Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 24, 1913.djvu/569

 Reviews. 531

origins of all religious phenomena to crowd manifestations seems to narrow down extremely both the forms of social influence upon religion, and the sources from which man can draw his religious inspiration. " Mental effervescence " in large gatherings can hardly be accepted as the only source of religion.

But, while one is bound to criticize certain points of principle in Prof Durkheim's work, it must be added that the work contains in a relatively small bulk such thorough analyses of theories of religious facts, — several of which, of first-rate importance, are original contributions by Prof. Durkheim or his school, — as could only be given by one of the acutest and most brilliant living sociologists, and that these by themselves would make the book a contribution to science of the greatest importance.

B. Malinowski.

The Lost Language of Symbolism. An enquiry into the origin of certain letters, words, names, fairy-tales, folk-lore, and mythologies. By Harold Bavlev. 2 vols. Williams & Norgate, 1912. Svo, pp. x + 375, viii + 3S8. 111. 25s.//.

A RECENT Chinese minister to this country contended, in a magazine article, that Europe would soon follow the example of China, abandon all attempts to represent by writing the temporary sound of words, and base a universal written language of the future upon pure symbols of ideas. However this may be, it is certainly the case that in the last generation and a half there have appeared a host of works on emblems and symbols, of which the best-known are those of Inman, Goblet d'Alviella, and F. E. Hulme. During the current year several additions have been made of books on animal and floral symbolism in architecture and art. The present volumes have a much more ambitious aim than these departmental studies, for their publishers claim that they "will be for Symbolism what Frazer's Go/den Bough is for Religious Anthropology " !

To many minds symbolism is a fascinating study, and to some it is a dangerous one by its temptation to read recondite meanings into simple signs and scribbles, and to find a lofty philosophy in the crude designs of the savage. AVhere the symbol-users are far