Page:Transactions of the Second International Folk-Congress.djvu/20

xvi was formed, with Mrs. Gomme as Secretary, to carry into effect schemes felt to be of great interest to members of the Congress; one of these, due to Mrs. Gomme, and to the realisation of which she devoted herself with unwearying ardour, was the collection of as complete a series as possible of English local and festival cakes; another was a conversazione designed to practically illustrate items of English folk-custom and fancy. The Committee was fortunate enough to secure the aid of Miss Burne, a name honoured by all who care for English folk-lore, and it is not easy to overrate the value of the aid she freely gave. The programme of the Conversazione, held at the Mercers' Hall by the courtesy of the Warden and Governors of the Mercers' Company, printed on p. 461, represents very inefficiently the amount of work done by the Entertainment Committee, to which the arrangements for the Congress dinner were likewise entrusted, and upon members of which fell the task of collecting, cataloguing, and orderly disposing the objects sent for the Exhibition. This was decided upon almost at the eleventh hour, and but for the ready response of members—chief among them Miss Burne, Mr. Leland, and Miss Matthews—and for the help given by Professor Haddon, could not have been successfully carried through. As it was, numerous articles of extreme interest were for the first time brought to the notice of many students. The more important numbers will be found in the catalogue compiled by the Chairman of the Entertainment Committee, Mr. Ordish (infra, p. 433), whilst the pencil of Mr. Emslie, an indefatigable worker on the same Committee, has preserved a permanent record of the most important articles. For the English folk-lorist, the series of "necks" or "harvest-babies" was perhaps of most interest.

Mention may fittingly be made here of the visit to Oxford, the charm of which, thanks to the gracious hospitality of Mr. Lang and Prof. Rhys, will be a lasting possession to all members of the Congress who were privileged to take part in it. The majority of those