Page:The Folk-Lore Journal Volume 4 1886.djvu/219

 THE SCIENCE OF FOLK-LORE. 211

implies criticism of the others. When invited, therefore, to state my views, I could have expressed them by criticising those that have pre- ceded me ; but that would have made me an arbiter of the discussion, a position I have no right to assume : and I trust I have not done wrongly in increasing the materials for the controversy instead of fol- lowing such a course. It seems to me that the questions of the correct definition and the right plan can only be settled satisfactorily in committee, and will never be set at rest by any individual reasoner. I have also perceived that the terms by which it has been proposed to name the divisions of each scheme arose out of the scheme itself, so that we have already a large number of sub-titles, mostly combined with the word " folk," for the minor branches of our study, the greater number of which must perforce be eventually discarded; so I have avoided adding to the number of the still-born, and have above con- fined myself to general principles when discussing the proper method of procedure.

Besides the above-mentioned efiforts to directly advance the develop- ment of Folk-lore into a Science, several articles have appeared both in the Record and in the Journal which have largely contributed towards it. Among these I would mention Mr. Cootes' on the " Neo-Latin Fay " and on " Catskin,'' and Mr. Lang's " Anthropology and the Vedas," as emphasizing much that I have just advanced as to the value of historical treatment. Mr. Clodd's " Philosophy of Punchkin " is also valuable as drawing attention to the usefulness of periodically taking stock of the materials to hand ; and Mr. Fenton on " Folk-lore as an aid to Education" proves that at least one practical result of no small consequence is to be got out of the Science.

The formation of a Folk-lore Libraiy has, I see, been more than once mooted, but nothing much has come of the idea. I suggest that a Museum as well as a Library would be of immense advantage to students, though for either we must find a fixed habitation — a matter we have not so far been able to accomplish for ourselves. Would it not be possible to start a scheme of donations for both these objects in cash or kind, trusting to subscriptions in the future for main- tenance ? We have the example of that oldest of all Oriental

p2