Whether enveloped in her hammock and
slung up to the roof, as in South America, or elevated above the ground in
a dark and narrow cage, as in New Zealand, she may be considered to be out
of the way of doing mischief, since, being shut off both from the earth
and from the sun, she can poison neither of these great sources of life by
her deadly contagion. The precautions thus taken to isolate or insulate
the girl are dictated by regard for her own safety as well as for the
safety of others.... In short, the girl is viewed as charged with a
powerful force which, if not kept within bounds, may prove the destruction
both of the girl herself and of all with whom she comes in contact. To
repress this force within the limits necessary for the safety of all
concerned is the object of the taboos in question. The same explanation
applies to the observance of the same rules by divine kings and priests.
The uncleanliness, as it is called, of girls at puberty and the sanctity
of holy men do not, to the primitive mind, differ from each other. They
are only different manifestations of the same supernatural energy, which,
like energy in general, is in itself neither good nor bad, but becomes
beneficent or malignant according to its application."[363]

More recently this view of the matter has been further extended by the
distinguished French sociologist, Durkheim. Investigating the origins of
the prohibition of incest, and arguing that it proceeds from the custom of
exogamy (or marriage outside the clan), and that this rests on certain
ideas about blood, which, again, are traceable to totemism,--a theory
which we need not here discuss,--Durkheim is brought face to face with the
group of conceptions that now concern us. He insists on the extreme
ambiguity found in primitive culture concerning the notion of the divine,
and the close connection between aversion and veneration, and points out
that it is not only at puberty and each recurrence of the menstrual epoch
that women have aroused these emotions, but also at childbirth. "A
sentiment of religious horror," he continues, "which can reach such a
degree of intensity, which can be called forth by so many circumstances,
and reappears regularly every month to last for a week at least, cannot
fail to extend its influence beyond the periods to which it was originally
confined, and to affect the whole course of life. A being who must be
secluded or avoided for weeks, months, or years preserves s