If the festival, then, grew of its own accord in inward meaning and outward circumstance, the circle of those who came to take part in it grew as well. Originally this festival, so rich in promised blessings, admitted only the citizens of Eleusis, perhaps only the members of certain noble Eleusinian families--and may have appeared to its members an even greater privilege through this very exclusiveness. In this respect it changed completely, admission to it was thrown open to all Greeks--not merely Athenians, but every Greek without distinction of race or country, whether man or woman, was welcomed at Eleusis (and even hetairai, who were still excluded, e.g. from the Demeter-festival of the Athenian women; to say nothing of children and slaves).[14\6] The generosity of Athens--such was the glorious boast--wished the unexampled salvation which this festival promised to its worshippers to be made accessible to all Greeks.[15\6] What contrast to the exclusive cult-unions into which a man had to be born in order, as citizen of a state, member of a _phratria_, clan, or family, to participate in the advantages they offered! The society of the Eleusinian mystery-festival, once just as exclusive as the rest, had thrown open its doors so widely that this almost unconditional freedom of access became its principle and distinguishing characteristic. The attraction of membership was even heightened by the fact that just by his own unhampered free will and choice the individual could enter the great society through the mediation of one of the two families to whom the highest priesthood of the festival {222} was committed.[16\5] The only condition made was ritual purity, and murderers, for whom this was an impossibility--as it was even for those who were only accused of the shedding of blood--were as such excluded from the mysteries: as, indeed, they were from all the religious ceremonies of the state.[17\6] Religious purification of the worshippers preceded and accompanied the holding of the festival; to many of the believers it may have appeared that the whole festival itself was principally a great purification and religious dedication of unusual solemnity, by which the members ("the Pure"[18\6] as they called themselves) were made worthy of the favour of the goddesses. § 3