The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-01-18

on On tue lhiergarten at Berlin was the scene NJ
MS MS most successful Diplomatic achIeyements he
to 1 Inc Ine splendid homage OF the literary men
from all Europe as one of the foremost hIsf0ri
Oh Oh Time astounding in great historians it was
ti tnere mat all the threads which Connected y
HuitIul and energetic old age with the educYtion
anu anu experience of 4 restless and fertile vnuth
@ were nnaly united 10 bind The laurels of a rreat
anu enduring reputation"
HIS VIEWS OF OUR GOVERNMENT
en-, Bancroft was the standard American historian
tle only one who has succeeded IA, attrootH, ,ni,
GENERAL i attention and in being accented bv nj
pta'lles as dn authority. He took a DhilosonLtcat
view Oh events, and endeavOred 10 show maj lie
udturai development OF our Goyernment tas
TEL Teen III accordance with the principles OF Ibe
@Denocratc @ party, as originated by jeffersnn
anu iileu out Oy jackson aud his successors
HIS PERSONAL APPEARANCE.
VI, l. sloan IN the Century. by wav of
@ @pen. @.plcluIe OF Bancroft as lie Appeared at tiat
TIME, says: I'VE Ike to think Of him i'm ms snm,
, ,iIei nome as ne stood, hat in hand to welcoma
n ane expected visitor under the trees iu Nrwport
where the entrance avenue bends toward ma
great ferandas OF his large but uuostentatiouS
mouse, which lie built there over thirty years
aaso alnld the quiet beauIies of tile Point
IneIe. beyond the great library of the house
lle ousy click OF the type-w writer gives eyidence
TI r oie necessary literary activity of the chief
me / ne ngure which arises from behind The work
table, Uttered with reference books and mann
sctlpts Is iull OF dignity and Impressions The
cIear-cut features; the carefully trimmed hair and
Deard, revealing massive and shapey head:
the hnely molded form ana active movement ln
no y way suggest advanced years; even the ex-
All 10 reveal Irallness OF extreme old age"
oUTGRoWING AGE.
AS was said of his recently deceased contem-
e0raty euii.y ana friend, Leopold Won Ranke, the
ennent Grfman historian, WHO was but five
years the elder, he seemed TO have outrr1wn and
sVhhquereu 9ld age Itself. land TO have found a
substitute for physical force In the coniinuous
energy OF ial!h aad love IN an apparently inex-
ndustloIe and indomitable intellect"
ALMOST HIS LAST WORK
Ohe OIL Bancfofps most recent and really fhs
ClItidX OF MS patient rLOrOupI IL
as well as of his historical genius is his His.
Tory Ioy OF the Formation OF the ConstildtGn of the
the preface Of this nobie work at T'Tte i've
1stlona s6 capital in the first month OF the wear
years OF age. In the Introductory h- wrote:
very many years have gone by since | con-
eelVed hope OF one day writing history OF tie
formation OF our Federal C0nsli ution The
congress OF the confederation and the Federal
Convention having sat with closed doOys ana
unuef nlt Injunction OF secrecy. materials for The
work lay almost exclusively in fnapuscrints
widely dispersed. have visited the archives Of
more than half OF the Thirteen States, and nave
never neglected au opportunity OF taking copies
could mud them"
WORKING LATE IN LIFE
His most eloquent sentences were nenned
during that ripper period of his life when an T6e
age That most men have long since passed into
Numbering second childhood and mental senil-
Ivy. 4he closing lines Of the Constitutional His
tory are inspired With love for country that IA
not nero Worship but the outburst of a feeling OF
tiuSi lOi tue lutufef DiSeQ upon nearly tlTpA
generations OF experience in The past. In retro
spectve thought over the promise OF his COIN
tIymen at the genesis OF the stable Government,
he says: In America new people had risen up
without king or princes or mobiles, knowing
nothing OF tithes and little of landlords inc
plOw being III the hands OF fee holder.
OF the SOIL. They were more sincerely religious
better educated, OF Serener minds and of uurer
morals than men of any former republic. BY
calm mediation aud friendly councils they had
prenaI ed constitution, which, in the union of
freedom win strength and order. excelled every
one known before, and which secured itself
against Vloence and revolution by providing
peaceful method for every needed reform. In
The happy morning Of their existence as one OF
the powers OF the world they had chosen justice
for their guide, and while they proceeded on
their way, with well-fOunded confidence and
Joy, all Tile freuds Of man ind Invoked success
on iuelr endedY0r, as the only hope for reno
Vating tile life OF the civilized world"
GLOWING LANGUAGE.
His words which alone Will eugratt the mo-
mentous scene upon the memory of history to
come, describing the event which was tile crown
ing crisis OF The formative history OF AmeI lea,
the sct OF the signing OF the Constitution by inc
representatives OF the original States, VIII be
memorable IN historical literature. Bancroft
wrote: alexander Hamilton, In a bold. plain
hand, successfully Inscribed on u great sheet OF
parchment the name OF each State as The del ga
tons, one after another, came forward
in. in gsographlcaI order and signed tue
constitution. When 1t appeared that
tue unanimous consent of ali tile eleven States
present in convention was recorded in its favor,
blaZoned on the Presidents (Washlngton's1
clair, said of It TO those him: In the yIcis-
siludes of hope and fear l was not able to tell
whether u Is rising or setting; now l know that
IL Is The rising SUM-.
The members were awestruck at the result Of
ihelr councils; the Constitution was a nOber
work than any one OF them had believed il pos
81 si3ie .d to devise Washington at any early hour
OF Inc evening retired to mediate on the mo-
mehtous Work which had been executed"
HIS LATER LIFE.
Since 1874 he spent his life IN Newport or at
Washington, where lie has done the hardest
literary work OF all his years. a few months ayO
he EXPRESSED the hope OF cOmpletingsthe history
OF The United States down 10 1865. All new
movements In politics were carefully watched
by lIlm. He kept abreast Of the times BIZ reading
or having read to him all the principal ierIodi-
Gals and read The daily papers until the last. One
OF line very latest writings from his pen IS
pamphlet last winter -tic legal tender de-
cfSiOns OF The Supreme Court, and scarcely a
year has passed during the last decade that lie
did not mud lime and opportunity TO contribute
an article 10 some OF The monthly magazines.
Up to The end lie took great interest in the pro-
ceedngs OF the American Historical Society Of
which lie was the President.