Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1897-12-09

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Iadlock, county superintendent Of Phillips coun-
~, before the Northwest Kansas Teachers Asso.
citation at Norton, November 70, 1897,
After reviewing briefly the condi.
tions of the present day and showing
a remarkable likeness to the condi.
tions which preceded the Renaiss,
ance the paper predicts momentous
change OF methods Of thought in the
near future, What this change will
be, no man can tell. For the paper
proves by quotations from RidPath,
and by illustration that History is
not science, i e, we do not under
stand the laws governing events
The paper farther argues that human
events do not just happen, but that
there is law governing human &c.
ton so surely az IN tho material
world, though we have not yet been
able to discover it, aud continues as
follows:
Why is it so? Various reasons
may be assigned. Possibly the span
OF one human life is too short to
witness q complete cycle of events.
Possibly civilization is too yonng to
have observed the Alpha and Omega
Of the rise and decay of nations But
the paramount difficulty it seems to
me lies in our method of observa.
ton, or rather in our lack of method
in observation.
The making Of history is a contiu-
ual process, but the writing of history
has always been spasmodic. Events
trauspire, are talked of and forgotten
until historian of some succeeding
generation gathers up few dlscon.
nected facts aud attempts by means
Of them TO interpret the action and
thought OF a period to which hs ia a
total stranger. Many of the facts are
wanting, Much of the manners and
customs are wanting. Almost all
knowledge of the intellectual, moral
and social atmosphere of the period
is wanting Even the physical en-.
vironments are not always known. -
No wonder then 30 little of Ian is
apparent in human conduct! No
wonder the philosophical side OF his
tory is so weak
Instead Of waiting until these
events are hoary with age, or beyond |
the memory Of man, aud then taking
some biased historians account and
attempting to discover laws govern
ing the conduct of men from dlstort,
ed facts only partially recorded, 1t
would indeed seem wiser to get his
tory from the field of action-from
the daily and weekly newspapers.
1t goes without saying that the
school room is the place to begin the
study. Current history, the inter-
probation of the events Of the day.
deserves a place beside the other
branches of study, and / am not sure
but ADORE some of them Why should
boys and girls know all about The
Punic wars and be ignorant OF the
conduct Of the war in Cuba? Why
puzzle over the ''man IN the Iron
Mask" while Captain Dreyfus Ian
guishes a prisoner on DEVILS Island
as a result of the secret trial? Why
study the dynasties Of Ancient China
and remain in blissful ignorance Of
the organization and working of the
Federal judiciary? Why spend time
learning Of policies Of Richilleu 80
long as Thos. B. Reed remains an
1nsolved enigma? Why devote time
TO snalyzing the speeches Of Demos I
-heues and Cicero while Bryan's car
'Idler" traverses the country, and
front porch remains in
;act7 Or what doth it profit q man =
o know who built the everlasting t
Pyramids, if he lose sight of the fact t
hat the dogs of Egypt have bsrked :
1t t. EN- for fifty csnturiesi" ..
Aud SO ad infnitum The doings g
# the present are more interesting
md far more important to the stu
lent than the musty records Of the =
Instant past, The Lesson Of Today, =
t more moment than the stories OF n
lays gone by. The present has no g
Missing links. The narrative IS COM a
'lete. The background Of environ =
1ent is perfect. The manners and I,
ustoms as we'll as the exact state of r,
he intellectual and moral stmos- h
bara unpoor INIT hont 5O,hF nv olopJ q