Daily Republican., 1879-04-21
THE ROMANCE Oy:HIsTeRY
How 'lu,awinaisen Clsthes the
Events Sf AgeS-TRe virtues and
worth Of HlstOrians-ChfvaIry
the Cause Of the Unnatural Tradl
siOus OT 0hS, Past

BveuuS VI NV mo
worth Of HistSrians-Chfvalry
the Cause or the Unnatural Tradi
lions Of the Past.
On Saturday evening last, Rev. DR..
Caldwell, pastor of st. PauPs N. 4.
Church delivered a highly entertaining
lecture before the young ladies OF the
Wesleyan Female College.
He said: 1t seems like solecism to
speak of the romance of history. The
popular ana perhaps critical idea of a
romance is something unreal, hcti'
tious story, or a narration OF events
which never happened. Such nara
tives are designed merely to please by
exciting curiosity and wonder. They
do not supply the mind with instruction
nor store it with treasures of facts and
truths. They deal in tales of love and
war, and excite the emotional nature
BY such concurrence OF singular
events as rarely happen in real life.
Much of the fictitious literature of
past ages was of this class; but in our
day among cultivated readers 1t has
given place to the more elevated and
intellectual class of modern novels,
such as have emanated from the pens
of Scott, Bulwer, Dickens, Cooper and
others. An intelligent reader would
now be ashamed to own himself a
reader Of romance, or to shew himself
familiar with that class of literature.
Cervantes was the first to strike a
deadly blow at il, especially the chiv-
alrous class Of romances; and his com
mon sense and correct taste have borne
good fruit in our time.
When | use the term romance in con
uection with history, | do not mean
to convey the impression that the
events thus characterized were fcti
tious, though many unreal adventures
may have crept into the pages of his
tory. Iuse the word in the same SENSE
in which it is employed when we espeak
of romantic character, scene or nci'
dent, though such character, scene OF
incident may be real and not imagin'
ary.
What constitutes the romance OF
history
1t is not what the cynical DR.. South
calls: "Lies immortalized and consign'
ed over as perpetual flaw upon pos
rerity," nor is it what the peet Cooper
describes. Real History is something
better tha an this and better even than
De palley makes it: "a record of the
successes and disappointments, thF
vices, fol!ies, and quarrels of those who
engage in contention for power We
certainly have some good histories and
they deal not alone in battles and sieges
and victories, in courts and camps
and courtisrs, nor even in the great
events in the annals Of states and king
doms: but likewise in the manners
customs, literature, philosophy anc
social life Of peoples. These are inter
vsven with the threads of narration.
A good history is so written as to re
.emSle stream issuing from its source
amid the cliff and shadows Of mountain
gorges, and floating on with constantly
increasing volume as other streams
from like sources come into it. This
typical river has ever varying curves
and landscapes, alterations of hill
and vale, of forest and field, Of fock'
and herds grazing on the verdan
slop,s, and light and shadows fitting
over the scenes. Even the drift-wooC
borne down upon the bosom of the cur
rant is typical of some of the charac
tors and events of history. We find il
faithful historic current many 1
Shiny serpent Of death and treashery
many a hideous dragon Of pride ant
malice, many terrible leviathan o
wickedness and cruelty, many mora
monstrosity from which we would glad
ly turn our eye. But on the other han'
we behold incarnations of truth, JUS
tice and charity; angels of mercy VIII
watch over the infamy of nations, tru
demi- gods who protect, nourish anc
strengthen them.
It is out of such that the romance 9
history is woven. But it cannot b
thus woven without the judicious ex
ereise of that wonderful faculty, tn
imagination. Under its potent in
fluence all the tissues in the structur
Of history are woven, cut, ordinate
and bound together. Imagination
does not invent the facts and incident
of history; it collates, adjusts and har
| =, a
character, but brings them to view i
their real and living drapery. Tn
work of the philosophic historian i
, different. He interprels the event
according to certain laws which al
known to operate in the individual an
in society and deduces from the Who'll
| his lessons of practical wisdom--le'
sons of great Importance to the teacher
the statesman and the ruler; with tn
latter imagination has less infuenc
than with the former.
, But without Imagination what woul
. eur Humes, and Gibbons. our Prescott
and Mac iuleys bey The historic
must not give it the reins, for then
would give to "airy nothing loc'
habitation and a name" Abbott
his lit. of Napoleon, and Headley in h
( sketches Of marshals and generals gu
: fer it to run away with good sense, rel
t son and even probability. You ma
, term it loose, il yon will, to wand'
with Headley on 'Sacred Mountains,
or to "Meditate' with Harvey anon
the "Tombs' and "Flower Gardens,
J but you must tether it when you writ
history. 1t is the bright coloring whic
l Imagination lends 10 the relations, a
: titudes and postures Of real characte1
and events that constitute the greates
| attraction of history. Without 1t IL
study of history would be exceeiingI
0 airy and insipid. 1t gives to the pag'
of Prescott and Macauley fascinatir
power that holds their readers und'
the spell of magic. lts principal mgr
q dients are war, conquest, patriotism
,a,,nnn ,l,;rn1ru