In favour of my theory is the fact that the oldest evidence, that of persons born before the genius of Chaka revolutionised Zulu life, agrees with what I expect to find, a creative tradition. The success of either of the competing theories--that which sees elements of a high religion among low savages, and that which denies the existence of these elements--does not appear to me to affect our ideas about 'the truth of religion.' Each theory regards religion as a thing evolved by mankind in accordance with their essential nature. The only question is as to the sequence of stages of evolution. Suppose that the beginning of religion was (as in my hypothesis) regard for a maker and father, who was credited with sanctioning morality, and, in some cases, with rewarding or punishing the good or bad in a future life. These ideas occur in modern religion. But the circumstance that they also occurred in primitive religion would not prove modern religion to be 'true.' It would only prove that the men who evolved primitive religion were really human: very like their descendants. Why not? They did not produce the higher ideas pure: or at least, as we find them, they are always contaminated, soften overlaid, by myths of every degree of absurdity and viciousness. But it is to be observed that the faith of primitive man, as far as it is represented by the evidence which I offer as to very backward man, had not some of the worst elements of the creeds of more advanced races. Sacrifices there were none. But when agriculture arose, it brought with it hecatombs of human sacrifices, especially if we agree with Mr. Frazer's theory stated in 'The Golden Bough.' So far it cannot be doubted that, as man advanced in social progress, he became more deeply stained with religious cruelty. In similar fashion the religion of peace and goodwill came to be accompanied, thanks to the nature of mankind, by religious cruelties as barbarous as those of the Aztecs. _Tantæ molis erat_: so hard has it been to elevate the race in any one direction without introducing new depressions in other directions. [1] _Folk Lore_, March 1901, p. 21. Presidential address. [2] Callaway, _Religion of the Amazulu_, p. 10 1868. [3] _Primitive Culture_, ii. pp. 312, 313, 1873. [4] Callaway, p. 29. [5] Callaway, p. 41; _Folk Lore, ut supra_, p. 23. [6] Callaway, p. 10, note 25. [7] _Ibid._ p. 21. [8] _Ibid_. p. 17. [9] _Ibid._ pp. 26, 27. [10] _Umdabuko_ is derived from _ukadabuka_, to be broken off, a word implying the pre-existence of something from which the division took place. Callaway, i. note 3, 50, note 95. It is usually a vaguely metaphysical term. [11] Callaway, pp. 52, 53. [12] Waitz, _Anthropologie_, i. 167. [13] _Ibid._ p. 59, and note 12. [14] _Ibid_. 61, and note 17, 9, and note 22. [15] Callaway, 63, and note 23. [16] _Ibid._ p. 65. [17] Waitz, _Anthropologie_, pp. 105, 106. [18] _Missionary Travels_, p. 158. [19] _Folk Lore_, March 1901, pp. 26, 27.