That  the  exercise  of  the  emulative  and  lower  ani-
mistic   proclivities    are    substantially    useful    for    the


300  The  Theory  of  the  Leisure  Class

devout  purpose  seems  to  be  placed  beyond  question
by  the  fact  that  the  priesthood  of  many  denominations
is  following  the  lead  of  the  lay  organisations  in  this
respect.  Those  ecclesiastical  organisations  especially
which  stand  nearest  the  lay  organisations  in  their
insistence  on  practical  religion  have  gone  some  way
towards  adopting  these  or  analogous  practices  in  con-
nection with  the  traditional  devout  observances.  So
there  are  "boys'  brigades,"  and  other  organisations,
under  clerical  sanction,  acting  to  develop  the  emulative
proclivity  and  the  sense  of  status  in  the  youthful
members  of  the  congregation.  These  pseudo-military
organisations  tend  to  elaborate  and  accentuate  the  pro-
clivity to  emulation  and  invidious  comparison,  and  so
strengthen  the  native  facility  for  discerning  and  approv-
ing the  relation  of  personal  mastery  and  subservience.
And  a  believer  is  eminently  a  person  who  knows  how
to  obey  and  accept  chastisement  with  good  grace.
But  the  habits  of  thought  which  these  practices
foster  and  conserve  make  up  but  one-half  of  the  sub-
stance of  the  anthropomorphic  cults.  The  other,  com-
plementary element  of  devout  life  —  the  animistic  habit
of  mind  —  is  recruited  and  conserved  by  a  second
range  of  practices  organised  under  clerical  sanction.
These  are  the  class  of  gambling  practices  of  which
the  church  bazaar  or  raffle  may  be  taken  as  the  type.
