Forlong - Rivers of Life

286
Rivers of Life, or Faiths of Man in all Lands.
remove mountains of stone some few scores of miles, and think nothing of it; and
even if these stones had been carried half across Europe, this is nothing to what
Phallo-Solar faiths have elsewhere done. It is clear that for long centuries men and
women worshipped here, and have only lately ceased on this coast to honour and
revere large stones as emblematical of divinity. In such monuments as these we see
the very earliest idea of the temple; when the tree was forsaken, or not easily obtained,
the column took its place; and columns in time naturally came to be grouped together,
probably first in serpentine, and then in circular or solar form, as at Abury. After a
while the monoliths came to be capped by horizontals as at Stonehenge; and finally
got capitals and handsome architraves, as at Palmyro. Lastly, spots would be grouped
small enough to shelter the priests from the weather; until at last would be produced
such temples as we find the ruins of over all the ancient world; but the Kyklops and
ancient Indian races, did not favour such innovations till comparatively later times.
They clearly considered what we call the “avenues” or mere approaches, whether in
wavy Draconic form, straight or circular, to be their shrine; just as Christians consider
that the outer lines of their cruciform church is almost equally holy with the altar;
for the ancients speak of their “great stony Python” as “covering several acres.” 1 So
that the Christian church with its navis and transept (see Plan, next chapter), and in
the midst of its consecrated grounds, is but the reduced outline which these so-called
approaches took in relation to the central altar; which both shrines have alike, and
with certain strict relations to the rising “Sun of Righteousness.”
All who have attended great Eastern festivals or gatherings for sacrifice, pilgrimage,
and worship, will also see the use and wisdom of having “the holy ground” or
shrine so marked off; for the followers of ancient faiths come not for a two-hour service,
but for a week or so, to sacrifice, fast, and feast; and to be instructed, and pray,
and teach their little ones to do the same. Nor was the sacrificing, as now-a-days,
mere offerings of rice, bread, oils, flowers, &c., but costly herds and flocks; or, at all
events, from every family some cattle, goats, sheep, doves, &c. In the days when these
“avenues” were erected, the worshippers came with their wives, children, tents, and
abundant provender; and we know what a wonderful scene, and over what an enormous
spaee such encampments extend, even in these degenerate days, whether at
Hardwar on the Ganges, or on the plains around Poori or Jager-Nāt. It is necessary
that all pilgrims or devotees should encamp on that which is marked out as holy
ground, just as Christians must worship in consecrated buildings, where the priests
could only visit them. These went about, no doubt, as they do still, visiting the
family encampments to instruct, pray with, and receive the offerings of the faithful,
precisely as we see still done in the small chapels of great Christian shrines; but
not every one ventures into the “Holy of Holies.” The father of the family, and
perhaps his eldest son would; but if poor and of humble origin, even they
might well hesitate to go forward to the great central altar, to deliver their little
1 [Footnote missing in the copy I was working from. — T.S.]