Folklore: The Development of a Science

On of my interests is the tension within folklore studies between those who practice folklore as a scientist, those who approach it from the literary standpoint, those who look at it as artistic inspiration and the lay folklore student. This tension has been apparent since the advent of the discipline and it pokes its head up very often in folklore studies dating from the turn of the century prior.

We can see this tension displayed by G. Calderon in his review of W. Dittmer's collection "Te Tohunga: The Ancient Legends and traditions of the Maori," which appeared in the journal Folk-lore XIX (1908). Calderon doesn't beat around the bush when describing the usefulness of Dittmer's re-purposing of Maori myth:

With the aesthetic side of Mr. Dittmer's work our Society is not concerned, except in so far as it affects the Folk-lore side; but I feel constrained, while recommending the book to the attention of those who like that sort of thing (among whom I cannot honestly include myself), to warn "the serious student of Folk-lore," if he has not hitherto turned his attention to New Zealand, from endeavouring to make acquaintance with it through the pages of Te Tohunga. For Mr. Dittmer's aesthetic, both literary and pictorial, is something of a modern kind which he brings from Europe and applies, almost forcibly, to his subject matter; it is not a development of the essential Maori notions for their own sake. It is New Zealand "a travers un temperament." The serious student would know more about Mr. Dittmer in the end than about the Maoris.

What then could be of use to the folklorist.  Take the review of W. D. Fernal's "Precious Stones: For Curative Wear and Other Remedial Uses; Likewise the Nobler Metals," by W. L. Hildburgh, included in the same issue of Folk-Lore:

It is well, I think, to point out here that much of what is recorded in the older books dealing with gems and stones, although interesting to the folk-lorist, is, strictly speaking, not folk-lore, but is what some learned man gathered from others, equally learned, about him, or from books, or reasoned out for himself. On the other hand, much is folk-lore, as is proved by our finding still, amongst the peasantry, especially in countries conquered and civilised by the Romans, many of the beliefs concerning the virtues of stones, more particularly the less valuable varieties, which were recorded by Pliny or by the medieval writers.

Even back then the argument of 'is it folklore or not' resounded.   One thing for certain though, back then they did love them some Frazier.  From A. R. Wright's review of "Primitive Secret Societies" by Hutton Webster (Also dig on the thinly veiled misogyny!):

The puberty ceremonies for girls, naturally less important, are also very fully dealt with, and the theories of Dr. Frazer and others as to the origin of puberty rites in general are touched upon.