Showing 53 results

Highgarth, Gloucester - The letter he has is from Dr [Henry] Roth, who writes that he has found a tribe of aboriginal people who believe in parthenogenesis, and has a theory of the origin of taboo as the will of the strongest; was interested to read the new GB, suspects all martyrologies, including St Dasius; [Alfred] Haddon will make an excellent President for the Anthropological Institute, hopes he will not disdain the Folklore Society later on. A postscript discusses two items from GB, relating to the seclusion of the kings of Corea and concerning the Welsh verses in Vol. II, p. 178.

Woodend, Perth Road, Dundee - Thanks him for offering to send the book written in Frazer's honour; has been reading Hartland's Ritual and Belief that he thinks Frazer would agree with; will retire, doesn't see much fruit from his 54 1/2 years of teaching; received a letter from Capstick who has been unwell; family members are well; comments on the varying qualities of portraits of Frazer; Ninian [Frazer] wants to sell Frazer & Green but no one wants to pay a good price.

Highgarth, Gloucester - Received his letter [raising points in his review of GB], and admits that he was working from faulty memory as well; discusses religion vs magic in Australia, quoting [Alfred] Howitt who quotes [Samuel] Gason; has no wish for controversy with Frazer; 'mildly protests' that he did not question the authenticity of the Acts of St Dasius gratuitously, if it is established then the Abruzzian custom mentioned by Canon Pullen to Grant Allen, for which [Edward] Clodd got into hot water for repeating would be corroborated; doesn't think it would be wise to memorialize the Queensland Government to publish [Henry] Roth's collections, suggest [Alfred] Haddon phrase it in the most general terms.

Highgarth, Gloucester - Sends [Frank] Jevons' article [not present]; says not to worry about [E. B.] Tylor, who is immersed in his Gifford Lectures; is glad [Franz] Cumont sent the note [about the Acts of St Dasius], is amused [Andrew] Lang misunderstands others despite complaining that others misunderstand him.

Highgarth, Gloucester - Has been away and asks what Frazer knows about [George McCall] Theal's 'Records of South-Eastern Africa' quoted in his article for 'Man'; hears from [Alfred] Haddon that Frazer had gone to Germany to see a doctor about his eyes; has read [Andrew] Lang's attack on GB, but thinks GB is not harmed by it.

Highgarth, Gloucester - Doesn't feel they have enough evidence to say what the origin of totemism is; doesn't see a clear line between magic and religion; mentions Baldwin Spencer's letter which points in favour of Frazer's theory; asks if he has read [Jesse] Fewkes' article on the Owakülti Altar at Sichomovi Pueblo; agrees with Frazer about [Andrew] Lang's use of [Alfred] Howitt and [Henry] Roth; is surprised to hear the story about [E. B.] Tylor wishing to supress a chapter in Spencer and Gillen's book; agrees with Frazer about [Frank] Jevons' difficulty because he generalized too soon; will write to [George] Theal.

Lanfine, Hills Road, Cambridge. Dated 7 March 1924 - Is sorry the expense of publishing his [Frazer] lecture is his, hopes to remedy this in future; has not heard from [William] Ridgeway; saw Bishop [Thomas Wortley] Drury at St. Catharine's; is sorry there are no congenial men in his neighbourhood; sees parallels between the use of children in ritual in 'The Banyankole' and ancient Greek ritual; asks if he has seen P. A. Talbot's 'Life in Southern Nigeria' and E. S. Hartland's 'Primitive Paternity'; gave his last lecture and is glad they are over.

Highgarth, Gloucester - Shares information from a report from [Charles] Hill-Tout on totemism among the Siciatl of British Columbia.

Thanks him for 'The Gorgon's Head', notes that [Edwin Sidney] Hartland's death was a release from three years of paralysis.

Highgarth, Gloucester - Has been serving as Mayor of Gloucester, which nothing but the Education Act would have induced him to go through such an experience; thanks him for Salomon Reinach's letter about the story relating to the Perseus legend, and clarifies a few points; has not heard farther from [Charles] Hill-Tout on totemism; Dr [James] Hastings has been in touch about his contemplated 'Dictionary of Religion'.

Highgarth, Gloucester - In reading and reviewing 'Adonis' he has some suggestions on Herodotus' tale of prostitution of a maiden at the temple of Mylitta, on brother and sister marriage, whether the baloi are simply witches, on moonlight on children (repeating a belief of his old nurse), and on the 'awful secret'.

Highgarth, Gloucester - Continues to discuss 'Adonis': the ritual deflowering of an Arunta girl, the Egyptian sister-marriage (for which he offers the loan of [Alexander] Merensky's 'Beiträge zur Kenntriss [recte Kenntnis] Süd-Afrikas'), and the 'awful secret', the lion-god at Boghaz-Kevi.

Highgarth, Gloucester - Sends him a MS by Andrew Lang of the book on totemism and exogamy that he never published [not transcribed], is proposing to publish one chapter of it, but wants Frazer's approval. A typescript note at bottom states 'Frazer's reply to this letter has not been preserved.'

Highgarth, Gloucester - Thanks him for his letter, is sending [Andrew Lang's] MS to [F. A.] Milne; had no idea that Frazer felt Lang had made an open insinuation of his honesty in an article in 'Fortnightly' and deplores their misunderstanding.

13 Alexandra Road, Gloucester - Thinks Miss [Jessie] Weston 'at least talks sense' about the puzzle of the Holy Grail; is looking forward to seeing [John] Roscoe's new book; gives a reference for the priest king of Elele; jokes that [Robert] Macalister should have located the cradle of civilisation in Ireland; is writing a book on the evolution of kinship; teases him about being 'sculped' in Paris.

Folk-Lore Society, 11 Old Square, Lincolns Inn. Dated January 13th, 1913 - E. S. Hartland will be forwarding an MS on totemism by the late Andrew Lang; it is not to be published; Mrs Lang has been persuaded that the chapter on Totemic Exogamy could be published on its own, only if Hartland and Frazer (as representing the opposing views) both agree that it is suitable for publication.

13 Alexandra Road, Gloucester - Thanks him for the opportunity [to give the first Frazer lecture at Oxford].

13 Alexandra Road, Gloucester - Thanks him for his kind words about Walter Map's 'De nugis curialium' which he edited for the Cymmrodorion Society; is happy to hear how Lady Frazer has been employing her time ['Leaves from the Golden Bough'?]; delighted to hear that [John] Roscoe is giving the Frazer lecture at Cambridge; his friend Dr [William] Crooke has died.

Trinity College, Cambridge. Dated 7 June, 1895 - It is a rule of his never to review any book, and is sorry that a book by 'such a notoriously incompetent schoar as Thomas Taylor' should be reprinted; will not stir up Cambridge to appoint a professor of anthropology, as Cambridge is poor and there are 'far more important objects, such as giving feasts, keeping up gardens and chapel services and maintaining some hundreds of Fellows and Masters of Colleges in idleness'.

Gloucester. Dated 23 February, 1901 - The letter he has is from Dr [Henry] Roth, who writes that he has found a tribe of aboriginal people who believe in parthenogenesis, and has a theory of the origin of taboo as the will of the strongest; was interested to read the new GB, suspects all martyrologies, including St Dasius; [Alfred] Haddon will make an excellent President for the Anthropological Institute, hopes he will not disdain the Folklore Society later on.

Inch-ma-home, Cambridge. Dated 18 March, 1901 - Thanks him for his letter; have returned from Italy; Baldwin Spencer says the expedition with [Francis] Gillen has been delayed due to drought and Frazer asks [Andrew] Lang to pray for rain; has a paper from E. Tregear on animistic notions of the Maoris re: the sweet potato.

Inch-ma-home, Cambridge. Dated 27 March, 1901 - Returns the [Henry Ling] Roth letter and asks him to encourage the Queensland Government to publish it, notes his theory of taboo and totemism is identical to Henry Jackson's; thanks him for the review of GB in 'Man' and discusses it at length, and cites [Franz] Cumont in regards to the question about the Acts of Saint Dasius.

Inch-ma-home, Cambridge. Dated 30 March, 1901 - Was relying on his memory when he questioned Hartland's reaction to his story of the custom of Roman nail-knocking in GB, and finds that Hartland was justfied in his criticism; doesn't trust his memory and usually has access to his books before quibbling on a point.

Highgarth, Gloucester. Dated 31 March, 1901 - Received his letter [raising points in his review of GB], and admits that he was working from faulty memory as well; discusses religion vs magic in Australia, quoting [Alfred] Howitt who quotes [Samuel] Gason; has no wish for controversy with Frazer; 'mildly protests' that he did not question the authenticity of the Acts of St Dasius gratuitously, if it is established then the Abruzzian custom mentioned by Canon Pullen to Grant Allen, for which [Edward] Clodd got into hot water for repeating would be corroborated; doesn't think it would be wise to memorialize the Queensland Government to publish [Henry] Roth's collections, suggest [Alfred] Haddon phrase it in the most general terms.

Inch-ma-home, Cambridge. Dated 2 April, 1901 - Agrees with his view of avoiding controversy; thanks him for the reminder of the cases of prayer among the Dieri [reported by Alfred Howitt], and for his distinction between religion and worship; does not think, and neither does [Franz] Cumont that there is reason to doubt the Acts of St Dasius; admits he has not read Grant Allen's 'The Evolution of the Idea of God'; obtained information on the survivals of paganism from Miss Roma Lister, who helped [Charles] Leland collect folklore; offers notes to counter [Andrew] Lang's 'last tirade against me in the "Fortnightly"', including an exaggeration of a disagreement with [Theodor] Nöldeke, but is inclined to think Lang right in saying that the Crucifixion even on Frazer's theory would not have contributed to the deification of Christ and will strike that out in a new edition, and asks his opinion.

Inch-ma-home, Cambridge. Dated 19 April, 1901 - [Franz] Cumont sent a copy of a defense of the Acts of St Dasius; regrets that [Andrew] Lang is publishing a book and has not been in contact since writing the 'Fortnightly' articles; he had not heard of [F. B.] Jevons' article, and notes that [E. B.] Tylor hasn't written to acknowledge the book Frazer sent; could not vouch for Miss Lister's information; there is no need to say anything in print about his review.

Highgate [recte Highgarth], Gloucester. Dated 21 April 1901 - Sends [Frank] Jevons' article [not transcribed]; says not to worry about [E. B.] Tylor, who is immersed in his Gifford Lectures; is glad [Franz] Cumont sent the note [about the Acts of St Dasius], is amused [Andrew] Lang misunderstands others despite complaining that others misunderstand him.

Highgate [recte Highgarth], Gloucester. Dated 20 September 1901 - Has been away and asks what Frazer knows about [George McCall] Theal's 'Records of South-Eastern Africa' quoted in his article for 'Man'; hears from [Alfred] Haddon that Frazer had gone to Germany to see a doctor about his eyes; has read [Andrew] Lang's attack on GB, but thinks GB is not harmed by it.

Trinity College, Cambridge. Dated 22 September, 1901 - Agrees that they should get [George McCall] Theal's authority for South African totemism, asks Hartland to write as he abhors correspondence, especially with a stranger; has had letters from Baldwin Spencer on the totemism of the Kaitish, and his [and Alfred Howitt's] dislike of [Andrew] Lang's use of Howitt's statements; Frazer believes that [Henry] Roth feels the same way about Lang's use of his writings; Frazer has not read Lang's book but has found him obtuse on the subject of Spencer and Gillen's writings, and [E. B.] Tylor went so far as to suggest to George Macmillan that the chapter of 'intichima ceremonies' be curtailed, to which Frazer strenously objected; benefited from his visit to Wiesbaden to see [Hermann] Pagenstecher about his eyes; thanks him for the [F. B.] Jevons articles on the science of religion, finds that the discovery that totemism is probably not a religion but a system of magic has badly affected his argument, was aware of the blows he was giving Jevons' arguments when he wrote his articles on totemism.

Highgate [recte Highgarth], Gloucester. Dated 23 September, 1901 - Doesn't feel they have enough evidence to say what the origin of totemism is; doesn't see a clear line between magic and religion; mentions Baldwin Spencer's letter which points in favour of Frazer's theory; asks if he has read [Jesse] Fewkes' article on the Owakülti Altar at Sichomovi Pueblo; agrees with Frazer about [Andrew] Lang's use of [Alfred] Howitt and [Henry] Roth; is surprised to hear the story about [E. B.] Tylor wishing to supress a chapter in Spencer and Gillen's book; agrees with Frazer about [Frank] Jevons' difficulty because he generalized too soon; will write to [George] Theal.