The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-10-30
BANCRoFT'S HISTORY OF UTAH.


One Of the most difficult things in the
world to do is to write an impartial his
tory.1Very few, if any, persons have ever
succeeded in doing it. The task becomes
more difficult and more dangerous the
closer the recorder approaches to current
times If it is hard for one to be an i'm
partial historian of peoples, countries anC
events in general, it is douhly so to write
the story of Utah without running afoul OF
breakers, and opening the door to the
charge of favoritism. Of all the books and
pretended histories and accounts of this
territory land they run into the hundreds)
we cannot now recall and name one that
has not been assailed by somebody. The
spirit of faction runs high and it makes
many men unreasonable, unjust and un-
truthful It enters into nearly everybody
composition, and deprives many of their
judgment, if not of their honesty. Every
day men here say and do things which if
they were absolutely free from political
and religious bias they would be grievously
ashamed of. Every day the influence of
faction leads men to assert positive I'M
truths, and to proclaim the correctness of
that which is false.
Mr. HUBERT HOWE BANCROFT must have
understood the local situation, and been
somewhat familiar with the existing bitter
ness and preiudices, for he approaches the
writing of the history with trepidation. In
his preface he says: ''If the writer is for
tunate enough to escape the many pitfalls
of fallacy and illusion which beset his way :;
if he is wise and successful enough to find
ina follow the exact line Of equity which
should be drawn between the holly con-
tending factions; in a word, if he is honest
and capable, and speaks honestly aud
openly in the treatment of such a subject,
he is pretty sure to offend, and bring upon
himself condemnation from all parties"
He therefore, in the hopelessness of salts
flying everybody, says he adopts the next
most reasonable proposition-tha of salts
flying himself. This, we believe from a
somewhat hasty examination of the his
tory, the gentleman has done. We believe
that his aim has been to state facts, and in
this his book is a radical departure from
the hundred and one volumes which have
purported to give the remarkable story of
Utah, in that it does not argue case or IN
dertake to discuss the rightfulness and
morality Of things AS Mr.. BANCROFT
truthfully says, anything written at
the present day which may he
properly called a history of Utah must
be largely history of the Mormons, VINO
were the first white people to settle in the
,+r.vr rbo OF ba of
occupants. The gentleman has shown the
honesty and the courage 20 give sober re
cital of the Mormon faith and experiences.
He has quoted largely from Mormon au-
thorities, and bases the history on what he
has learned from those who made it. 1t is
remarkable account, the story beginning
with the lives of the early Mormons in
1920 and co ming them to 1886, and when
told with the manifest aim on the part of
the author to be fair and truthful the story
is intensely interesting. Mr.. BANCROFT
divides the narration into periods, as from
1920 to 1880, 1S30-lS35, and so on, the Incl
dents in each peer;sd being carefully de
tailed What he designates 1.-THE Story Of
Mormonism" runs through four chapters,
and is succeeded by chapters entitled
Brigham Young succeeds Joseph" Elk
pulsion from Nauvoo," "At the Missouri, :"
Migration to Utah." ''In the valley of
the Great Salt Lake, "and Settlement and
Occupation of the Territory These bring
US down to 1852, when the education,
manufactures, commerce, agriculture and
society are treated of, and the politics and
social and industrial developments of Utah
discussed.
1t must not be understood from what has
been written that only the Mormons and
their work and achievements have been
told about. While the text is written
largely from the Mormon standpoint, the
exhaustive accompanying notes, running
side by side with the subject matter, are
made up exclusively from anti Mormon
arguments and opposing statements. The
read n thus carries both sides at once, and
with the facts before him should be able to
form his conclusions much better than if
he had read but one side.
The first two chapters of the volume are
devoted to accounts of discoveries in Utah
from 1910 to 1915. Several ancient maps
of this country are reproduced, showing
that the Spaniards drew largely upon
their imaginations for the topography of
the region.
The thoroughness of the historian ma
be stated by saying that it requires
twenty-six pages for the list of authorities
consulted in the preparation of this work
The book is valuable for its dates, as well
as for the knowledge 1t conveys of people
and events, and will undoubtedly find many
interested readers both in and out of Utah.