The
characteristic economic feature of this apparel is a more than
ordinarily accentuated conspicuous waste, together with the
secondary feature -- more accentuated in the case of the priestly
servants than in that of the servants or courtiers of the
barbarian potentate -- that this court dress must always be in
some degree of an archaic fashion. Also the garments worn by the
lay members of the community when they come into the presence,
should be of a more expensive kind than their everyday apparel.
Here, again, the parallelism between the usage of the chieftain's
audience hall and that of the sanctuary is fairly well marked. In
this respect there is required a certain ceremonial "cleanness"
of attire, the essential feature of which, in the economic
respect, is that the garments worn on these occasions should
carry as little suggestion as may be of any industrial occupation
or of any habitual addiction to such employments as are of
material use.
This requirement of conspicuous waste and of ceremonial cleanness
from the traces of industry extends also to the apparel, and in a
less degree to the food, which is consumed on sacred holidays;
that is to say, on days set apart -- tabu -- for the divinity or
for some member of the lower ranks of the preternatural leisure
class.
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