New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-11-30
PAPERS ON FOLK LORE.
A DEFENCE OF IT'S USEFULNESS.
INTERESTING CHARACTERISTICS OF PRIMITIVE


INTERESTING CHARACTERISTICS OF PRIMITIVE
PEOPLES COMMENTED ON.
Tho interesting session Of tho American Folklore
Society continued yesterday morning In liam'oh
Han, Columbia College with Dr. ID. g. Brlnton' vi ''0
University Of Pennsylvania, In the chair numpcr
Of instructive papers read and much Valuable ~
teria added to the archives of the growing society
Thomas Wilson, Of Washington introduces the discus
son Yesterday with a lecture upon "The Amulet Col
lection OF Professor Belucc Of Peuga, Italy, ana o"
II Came to DO Made"
veneration for amulcts, Mr.. Wilson said' was com
mon to all primitive peoples. All tribes nAa U'el'
amulcts or tslismans, to which they "eo''o01 49,
binary powers in warding OIL danger In curing discusses
and in the preservation of health. After making an
exhaustive catalogue OF the different amrlets ana tie
various purposes for which they were useo' Mr. "so"
said that The respect for charms amohs P""'',o
peoples to-day shown by the fact that' ~neh 'e
Prince imperial killed in Africa every sru'io "a
vslue had been taken from his body, with the excep
tnn NJ an amulet which hung about the young mans
neck That was left undisturbed.
The Rev. J. owen Dorsey, of the Bureau OF Eur
nology at Washington. followed MT. wilson Il"
learned paper, illustrated by charts, upon siou"i
Cultsn BY cults. the speaker sad' was meant 10
lirous beliefs. The Sioux Indians, ACCORDING F"
Ar Dorsey venerated something that moved, some
thing that had great power These INDIANS 'au
clearly defined ideas of relationship and knship Their
tribes weie divided into gentes clans and faiiies'
These eentes and subribal classes were designated o
urefxing the names Of certain animals to the troai
or family class, such the hawk Tloe'
tbs bufYaIo tribe The Indians divided the
earth into regions over which their gods pre- ded'
These gods they imagined to be of certain elements
Garth fire. air water and to be OF certain ooio''
blue red black or yellow. The Indians seldom us
tingulshed between blue and green.
Charles F. Cox, of this city, then read paper eli
lndS
Centuries, superstitions lie said never assumed all
absolutely new form. of the greatest aposues Oh
the faith cure in the sixteenth century Mr. CoH sau
was Parace lsus. Paracelsus had a high regal" ior
faith but he believed that it should be supplemented
by science and physical agencies He had however,
childish belief In the efficacy OF charms anu
in superstitions rites. He had used the sym
pathetic oihtments with which wounds can be curea
at distance Of ten miles, providing that you nave SONIC
Of the mans blood" lie had been thorough oeicVer
An absent treatment" and was convinced that MS
ointment would act upon men and beaSts' MI. ''A
related number of amusing anecdotes illustrative Oh
the simple faith Of the people of two or three cen
tures ago. He gave an account Of the numerous cures
supposed to have been brought about by the hand OF
the King 80
Professor Albert Leighton Rawson remarked, with
smile, that the general desire OF Americans 10
shake the hand of the President proved that they still
believed In the rulers healing touch
j.
Zuni Indians at Pueblo, which were new to the mem
bes Of the society The dances of the tribe he looked
upon as dramatic representations of the traditions OF
the tribe and that the keys many historical events
were TO be found In their careful study The gre'"
epic poem of the Zunis was repeated every lOur
years 1t gave the history Of the tribe from It's
remote origin up to the present time The tablet dance
he said was celebrated only once In every elgh'
years. This dance had never been described by
white men, The chief performers were Long Corn
and Old scold who represented the conflict between
the old and the Dr. Fewkes thought that more
attention should be paid to the study OF Indian dances
The remarks of DR.. Frederick starr upon the folk
lore of stone implements were full OF interest Inc
subject he said had not been followed as IL shouu Dc
il Geld full of promise to students.
In discussing the Doctors paper, Miss Alce Z
Fletcher said that the Indians would not use knives
Of American or foreign manufacture, even now In
letting blood for surgical purposes For Mis tey III
variably employed stone or flint knives These knWeS
were always preserved as holy relics In the tribe.
owing 20 the lateness OF the hour, DR.. Daniel o.
Brintons papers on THE Worship Of AstaIe in Ameri
ca and "The Etheric Side of Folk lore the Rev. DIT.
W. NJ. Beanchamps paper on " Hiawatha" the Rev Hen
Chatelan's paper West African Folklore anu
other papers read by title only. They VIII DC
published however in the next issue Of the socetys
magazine
Before adjourning the session, Or. d. G. Brinton
offered resolution of thanks to the officers OF
Columbia College, the Academy OF Science ana 70
the citizens OF New York. ard made farewell ac-
dess He thanked the members for the honor which
they had conferred upon him and prophesied great
future for the society. In reply to critics oil the
society, he would answer did DR.. johnson, when
asked what the Of the study OF Greek books
9 NAV as well ask yOu,' the Doctor had replied,
cot what use Is baby II Is OF no use now, but
of great in It's potentality."
The society will hold its next meeting in Washing
ton. - ,, n
Among those present ys5terdMay were Mqnc@ Gnyp
wife OF the Hawaiian Minister; Dr. T. B. Emerson.
L. Z. Chittenden. Mrs Harriet Converse, Dr. Leroy
NJ Yale. Andrew E. Douglass, Of New York DR.. IL.
Darlington Bolton. secretary of the New York Academy
of sciences and Professor F. W. Putnam. permanent
Secretary OF the American Association for the Advance
of Scenca