Section G. 



(anthropology.) 



President op the Section — A. W. Howitt, F.G.S. 



ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT. 



It becomes the pleasing duty of my office as President of Sec- 

 tion G of this meeting of the Australasian Association for the 

 Advancement of Science to direct attention to a branch of 

 anthropology connected with savage custom to which little 

 attention has been given, but which, when diligently studied, 

 will, I feel convinced, amply repa}' whatever labour may be 

 bestowed. Such a study will reveal many peeps into the 

 inner social life of savages, and will also throw an unexpected 

 light on the most obscure practices of antiquity — namely, on 

 the mysteries of classical times wdiose origin has only been a 

 matter for conjecture. 



Very little has been done in this direction by those who are 

 competent to pursue it by reason of their sufficient knowledge 

 of savage custom and the mental status of savages. First, it 

 is necessary that the investigator must be himself, so to say, 

 among the initiated before he will be in a position to consider 

 the bearing of the scraps of evidence which he may gather 

 from those who have mentioned more or less fully the cere- 

 monies of savages. When all that is as yet known about 

 existing mysteries has been gathered together and subjected to 

 critical examination, it will then be necessary that the further 

 comparison with ancient mysteries shall be made by one able 

 to do so by reason of competent acquaintance with classical 

 literature. 



The first steps only have, so far, been taken. Something 

 is known now authoritatively as to the practice of the initia- 

 tion ceremonies of the Australian tribes extending over a con- 

 siderable area in south-eastern Australia. Not only is the 

 procedure known, but the intention of the ceremonies is ex- 

 plained, and it is seen that, as might have been anticipated, 

 they have been established and are maintained with the object 

 of insuring that the youths of the tribe shall, in assuming the 

 privileges of manhood, only be permitted to do so when the 

 assembled elder men are satisfied that they are able to take 

 their share in the common liabilities of the community. 



