarkable that it has given the students of these subjects 'furiously to think'＇1＇yet for the most part without great success in the way of finding a solution。 The supposition that （1） the creed； rite or legend in question has sprung up； so to speak； accidentally； in one place； and then has travelled （owing to some inherent plausibility） over the rest of the world； is of course one that commends itself readily at first； but on closer examination the practical difficulties it presents are certainly very great。 These include the migrations of customs and myths in quite early ages of the earth across trackless oceans and continents； and between races and peoples absolutely incapable of understanding each other。 And if to avoid these difficulties it is assumed that the present human race all proceeds from one original stock which radiating from one centresay in South…Eastern Asia＇2＇overspread the world； carrying its rites and customs with it； why； then we are compelled to face the difficulty of supposing this radiation to have taken place at an enormous time ago （the continents being then all more or less conjoined） and at a period when it is doubtful if any religious rites and customs at all existed； not to mention the further difficulty of supposing all the four or five hundred languages now existing to be descended from one common source。 The far tradition of the Island of Atlantis seems to afford a possible explanation of the community of rites and customs between the Old and New World； and this without assuming in any way that Atlantis （if it existed） was the original and SOLE cradle of the human race。＇3＇ Anyhow it is clear that these origins of human culture must be of extreme antiquity； and that it would not be wise to be put off the track of the investigation of a possible common source merely by that fact of antiquity。
＇1＇ See A。 Lang's Myth； Ritual and Religion； vol。 ii。
＇2＇ See Hastings； Encycl。 Religion and Ethics； art。 〃Ethnology。〃
＇3＇ E。 J。 Payne； History of the New World called America （vol。 i； p。 93） says： 〃It is certain that Europe and America once formed a single continent；〃 but inroads of the sea 〃left a vast island or peninsula stretching from Iceland to the Azoreswhich gradually disappeared。〃 Also he speaks （i。 93） of the 〃Miocene Bridge〃 between Siberia and the New World。
A second supposition； however； is （2） that the natural psychological evolution of the human mind has in the various times and climes led folk of the most diverse surroundings and heredityand perhaps even sprung from separate anthropoid stocksto develop their social and religious ideas along the same general linesand that even to the extent of exhibiting at times a remarkable similarity in minute details。 This is a theory which commends itself greatly to a deeper and more philosophical consideration； but it brings us up point…blank against another most difficult question （which we have already raised）； namely； how to account for extremely rude and primitive peoples in the far past； and on the very borderland of the animal life； having been SUSCEPTIBLE to the germs of great religious ideas （such as we have mentioned） and having been instinctivelythough not of course by any process of conscious reasoningmoved to express them in symbols and rites and ceremonials； and （later no doubt） in myths and legends； which satisfied their FEELINGS and sense of fitnessthough they may not have known WHY and afterwards were capable of being taken up and embodied in the great philosophical religions。
This difficulty almost compels us to a view of human knowledge which has found supporters among some able thinkersthe view； namely； that a vast store of knowledge is already contained in the subconscious mind of man （and the animals） and only needs the provocation of outer experience to bring it to the surface； and that in the second stage of human psychology this process of crude and piecemeal externalization is taking place； in preparation for the final or third stage in which the knowledge will