been abandoned by civilized man; but phallic worship, the first
_abstract_ religion evolved by man, has taken deeper root; its
fundamental principles are still present, though they have their seat in
our subliminal consciousness, and we are, therefore, not actively
conscious of their existence. But before entering on the discussion of
this last point, let us turn for a time to a study of phallic worship.

CHAPTER II.

PHALLIC WORSHIP.

Phallic worship, in some form or other, has been practiced by almost
every race under the sun. Indeed, among primitive peoples, those who do
not practice this cult are so few in number that they have, practically,
no weight whatever in a discussion of this subject. Moreover, those
primitive peoples who do not worship the generative principle, either
directly or indirectly, are without any religion whatsoever, and are the
very lowest of all mankind in point of intelligence. I have only to cite
the Tierra del Fuegians, the Bushmen, the Australians, and the Akka or
Ticki-Ticki, the Pygmies of Central Africa, to prove the truthfulness of
this assertion. There are other peoples who would serve as examples, but
it would be a work of supererogation to enumerate them to even the
casual reader.

D'Hancarville, in his magnificent work, has traced the progress of the
worship of the generative principle over the entire world, while Knight,
in his scholarly essay,[36] has brought out its psychological truths in
a manner which cannot be surpassed. It is not my purpose to enter into a
detailed account of this cult; I propose rather to discuss its probable
origin in the beginning, and to give a brief outline of its history, as
it is to be observed among living peoples. I wish to show, also, its
connection with certain religious ceremonies and festivals of Christian
peoples, which had their origin, _ab initio_, in the worship of Priapus.
And, before beginning the discussion of this subject, I beg to remind
the reader that a priest of Priapus regarded his sistrum as being just
as sacred as a Catholic priest now considers any vessel or robe used in
the service of mass, and that the priests of Brahma look on the Lingam
with as much reverence and awe as did the Levites on the Ark of the
Covenant and the Holy of Holies. Phallic worship is a religion, the
oldest _abstract_ religion in existence. Fundamentally the Creator--the
Life Giver--is the phallic worshiper's god. Is he very far wrong in all
t