204 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XVI. No. 397. 



The Late Dr. Thomas Wilson: Wareen K. 



MOOREHEAD. 



This paper included some brief remarks 

 upon the career of the archeologist, Dr. 

 Thomas Wilson, late curator of the Depart- 

 ment of Prehistoric Anthropology, Smith- 

 sonian Institution. Dr. Wilson has con- 

 ducted researches in both France and the 

 United States, and published numerous re- 

 ports and papers, notable among which are 

 two, ' The Swastika ' and ' A Classification 

 of Spearheads, Arrowheads and Knives.' 

 Dr. Wilson was greatly interested in young 

 men who desired to take up anthropology as 

 their life work. He was possessed of a 

 peculiarly pleasing personality. 



An Osage Mourning — War Ceremony: 

 George A. Dorset. 



AFTERNOON SESSION. 



This paper was discussed by Franz Boas, 

 who said, among other things, practically 

 as follows: In ritual we find perhaps the 

 most permanent activity of primitive man. 

 The explanations of similar rituals are often 

 given by various tribes and found to differ 

 fundamentally. Actions seem more perma- 

 nent than thoughts or the psychological ex- 

 planation of such acts. The study of ritual 

 may .solve problems the explanations of 

 which we are unable to discover from the 

 study of other matters. We should be 

 thankful for such detailed description of 

 rituals as those given by Dorsey, Fewkes, 

 Voth and others, particularly regarding the 

 Southwest. 



J. Walter Fewkes stated that Dr. Dor- 

 sey 's paper well illustrated the advantage 

 of the study of primitive religion. The 

 study of ceremony as an objective element 

 in religion is very important. Such studies 

 accumulate matter we can not now appre- 

 ciate, but ceremonies are rapidly disappear- 

 ing or being modified, so that Ave may live 

 to see the end of them and we must now 

 make the records. Papers of this kind 



should increase. We should have aU de- 

 tails and interpretations when possible. 



The observer has better opportunities, 

 and is in many cases more competent to 

 explain, than any one else. The true ex- 

 planation in many cases is not known to the 

 participants. The meaning is only ob- 

 tained by comparative study. So it is 

 necessary to record all events. The value 

 of recording what every man does is im- 

 portant, so we may have in print material 

 for such comparison. 



A few ceremonies remain, more than 

 some think, but the incorporation of for- 

 eign elements is everywhere marked. The 

 study of ceremony has strong and weak 

 sides; strong as above stated. The weak 

 side is due to the probability that ceremo- 

 nies may change. Records of changes, 

 therefore, should be made in order to trace 

 the evolution of ceremonies. Not only 

 what is done, but also what is said and the 

 songs and prayers, should be recorded. 



W J McGee expressed the following 

 ideas : Peoples who participate in ceremo- 

 nies can seldom explain them, any more than 

 a caged bird can tell why it beats its wings 

 in vain effort to migrate south in the fall. 

 Ceremonies are instinctive, running far 

 back. The Indians who perform seldom 

 realize that this is so. They hardly recog- 

 nize the existence of laws governing the 

 ceremonies. Through the heritage of ex- 

 perience, movements take place definitely 

 in accordance with law. We know that 

 the points of the compass are prominent 

 in the rituals of all our primitive peoples. 

 We who no longer have occasion to re- 

 member points of the compass find one 

 of our strongest instincts is to carry orien- 

 tation. It is an instinct, and typical of 

 what has come up from lower stocks than 

 those represented by the Indians described 

 bj^ Dr. Dorsey and others. 



The instinct differs only in so far as 

 some peoples have lost some of theirs. The 



