Charles Beadle

“ Such is without doubt as in all religions a matter forbidden to infidels and the ignorant."
"Well, buy the information then."
"It is not possible to buy faith. With one thousand pardons I will express myself for the reason of my excitement," replied Ali as coldly as the liturgy. "According to my way of thinking, the priest is most friendly disposed toward us. Indeed, he has invited—even more in the limits of his language—he has prayed that we stop to see the ceremony of the marriage of the sacred tree."
"Um. Um," mumbled the doctor, scratching a mosquito-bite on his left ear. ”

“ I desire to point out that our ancient ruins have influenced even these savages."
"You have," interrupted the doctor dryly. "Get on."
"The Occidental are not the ways of the Oriental——"
"Ali, shut up and get along with the yarn!"
"I hasten to obey, Doctor. I desire to state that these savages have confused an ancient philosophy with their own ignorant superstitions."
"Never mind that. What is the superstition?"
"As you will doubtless have read or learned, Doctor, each of these peoples have, with scarcely any exception, a belief in the spirits of the trees and the rivers. ”

“ The correct word flees from me."
"Animism."
"Thank you, Doctor. Animism. But in this case they have confused——"
"Confound it," grumbled Herdwether, "never mind that!"
"They, as I wish to express, believe in the spirits of the wood and the plants. They have, the priest tells me, here a sacred and holy tree, which is the mother—I desire to express that it is the mother."
"Well, you have. What about it?"
"Because all other trees are male."
"The devil they are! Trees have sex as well as anybody else."
"Indeed true words as your exquisite education has taught me. But not with these peoples. ”