Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-01-28

,ns of the Historical Society Of Utah
ian. 10. 1899. The other addresses
we're published IN the Deserct News OF
jan. q. Mrs. Mia Topper MaynardH
speech.
ruE CULTURE VALUE ~ HrsrORy.
There Is much that appeals to every
one In the objects Of this society. You
have heard most ably presented the
slgnincancc OF history as whole. and
whatever Significance there lies In any
history Is involved also In the work Of
this society. History depcrds upon
facts, plain. prosaic. everyday facts,
and the history that II Of least value to
us as students ~ the history that Is
definitely stated as history reports.
summarizes OF things that have hap
pcncd and Of what men have thought
aud done. aud OF that all this meant.
because this form OF history makes pos
sble 10 much error. PERSON. on the
ground must View with more OF prciu-
dice and with less OF real historical
Judgment the conditions and events
close TO them. Thus the historical stu
dent does not care for formal history
as FOR the materials Of the time. the
speeches delivered. the letters written.
the lives OF the pcoplc-ail OF these are
the raw material OF history, and II IL
that In which the historical student
more and more dclves. Now. the oh
feet OF such n society aH this " to nc
cumulate such matcrinl-ls TO gather
everything that can possibly be Of any
HlgnlilcnnCo FOR the future. The new
method of studying history today. not
only for the person doing original re-
search. but for all students is coming
10 be this work In data contcin-
with the RprlO1 NtutleI.
Mrs. Barnes. who recently died In Lon
don. has written good many books
even for little children for the study
81 history In the schools on this basis.
no, telling thcm what happened. but
giving them certain extracts from
speeches IN that period. giving them
letters from some one written then.
giving them extracts from Journals "
the day. ON the basis OF thus material
the children are expected To draw their
own conclusions as to what wcic ~"
customs and habits. In this way the
Imagination " trained and the histpri-
ca sense cultivated. There ~ all the
difference In the world between Tho old
method OF accommodating great lot OF
factA. and this now method Of Genuine
research
iut Why. do you say. study history
at nii7 What II It's vniuci What We
care for Il the present and future, not
the past. But the past means above
all things the mine from which N
drawn wisdom. The present and future
need wisdom for their fuifillmcnt. Free.
dom from prejudice. that gencral
breadth and height and depth OF char
nctcr and Judgment which we may
term wisdom n required. and there "
no discipline that can give ~ much OF
this real wisdom as the study of HIS
tory. Other studies have value In other
directions. but none that bear 10 direct
~ upon the relations OF man To man
and upon the practical solutions OF the
problems Of today. Science. fot TX.
ample. trains with n wonderful SKIN
IN care for the truth. the truth IN
all It's cxactncsH. the truth In
all Its profound Significance. but
science does not In IN" same
degree that experience which can make
one familiar with the probable exec
gcnclcr Of the present. Literature. too.
IL most valuable. a people with a love
~ the highest literature would not,
however. necessarily deal wisely with
the AFFAIRS OF today. Literature deals
with the aspirations OF man. that
which delights him, educat.H his knowl-
edge OF human nature and makes
broader, more beautiful character, nut
ducs not In the same degree prepare
iim for the actual cxigcncica OF human
Attain.
lies In several directions. Most protnl-
n this general perspective, a knowledge
~ men and affairs which IN akin TO that
Ia one whose personal experience mas
been wide. We know how travel edu-
Gates the individual. a person whose
education has left him decidedly crud"
IN his interests and very provincial In
his general bearing. by a few years OF
travel returns different person. with
that nnmelesr something that We speak
Of ~ knowledge ~ the world, with
something that makes ur feel that he w
broader and more cultivated person,
We niro know how. In any little village,
tho coming Of a railroad means. within
few years. an entirely new develop.
mcnt In that village life We ma
that the people have wider Interests
that II il not long until they ARE IN
touch with everything going on all over
the world Now. this kind Of culture
that n not the result Of definite study,
but " a broader contact, N That which
history ought 10 give, and IN TACT "
history IN well studied, II ought
% alye u To "a. a sfe ,,
contact With many people can give II,
because history brings a person into
contact with more persons than even
the widest travel can. and IN history
we come In touch with people In truer
sense than We can those who are W.
ms because we see them ~ history has
"NiNNh''h NN'NNf Wv Wv NssH'N
long length NJ time has brought 10 bear
upon the Individual character. There
" thus great broadening discipline In
this outlook Of history. II IN Of intense
interest to see how after many years or
even centuries "a character mlsund"r-
stood and belled may be brought again
into honor by the calm verdict Of MS
tory Take, for Instance, the life ot
John Adams. II N doubtful n there
was person In John Adams time who
Understood him. unless II was his wife,
Ills party did not understand him, aud
me Republic FOR generations ala not.
II Is only within the last dorade that we
htr calming "a lust estimate OF the VT"
Of John Adams. He stood absolutely
alone az one time In his Judgment of
What was best. cabinet parry, people
AL against him. Now we IND that IN
MI probability the young Ilcpublic
could not have survived had he not
stood out as he did against all the rest
or the United States,
let me say nt this point that the
study OF American history is u real
problem. II seems desirable 10 give u
10 The children when very young, ana
yet the result In that most OF us think
we Know American history. II IN the
Greatest mistake In the world. In
NamenH clubs II IN hard 10
arouse any interest In American
history. Why May Il not be be-
cauhe II has been drilled into them To
such AN extent when they We're chill
tfNuH