Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1882-01-31
uSnErIAsLExEss OF HISTORY.

rxrEtIAsLENEss OF HISTORY.
To doubt an alleged fact OF history.
said to have taken place three or four
thousand years ago. which may have
been transmitted verbally from genera.
ton to generation for hundreds Of years
before 1t was recorded In writing. is held
by some Of our Christian friends to be
m almost objectionable sin. No matter
how improbable the alleged occurrence
may seem, it is their opinion that men
should believe II because II 10 recorded
In their sacred books. II q directs
their attention to the fact that three men
Of our own time may see . runaway
horse ON our streets. and on the follow.
ing day sven neither sRrcs with the
others as to the details Of the occurrence.
they will not accept the fact as initiating
in the slightest degree against their doc
trins that old stories must be true be-
cause they are old. nc matter II hundreds
Of years trsnspirsd between the alleged
occurrences and the time they were put
on record.
The fact is, however. that there 10
nothing so unreliable As history written
by persons who took active parts In the
scenes recorded. unless 1t be history
transmitted verbally down through hun.
drsds OF years to the persons Who 70
duced it to writing. Even the history OF
the rebellion OF 1s6l-65. although so
many Of the participators in the scenes
Of that time are still living. 10 found
when written by northern men to differ
materially from the history Of the same
events when written BY southern men.
For years 1t was believed that ct the bat.
tie Of Chattanooga there was = severe
conflict above the clouds. Recently tho
General commanding there has said there
Is no truth in the story. Lincsln has
been credited with fighting the battles OF
our civil wal that four millions Of slaves
might DO freed from bondage. while tho
truth il that early in the war Lincoln
said that IL the Union could he saved
without the abolition Of slavery. hs
would not interfere with that institution.
It 10 bu, . few days ago that tho Virginia
Chronicle questioned the truihfulnsss Of
Americas mos. reliable historian. Ban
croft. and the Enterprise last Sunday
questioned the accuracy Of ''sn instance
in local history. rslatsd last Friday even
ing by Bishop Msnoguo."
Greek historians inform rs that Leon.
idss with three hundred Spartans at
T~hsrnopyle held in check for two days
the army Of XsrIss, said to have eon-
sisted Of three millions Of men. And.
u il has no, been known what the Per.
SLAMS had to say about the matter. the
Greek story was generally believed for
over two thousand years. until at last its
improbability. with regard to the num-
b.rs respectively engaged and the valor
Of the Spartans, caused IL to be conaid'
cred q historical lie. The legend Of
William Tell, cherished so long by sym.
pa,hizing millions, is now declared to be
without truthful foundation. while
scores Of other legends. In which people
mp to atty years ago placed implicit con-
ndsncs, have recently been shown to DO
nero fables. invented by cunning men
d, impose upon the ersdulous.
It is . fac, that history. especially an
Gent history. is not accepted today with
that feeling OF unreserved confidence in
it's truthiuluess that Was given to 1t ffty
years ago. In the absence Of contempt
ransous history to confirm improbable
stories told by one historian, people Of
this iconoclastic age will doubt their
truth. And IL truth.lovipg persons now
refuse to believe the story OF Samson
Staying . thousand Philistiaes with the
jaw.bons Of an ass in . day, or that the
blowing Of rama horns caused the walls
of Jericho to fall. or that the sun stood
still that Joshua might complies his
work OF slaughter by daylight. or the
story Of Daniel in the lions den. or Of
Jonah and the whale. or that three mill
ion Israelitss crossed the Red Sea with
on. wsttins their feet. and attsrvsrd
lived forty years in the wilderness on
mama and quails. our Christian friends
should net censure them too harshly for
their unb.lisf. During the last atty
years. many facts recorded In proians
history have been proved to DO false that
II il not q cause for wonder that improb-
able stories, even II recorded in so-callsd
sacred books. shsuld be disbelieved.
History 10 full Of errors, and the older
that historical facts purport to be. the
moro likely they are to be unreliable.
Chicago has o new street car which
carries its track along with 1t. 1t 10
-. q. ~ kha oydiuarv kW0.