New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-11-26
AN INTRODUCTION TO THE SCIENCE or COMPAR
ALIVE MYTHOLOGY AND FOLKLORE. By tho
Rev SIR GEORGE w. Cox, Bart. limo. PIP 3oO
Henry Holt * Co.

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE EE or B1 bc
Rev SIR GEORGE ". Cox Bart. l2mo. PIP $50
Henry Holt GO.
The advantages of the comparative methon Oh
etndv are nowhere so evident as in the dealings OF
scholarship with folklore. Indeed, 1t is scarcely TOO
much TO say that the only real value OF folklore Is
the direct fruit Of comparative investigation sep
arately. the traditions which go to make up 1olk-
Lore and even those more finished stories 10 which
we give the dignfed name of myths, are the ldles'
of superstitions and old wives tales 1t is only
when they are grouped and compared, and when
their pshp with the folk-tales of other times and
other lands is established that they begin to yield
fruIt of knowledge 1t through this sort OF com
narrative study that what we somewhat incorrectly
call the science of comparative mythology ana Iolh
lore has been made possible and III the present WORK
th authors purpose has been To present at once the
methods and the results of that science In cOnpre
hensiye outline leaving the student to ma IN more
detailed works the means of mlnuter lnVesuga'loh'
The book passes in review the vast mass oil popular
traditions belonging to the Aryan nations of Asia
and Europe the starting point being =" the principle
that the popular traditions Of no one Aryan people
can be really understood, except III their relation
"a those of other tribes and nations of the same
family. and that the epcal and dramatic literature
Of those races has been constructed from materials
common to all branches of the Aryan stock" ms,
of course is the broad generalization upon which all
studies in comparative mythology must proceed
aud such generalization must always offer special
foundations to the investigator Ii points
60 steadily in one direction that only
the clearest and most circumSpect visions
can avoid seeing occasionally that which the gen.
erslizaton suggests. even where it does not exist,
and this danger especially attends the student OF
snbect like mythology and folklore, in which re-
semblance nav easily be mistaken for iden-
titv and in which even close resemblance
NAV not necessarily indicate actual kinshlp. In
such case much must he left to con-
lecture, in the absence of strictly scien-
tifc tests with which to verify results; and where
conjecture enters as unchecked factor OF course
results will always vary according TO the mteIec-
final habit of the investigator For example: there
is no inherent improbability in the klnshlp which
this author discovers between the boat i'll the
Morse story of Big Bird Dan and the mysterious ships
of Alkino0s in the Odyssey; but one may fairly
t,on the accuracy of the deduction that IN the Morse
tale in the Homerc legend and in similar Ieutonlc
storv we have common reference to the clouds OF
heaven To some minds the reference seems so
clear as to admit of doubt Whatever to others IT
seems wholly improbable So TO certain Dutch
tbeoloyians who have reduced Old Testament his
tory to nOthingnesS the story OF Samson seems
obviously a rendering of the sun-myth while TO
minds without Leyden bias such construction
is forced at every point. In common with most
other writer's upon this subject. Sir George Cox
fails it seems to u.s. duly TO recognize the danger to
which hi, generalization subjects him, the neces-
sary uncertainty of his conclusions and the neceSsa-
ry unscientifc character Of his science. We do
not offer this as complaint either of the author or
of his subject but merely as a statement of fact
which affects but docs not destroy, the value OF his
teachings. In brief. it may be enough 20 say that
Sir George Cox offers, in the volume before u.s. an
interesting treatise upon interesting subject III
which are embodied the best results Of scholarly
investigation in this department carefully digested
and presented with sufficient fulness to satisfy the
utmost demands of readers who are not special
students.