The Portland daily press., 1889-11-02
evening Session.

sic by the children of the grammar school,
after which Rev. Mr.. Bean offered prayer.
President Small of Colby University, was
then introduced by Vice President Poor. and
delivered an interesting and valuable ad-
dress ON "The Amateur Study Of History"
President Small commenced his address by
saying:
There. is proverb, you know. that II you
want anything done you must carry 1t to a
busy person. You teachers know that II Is
not necessary to go outside Of the teaching
profession to find busy man that great
many of US get more alive sometimes by tax
ing up some different line Of work from our
daily routine. believe in the saying that 1t
Is more blessed to give than to receive, and
therefore l am glad to ceme here to give
whatever hints can upon the study Of his
tory, even though 1t may be little rough on
the receivers. He then asked and proceeded
to answer the following questions: What is
historyP How is 1t best studied? Is 1t worth
studying? and with what period Is 1t
best to become acquainted? History tells
what people have done and tried to do since
the world, 1t Is the labor-roll Of the builders
OF the. world as it is today, II gathers up
everything that has been done OF literature,
science art religion politics. and is ST a;s s
not begin as 1t Is today. 1t has grown from
beginnings to its present conditions, and his
tory presents all of the growth. The stu
dent of history generally attacks his subject
as tourist attacks st. Peters church in
Rome 10 Jaunty. curious attitude, but the
vastness Of his subject soon overcomes him,
and fills him with awe that deepens the fur
ther he goes. History is great thing, and
cannot be mastered by. limp. or
listless intellect. 1t Is no cheap
It is a general ground work of culture, such
as no other study can be since 1t takes so
wide range How hard 1t Is to know our
own country! How hard to get the drift Of
| our own times! How much then must the
student Of history grasp, II he seeks to get
inside Of any one historical age or period Of
| time. Take as an instance the period OF Ro-
man history covered by the first and second
| triumvirates. To thoroughly understand 1t,
| the student must go back 800 years to the
| foundations Of Roman politics and trace
events down. There Is no science that can
be studied well anywhere except in labora-
| tory and with specimens. History can be
| studied anywhere and by anybody. The
| successful student Of history must not only
exercise the faculties Of Judge and law
| yer, but he must use his active Imagination
| to carry himself back not as he Is now, to the
| dim past, but as he'w0uld have been then, In
| order to understand the motives that actu-
| ated the actors of the times. BE told tive
amusing stories of the lack Of local coloring
which Is vitality necessary in order to give
any value to history. Historical studies cal
for the exercise of all the faculties Of tn,
mind. have always advised my classes u
find history where there is no history In
tended. l believe that more interest will b
taken by the average reader in Shakespear
than will be in Hume. It Is worth while 4
study history because 1t makes men stronI
and broad in their ideas, and liberia
prsa syRpssy; sgeS;s without E one %akns can hmss
more or less part of them. Many a man IL
| a shop, or lawyers Office, or on farm, ha:
lived two lives, because he read, and in hi:
| reading dwelled with princes aud kings
in the study of history. They have learned
to be men: History gives something Of tht
civiliZing influence of ages to the student
He then gave some practical advice upon the
question, What period of history is it best tC
study? First, he said, take general bird''
main facts that underlie the present of the
world, and then it makes little difference
what period Of time or portion Of the worlt
is selected as field. The general laws OF
history can be found IN the story of one o.
the little Italian republics as well as in thu
history Of Rome, it makes no particular diff
ference so far as the general influence of tn
study IS concerned what period Is selected
As Sheridan said, "Pitch in anywhere
There's beautiful fighting all along the line
But my friends, beware OF the American
superficiality, instead Of taking all histor
for province, aim to learn lone period thor
oughly. Do not be afraid to make the perio,
hobby. Study deeply; make the charac
ters of history your friends. Do not b
afraid Of hero-worship, for by studying tn
men we can oest study their times, and tn
events which they and the times represent.
This will be today's programme:
| Election Of officers.
Paper-General Exercises; ID. W.Hawkes, Cap
| Elizabeth High School. Discussion opened
Hon. W. j. Corthell, principal Of Gorham Norma
School.
| Observation-Disclosures of and best plan 70
regulating the use of free text books. Hon. N. A
Luce, State Superintendent; o. A. Cobb, Wes
| brook.
Teachers report Of difficulties met in instruC
| tiOn