# Journal of American Folk-Lore/Volume 11/Issue 40/Local Meetings and Other Notices

LOCAL MEETINGS AND OTHER NOTICES.
Boston.—Friday, November 18, 1897. The Boston Branch held its first meeting of the season at 8 P.M. at the Grundmann Studios. Mr. Chamberlain and Mr. Newell were the hosts, and Professor Putnam presided. Mr. Leo Wiener, instructor in the Slavic languages at Harvard University, was the speaker, and had as his subject, "The Folk-Lore of the Russian ​Jews in Boston." Mr. Wiener said that of the large number of persons of this race to be found in Boston the majority are from Galicia. He showed how the sufferings of the Russian Jews are reflected in their folk-songs, and said that it is only since the fifties that any attempt has been made to collect these songs. The collections as yet are unpretentious; many of them, indeed, appear in chap-book form, and at the price of about a penny have a large sale. Some of the best of these books are printed in America. Mr. Wiener gave an entertaining account of the functions of the jest-maker, an indispensable personage at every Russian wedding, who knows by heart large numbers of these folk-songs. At the close of his valuable paper, Mr. Wiener introduced Mr. Applebaum and Miss Mittel (the former a jest-maker), who sang some of the folk-songs of their people.
Friday, December 17. The Boston Branch held its regular meeting at 8 P.M. at the residence of the Drs. Pope, 163 Newbury Street. In the absence of Professor Putnam, Mr. Newell presided, and introduced the speaker, Miss Alice Fletcher, of Washington. Miss Fletcher spoke on the subject of Indian Songs, and stated that much that she should say was based on the thousand or more phonographic records of this wild music which she had gathered among the Indians themselves. Miss Fletcher called attention to the fact that, to persons unfamiliar with the sounds, Indian music seems harsh and inharmonious. She was able, however, to show wherein lay its beauty of rhythm, and its appropriateness to the emotion to be expressed. The vowel sounds, for example, as well as h, th, and y preceded by a consonant, are used for the gentler emotions, while the explosives and harsh consonants express those that are warlike. In choruses the voices are usually in unison, and the melody usually presents two of three octaves struck simultaneously. Miss Fletcher’s paper gave a clear idea of Indian song, and at its close Mrs. Matthews with the voice, and Mr. Clement Bouvé on the violoncello, rendered several examples of this weird music.
Friday, January 28, 1898. The regular meeting of the Boston Branch (postponed from the third Friday) was held at the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Francis R. Stoddard, 242 Newbury Street. In the absence of Professor Putnam, Mr. Newell introduced the speaker, Prof. C. H. Toy of Harvard University, who took for his subject, "The Folk-Lore of the Arabs."
Professor Toy spoke of Northern Arabia as a region where the folk-lore of the Arabs might be studied, especially in the centres, Mecca and Medina. He said that in the first place it should be remembered that the Arabs are polytheists, for, contrary to the common interpretation, "Allah" is not the name of some one universal god, but of the local god with the definite article prefixed. Professor Toy gave an interesting account of these local gods and of the way in which their names were often transferred to individuals. Many Arab proper names are the names of trees and flowers and animals. Perhaps the most interesting part of Professor Toy's address was that relating to the strange beings incorrectly called genii, the "jinns," who, without tribe, unclassed, are supposed to have so large an influence ​on human affairs. After Professor Toy's paper, two native Arabs were introduced, who played on their strange musical instruments, danced, and chanted some of their songs.
Helen Leah Reed, Secretary.
Cincinnati.—December 14, 1897. The Society met at the residence of Mr. and Mrs. George A. Thayer, The programme, a symposium on Folk-religion, consisted of the following numbers: 1. "The Religion of the Tsimshian Indians," by Mr. Edward Marsden, an Alaska Indian, student of theology at the Lane Seminary. 2. "The Indian Messiah-Religion, or the Ghost-Dance of 1892," by Dr. C. D. Crank. 3. "Religion of Ancient Egyptians," by Mr. R. B. Spicer.
January 11, 1898. The Society met at the residence of Miss Laws. A motion was made and carried that a committee be appointed to look into the feasibility of establishing a library. Mr, King, Miss Laws, and Dr. Lindahl were appointed members of the committee. The lecturer of the evening, Dr. J. D. Buck, treated his subject, "The Separable Soul," ably and exhaustively. He quoted numerous instances of barbarous and semi-barbarous races where the existence of the soul was founded on the belief that the shadow, echo, dreams, etc., are the soul separated from the body for the time being. He also gave some instances of the belief in either permanent or temporary existence of the soul after death, among barbarous or semi-civilized people.
February 8. The meeting was held at the Woman’s Club rooms. Mrs. Josephine Woodward, whose father was an Indian agent, and who therefore had spent all her early life among the Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians, gave a very interesting account of their daily life, their customs and ceremonies.