AN ADDRESS BY C. C. BALDWIN New cTHethods History* CLEVELAND THE WESTERN RESERVE HISTORICAL SOCIETY This book was digitized by Microsoft Corporation in cooperation with Yale University Library, 2008. You may not reproduce this digitized copy of the book for any purpose other than for scholarship, research, educational, or, in limited quantity, personal use. You may not distribute or provide access to this digitized copy (or modified or partial versions of it) for commercial purposes. New c7Wethods of History" AN ADDRESS BY C. C. BALDWIN Most histories written in days gone by, have been justly subject to the criticism placed upon them by Mr. Herbert Spencer; of relating what was useless, and nothing useful, omitting all narration of modes of life, thought, state of civilization or manners, except so far as they were here and there incidentally revealed. But to suit the intelligent reader of today, there must be made for him a new and later narrative ; written with a different view, with a different grouping of facts, com bined more by sociological relation than by time. Nor are the mnemonic triumphs of earlier days considered of value. Learned teachers select epochs, or write monographs on some historical topic, and refer the willing student more to the original authorities. What might seem a narrower learning is really broader and deeper and vastly more useful and thoughtful. It is much pleasanter also, for it is more delightful to be acquainted with one period, or even one man of olden times, than to commit to memory a worn out time card. The popular impetus, started by Sir Walter Scott, the novelist, and Macaulay, the historian, more intel ligently carried on by Arnold, Stubbs, Lecky, Freeman and Rogers, in England, and by American authors as well, has since our Centennial spread over our country. It must be that every age will look upon the past for itself, that much that formerly was most prominent is of little consequence, while from the germ of smaller things, of ideas or experience which in their youth seemed little — have grown great things. In no other way can the history of man develop. But the change in our day is broader. For the first time there is a general disposition to apply to history the scientific methods, which mankind has slowly learned, and which should be applied to all of life. Histories of develop ment in different lines, of epochs, biographies of lead ers, commonwealths treated from such views as give unity and dramatic interest, abound. Many of them are small but instructive. I am sure one may learn more from Mr. John Fiske's little book for young people on the Revolution than from many a larger book on that war. Mr. Freeman's .little book on the English Constitution is an excellent example of the life that may be given in a small compass to a seemingly abstruse subject. Mr. Fiske's "Beginning of New England" is instinct with the fine qualities of life. Mr. Froude has a curious essay on "The Science of History." The paper does not seem to me to be as clearly reasoned as it might have been, but it has the very high quality of exciting thought in the reader, possibly the more than if it were a more analytical and deductive paper. He is of the opinion that history is not a science, because it is liable to be disturbed by human volition, and that is impossible to tell the future with precision. He says further that history has often seemed to him like a child's box of letters, with which one can spell any word he pleases. "Let," says he, "your theory of history be what you will, you will find no difficulty in providing facts to prove it." But a proper analysis leaves to history all its dig nity. Past experience is the basis of all learning — while history may not of itself be a science, the sci entific method should be applied to it; while all the history of man may not be coterminous with sociology, yet it contains the material for that and other learning. From past experience comes all science. Its aggregate is all civilization — learning its lessons is progress. So strongly has that been sometimes felt that Mr. Free man has declared "that history is but past politics and that politics are but present history." America is a fertile field for history in its many commonwealths, its recent life, and the short time from savagery to a high civilization. American students are doing much for the new methods. As an example, the Johns Hopkins school with its monographs on subjects constitutional, municipal, general, and local, is rapidly accumulating material which, by the com parative methods, will be most fruitful. To speak again of Mr. Fiske, another of his little books on Civil Government shows what active life there is in such mode of study for, he shows large obligations to their publications. The difficulty of assuring or foretelling the future with certainty applies to all sociology. Where there is one cause it may be certain to produce one effect, but where, as in the life of man, there are many forces operating with and against each other, and in many ways, we can only say that a cause tends to produce a certain result, but to be able to say that is science. History is many sided and in many ways lies close to science. Sociology in all its branches, may well be science, and the seeming uncertainty of the future in history is not because causes do not tend to produce certain results, and will if undisturbed, but because in the more complicated affairs of man there are so many causes tending to various results, and to learn and appreciate all the causes which may be acting at once, is too strong a problem. And if indeed we can get the popular mind to believe that government, national, state, and municipal, like all other science, is to be learned from past experience, we may expect an advance to arise indeed, and which will not spend its strength in vain endeavor as in Horace the Adriatic "Wastes the eaten Tuscan shore in wintry strife." A striking feature of the intellectual life of to-day is the general prevalence of different views of econ omies and modes of government. Restless, and often lawless and bloody conflicts, seem to threaten the pres ent condition of man, and timid souls fear much. The air is full of differing theories. Hardly two persons would completely agree. How should they and why is not this condition healthy? In the past, economics and government have been no part of school learning. An education designed to fit a young man for life, has taught him arithmetic, geography, grammar, a little science, the dead skeleton of history, but nothing of its teachings and nothing in the science of business which is to be his pursuit for life, his foundation in success if he gets it. The slim forms of business are offered to be taught by commercial schools in a few weeks. Economics — the science of practical life, has not been taught at all in common schools nor nearly as much as it should be in scientific methods in col leges. Other sciences are to be learned and taught from experience, but social science using all forces of nature and the motives which meet in man — most complicated and difficult of all science — has still indulged in theory and unscientific methods. If, then, in consequence of such education as makes a general activity of mind — but has taught nothing of the laws of business or political life — there is general activity in theory, the more theories and the more general dis cussion of and interest in them the better so that the administration of life may be well thought out. As to be expected, such theories have generally elements of weakness. But the tendencies of the times are plainly seen. There has been a most inadequate social science. It is not yet fairly past the theoretic stage with which every science is hampered at its outset. Men like to plan a system rather than to drudge in minutiae to arrive at certainty. Man has passed a stage where the end of govern ment and economics was to favor a few. Then followed to favor the aggregate wealth without regard to dis tribution — the arithmetical state of balance of trade, of too much government and too little, too much pro tection, and a complete theory of "laissez faire." The "laissez faire" theory is followed by the theories of a paternal government. Lately has been recognized the historical school, which is now rising to the ascendency, who are treating the science of life on Baconian models, with the same methods which have made a solid basis for every flourishing science. And a learned and hu mane economist, Dr. Richard T. Ely, quotes to me with approval the words of that leader in the new history, Dr. Herbert B. Adams, that "Political Econ omy is becoming historical, and history is becoming economic." To be accurate, the offices, rights and duties of government and the governed, how best conducted and the best rules of economics in private hands, must be determined by the experience of his tory; there is no other. The historical school, bound to no theory, but to the scientific mode of learning, is growing strong, both here and abroad. The writers of pure theory are already being followed by wiser and more learned men, who intelligently study the past to make safe the future. It is the office of a Historical Society to carry from age to age, and to keep for each such material as may be wanted, and such societies should be, and will be if rightly supported and appreciated, a practical and most valuable school of education. Past history is wider than Mr. Freeman's definition; man's actions are not simply economical. Mr. Freeman elsewhere says, "History is a moral lesson." Man has passions and a moral sense. He has generosity, fine feelings, which are in character above views purely selfish and such views of his religious duty as cannot be explained on the principle of weighing the most economic good to himself. He stands in Mr. Spencer's "First Prin ciples," as matter of science upon the margin, or rather on each side the margin, between the knowable and un knowable; the world on one side and Diety on the other. There are as fine pictures in history as in fiction, of romance, of pathos, of tragedy, and of com edy. If one reads Mr. Parkman's "Jesuits in North America" with no better business of governmental practical education, yet he is not a good or a manly man if he does not feel greater courage and devotion to high minded and less mistaken notions of religion than those held by Mr. Parkman's heroes. I have lately said elsewhere, that the pleasures of history are akin to travel and that he who well under stood the life of a prior period of his own locality, had traveled abroad. The chief pleasure and profit of foreign travel consists in comparison, and those mat ters are most interesting and instructive which differ from our own country. The same rules obtained in the survey of history, so that those matters which are useful are at the same time interesting. The com parative methods of modern times have been most productive. I need hardly mention comparative phil ology, so directly resulting from history. Professor Rogers' "Work and Wages" and "Economic Interpre tation of History," Professor Freeman's "Comparative Politics," and numerous other examples might be named, and a late book in an international series is named "Comparative Literature." Our own country, with its thirteen original colonies and its many younger commonwealths, affords a fine field. I know none better than Ohio to easily compare different races, and partly by research original for that purpose. Palaeolithic man was here. These followed builders of vast earth works. Later, the neolithic races, then the French, the English, and the American, a mixture of different stocks, and from an absolutely savage condition to the highest advance of civilization is but a very little over one hundred years. The hard problems of municipal government must be worked out with the careful use of history by each municipality ; for if each is to be governed only by its present experience it is but too plain there will be an expensive series of ignominious mistakes. Never has there been such promise of interesting narratives, of entertaining knowledge of past times, and of practical wisdom for the present and the future as is likely to result from the new methods in history.