hica. As the sun is the
center of the physical universe, so all primitive peoples made it
the hub about which their religion revolved, nearly always
believing it a living person to whom they could say prayers and
offer sacrifices, who directed their lives and destinies, and could
even snatch men from earthly existence to dwell for a time with
him, as it draws the water from lakes and seas.

In believing this they followed an instinct of all early peoples, a
desire to make persons of the great powers of nature, such as the
world of growing things, mountains and water, the sun, moon, and
stars; and a wish for these gods they had made to take an interest
in and be part of their daily life. The next step was making
stories about them to account for what was seen; so arose myths and
legends.

The sun has always marked out work-time and rest, divided the year
into winter idleness, seed-time, growth, and harvest; it has always
been responsible for all the beauty and goodness of the earth; it
is itself splendid to look upon. It goes away and stays longer and
longer, leaving the land in cold and gloom; it returns bringing the
long fair days and resurrection of spring. A Japanese legend tells
how the hidden sun was lured out by an image made of a copper plate
with saplings radiating from it like sunbeams, and a fire kindled,
dancing, and prayers; and round the earth in North America the
Cherokees believed they brought the sun back upon its northward
path by the same means of rousing its curiosity, so that it would
come out to see its counterpart and find out what was going on.

All the more important church festivals are survivals of old rites
to the sun. "How many times the Church has decanted the new wine of
Christianity into the old bottles of heathendom." Yule-tide, the
pagan Christmas, celebrated the sun's turning north, and the old
midsummer holiday is still kept in Ireland and on the Continent as
St. John's Day by the lighting of bonfires and a dance about them
from east to west as the sun appears to move. The pagan Hallowe'en
at the end of summer was a time of grief for the decline of the
sun's glory, as well as a harvest festival of thanksgiving to him
for having ripened the grain and fruit, as we formerly had
husking-bees when the ears had been garnered, and now keep our own
Thanksgiving by eating of our winter store in praise of God who
gives us our increase.

Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit, lends us the harv