the knowledge, only an adequate method is necessary to make the religion a living thing. It ought to be no longer possible to echo the refrain of a score of articles in this work: "The religion of this people is animism," or "The religion of this people is shamanism"-as though something significant were being said. Neither will it be possible to make the fascinating story of early Vedic religion into a dry catalogue of ideas in regard to gods and supernatural beings as it here appears. We shall learn to interpret the life of the peoples and in that interpretation set forth the data of religion as an integral part. Then each element will be given its true value, which is impossible so long as we merely catalogue materials under such terms as worship, gods, fetishism, souls, demons, magic, tabu, propitiation, sacrifice, et al. These terms may be valuable, but when they are used as substitutes for understanding they become a nuisance.

When we pass from the religions of undeveloped peoples to those of the so-called civilized groups, the methodological task becomes more difficult. There is an ever greater temptation to identify religion with its stable embodiments in ideas, scriptures, rites, and institutions. Yet, a survey long enough extended shows that altered social-economic conditions, new powers, new life-activities, and interests change or discard the ancient forms. The root of religion is in the life of the people. The history of religions, as of ideas and institutions, must follow this life current. Except in rare cases, the Encyclopaedia studies of the culture religions do not show the bonds between religion and life. Frequently, they are frankly studies of ideas and, as in the case of Brahmanism, might pass as treatises on theology. But even the gods have vital meaning only in relation to the history of the hopes, fears, defeats, achievements, and ideals of the people who call upon them. Often enough, in the midst of these refined expositions of ideology, one wonders vaguely what relation it all could have had to the practical life of the masses; or if the moral, political, and economic life actually had no vital relation to the thought-forms of priestly systems, how, why, and when the separation took place. So constant is this exaltation of ideas and of documents out of which beliefs are drawn that one is tempted to plead, by way of reaction, for the writing of history of religions in terms of the practical technique of control by which the good life is sought. The history of man's efforts to master his environment, his defeats, triumphs, and despair in relation to varied natural forces, his gradually growing knowledge, the emergence of science this record would carry with it the history of religions. The story of religion as a function of human life will be written at last and will be indebted constantly and in

innumerable ways to this priceless Encyclopaedia. Now, we can only regret that more of these masters of the materials did not seek out the roots of religious ideas, the causes of religious changes in the life of the peoples and so give us a life story instead of a cold catalogue of facts.

For illustration of the treatment of a culture religion, Buddhism will serve. Here is a religion arising in the midst of an already complex milieu, achieving a wonderful development and spread of influence, suffering assimilation and absorption in its native land, carried into other social environments, and becoming transformed into a multitude of types in these new lands. It offers an opportunity of revealing, both in its origin and in its development, the influence of social forces in the making and changing of religious ideas and ideals. We are told:

The character of Buddhism varies according to the country in which it prevails so that a general sketch would be of very little value. The origin of Buddhism has been given in the article, Buddha; its early development will be described in two articles, one on the Hinayana or Little Vehicle, the other on the Mahāyāna or Great Vehicle. Then the Buddhism of each country will be separately treated under the name of the country.

So we follow the directions and seek out Bhutan, Burma, Central Asia (which refers to Turkestan, which is missing), Ceylon, China, Indian Buddhism, Japan, Java, Korea, Siam, Tibet. Sects (Buddhist), Literature (Buddhist). The task is not difficult for the articles are short, but at the end one is left utterly unable to appreciate the historical significance of the religion. There are plenty of facts. The article on Buddha is clear and beyond reproach, but the reason for him and his gospel and his marvelous influence does not appear. The articles on Hinayana and Mahāyāna move in the realm of ideas. We would be glad to know what forces produced these changes in thought. The article on Indian Buddhism is a catalogue with scarcely a hint of the life situation, of the social influences at work, of the relation to the folk religions, or the manner in which Buddhism poured its streams into the currents of Hinduism. The other articles do not attempt any elucidation of the mode of transformation of Buddhism in the respective lands. The last article on Tibet inspires hope, both because of the author and because he knows both Buddhism and the folk religions on which it is superimposed. Here we find an interesting narrative of the Buddhist elements in the ancient folk-customs and ceremonies but stop dismayed to find that for a record of Buddhism in Tibet we are referred to eighteen other articles scattered through the Encyclopaedia. The treatment of Buddhism illustrates most of the faults of the Encyclopaedia both in method of interpretation and in arrangement.

The comparative articles, fortunately, are for the most part simply materials from the various religions gathered under a general topic. The use of the comparative method in generalization plays its part here only in the primitive material, with the usual tendency to class together things which should be kept distinct. In these articles dealing with general topics, it is often possible to get a better insight into the vital meaning of religious forms and ideas than in the general article on the religion as a whole.

The materials of this vast work will stand as a lasting memorial of the brave scholar who planned it and lived to carry it to completion. In the matter of method, it suffers from the fact that, for the last twenty years, scholars have been groping for a satisfactory methodology in the religious sciences. A dozen leads have been abandoned. No one may hurl the stone of condemnation; neither is it possible to rest satisfied with the achievements of the past.

UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO

A. EUSTACE HAYDON

CURRENT EVENTS AND DISCUSSIONS

The Death of Dr. James Hastings. In the British Weekly of November 7, 1922, W. Robertson Nicol writes an appreciative account of the life and achievements of this scholar who is widely known in the field of theological literature. His prominence rests not upon his work as an author but as an editor. He entered this field soon after his ordination in the Free Church in 1884, while in his first pastorate at Kinneff. As this church was small, the virile pastor needed other opportunities for the outlet of his abundant energy. His first venture as an editor led to the founding of the Expository Times, a publication powerful in influence ever since its foundation, and original in design and style.

Of greater importance was his editing of dictionaries. His three works of this type, on "The Bible," "Christ and the Gospels," and "The Apostolic Age," are especially well known. A more recent and, probably more important achievement, is his Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics in twelve volumes. Although Dr. Hastings wrote few articles for his works, he was more than a mere collector of articles. The productions themselves are a sufficient testimony of his high standards. In his own country his position as a minister was notable, but all agree that his most significant achievements have been in the editorial field.

Religion as an Expression of Freedom. In an article published in Nuova Antologia of September 1, and reprinted in the Living Age of October 28, 1922, Senator Alessandro Chiappelli gives a very suggestive analysis of the nature of the religious impulse. He distinguishes between organized forms of religion which demand subjection or obedience on man's part, and the real heart of religion, which consists in a courageous attempt to free man's spirit from the fetters of his conventionalized life.

Viewed in a more general way, religious experience is consciousness of spiritual liberty. Man's instinctive impulse to penetrate the mystery of creation and to discover its meaning; his confused consciousness of a vital power working within him, perhaps independently of himself, that is the profound essence of his being; the consciousness, obscure at first, but steadily growing clearer and more explicit, that this vital power is not a divine gift received in its full maturity, but a seed that planted in the soul must be constantly

cultivated and cared for until it becomes the principle that inspires all our existence-all this produces in the human mind a feeling that there is a mysterious and profound power that aids man to overcome little by little the difficulties and trials of life, and to liberate himself from the imperfections and impediments that reside within him, and from the tyranny of his appetites and his sins.

The author thus suggests that religion is essentially a liberalizing power in human life. Thus conceived, there is a remarkable field for the influence of religion in the development of ideals in our modern social, political, and industrial life.

Toward a Better Understanding of the Negro.-Two recent publications deserve the attention of all fair-minded men who wish to supplant race prejudice through an accurate knowledge of facts. The Negro in Chicago is the title of a volume recently published by the University of Chicago Press, embodying the findings of the Commission on Race Relations appointed by Governor Lowden after the deplorable race riots in Chicago in 1919. The Negro Year Book, compiled by Monroe N. Work, of the Tuskegee Institute, furnishes an imposing array of documents and statistics concerning the negroes. These two volumes bring us face to face with the facts which must ultimately compel fair-minded people to think of the negro as a human being and as a citizen of this country instead of judging him in terms of popular caricatures or of race prejudice. The negro is rapidly coming to a consciousness of certain rights which he may claim and which in justice should be accorded to him. When we learn that negroes own property worth $1,500,000,000, that they own church property valued at $90,000,000, that they raised among themselves $2,000,000 last year for education, we become aware that the race is achieving a position which entitles it to respect and to fair treatment. An impressive list of names of negroes who have attained deserved eminence in the fields of literature, music, and art indicates something of the contribution made by the race to our higher life. Documents setting forth in clear terms and with abundant detailed evidence the political and social disabilities under which the negro suffers should be pondered by all fair-minded citizens. Thus far it has been assumed that the negro needs to have his welfare planned for him and administered on his behalf by the white race. In these two volumes we have the evidence that such a paternalistic conception will be increasingly resented by negroes as they come to occupy positions of importance and to become possessed of wealth. Both these volumes are to be welcomed as means of spreading information which must form the basis of better conceptions of race relationships.