PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS.
The Symbolism of Rebirth.
BY DR. W. H. R. RIVERS.
The primary object of this Society is the collection of folk-lore, and especially of the folk-lore of our own country. The object which its founders had especially at heart was to rescue from oblivion the vast store of traditional belief and custom which must inevitably disappear as the result of the spread of education, the growth of the newspaper and the public library, and the greater facilities for intercourse provided by modern means of communication. At the present moment there is little question that this primary aim of the Society is not as potent as it was. Of especial importance is the fact that it does not provide a motive of sufficient force to give us the accession of new and young members which is essential if the Society is to preserve its vitality.
I believe that one reason, if not the chief reason, for this insufficiency of the original aim of the Society is that the many people now interested in human culture are not content with the idea of collecting folk-lore on account of some intrinsic interest it is claimed to possess. They want to know why the folk-lore of this country or of the world in general should be collected; why they should join a Society devoted to this purpose; and why after joining they should give to the subject the enthusiasm and industry which are essential if the Society is to be successful.
