(ii.) The Rite. Accompanying the magical formula is a set of actions, the rite, the primary function of which is to convey the spell to the object which it is desired to affect. Thus when a Maori dart-thrower wished to make a good cast he would spit upon the implement and repeat a charm beginning "Fly forward, my dart, like a meteor in the heavens." Like the spell, the rite is definitely prescribed in form and is often in distinct correspond ence with the words uttered. Thus movement described in the spell is carried out or imitated by the performer, substances which produce effects analogous to those desired are handled and mentioned. The sprinkling of water on the ground, for instance, is often part of the magic of rain-making, the destruction of an image by fire accompanies a charm to bewitch an enemy with burning pains. Attractive scents are used in love magic, powdered lime is released by Melanesian sailors in danger from flying witches, to make a magic fog which will blind their pursuit. The rite is thus the vehicle of the spell and its equivalent, the transla tion of the word into action.
(iii.) Condition of the Performer. Since magic is of such im portance the performer must handle it with care. In all commu nities he is hedged around by taboos ; he must refrain from eating certain foods, from casual sexual indulgence, and from other con taminating things. If he fails to conform, then he nullifies the power of his art ; breach of taboo, in fact, is the cause most fre auentiv assigned for failure of magic. The emotional attitude of the magician is also of interest. In the rite of black magic which consists in pointing a bone or dart at a victim, the wizard twists and turns the instrument in the air and assumes a state of excite ment and fury as if he actually were performing the deed of stabbing his enemy. Dr. Malinowski stresses the importance to the theory of magic of this simulation of the real act ; he sees in fact in the sympathetic emotional condition of the performer, the fundamental basis of the art. Magic, for him, is a ritualized expression of an emotional state of desire, which, baulked of its object, nevertheless is constrained to find outlet in speech and gesture. In the spontaneous outburst of word and act lies the germ of spell and rite, in the illusion of subjective experience— the conviction that such actions have really had their effect— rests the foundation of the belief in magical efficiency.
(3.) The Essence of Magical Power.—Dr. Marett ascribes the basic idea of magic to the belief of the native in a vague mysterious power, supernatural and immaterial, animating all things. Hubert and Mauss and Prof. K. Th. Preuss have independ ently arrived at somewhat the same conclusion. "Mona," it is said, "is the mother-idea of magic." This notion of a mystic impersonal force is held by many primitive peoples, being termed mana in parts of the Pacific, hasina by the Malagasy, and wakan, orenda, pokunt and manitou by various American Indian tribes. But ex amination of its content shows that it is a concept of an extremely general order. The essence of magical power, on the other hand, is very restricted ; it is fixed in man, it is bound by human tradition, it is even localized at times in the body of the wizard. It is not, like mana, a universal force latent in all things, which man has taken and utilized for his own ends. The real virtue of magic is
embodied in the spell, and to a less extent in the rite. Magic is born of the emotional tension of specific situations; it is not the concrete use of a general abstract concept. The idea of mana is certainly closely intertwined with the practice of magic, but they are interlacing stems which spring from a different root.
The value of Marett's contribution to the theory of magic lies in his stress on the emotional aspect of the performance, analysing the state of mind of the savage in his magical experiences. By his psychological treatment he counteracted the tendency to an over intellectualistic study of primitive beliefs. (See MAMA.) (a.) Magic and Primitive Science.—By Edward Tylor, the great pioneer in anthropology, magic was regarded as developing from the thought-processes of primitive man by mistaken associa tion of ideas, and becoming organized into "an elaborate and sys tematic pseudo-science." This position has been more explicitly formulated by Sir James Frazer. He advances the view that magic really represents the attempt of man to formulate a body of prin ciples by which the sequence of events throughout the world may be determined. "Magic is a spurious system of natural law as well as a fallacious guide of conduct; it is a false science as well as an abortive art." The label of "bastard science" affixed by Frazer has not re mained unchallenged. Hubert and Mauss, in their study of magic, and Dr. Marett from the psychological side, point out that there are radical differences between the magical and the scientific atti tude of man towards his environment. By his analysis of garden magic in Melanesia in conjunction with the actual agricultural operations, Dr. Malinowski shows that the native outlook upon the two is essentially different. Empirical knowledge of soils and plant growth, of wind and weather, is utilized to cope with the known and calculable requirements of the industry; the native is well aware that careful tillage, weeding, repairing of fences and replacement of damaged seed are essential for a good harvest. On the other hand, to secure the right amount of rain and sun, avoid insect pests, or unaccountable failure of the crop, to ward off the ill-luck which sometimes dogs his steps he has recourse to magical aid. So also in canoe-building, fishing, warfare, love-making, the birth of children and matters of health and death, primitive man recognizes both a natural and a supernatural set of conditions, facing the first with rational technique and empirical knowledge, embodied even in rudimentary theoretical laws, the second with the arts of magic. The same duality is to be found in the economic life of the Maori (Raymond Firth) and evidence is accumulating to show that this must be a phenomenon of universal occurrence. Primitive man has his real science, running side by side with his magic. The two are closely bound together in the practical activ ity, the body of rational knowledge being utilized to deal with the mechanical efficiency of the undertaking, while the ritual of magic deals with the incalculable elements therein, the luck and chance upon which so much of success depends.