As a branch of research. folklore is extremely comprehensive in its scope. Some idea of its breadth may he gathered from the following selnilne of groups and suligroupings of topics ar ranged by the London Society of Folklore in its Handbook. The outline is as follows: The themes of folklore may he: (I) Cosmic phenomena and origins: 12) the heavenly bodies in their appearances and disappearances, their movements and associations: (3) physieal and meteorological phenomena; (4) geographic lea tures; (51 the plant kingdom; (0) the animal kingdom; (7) human beings in every possible state and activity, whether individually or col lectively as a community; (8) the spirit world in association with man.
Those among whom the lore is to be found may be a tribe, a race or people, inhabitants of a region, a social class, or people representing a call ing in life. Any or all of these themes of lore existing in any human group may be investigated in accordance with the folklore society's scheme, which takes in serious and seemingly trivial topics alike. The folklorist by his researches may advance our general knowledge of folk-industries, folk-testheties, and folk-sociolog). Scientific in vestigations of myths and their origin, or the tracing of the migrations of tales, have contrib uted information in respect to community of descent or with reference to interchange of ideas through geographical proximity or through emi gration. These have their value to the ethnolo gist, or they show the anthropologist how similar conditions call forth similar phenomena, as in the matter of kindred nursery rhymes, or count ing jingles, games, or customs, among totally unrelated peoples of the world.
A study which has yielded so much, and may yield such great results, deserves its recognition as a scientific branch of research, if pursued with proper equipment, thorough and correct method, and with judgment. In the earlier days the collectors naturally worked in the field as dilet tanti, and there was a tendency to look upon the examples of myths, customs, superstitions, or belief, rather as curiosities than as telling some story of human civilization. There was too great an inclination to add to the attractiveness of the picture that was drawn by touching it up or giving it special color: there was a nat ural proneness to modernize the legend that was recorded, to introduce material, or make more up-to-date folk-songs than were set down. One
thing above all is now recognized as essential for the true folklorist ; it is fidelity and scrupu lous care in recording the matter, whatever it be, if he expects it to have any real scientific value. Special caution, moreover, and heed in drawing deductions is indispensable. For ex ample, in accounting for folk thought and cus tom, especially the occurrence of the same phe nomena in regions wide apart. among peoples of different race, or belonging to distinctly different types, the following cautions should be observed: (1) To be sure that the resemblance is actual, and not superficial.
(2) To keep in mind that sporadic resem blames may be purely accidental.
(3) To that all mankind under sim ilar environments has thoughts and ways in com mon, on the axiom that like causes produce like effects.
(4) To recognize the fact that the more nume• ous the instances and the more complex the customs 1111dCr consideration, the more certainly b as there been acculturation of seine kind, but caution must he observed in drawing deductions of blood relationship from similarities in sayings and arts.
BIFILIOGRAmtv. The number of works, articles, or treatises on the various brandies of folklore study is immense. For convenience simply, refer ence may be made to Omit Handbook of •olk lore (London, 1887) ; id., Ethnology in Folklore. (New York, 1892) ; Cox, An Introduction to Folklore (London, 1895). The best bibliographic lists may be obtained from consulting the special journals devoted to the subject, such as the Jour nal of American Folklore, published by the Ameri can Folklore Society (Boston and New York, 1888 et seq.) ; Folklore, being the transactions of the Folklore Society (London, 1890 et seq.) ; Beitrage tzar Yolks- and 1'0kt-1-kande (Berlin, 1S93 et seq.) ; Melusine (Paris, 1877 et seq.) ; Biblioteea de las traditiones espanolas (Ma drid, 1881 et seq.) ; Archicio per lo studio dclle tradizioni popolari (Palermo, 1881 et seq.) ; Bulletin du (Brussels, 1S91 et seq.) Schiccizerisches Arehir fiir Volkskunde (1.Ceuchft tel, 1897 et seq.). See also DEMONOLOGY; FOLK MUSIC; GHOSTS; MAN, SCIENCE OF; MARRIAGE; MORTUARY CUSTOMS.