Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 40.djvu/208

196 which make a loud noise, or carved wands of wood or ivory, powerful in healing or in witchcraft. It must be noticed that here every article has spirit power, and all or nearly all are calculated to inculcate feelings of terror or dread. There are some special articles, at times worn or carried by the shaman, which are very interesting. Among them are the curiously carved hollow bone tubes, used by the Haida shamans, into which the soul of a sick man is tempted and kept prisoner until it is restored to him upon his recovery to health. Every Tlingit shaman would carry also a scratcher of stone or bone, carved neatly, which he uses in treating the sick. It would be unlucky—disastrous—for him to touch the patient with his hand, but the scratcher may touch him without damage.

Turning from such savage garments to the dress of religious officers in civilized communities, we no longer find the chief design to be production of terror, but rather to impress by grandeur or magnificence. Of course, the fundamental idea in both is the same—to mark off or distinguish the priest from the layman. In the vestments of priests we find numerous cases of survival. What is meant by a "survival" in religion is well shown by the sacred fire of various peoples. Among the Sacs and Foxes matches made by white men are commonly used for the production of fire. On the occasion of religious ceremonies, however, the priest kindles a fire by friction of pieces of wood, using a spindle of cedar rapidly whirled by a bow between two boards of the same kind. Such fire is sacred, and is supposed to come direct from heaven. It is, we think, perfectly certain that anciently these Indians used the fire-drill as their only means of kindling fire. As better means, such as flints, were found, the old drill passed out of every-day use, but it lingered on in religious rite, and still survives. In the same way, in Japan to-day, we are informed by a Japanese friend, the Buddhist priests still use the flint