We are told that in ancient times those charged with the erection of public edifices sought the favor of the gods by offering human sacrifices at the beginning of construction.
The ceremony took the form of placing living victims, duly cleansed and purified, beneath the first stone of the building. In the earliest stages of this proceeding men submitted to immolation unwillingly, but were comforted by the promise of a double dose of the essence of immortality.
The constant reiteration of this promise had the usual effect of propaganda; men came to believe in it and, casting aside their fear of death, began to compete for this opportunity to gain publicity.
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1945 - Cornerstones in U.S.A. - F P Strickland, U.S.A.
