Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 21, 1910.djvu/561

 Reviews. 519

Marett, and Van Gennep, especially applauding "I'opposition resolue mais noble de M. Sidney Hartland," to whose criticisms, indeed, and perhaps to his alone, I am greatly indebted. That Mr. Tylor has not offered any censure of my book, or books, is due to two causes, no doubt. I am his very old friend and pupil ; he loves not controversy ; and his official duties at Oxford, combined, alas, with ill health, have retarded the publication of the great work on which he has long been engaged. Many learned men, Uke Mr. Tylor, detest polemics, though, for my part, I think that discussion may be most profitable, as long as we do not let " our angry tempers rise."

Pere Schmidt begins with Mr. Howitt, whose theory of the origins of the belief in an All Father is not, indeed, identical with my own. But, in the matter of facts, Mr. Howitt wrote, "as to the belief in the tribal All Father which is held by the tribes mentioned by me in my Native Tribes^ and is not held by other authors, I see no reason to alter anything I have said." Well, as to the existence of the belief in an ethical and explicitly non- animistic All Father, I entirely agree with Mr. Howitt. As to the origin of the belief I do not feel sure that Mr. Howitt is right, his view being that the All Father is merely the Head-man of the Sky-tribe. However, this is a matter of theory of origins : and Pere Schmidt proceeds to combat Mr. Howitt's theory (pp. 127-128), which certainly does not colligate all the facts. At most Pere Schmidt appears to grant that "some of the traits which characterise the Supreme Being among the aforesaid tribes " are suggested by the earthly headman : which is not unlikely.

To me Mr. Howitt seemed to regard the belief as a concomitant of social progress from " group marriage," female descent, and "matrimonial classes," to individual marriage, male descent, and society with a local basis. Pere Schmidt shows that Mr. Hartland and Mr. Frazer understood Mr. Howitt in the same sense.- But I pointed out that, according to Mr. Howitt, the belief existed among tribes with female descent and with no local basis of society, while it is not found in Mr. Spencer's Arunta and the northern tribes with individual marriage, male descent, and loca communities.

~^Folk-Lore, xvi., 1905, p. 106. Fortnightly Review^ Sept., 1905.