Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 7, 1896.djvu/87

Rh true that the organisation of the Roman family has been investigated by writers whose works are easily accessible, yet we cannot help thinking that it would have been well to consider the family in its relation to worship. Dr. Granger has scarcely touched upon this; he has been preoccupied with the idea of the state. In a society, however, where the family was so highly organised as at Rome, and where the paternal authority was developed to an extent almost unknown in any other nation which has attained the same pitch of civilisation, the relation of the family to worship must surely be of capital importance, and some space should have been devoted to it.

We hope that Dr. Granger will not rest contented with the present work, but regard it as merely an instalment of a larger and more copious exposition of a very interesting subject, which may be expected to yield yet more fruitful results. He need not be afraid, in the present day, of those who "may criticise the freedom with which the usages and ideas of the Christian world have been brought forward to illustrate pagan religion." As he himself points out, "Christianity was not preached by its first missionary as an isolated phenomenon." Moreover, the object which should be equally dear to orthodox and unorthodox is the attainment of truth. Parallel practices and parallel ideas in Christianity or Judaism and any form of paganism have some relation to one another. That they should be pointed out ought not to offend the most susceptible; but, on the contrary, gratitude should be excited for the opportunity of interpreting them aright, and so of removing what might prove stumbling-blocks in the path of the unwary.

Meantime we desire to acknowledge, in no grudging measure, our sense of indebtedness to Dr. Granger for what he has given us. It is not to be expected that all his solutions of difficult problems will be accepted; but there is no question that his methods are sound, and the conclusions he offers, without the least trace of dogmatism and often with humour, are always worthy of careful consideration.