Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 27, 1916.djvu/473

 Reviews. 445

copy of which Dr. Sibree has kindly presented to the library of the Society, may, we hope, be only a forerunner of a series devoted to the traditions and customs of the Malagasy.

It is the first instalment of a collection of proverbs current among the Hova, the dominant people of the island. Naturally, it deals chiefly with their moral ideals, on which it throws much light. But great as its interest may be, in order to obtain some- thing like a correct view of their morality it should be correlated with an account of their customs and institutions. Incidentally, of course, we get allusions to these, and valuable such allusions are. Proverbs alone, however, do not go far enough to afford us a ])icture of the actual daily life of a people and the religious beliefs and more secular motives that really inspire them. For this we must have resort to narrative and description.

As illustrations of the allusions we may take those relating to death-rites, such as Nos. 234, 978, 1027, etc. ; the swearing of oaths on various occasions (506-509), taboo-signs (818), the orientation of the dwelling-house (125). In reference to the last be it noted that " the old native houses always face west." Seeing that the Hova came undoubtedly from the East, the practice goes counter to the theory that the dwelling is orientated towards the country of traditional origin. But the collection is so rich that it is difficult to make a selection among the various subjects of interest. It would have enhanced its value if the explanations had been in some cases a little more detailed. Things that are quite clear to those who are on the spot may need elucidating to others. The French version with its comments often explains the English version.

E. Sidney Hartland.

Rest-Uays : A Study in Early Law and Morality. By HuTTON Webster. Macmillan & Co., 1916. Price 12s. 6d. net.

Professor Hutton Webster, well-known for his valuable work on Primitive Secret Societies, discusses in this interesting book the

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