The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-02-19
WRITER'S OF HISTORY.
American Authors Who Have Done
Good Work in This Line

tChlCdgO inter ocean,
History writing as illustrated in
American literature began in Massa-
chusetts. and of the more important
works to which it has since given birth
the majority are Of Massachusetts or
igin. For many years, when the mind
required to the great histOriwans who
had written in this nation. that remark
able trio, Bancroft. Prescott and Mot
ley, were the first to come into cOnSid-
Grafton. HiidTeth, also Of Massachu-
sets residence, had written a pains
taking and reliable history Of a por-
ton of the national life. Later Park
man was added to their number and in
the present day Fiske has been emil
nent having been preceded for some
years by SChOuler, both to be Joined
later by Rhodes. the latter of whom.
though originally the product of the
west, had been attracted to Massachu-
sets and had become permanently eS-
tablished here as one of her citizens
Henry Adams Of the Adams family had
covered the field of Jefferson's and
Madison's administrations in a credit
able work OF the men who have en-
gagged in ambitious and comprehensive
historical writing, McMaster almost
alone is outside our state, though the
excellent work Of Bancroft of the Pa
cific coast should not be left out Of
consideration in this summary
The work Of the biographer. which is
also often historical. should not be
omitted consideration in this connec-
ton. Some of the best biographies in
our literature have, cOntempOraneOuSly
with this historical writing been pro
dUced by Massachusetts men. Of these.
the biography Of Josiah Quincy by his
son. Edward Quincy: of William IT.
Prescott, by George. TicknOr; of Daniel
Webster, by Henry Cabot Lodge. and
of Richard Il. Dana, by Charles Fran
els Adams. are Of rare value, and the
most Of them cover an important field
/ in history. The American Statesman
series, indeed, of Messrs Houghton.
Mititin & Co. which is now nearly com
pleted, is a genuine addition to history
and, read il connection with history
is Of rare value to the historical stu
dent One biography in it-that of
Henry Clay, by Carl Schurz-is very
nearly model book in its method of
treating its subject. Several Mass3-
chus3tts authors have contributed TO
this, and all Of them have done it
Worthily. The palm of being the pfO-
neer in American historical writing
must be assigned, we think, to George
Bancroft
He began his work a half century be
fore he completed it, and he lived a life
, of remarkable prominence while it was
in progress. \ country school master.
when he first conceived the idea Of
writing the history of his country. he
passed from that occupation into pub
lie prominence, and became success
lively cabinet minister and representa-
tive Of his nation i'm foreign countries.
He was an orator as well as a scholar.
end in the civil war he eXerted an i'm
pOrtant influence with his countrvmen
by the earnestness and ability with
which he engaged on the LOYAL side.
. His volumes constitute one Of the most
thorough and careful contributions to
history made in his generation. or. in
deed. in any other. They stood alone
up TO the time when John Fiske began
his work in the field that they compre-
hended. and they are unique in Ameri-
can production in the delibeTation with
which they were written.
4 The present generation in American
literature Is generally regarded as not
q equal To that which had immediately
. preceded 1t in the eminence of its rep
! reSentative men; yet we doubt if this is
true of the department Of history. John
/ FiSke, who has at last begun to write
the full history of his country. to our
mind, is the peer of any of his prede-
/ cessCrs who have engaged in historical
writing OF any kind. AIcMaster's history
of the nation since il came out of the
war of the revolution is a thoroughly
able and valuable work. comprehensive
and well considered in its general view
and clear and attractive in its nara
tive.
James Ford Rhodes history of the
/ period since 1850 is a work TO which we
/ have accorded very high praise as its
/ successive volumes have appeared It
/ has only to be known to be admired
/ We think it has never had a reader
/ who is intelligent with regard to the
era Of which II treats who has failed
! 10 be enthusiastic in its praise. Mr.
! Rhodes has a theory that history NAV
/ be adequately and impartially written
/ by one who has lived in or very near
| the time Of its occurrence and he has
triumphantly indicated il in this work
/ with three such historians as Fiske
2 McMaster and Rhodes, the field OF
/ American history is likely to be fully
+ covered by writers Of our day. ard in
! a manner which need not shrink from
/ comparison with historical work tina,
has preceded it