Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1858-11-12
tennessee Historical socie,y.

Whatever may be our ideas of what his
torical works should be- whether the detail
Of successive events, or this with philosopbic
disquisitioDs upon the character and bearing
of events on the immediate welfare of peo-
pie, and the deduction therefrom of lessons
for the guidance of present and future gen.
erations, all will agree that the frue founda-
tion OF all history must necessarily he facts
We use the word facts in its widest sense
These are to be found scattered. and origi-
nally undigested, lying at loose ends through
ont the area 10 which they relate. and in this
'ndition remain till CLEANED. collected and
garnered by some, generally unreauited.
hand. This involves an ardnons and tedious
labor. 1t is sometimes left for the unaided
toll of single individual again it is under
taken by associations of individuals. who
never expecting TO reap any individual ben
eft. yet labor and strive for the ultimate and
common good Of all. We have no complaint
to make of the annalists Of Tennessee-they
have done great work-especially the last,
Mr.. RAMSEY, who has given MS an elaborate
record of the early events of our history.
But we are sare, that with all his Industry
and painstakfng, he has not been able to reach
all that may be of interest in the times of
which he has written. 1t may be that such
matter as he has failed to Obtain too. would
not be Of sufficient import to be Incorporated
in volume, professedly historical. When,
however, the historian of the future shall
build up the temple of our career, in all it's
grand, and as we may hope, magnificent pro-
portions; taken by him piece by piece from
the quarry of rough and unpublished materials,
the rubbish eliminated, and the touch of
beauty given to all its paris-when this is
done he will need ererythiag that may be of
value, either in the work of ornamentation or
in producing stability.
To aid in this work. to collect the timbers.
SO to speak, and warehouse them in dry and
secure places, so that they may not decay or
pass from memory, but be preserved for their
appropriate functions and places in the hands
of the future joiner, the Tennessee Historical
Society was designed and Organized. The
members are actuated by no personal aims or
motives, and are merely laboring for the gain
of all Tennesseans and their posterity alike
Their work is arduous, and to them as indivi-
duals, unremnnerative. They not only de-
serve encouragement but assistance. They
have taken upon themselves to do that which
being everybOdy's business is held to be no.
body's, and Tould else go undOne. But being |
everybody's business. it is the duty of every !
body who possesses the means, to contribute |
to the work. Unaided elsewhere, few indi- |
viduals in one particular locality can do COM
paratively little toward completing the work. |
In behalf of the Society. then. we would urge |
upon all those throughout the State who NAV
possess documentary facts or personal reminis-
cences bearing upon the hitherto proud his
tory of the State, to communicate the same
to the Society at this place. Tennessee has
fallen behind many of her sisters in the lau-
dable work of preserving the memories of
the past-ahd especially SO in respect to her
biography. Few of her men of nerve and re-
nown in the early and severe days of her ear
ly settlement are familiar to the masses of her
present generation. May we insist that some
attention, at least. may be turned to the mat
tiers at which we have glanced-and that the
aid we have asked in behalf of the Society,
may be accorded throughout the State.