DECEiMliEK 23, 1897] 



NA TURE 



177 



which can rather confidently be given. Folk-drama, 

 like other branches of folk-lore, needs studying carefully 

 and minutely to see what its chief essentials are. It is 

 clear that the Church could not repress the dramatic 

 representations of the people. So they utilised them. 

 They turned characters belonging to the primitive 

 religion into characters bearing the names of, and 

 having just the slighest resemblance to. Christian 

 characters. St. George was a knight who fought and j 

 slew enemies. He was fitted to do the fighting therefore 

 in these old plays. But he did little else. He had to 

 conform to traditional ways, if he introduced non- 

 traditional speeches. He had to see his slain fenemies 

 restored to life, and he had to dress in the traditional 

 manner and meet the traditional animal characters. 

 E.xcept, indeed, for the names of the characters there 

 is nothing jn these mumming plays really belonging to 

 Christian knighthood and feudal nobility. No one would 

 dream of attributing to them any of the dignity of 

 romantic chivalry ; they remain as they were originally, 

 traditional representations of popular festivals. There 

 is only the rudest action and the most archaic ideas : 

 and it is not difficult, therefore, to get rid of the thin 

 veneer of ecclesiastical influence in order to search for 

 the more archaic relics underneath. 



Laurence Gomme. 



NOTES. 

 At a meeting on December 15, Sir W. H. Flower, K.C.B., 

 F.R.S., was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy of 

 Sciences of Belgium. 



Prof. G. Carey Foster, F.R.S., will resign the Quain 

 Professorship of Physics, University College, London, at the 

 close of the present session. 



Dr. Augustus D. Waller, F.R.S., Fullerian Professor of 

 Physiology and Comparative Anatomy at the Royal Institution, 

 has resigned his chair. 



It is with deep regret that we announce the death of Prof. T. 

 Jeffery Parker, F. R.S., professor of biology in the University of 

 Otago. Though Prof. Parker died on November 7, the news 

 has only just reached this country ; and it is given melancholy 

 interest by the fact that the "Text-Book of Zoology," upon 

 which Prof. Parker had for some time been engaged with Prof. 

 Haswell, was only completed a few days before his death. 



The Council of the Chemical Society have recommended 

 the following as Foreign Members to be balloted for at the 

 next meeting, January 20 : — Prof. Remsen, Baltimore, U.S.A. ; 

 Prof. Troost, Paris ; Prof. Moissan, Paris ; Prof. Raoult, 

 Grenoble ; Prof. Ostwald, Leipzig ; Prof. Curtius, Bonn ; Prof. 

 Mensutkin, St. Petersburg ; Prof. Markownikow, St. Peters- 

 burg ; Prof. Arrhenius, Stockholm ; Prof. Waage, Christiania ; 

 Prof. Franchimont, Leyden ; Prof, van der Waals, Amsterdam ; 

 Prof. Spring, Liege ; Prof. Korner, Milan. 



We regret to learn that Prof. Francesco Brioschi, president 

 of the R. Accademia dei Lincei, died at Milan on December 13. 



The Athenceurn announces that the mineralogist Dr. Albrecht 

 Schrauf, author of several scientific works — among others of a 

 " Lehrbuch der physikalischen Mineralogie," of a " Hand- 

 buch der Edelsteinkunde,"andof an "Atlas der Krystallformen," 

 — has just died at Vienna in his sixtieth year. Dr. Schrauf 

 was professor of mineralogy at the University of that place, and 

 director of the Mineralogical Museum. 



The death is announced, at Cape Colony, of Prof. James 

 Holm, late Professor of Physics at the South African College 

 Cape Town. Prof. Holm (says the Electrician) was born in 



NO. 1469. VOL. 57] 



Argyllshire in 1869, and had a brilliant career at Glasgow 

 University, passing on to Edinburgh. Subsequently he spent 

 several sessions in private research, under the special direction 

 of Lord Kelvin, in the physical laboratory of the Glasgow 

 University, and also in the electrical engineering workshops. 

 At the completion of his scholarship he was appointed Demon- 

 strator in Physics at the University College, Nottingham, where 

 he remained until appointed to a professorship at the South 

 African College in 1895. 



Mr. H. F. Donaldson, Engineer-in-Chief of the London 

 and India Docks, has been appointed Deputy Director-General 

 of the Ordnance Factories. 



The sub-tropical Botanical Laboratory at Eustis, Florida, has- 

 been abandoned, and the work transferred to the Division of 

 Vegetable Physiology and Pathology of the Department of 

 Agriculture, Washington. 



Mr. a. C. Harmsworth has presented his Arctic ship 

 Windward to Lieutenant Peary, and will have her overhauled 

 and sent to America for his use in his coming Arctic expedition. 

 This generous act is the latest incident in that series which has 

 shown that England and America are bound by the strongest 

 brotherly ties in their mutual interest in Arctic work. 



Prof. Oliver Lodge will commence his course of six 

 lectures (adapted to a juvenile auditory) upon "The Principles 

 of the Electric Telegraph," at the Royal Institution on Tuesday 

 next, December 28. The subjects of the individual lectures 

 are : — The production of an electric current ; detection of an 

 electric current ; land telegraphy ; ocean telegraphy ; principles 

 of wire and cable signalling ; space telegraphy. 



Christmas lectures for juveniles are increasing in favour. At 

 University College, Liverpool, Prof. Herdman, F.R.S., will 

 give a course of three lectures and a museum demonstration, on 

 some of the more attractive parts of natural history, during the 

 Christmas holidays. The announcement states that the course 

 is for boys and girls, for whom the best places will be kept ; 

 adults will only be admitted on sufferance, should there be room 

 for them. 



The following are among the papers announced for reading 

 at the meetings of the Society of Arts after Christmas, in 

 January and February : — " The Projection of Luminous Objects 

 through Space," by Mr. Eric H. S. Bruce; "Fireproof 

 Construction of Domestic Buildings," by Mr. Thomas Potter ; 

 "The Cinematograph," by M. Jules Fuerst. 



The will of the late Dr. George H. Horn (says Science) gives 

 his valuable entomological collections, together with his en- 

 tomological books and instruments and an endowment of 

 200 dols. per annum, to the American Entomological Society. 

 From the residuary estate, after the death of his sister, the 

 Entomological Society is to receive 5000 dols., the Philadelphia 

 Academy of Natural Sciences 1000 dols., and the American 

 Philosophical Society 500 dols. 



At the recent annual meeting of the Institution of Civil 

 Engineers it was announced that, in respect of papers read 

 during the Session 1896-97, the Council had made the following 

 awards: — The Institution premium, value 10/., to Mr. W. M. 

 Mordey for his paper entitled " Dynamos " ; the Paris Elec- 

 trical Exhibition premium, value 5/., to Mr. John Gavey for 

 his paper on "The Telephone Trunk Line System in Great 

 Britain" ; the Fahie premium, value 5/., to Mr. Benest for his 

 paper on ' ' Some Repairs to the South American Company's 

 Cable off Cape Verde in 1893 and 1895." An extra premium 

 of 5/. was awarded to Mr. A. P. Trotter for his paper on " The 

 Disturbance of Submarine Cable Working by Electric Tram- 



