Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 11, 1900.djvu/324

 3 1 2 Reviews.

as the latter point is concerned, it may suffice to say that Mrs. Gomme's Singing Gaines is noted, but not her Traditional Games, that Mr. Frazer's name is not once mentioned ; that Mr. Hartland's Science of Fairy Tales is cited, but not his Legend of Perseus (and this is a work which deals with the methodology of folklore !) ; and that Mr. Jacobs, whose work is so often of interest for the Romance scholar as well as for the folklorist, is passed over in complete silence. Strangest omission of all, the ballad problem is not touched upon. M. Gaston Paris' brilliant and revolutionary hypotheses are ignored, and Child's great collection is never once mentioned. Dr. Krauss has rendered such good service to the study that I am loth to speak thus of any work of his, but I am compelled to say that he has done justice neither to his theme nor to himself.

Neue Beitrage zur Kentniss des Volkrathsels. R. Petsch. Berlin : Mayer und Miiller. 1899. (Palaestra, No. 4.)

A SCHOLARLY work, well conceived, based on wide and thorough research, and full of interest from the first page to the last. Detailed criticism of an annotated collection of riddles is im- possible. I would only say that the author draws fully upon English sources, and that the student of tales and ballads may often glean useful hints from his pages. In two appendices the author reprints an early German riddle chap-book, and discusses the best mode of classifying and editing folk-riddles.

Folklore in England und Amerika. C. Klopper. Dresden : C. A. Koch. 1899. (Neusprachlichle Abhandlungen, No. viii.)

I only notice this pamphlet as a dreadful example. In sixty-one pages the author has essayed to give a " connected survey of the more important superstitions, customs, and beliefs of the English- speaking race in Great Britain and the United States." The result is worse than worthless ; it cannot but be seriously mis- leading to any one unacquainted at first hand with the sources whence the author draws his information. These are treated as if they were all on the same level ; isolated facts are picked out in- discriminately, are stated in the most general terms, and a picture is drawn of which every single item may be accurate, but which