Showing 18 results

Dated April 10 [1902] - Sends [Alfred] Howitt's note to Fison dated 7 April, 1902 [transcribed] which describes where he is in his work and his plan to send the chapter on the Great and Local organisation to Frazer; regrets being absent when Spencer and Gillen returned.

Melbourne - Has been going through [A. W.] Howitt's letters but doesn't think his notes are ready for publication as he still had research to do, and was working to show that exogamy was the rule, which he doesn't think needs proving again, despite R. H. Matthews' [recte Mathews] papers to the contrary; Matthews has been in communication with miners and cattle people in Central Australia who have a profound contempt for the natives and are unreliable sources of information. The letter continues, dated Sept. 29. He has received the letter Frazer wrote Miss Howitt about the inadvisability of reprinting Howitt's old papers, and he agrees; is interested to hear he is leaving Liverpool for Cambridge, remembers a longing he had at first to be back amongst old places, given he was in a modern town where nothing dated back more than fifty years; has been too busy for anthropological work but hopes to try Western Australia, as Central Australia and the Macdonnel Ranges are now 'spoilt'; Strehlow's papers are to be published, edited by [Moritz] von Leonhardi, 'a very uneducated man'; [Andrew] Lang has endeavored in van to draw him, and Matthews is now exploting his and [Francis] Gilllen's field as he had Howitt's; misses Howitt, as he has no one to discuss anthropologic matters with, as Gillen only comes over once every two years.

Melbourne - A long 12 page letter: has been extremely busy at the University of Melbourne, recasting courses of study and instituting new ones, and arranging the Jubilee; describes a holiday on the Tasman glacier in New Zealand; [A. W.] Howitt is much exercised by [Andrew] Lang's publications and thinks him 'entirely unreliable and unscrupulous' in handling evidence; has looked at Howitt's papers and stands by what he sent to Frazer; thinks that Lang put [N. W.] Thomas in touch with [Carl] Strehlow the missionary so that he would quote him as a source, which he had not done, disapproves of Strehlow's use of 'altjira' for 'god'; will ignore for now the article by Lang in the [Journal of the Anthropological Institute] seems to be an attack on Spencer's address on totemism; discusses the ignorance of the cause of pregancy as noted in Frazer's articles in 'Fortnightly' ['The Beginnings of Religion and Totemism among the Australian Aborigines'?], pointing out that the 'savage' is a most logically minded individual and that it is natural to think that as not all sexual intercourse results in pregnancy, that they are not related matters; disagrees entirely with Lang's statement that encountering a group made up solely of women and children would astonish 'Australian savages'; Lang appears to especially dislike his and [Francis] Gillen's work; discusses Frazer's theory of conceptional totemism, and agrees with him that exogamy forms no part of totemism; wishes it were possible to call back to life extinct tribes and begin the study of them anew, 'the incompetent observer, such as [Samuel] Gason, does anthropology much harm'.

Manuscript draft in Frazer's hand, with corrections, of a speech given 9 Dec. 1903, using information from as yet unpublished material by Spencer, Gillen and A. W. Howitt.

Album of 39 cuttings about or mentioning Frazer, including news items about his honorary doctorate from the University of Athens; with reviews of 'Aftermath', including one by R. R. Marett in the 'Observer', and two books for which he wrote introductions: 'Bantu Beliefs and Magic' by C. W. Hobley and 'The Native Tribes of Central Australia' by Baldwin Spencer and F. J. Gillen; also, an obituary of George William Macfarlane and a news item about putting a plaque on Edward Clodd's house.

Review of a book by Baldwin Spencer and F. J. Gillen, with an introduction by Frazer.

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.

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.

Trinity College, Cambridge. Dated 15 December 1907 - Is glad he has arrived safely at Mombasa; has accepted the chair of Social Anthropology at the University of Liverpool, which has no salary but no responsibilities, plans to lecture on totemism; has a plan of promoting anthropological research from Liverpool, would like to fund an eighteen month expedition to Western Australia by [Baldwin] Spencer and [Francis] Gillen and would like to fund Roscoe so that he could give himself wholly to anthropological work in Central Africa; asks how long he is committed to the C.M.S., and thinks they have not kept faith with him; asks if he would work exclusively in anthropology, and for details on where and when he would work in Central Africa and for what money; his stepdaughter [Lilly Grove] is doing well at her school in Bristol as a French teacher and will join them for Christmas; hopes Mr [Geoffrey Francis?] Archer will send more notes on the Lake Rudolph tribes; [Alfred] Hollis, [C. W.] Hobley, and Lord Mountmorres (via Dr Richard Caton) have distributed a large number of anthropological questions.

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.

7 Coptic St. W.C. 3 August, 1904 - Dennett's MS has yet to be revised as he is away; is puzzled by the Wilyaru Ceremony in [Spencer and Gillen's book 'The Northern Tribes of Central Australia']; encloses a transcript from an author who is now dead, 'Buléon, Sous le Ciel d'Afrique, Abbeville, 1896, 8. Refers referring to the Nkomis of Cape Lopez, Portuguese West Africa. p. 90' about an initiation ceremony in which the life of the initiate is linked to that of a wild animal.

Melbourne. Dated Sept. 25, 29, 1908 - Has been going through [A. W.] Howitt's letters but doesn't think his notes are ready for publication as he still had research to do, and was working to show that exogamy was the rule, which he doesn't think needs proving again, despite R. H. Matthews' [recte Mathews] papers to the contrary; Matthews has been in communication with miners and cattle people in Central Australia who have a profound contempt for the natives and are unreliable sources of information. The letter continues, dated Sept. 29. He has received the letter Frazer wrote Miss Howitt about the inadvisability of reprinting Howitt's old papers, and he agrees; is interested to hear he is leaving Liverpool for Cambridge, remembers a longing he had at first to be back amongst old places, given he was in a modern town where nothing dated back more than fifty years; has been too busy for anthropological work but hopes to try Western Australia, as Central Australia and the Macdonnel Ranges are now 'spoilt'; Strehlow's papers are to be published, edited by [Moritz] von Leonhardi, 'a very uneducated man'; [Andrew] Lang has endeavored in van to draw him, and Matthews is now exploting his and [Francis] Gilllen's field as he had Howitt's; misses Howitt, as he has no one to discuss anthropologic matters with, as Gillen only comes over once every two years.

Melbourne. Dated June 29, 1906 - A long 12 page letter: has been extremely busy at the University of Melbourne, recasting courses of study and instituting new ones, and arranging the Jubilee; describes a holiday on the Tasman glacier in New Zealand; [A. W.] Howitt is much exercised by [Andrew] Lang's publications and thinks him 'entirely unreliable and unscrupulous' in handling evidence; has looked at Howitt's papers and stands by what he sent to Frazer; thinks that Lang put [N. W.] Thomas in touch with [Carl] Strehlow the missionary so that he would quote him as a source, which he had not done, disapproves of Strehlow's use of 'altjira' for 'god'; will ignore for now the article by Lang in the [Journal of the Anthropological Institute] seems to be an attack on Spencer's address on totemism; discusses the ignorance of the cause of pregancy as noted in Frazer's articles in 'Fortnightly' ['The Beginnings of Religion and Totemism among the Australian Aborigines'?], pointing out that the 'savage' is a most logically minded individual and that it is natural to think that as not all sexual intercourse results in pregnancy, that they are not related matters; disagrees entirely with Lang's statement that encountering a group made up solely of women and children would astonish 'Australian savages'; Lang appears to especially dislike his and [Francis] Gillen's work; discusses Frazer's theory of conceptional totemism, and agrees with him that exogamy forms no part of totemism; wishes it were possible to call back to life extinct tribes and begin the study of them anew, 'the incompetent observer, such as [Samuel] Gason, does anthropology much harm'.

St Keyne's, Cambridge. Dated 13 November 1909 - Discusses the terminology of totemism, and encloses proofsheets to answer some of his questions more fully [not transcribed]; would rather that the Western Australian expedition is done by Spencer and Gillen, and thinks it a mistake to get Spencer to go without Gillen; if Spencer cannot go, then he is willing to give Sir John Murray's £200 to an expedition of [Radcliffe] Brown and [Francis Howe Seymour?] Knowles.

St Keyne's, Cambridge. Dated 4 April 1909 - Continuing the discussion about an anthropological expedition to Western Australia, funds probably haven't been raised at the University of Liverpool, as Sir Robert [recte Rubert] Boyce and [John] Garstang are abroad; A. R. Brown would like to join the expedition, Frazer likes that he is interested in marriage and the classificatory system, as that is what he would like to learn most about; [Baldwin] Spencer would have to approve this, thinks that Spencer should lead, and [Francis] Gillen should go too.

St Keyne's, Cambridge. Dated 11 March 1909 - Is glad to hear that Oxford is planning an anthropological expedition to Western Australia, raised £200 from Sir John Murray for such a plan, suggests that Marett invite the University of Liverpool and J. M. Mackay in particular to fund this and future expeditions; thinks the leader should be [Baldwin] Spencer joined by [Francis] Gillen.

Trinity College, Cambridge. Dated 17 December 1904 - Thanks him for the notice of the new Spencer and Gillen book ['The Northern Tribes of Central Australia'], but notes that on every point he is 'as far from the truth as it is possible to be'; is publishing an article on the beginning of totemism in 'Fortnightly' he urges Marett to read; assures him of his friendship.

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.