New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-03-26
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

VHE TREE OF MYTHOLOGY. BY Charles de B.
Mills svo, PIP. 2ss. Syracuse c. W. Bardeen.
This is not much treatise on mythology, a.
what may be called popular account OF IL. The
author Is commercially from those theories which
interfere so mischievously with the study OF COM
parativs mythology, and which seem inevitably to
lead all who adopt them into extravagances Iheo
Is, however, certain disadvantage about absolute
Independence Of piepossesSons In this study IL Is
apt to result in the presentation in turn OF all the
theories, without such elucidatory comment as might
guide tho reader to safc conclusions Mr. Miis mas
koucht to guard against this danger by separating or
classifying his myths, as myths OF explanation
"myths arising from metaphors "heroic legends
nursery tales" didsctic myths "etheal myths
and 50 forth, and for the purpose OF the general
.reader these definitions may serve well enough The
chief stumbling block In the way Of the modern myth
olosst is the tendency to explain all myths upon
ono hypothesis. The results with the sun-myths for
example, have been such as to unduly discredt that
theory, and to set the critical pendulum swinging LII
opposite direction. IT is somewhat singular that
the complex character Of myths generally should not
hong ago have convinced students that 1t must be
impossible to explain them In one way The truth
Is that the history Of mythology is the history OF The
development Of the human imagination, and that this
history can never be traced by inquirers who commit
the initial and absolutely fatal error Of assuming thai
THO creation of myths has ceased.
In fact they spnnging into life necessarily and
not less frutfuny than in the past. Every
historian is a mythmaker every biographer, every
writer about human life, thought and action Hero
worship Is largely myth worship and perhaps some
Of the most absolute myths might be found IN scieh-
ffc attempts TO explain the older mythoiogle>'
There arc moreover, distinct classes of myths, the
two largest comprising those which are founded IN
fact and those which are founded in fancy. inc
former embraces both myths concerning heroes ana
myths relating natural phenomena, and the later
includes all myths which pesonfy distractions ana
attributes. But there is rigid line Of demarcaton
anywhere There many myths which emoony
both characteristics, and the variations are almost
infinite Again, there are savage and barbarons ana
civilized myths and there those into which the
modern spirit seeks TO road meanings alien 10 the
people who originated them. The disposition to In
terpret these myths by the light of purely modern
Intellectual development is full OF danger and liable
to produce hopeless confusion. II IS almost equally
dangerous to underestimate the intelligence of these
ancient mythmalers. The truth IS that in the manu-
facture of animal myths and natural phenomena
myths the savage is often advance of the civilized
man; Just as very often old peasant woman can
cell much better folklore stories and ghost stories
than a highly cultivated person could do
There IS another aspect In which mythology should
he studied namely tho precursor Of written litera
fure. We are apt to do injustice to the progress OF
1he human intellect by assigning wrong boundaries 10
its development. Long before the invention OF wrftnS
The substance of literature existed, Just as thonght
was this carly period barren one. on the contrary
there Is ample evidence that the fruits OF Imagination
were never richer than in the remote period during
which some of the most splendid and lavi>y eAecucu
myths were evolved-thourh we are accustomed TO
refer that epoch one of intellectual night ana l"
date the beginnings of thought at what Is caicd inc
dawn of Iterature.7 mtrospection As yet was NOT.
Man found occupation enough In observing nature, anu
his fresh thoughts upon what he saw. upon the real
significance of IL all, never lose their interest ana
value Nor IS It safe assumption that thc afchHc
myth maker mt material and wholly crude hterprcta-
lions upon phenomena. There is evidence mat Il"
,dcanzed often and observation Of living savages
uncorruped by contact with white races proves th@'
many of them do possess and employ lively ana
tar,,le fancy NJ doub; the masses everywhere rake
gross views of things: but tho masses nowhere repre-
sent the highest average Of intelligence. ana 'ho
manufacture OF myths does not rest III 'hef h"nuS'
What they do frequently IS to mater!aze myths whch
originally possessed spiritual Significance anu ny
.udv of these transformations and degradatlons II Is
noss,h,e 70 measure the popular mental development
a. period provided the genesis of the myth ltse't
can be traced, and approximate date 1Neu iof il.
Despite the extent OF It's literature the s'udS VI
mythology has hitherto been comparatively barren vi
,esu,s One reason already touched upon Is the
masterful prepossessons of the principal ihquireTs
From, ruhemerus 10 Sir George Cox, Max Muller and
Andrew Lang almost every student has brought with
linn some pet theory, and with II some pet counsel.
1t requires absence Of bias OF performed hypothescs
Of narrow cassfcaons, 10 ferikc the Immense mass
OF mythologlc material. and it must further be APP
,roached not as an abnormal eXcrescentla form ~
thought but essentially pal OF the natural develop
ment of the human mind MI MISS essay IS inter
es,ing and generally unbiased but " contains few
additions 10 the eXant knowledge on the subject ana
IL is rather compepdi0uS account OF what Others
have done and suggested than wholly independent
and original contribution TO the study OF mythology.