So also such fragments as
we possess of a specialized or hereditary indigent class, or of a
segregated criminal or dissolute class; although among these
latter the devout habit of mind is apt to take the form of a
naive animistic belief in luck and in the efficacy of shamanistic
practices perhaps more frequently than it takes the form of a
formal adherence to any accredited creed. The artisan class, on
the other hand, is notoriously falling away from the accredited
anthropomorphic creeds and from all devout observances. This
class is in an especial degree exposed to the characteristic
intellectual and spiritual stress of modern organized industry,
which requires a constant recognition of the undisguised
phenomena of impersonal, matter-of-fact sequence and an
unreserved conformity to the law of cause and effect. This class
is at the same time not underfed nor over-worked to such an
extent as to leave no margin of energy for the work of
adaptation.
The case of the lower or doubtful leisure class in America -- the
middle class commonly so called -- is somewhat peculiar. It
differs in respect of its devotional life from its European
counterpart, but it differs in degree and method rather than in
substance.
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