The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1891-08-23

tainable approximation to the truth. When
the versions OF any AFFAIR given BY contsmpo-
rariss were hopsle.sly distorted. he preferred
to publish both accounts rather than TO ~.
tempt the feat OF deoidn R between them.
This expansion OF the general scheme In.
creased the cost As we'll rs the labor. built has
greatly enhanced tho value Of tho contempt
rary histories. and has insured the presersa-
tion Of n mass Of irst-hand Information. the
collection Of which would. by the end OF the
century, have become quite impossible. -
1t seems that Mr.. Bancroft encountered
great difficulty in getting Mt the truth with 70.
gard to the two great vigilance committees OF
San Francisco. 1t was apprehended that any
disclosure OF the Utmost secrets OF the old Or
ganizations would produce a revival OF enmi-
ties which had become dormant with the lapse
OF time. AMI that possibly litigation OF a vexa-
tious and expensive character might follow.
Nevertheless. Mr.. Bancroft rersevered. and BY
persuasion and adroit MANAGEMENT finally
overcame the reticence OF those who know all
the facts and was thus enabled to
present a complete and fully authorita-
tive record Of al tho proceedings. 1t
Is much to his credit that In recittnR the
Information he ncauit cd he refused to soften
tho truth lest il should offend those who SUI
fercd by It To cl ave to the facts. and to re-
count them vi hout regard to consequences.
was the principle 10 which he adhered In this
a. in every other section OF bis comprehen sivs
history. With resi- ect to style grace. md fuency
OF expression. in word. to literary effective.
ness. fault has been and may BE- found With
Inn. Blu! As regards the courage. disinterost-
edness and I'm partially. essential to a judicial
historian. he leaves nothing to be desired.
II has sometin o. been made reproAch TO
Mr.. Bancroft tina he did not write every line
himsel!. while others have insinuated that his
personAt relation to his histories was that OF
the edito. Of Rrent M odern ewspaper. who.
In some cases. may write nothing himself Tor
publication. but only direct and control tho
actual literary pr, ducers. Such innuendoes
arc met and refu ed hy this memoir. The
truth is. that MIR. Bancroft has been . persist
ent and in,efatigable writer. AS the following
sentrnc from his narrative will provo. In IN
account o! his personal habits he says:
For years 1t was my custom to rise At 7.
break as, at hall. past aud wrltc ION 8 I'M
til l. when lunched or dined. The afternoon
was devoted 10 rec, cation and exercise. Usual
ly would get in ono hours writing before G
O'Clock tea or dinner as tho case might be. and
four hours Rfterwnrl. making ten hours In all
for tho day; but in .orruptions were SO con.
slant an frequent that including the many
long seasons during which hermitsd myself
in the country. where often dev"te / twelve
aud fourteen hours a day to writing. l 10 not
think averaged moro than eight hours day.
taking twenty years together" To write ten
hours a day for ten consecutive days would
break down nine-tenths Of the most thorough.
" trained and robust authors. And twelve 10
4 1, s~.t Ia,
suppos!ng them capable of accom- plishing such
a task for "A few weeks. Only an iron will
and an iron frame could have enabled Mr..
Bancroft to write eight hours day for twenty
years. We are told that when his hand grew
stin from holding hls pen he would drop his
history for few days and take UP the super.
intendence OF his book business. In defiance
Of the axiom that energy is fixed quantity.
Mr.. Bancroft in these transitions from litefA-
ture to commerce. appears to have been able
to call on q fresh set Of caracitie-. On the
other hand. he dwells with emphasis upon the
uses to which he has rut his business training
aud capacity in his literary ARRANGEMENTS. and
in arriving at the principles upon which he
should base his historical researches and COM
positions.
That Mr.. Bancroft possesses n noteworthy
power OF detachment and concentration Is evil
dent from the fact that he has been able to
proceed with his literary work In the most dis
turtinG circumstances. and that oven the i'm
minence OF absolute and final ruin could not
parayze him moe than for moment He
was away from homo AT San Diego when hur-
red despatch Informed him that his store In
San Francisco. tho large Bancroft building.
was burning. and that there was little hope of
saving anything. The disaster occurred un.
der conditions which aggravated its calamitous
etIec;. The firm had recently laid in an unusu-
ally large stock OF tho materials in which 1t
dealt. The liablit!, were. therefore At their
maximum, and the gripping effect OF the lre
was much greater than it would have been
earlier or later. Fortunately. tho library was
saved. but NIL the printed books stereotype
plates. and printing material wore destroyed.
But. although after nearly thirty years Of I'M
renting toll. Mr. Bancroft found himself
threatened with complete ruin. he continued
to plan and calculate with GOODNESS and ic.
ment and eventually managed to resume bus
mess
1t ie interesting to follow Mr. Baucro't's out.
line OF the purposes which prompted the dis
tripution Il tho enormous material included
in the thirty-nine volumes OF his work.
Though written early the History Of CoGfor.
fu was NV uHI'uk tuc UuOubuou
inst ailments OF the work. cXcep MS rel ar.ls mo
first volume Originally Mr. Bancroft seems
to have thought Of HIS history as one consec.
u,ive W rk. the parts OF which were to ne writ
ten anil published in chr, NO oIical o. der. He
presently discernel. however. that there was
too great II swcep OF t,rri DRY. and that there
were t"o marked diver 81 les OF climate and
government for him to arbitrarily cement
the annals o. tho Pacific States in one insap-
a able narrative. II WIS obvious that many
rcrson~ might like n history OF ono or more OF
The counrieS considered. yet would not care
for the who Q work. Ilr. bancroft, therefore.
finally conclu ici 10 = rite and number tile VOL
umes territorally. while nj tho same timo
maintaining rs much chron logical order as
should be possible. That is 10 SAY. hs would
begin with Central America that part OF tho
Pacific coast coming l'r-t in order OF time. and
bring tho hist ry "f the is, linus States d. own to
the date Of his conf osi'on. numbering the VOL
umcs Ill, and H.. History 0tthe Pacific States.
as we'll a. J.. H., and H.. History Of Central
America. The History Of tie Pacific STATES. vol,
w.. would be tho History or Nrlico. vol. l.. and
30 on: and the works might be lettered under