The Academy (December 9 1911)

The Academy (December 9 1911)

Newspaper Clippings and Pamphlets

newspaper clipping, scrapbook

December 9th 1911

Lucy Lloyd (scrapbook of clippings ), Specimens of Bushman Folklore (Lucy Lloyd's scrapbook of clippings ), scrapbook (Lucy Lloyd's )

"The Folklore of a Lost People. Bushman Folklore. By the late W.H. Bleek, Ph.D., and L.C. Lloyd. (George Allen and Co. £1 1s.)" The writer in "The Academy" begins by announcing that this book on the language, customs and beliefs of the Bushmen, of "more than ordinary interest and value", is finally obtainable after delays from a "chain of unfortunate circumstances". The review gives a brief and general description of the Bushmen's race, location and their fate, drawn from Theal's introduction, as well as details of Bleek's initial study of the |xam convicts. The author quotes two Early Race narratives (the creation of the Milky Way and the Wind as a man) to demonstrate their "mythology of the crudest kind". Leading on from this the author briefly summarises other narratives about the elements, the interchangeability of man and animal and related precautions. They describe these "curious" tales of the "miraculous" as fragmented and lacking cohesion, or a "point". They briefly analyse two examples of such tales involving strange things that occur with no reason or explanation: a girl and her father who become frogs and a man who asked his wife to cut off his ears. The author concludes by recommending the volume as one that offers a "representative selection" of myths, customs and personal experiences of the captive /xam, extensively illustrated with photos and Bushman drawings which display "a childlike baldness". They offer the opinion that while the book will mainly be of value to philologists, general readers "cannot fail to glean interest and amusement from its pages". The "value to philologists" line has been underlined in red pen. The name of the newspaper and the date are handwritten at the top of the clipping underneath the article's heading. The scrapbook page number 24 is hand written in the top right-hand corner.