Elephant pipes and inscribed tablets in the Museum of the Academy of natural sciences, Daveport, Iowa / by Charles E. Putnam.

  • Charles Edwin Putnam
Date:
1885
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Elephant pipes and inscribed tablets in the Museum of the Academy of natural sciences, Daveport, Iowa / by Charles E. Putnam. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    “As first in value we mention the excellent paper on ‘ Art in Shell of the x\ncient Americans,’ by William H. Holmes. His resolution of the peculiar and obscure artistic designs which he figures is as ingenious as it is convincing. The analogy of the decoration and drawings on shells from Missouri and Georgia to the art-work of the Mayas of Yucatan is altogether too positive to be attributable to chance or to parallelism of art evolution. Its explanation demands a historic unity of culture. “The aptitude for artistic work in the native race is further illustrated by the article of Dr. Washington Matthews on ‘ Navajo Silversmiths.’ He shows that they have not only technical dexterity, but original dec- orative conceptions as well. “Mr. Frank H. Cushing contributes one of his studies of Zuni life, in this instance on the Zuni philosophy and their fetiches. It is a very curious illustration of the course of native thought directed toward the problems of religion. “Similar to it in its subject is Mrs. Erminnie A. Smith’s paper on the ‘ Myths of the Iroquois.’ With due deference we must say, however, that the illustrations of this article, borrowed without credit from Cu- sick’s well-known book (which has already appeared in a Government publication), are out of place in a report of the Bureau of Ethnology. Nor does Mrs. Smith improve on the quaint narrative of Cusick by dressing it up in modern English. “A would-be critical article on ‘Animal Carvings from the Mounds of the Mississippi Valley’ is inserted from the pen of Henry W. Hen- shaw. It would have been of more weight had the writer known more of his topic from personal observation, and depended less on second- hand statements. The Bureau should confine its writers to what they know of their own knowledge. “Two illustrated catalogues of collections from New Mexico, by James Stevenson, close the volume.”— D. G. B., Aprils The American Naturalist. “Under the title ‘ Elephant Pipes in the Museum of the Academy of Natural Sciences. Davenport, Iowa,’ Mr. Charles E. Putnam enters a vigorous and well-written ])rotest against the criticisms and insinuations which have been made against the character of the discoverer and the authenticity of the elephant pipes in the museum of the Davenport Academy. The article is racy reading, and incidentally gives strong arguments against the desire for centralization in science shown in cer- tain (juarterL It will be found impossible to concentrate all science in any one clique or city. Our local societies and scattered observers need not feel that their efforts are not as valuable in their way as the labors of Government officials and closet or office naturalists.”—July-> 18S5. “The Davenport Elephant Pipes.— Mr. Charles E. Putnam, of Davenport, Iowa, has published a ]>amphlet of thirty-eight images as a vindication of the authenticity of the elejihant pijies and inscribed tab- lets in the museum of the Daven|)ort Academy of Natural Sciences