The Washington times., 1894-12-28

by Scientists Splendid Results to Be OBJ
tanned from the study-Interesting Pa
pers by Leading Ethnologists-Re
and Banquet by the Washington Branch.
The procee 1ings of the sixth annual session
opened hero vest erday at Columbian Uni
versity with meeting CT the executive
council OF the association. The annual re-
port of the council was adopted and ordered
to be printed. The report shows a successful
business year with membership of about
500, which it is suggested could be easily in
creased to thousand. During the year 5000
the societys memoirs.
The report of the treasurer showed a bal
ance in the treasury OF 81 1903, the expendi-
lures FOR the year having been S2,895.
Secretary Newell. Capt J. G.. Bourke and
Miss Alice Fletcher were appointed a COM
mitteo to nominate officers for the ensuing
year, to be voted for in open session.
The formal meeting OF the body was held
at 2 p. m., Vice President Washington
Matthews il the chair, owing to the absence
OF DR.. Alice Fortier, Mr.. W. w. Newell, ,7secre-
tary.
Among those in attendance so far are: DR..
! Washington Matthews. u. S. A.. Fort Win
gate, n. NJ; W. W. Newell and Marshall H.
Saviie. Cambridge, Mass; Capt John G..
Bourke. g. S. A, Fort Ethan Allen, VT; DR..
! II. Darlington Bolton, president OF the New
/ York branch OF the American Folklore So
ciety; Maj. j. w. Powell, direcsor of the
bureau of ethnology; Miss St6nsbury. Zanes-
vile, Ohio; Miss Alice Fletcher, president of
/ Otis 7. Mason. ex-presilent of the American
/ FOLKLORE Society, Smithsonian Institution:
Rev. J. owen Dorsey and L. II. Cushing, of
this city.
INTERESTING PAPERS WERE READ.
The afternoon session of the society was
taken up with hearing number oi.interest-
ing papers as follows:
"a NaYahoe Myth" by DR.. Washington
Matthew'S; FOLKLORE Concepts" Frank
( Hamilton Cushing: Theories ofthe Diffusion
OF Folk Tales, - William Wells Newell; illus
trations of the Cortez Codex, DR.. J. Walter
Fewkes; NEGRO Corn Songs" Capt. r. r.
Moten.
The society was rendered n reception and
banquet last night from to 10 O'Clock at the
handsome rooms of the Washington Club,
No. l7l0 | street northwest. The affair, which
was brilliant in every aspect was under the
auspices OF the Washington branch of the
national society. the Anthropological Society,
and the Woman's Anthropologicai Society of
this city.
The ladies and gentlemen representing
these organizations at the reception were
Or. j. II. Mccormack DR.. J. owen Dorsey,
Frank Hamilton Gushing, Dr. Washington
Matthews. DR.. Thomas Wilson, SIR. George
Il. Stetson, Miss Emily Mason Mrs. Hannah
J.. Bartlett, Mrs. Helen Douglass, Mrs.
Justinia R. Hill, and Mrs. Ellen Powell
Thompson.
The first floor suite and the lower and
upper suites were thrown open to the guests
Among these present OF the visitors were
those above given.
The receiving committee consisted of Prof
o. T. Mason, president of the Anthropologi-
ral Society: Miss Alice Fletcher, president of
the Nomaus Anthropotogical Society. and
DR.. Owen Dorsey, president of the Washing
ton branch of the national society.
Among those present were Prof. J. ".
Powell and Miss Powell, Miss Emily Mason
DIR. and Mrs. harrington Bolton. of New
York; DR.. Washington Matthews. Dir. and
Mrs. Frank Cushing, Mr.. w. W. Newell, DIR.
aud Mrs. Seaman. Prof. and Mrs. Frank
Clark, Capt john H. Bourke, Mrs. Sarah
Sculi, DIR. Mccormick Mrs. W. d. CabelI,
Prof Saville. DR. l. Walter Fewkes, Col.
Hosmer. Miss Kitty Hosmer, Miss Clara De
GrafTeuried, Mr.. l. E. Wilkinson, Miss Wilk-
inson and others.
an
AMUSING AND INSTRUCTIVE NATURE.
The programme consisted OF the rendition
fromsthe music of the North American In
dians. DR.. Cushing has been among the
Zunis, DR.. Dorsey among the Sioux, and Dr.
Matthews among the Navahoes, and each
gave the audience selections from the char
acteristic musical utterances of the tribes.
The photograph reproductions. which were
taken originally by DR.. Matthews were ex-
cellent
The instrument turned out the "Song OF
the Long Pot, the Last Song of the Night
the .'Song of the War Gods and the song.
Carried Along by the Lightning" One
could very easily imagine the brave in tho
flesh uttering his cultural and barbaric tones.
They resembled very closely the songs of the
Bedouins. which many of the audience heard
at the Worlds Fair
One of the soLgs was on the theme of a
turkey which had left its owner, the piece in
the Navahoe style being termed ''tne song of
the whirling sticks" Mr. Cushing sang some
songs OF the Zunis, and Mr. Dorsey gave an
insight into the music of the Sioux.
Prof. Mason. speaking on the subject of
Indian music. said that the Investigations
now being made were extremely valuable 1t
is proposed to determine the character of the
Indian muS!o ana especially with reference
to whether it is constructed on the principles
OF the diotonic scale. Not only by the study
of this. but by study of Indian stories
foiklorc-is it possible to locate the Indians
ethnologically rs is done by the philologists
in their spt cial field.
The purpose in view by the folklore So
cieties is n serious scientific. and valuable
one and will add, he said, materially to the
knowledge of the world on the origin and
movements OF the races
All who were present expressed themselves
as delighted with the social. epicurean, and
literary features of the reception.
To-day's session will be occupied also by
the reading OF papers, great many of which
will be printed. The society has published
during The past year two volumes OF Folk
Tales of Angola, Retrospect of the Folk
Lore of the Columbian Exposition" by
Stewart Cuin; Eskimo Tales and Songs
Franz Boas; Popular American Plant
Names" Fannie d. Bergen; ''Notes on the
Folk Lore of the Mountain Whites of the
Alleghanies." J. Hampden Porter; ''Three
Epitaphs of the Seventeenth Century" Sarah
A. P Andrews; Popular Medicine, Customs,
and Superstitions of the Rio Grande,' Capt.