Mt. Pleasant Pyramid | 1913-11-07 | Page 2 | What Figureheads Mean

What Figureheads Mean. When the wall of a city was built or the foundation of a public building was laid in ancient times men used to supply the edifice with a guardian spirit by burying within it a human being. The ghost of the victim wa3 supposed to take possession of the structure and bless it with good fortune. for-tune. And when a boat or ship was launched it was made to roll over the body of a man for the same purpose. Substitution of the bodies and blood of animals followed, and civilized peoples peo-ples have softened the ceremony until only symbolic wine remains. The figureheads upon ships are remnants rem-nants of the custom of binding the body of the immolated god upon the prow at launching, and they are still regarded as mascots.