Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1872-03-08
The University Lectures

at- l.hhs
The -r.a.o- lecture ,f tie new course CT
literary sal .,.s-.i, lectures =; che Uaiye-a.-y
Was J..,esl az We.ae.lsy afternoon, 10 the
College CaArc'. by P-e..l.at EeckhAm Tie
chapel v. crowded. vuh ST aaiience Of cur
ras. crlirstei citizens. Of both sexes.
Pre-. ,ea. Blcsasms satis,. WAS Tie HIS
l-- .I Fe.p he remarked that History.
- every at--- luusa enterprise, has its oNn
l.st-r- is..-r has hal .t- revCrses a1i v.c's-
s.tr1.s. like those u t1e Sings z1i heroes 70
describes. 4ni through AMI over then It has
Elu lt. way o. 'is present permanent royalty
jls r-s.n .f literature The successive stage
@. tte ca.cs- of History. clmmeace roo years
feo-c ite time of Anr1h7m. With 'he times before
tIc arr II writing Was invented, when the
memory q heroes sui evsuts wal commemorate
by monuments sni hieroglyph.cs aai picture
writing T-e Oldest books preserved are the
Bcos Of JOB, the i've books Of Moses, ami
Homer bu. carrier jhsn these there
rgst haee been tlc ballads, which are the car
lies. literary compositions Of every people, and
which c.ue down r1 Us As .eZeuts in time the
ballads expand Iuo Fpcs, lie 'A- l.ia1 sud
-Euaif. aAioh probably contain more oi history
than some have supposed
IN ihs next stare. his-0-y separates itfsi iroa
poetry, sn3 is found Ia tte form % snuals, OF
brief ds,ai ie.aris of great events, such ss The
celebrated p5uuucsi anuals, sept by the P1u,hx
NsA.uls ~ B ut for 900 ycl-s sf-er the ioani-
iue %. the -i'y. sui which are ;la only hslot-
i-.. records vi The Romans down 90 the SeconI
Panic Nar. Ilcrl - ss set Id conneciei mar
rative. or arrangement cf events IN their iogicsl
relations. iata c1m, the Chronicles, IN Fhich
,here Is more c0p.lgsugss OF narration sud some
q arrr.a
The chronicles Of Fr0.sssrt and Hoingshed cor-
tain hixaly picturesque passages- Some OF the
finest touches iu Macbeth, are but expansions o.
hints gwen 6y lolingshei.
We now each the confines o.. History proper
Eeroio.us, who vas enc Of the master minds Of
the race, and one OF its great inven ore, hrst col
oeiye3 the idea 0i finding out what the world
kneg about itesf up 10 his time and recording
il. A. be says: " to the eni tnlt the great and
wonderful deeds wr ught by men may not be
ohiirrarei by time" The lecturer enlarged in a
most interesting manner, 90 the msgnanmity Uf
the man Who with sll the Greci8n disisin Of bar
bsrisus, and with 10 models to guide him, first
set forth on a lie OF travel throughout the
known world, "a quest Of facts for History; and
on the simplicity snd schrewtress with which he
chronicles every story however prepostecous,
adding al the clo.e - but DO not believe it. -
. And Gf q 4uies WAEt fltEOldtAc ull uul OthrNr,
modern research fade not worthy Of belief.
From Hsroiotus TO Thucyddes, is the next
step end lcng one in historic art President
Buekhan pronounced the history Of the Peopon-
nesan war, by rhuoydiies all things considered,
the best history ever srittcn. lie wrote the
hittory of that period so accurately and con-
scenti0us'y that he has gyea Us the meaus Of
correcting his errors, and enables us 70 under
stand the time better in come respects, than be
understood il himself Then he exhibits such
pracdcsl wisdom, such insight into motives,
euch nlerciess exposure Of the arts Of dema-
gogues, such noble p0rtr2iture OF true states
msuship, such kindly, generous and eievating
appreciation Of the nature Of man,-jhst his
history becomes = profound study, hy mind oi
the highest order, Of human nIture,s as relstel TO
rocisl sud political Institutions There is more
of what is called modern history-ihst is a con-
fict Of opinion more nearly resembling what
hss been going on in England and America for
thelsst century-in the eight books ofThucydides,
than in all the French, German aud Italian his
tory that hss been enacted or written since
modern history began.
AZ Greece had but two great historians, 60
Rome had but two, Livy and racitus, who are
the counterparts Of Herodotus ami Thucydides
They added, however, nothing to the art Of his
tory. LiTy is inferior TO Herodotus in fidelity
to the truth, patience Of research and high his
toric spirit and only surpasses him in unity
anl continuity Of narration. The lecturer WAS
surprised that Mr.. Mscaulay should rank
Tacitus shove Thuoydiies. Tacitus indeed ex-
cells his master in neatness Of structure and epi-
grematic terseness, but this only Affects the
rhetoric. Iscitus, like Msc2nlsy himself, often
stariles snd gratihes one out looking more
closely We md it is only an old truth thrust
sharply forward into the light, whereas golden
thought from Thucydides or Burke, is nslc
thought. positive contribution 10 the sum OF
humsn knowledge
Passing down long line Of grest writers
mentioned by name, who have kept up the hiI-
toric&l succession to our time, Pres. Buckham
declared that none exceled those who have
written in English-Hume, Clarendon, Gibbon,