New-York tribune., 1894-01-21

| the works of Plato, Aristotle Aue -
| an Arabian in whom he takes the oeepes'
! est Ibu Khaldun who. with Works VI 81
/ what wider scope might we'll have been deenieu
the discoverer of the philosophy OF history Nv
Khaldun was a man of mark at many pe'''
courts Of Northern Africa in the fourteenth cen"
! turv and finally Chief Cadi in CAIRO. i"o'-
oughlv versed in the past Of the ORIENT "e
had the material for vast generalizauohs' a"'
| these he furnished in what are calied MS
| legowena" in which he treats OF soc'eF "
general Of the varieties Of the human race' VI
regions of the earth, OF physical lnhuehce' o
man. Of civilization among nomadic anu "d
savage peoples. especially as showing VII! Wv
| Arabs always ruined the countries whIc" '''!
| conquered: of the rise and fall OF empires anu
of civilization as concentrated in cities. In all
! these disquisitons he came much hea'e' NV
modern historical theories than did his contem-
| porares In Asia or in Europe lie was 'io'
| ouehly conscious Of the changes wrought by
time sometbinq which almost invariably escaped
| the medieval chronicers. II Bossue' hau o''
ried ont his plan of writing upon Mahohe'-
ianism. he might have touched the themes
| elucidated bv Ibu Khal1un. Meanwhie the
| "a riter IA. whom he really looked PACK was
| Augustine Professor Flint does not disguise
his admiration for the author of THE CITY Oh
God" nor for the book itself. though ne poihts
| out that it's purpose was not phiiosophlca'' o"'
| noIenical He acknowledges that there are
| still those who accept Augustines theory as ''e
only philosophy Of history possible or desirapie'
His censiire Is that 1T subordinates all th1hss
TO the Church in false and misleading way de-
precia\es and degrades secular life. taxes no
account at all Of many an important people ana
| of the very greatest Of those wmch IL cohue-
scends to notice. gives most super1clai anu par
| tal views" Yet if the ultimate triumph OF MS
torical PHILOSOPHY shall be the proof of Prov-
dence. "the discovery by scientific processes OF
the divine plan" then Augustine's work must
| he deemed the FIRST sustained and comprenen-
! sive attempt to trace such plan
The rise of historical writing in France was
very gradual 1t was the Crusades which freed
| the writers of the vernacuar from bondage to
Latin But the truly reflective historians did not
| arise until after the Reformation and the Re-
| vival Of Learning Such were De Thou and some
| others: the first truly philosophical writer being
| John Bodn whose work on THE Historic
! Method" showed a clear apprehension that MS
| tory was pervaded by law, that 1t was pro-
| gressive. that it has underlying causes To De
sought. and that theory may be brought INTO
use for aiding research Professor Flint does not
| make It clear how much Bodn Influenced MS
successors but what with him, and the Cartesian
! philosophy and the tumultuous debate over the
| comparative merits Of ancients and moderns.
the idea of progress seems TO have been strength
! ened Then came Bishop Bossuet with his DIS
| cours sur rHistoire Universelle. WORK OF
transcendant literary SKILL but without glimpse
beyond the absolutsm Of Louis XIV. Its high-
est value was it's beautiful orderness. rs
main ideas began to be put to the test as soon as
Louis XIV died. Under Louis XIV public opinion
Aac ctiy nh
to rear its head. which ultimately turned to his
tory for It's materials Meanwhile Nicholas
Freret arose to teach his countrymen how MS
| tory should be studied and how everything that
| could be learned from any source became OF use
| to the historian. He eXempfed his views IN
| his life and his abors. Curiosity was stirred by
| the thoroughgoing not to say extravagant scep-
| ticism as to historical records shown by John
| Hardouin, which finally provoked meinoraD Die
discussion in the Academy Of Inscriptions All
these things worked together to train the minus
! OF men, and the tendency Of things was revealed
in Montesquieus Spirit of the Laws. wnich IN
the industrious collection Of facts and in its IN
sistence the study of laws. customs. ana IN
stitutions as historical phenomena conditioned u!
| the society to- which they belong heralded the
rapid advance OF historical science. This alVahc.
was signalzed by the brief discourse OF Iurgol
on The successive advances OF the human
! mind" in which the idea of progress was MADE
1.-The organic principle Of history Eoltaire ioi-
lowed with the application OF the critical spirit To
| history Already in him Is seen the eager study
of original documents. But it remained for the
Able de Mably. not merely to search Tor ms
facts. but to adduce the evidence Tor MS state
ments.
All these exceences have become recognized
part of modern historical work. But there was
| also tendency which eliminated In the posi-
| tivism Of Conte to divide history into stages
Volney showed It in his Ruins" and go did
the Marquis de Condorcet. Meanwhile' aitet
| tinip, cf t1a
was the antagonsm between the advocates OF
theocratic historical theories like DE Maistre
Of absoutism like Count Ferraud. OF liberal
Catholicism like the Able Crafty and the social
ism of Saint Simon and Fourier. In their his
torical theorizng these led to Comte. while the
influence of Cousin. erratic as was his dlvisioh
Of history, In emphasizing the intimate relation
of psychology and history. pointed the way 10
Guizot who exemplified in thoroughgoing way
the scientific method in his History OF Civliza'
| ton" Then there is to be considered the In
Auonce OF democratic historians. Of whom the
greatest were Michelet and Quinet. and also
that Of the advocates and opponents OF
Caefarism, If we to estimate the result
correctly. Thus. through all these. we come to
Renan and Taine. whom Professor Flint places
with'the Positivists not because they accepted
Comte's principles. but because Of their me-
4 chanical theories OF history. The author In
! stances Taine's History OF English Literat ure
as efhnently successful in everything except
the proof Of the theory with which IT starts
One would imagine however that Renan might
we'll have been included with the Critical
School. which Professor Flint typhes in courno,
, and M, RepOuvier II is to the last-named
that his heart goes out. Renouvier's historical
philosophy is Flints too For II Is he who has
4 than any one else. the clOseness OF the connec-
| tion between history and morality"
Il A short chapter Is added on the subject OF
historical philosophy in Belgium and Switzer-
land. which the author deems a French product
In future volumes he will group Dutch historical
philosophers with German. and American with
English. His plan contemplates the separa te
treatment of Italy. The smaller work OF the
author, printed many years ago. will have con-
vinced those who read II OF his fitness for the
extensive labor which he has now taken In hand
WTTNESSES TO THE TNS EEN