The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1882-04-09
SOME NEW BOOKS.


| KENDALL adams in his Manual Of Historical
| Literature Harperg), IL one long desidcratcd by
! the historical student. The compilcrs purpose
| is to designate the more useful and authorita-
| tive works relating to the main branches OF
| historical research and to indicate the scope
md character OF the information furnished in
Al book. Apocifod NV brief summary Of the
contcn,e. wo need not say thnt no TWO per,
sons although they might Justly be H.,
az equally convcrsant with the history OF u
given country or epoch would be likely to draw
up precisely the same list Of authorities. In
the judgment. therefore. OF each particular
reader competent to express an opinion on the
subject. the success Of Prof. Adamss expert
ment will at best. be only Appropriated in one
direction or another. But after u somewhat
careful examination of this volume. We are dis
posed to think that its execution will. on the
whole. be commended by n consensus
OF educated opinion. The book ia too impor-
| tant, and too certain of reach ing wide circle
! OF readers TO be described in general terms.
| and we propose therefore. TO point out in some
| detail the principal and characteristic features.
The compilcrs arrangement Of his mate
| rails strikes MS AZ felicitoua. He begins
| with an Introductory chapter on the study OF
| history. in which he clearly apprehends and
sets forth what may be said on both sides OF the
|
| studied in general compenda or In works de-
| voted to particular periods 1t is true enough
| that it is impossible to understand the nature
| and Importance Of any special event without
| large knowledge Of the events that have gone
| before. It is the lack Of wido Information re-
| latng to the past that constitutes tho main diff
| ference between educated and half-oducated
men. The latter, in dealing with the events
that have come within their ken. are apt to re-
! f,rt lanN to aud IN NH
| blunders in perspective. because in their case
| tho treasure house of memory Is ILL
| stocked and the mental horizon mar
| row. The more comprehensive the Ia
| mliarity with the general career of the race.
| the more sure and easy will be the grasp on
| the Significance of any special epoch. But
| while an accurate and tolcrnbly complete
| knowledge Of the leading events in the record
| of humanity is Indispensable TO right COM
| prehension Of things present 1t docs not follow
| that such general knowledge can be reached by
| any royal road ms. for instance. by coming the
| pages OF n so-called universal history. No man
| probably ever lived who was competent to pro-
| duce such work and it is safe to predict that
| any one who should attempt to portray all the
| epochs for which historical materials
tant would be an authority on none. 1t is
nevertheless true that these ambitious sum-
marcs are Of different degrees Of merit, and
that in German. Italian. and French there are
srlf-stylcd universal histories which are in
some parts excellent and nowhere contempt
! bic But. as Prof. Adams says, the best preface
to n course of historical study is 10 take up q
book on the Egyptian, Mesopotamian Greek.
and Roman civilization, another on the early
middle ages, and a third on the period
which opened with the revival Of learn
ing. Tho rude outline thus obtained must. Of
course he filled in by the study of works rclat
ing to different subjects. countries and cpochs
before tho student will acquire the general
knowlclg" indispensable to equip him for the
solution ON his own account of n specific his
| t1riral problem As for the works which aim
| 10 base a philosophy on the lessons OF history,
| IL seems to us plain enough that these should
not he taken up until the students historical
equipment is tolcrably complete. Such efforts
/ to evolve science out OF history
are obviously tentative. and the authors
arc strongly tempted to make facts conform
10 their theories. and the reader who
IL unable to correct or supplement
an imperfect array Of data would do well
TO postpone the study OF the CONGRATULATIONS
reared on it. Take. for instance. the writings
OF Montcsquicu. HcGel. Schlegel. Comtc
Buckle and Herbert Spencer on the philosophy
OF history; of what possible use and Of what
probable harm. are these likely to prove to the
| reader whose grasp upon the facts Of history
is OF limited character We observe, by the
way. that in his list Of such works Prof. Adams
unexpectedly omits Spcnccr's Sociology" and
Schweglcr's History of Philosophy"
Among the general histories relating TO an
tiauiy we regret To see that Rollins is allowed
u figure by the compiler. The proper work in
which to traverse the field ostensibly covered
| by Rollin il PROFESSIONALLY that of Heoren. al
though. 30 far as regards Egypt and Assyria.
this book also has been rendered an untrust-
worthy guide by the fruits Of the last half CEN
tury's researches. Hceren's in fact is not a
book TO he put into the hands Of n young stu
dent. unless the many passages in which his
statements have been superseded are distinct
| " indicated. In other words the history OF the
ages preceding the Christian err cannot be
satisfactorily examined in any one book en-
tant but must be approached by the process OF
dening with special periods. AS regards the
civilizations Of the Euphrates Valley and OF
Iran, Rawlinson is no doubt Indispensable. but
his ability to weigh and graduate different
kinds OF evidence is by no means rated high
by German critics. SO far as the subjects are
concerned to which Rawlinson gives special
attention, no othcrnuthor is mentioned in Prof.
Adams's list and The student therefore. who
relies on ii may depend too implicitly on Raw
linson for large and important section OF the
world history. As regards Egypt the author
cites Only Wilkinson and Brugsch Boy flor we
need pay no attention to Dirch's Record Of
tho Past'D, while on the history OF Israel this
manual names only the writings Of Joscphus
Ewald, Milman. and Stanley. Kucnen and
| many other Biblical critics OF Germany and
| Holland are Of far more consequence than Mil
man or Stanley. and it is safe to say that Re
mans Origins Of Christianity" throws more
light upon tho pro-Chrstan history Of lsrae
and the spirit Of the Jewish race than many %
the authors mentioned in this manual.
Az regards the general histories OF Greece
there is no doubt that that Of Curtius is il
some respects. the best for tho general reader
who would bc unable to verify tho writer
statements. even If the authorities were cited
But to a Greek scholar Grotes habit of citing
in foot notes the original passages referred tC
in the text is moro satisfactory, 1t WAS Ger
tainly quite needless for Prof. Adams to emu
mcrate tho histories OF Milford. Thirwall
Smith and Cox. Thirlwa is undoubtedly til,