The National tribune., 1903-01-08
STUDY OF AnrsrcAs HISTORY.

STUDY OF AME&fCAN HISTORY.
President Edmund j. James. of the
Northwestern University, Evanstown, ILL.,,
recently read paper before the Chicago
Chapter of the Daughters of the Ameri-
can Revolution, entitled ''The Study and
Future of State History in the High
Schools" After dwelling on the import
ance of teaching history the paper in
part says:
I'VE have, perhaps, sinncd in the large
amount of time which we have given
in one grade OF another to American his
tory and the small attention which we
have given to general European aud world
history. The history of our country is
destined, in our opinion. to play an import
ant part and occupy a leading place in all
the future history of the world. but Ii the
American republic were to perish today
the place which we should occupy i'll the
grand progress of the worlds history
would. after all, be small"
This shows the narrOwness of the col
legiatc recluses view Of the world; which
has always been the bane of collegiate
educa ton. The complaint has always
been, and it had entirely too much fOun-
dation, that the colleges laid too great
stress upon things which were of the least
possible use to graduates in the battle
of life, and taught too much that had to be
unlearncd when they went out into the
world While it is desirable that every
graduate should have a general acquaint-
ance with world. and European history,
he cannot have too minute and familiar
knowledge of American history. A very
large part of European history is of no
value whatever to the general student. For
1000 years of the Dark Ages barbarians
fought with one another over the plains
and mountains of Europe without develop
ing a single thought, a single movement, a
single invention of value. Centuries of
early English, French, German, Italian,
Russian and Austrian histories are a
meaningless jargon of names and battles,
| which Dryasdusts have rescued from OBJ
livion. 1t was only after the discovery
of America that their histories began to be
of any value.
On the other hand, American history
begins to be of intense value from the
moment that the Pilgrims landed on
Plymouth Rock.
Men, learned in the best Europe had
to teach them, and vigorously in earnest,
came to this country, and began to work
out here on entirely new lines the prob
lens of humanity with which the Old
World had been struggling. The work
they did was mOmentous in its conse-
quences. 1t led not merely to our own
Revolution and the establishment of a
government on entirely new principles and
theories, but to the great convulsive Ma
poleOnic wars and the rcmodeling of every
government in Europe. Certainly, this is
worth much more minute study than the
centuries of jangling. intriguing and fight
ing among the petty barons, counts, dukes,
marquises and kings Of Europe, to get
| hold of additional slices Of territory, and
aggrandize themselves and families. For
more than a century the whole of Europe
has been remodeling itself on American
plans. 1t would seem that this is vastly
| more important to the youth who lives
| in the United States than the exact feat
| ures of the Peloponnesian War, or the
| merits of the Mecklenburg-S chwerin con-
troversy.
The war which finally established the
United States as a great nation was the
I most gigantic in history. There was more
exhibition of the highest human intellect
| in its waging than had ever before been
displayed in any age or country, and the
| valor, self-devotion and skill developed
| far surpassed that of any previous strug-
gle.
| The result was to make the United
States the foremost nation in the world
and it is rapidly assuming the preeminence
that was in turn held in the ancient world
by Egypt, Greece and Rome, and in mod
ern history by Spain, France and Eng
land.
No man can be held to be well edu
Gated who is not familiar with the cause
and steps which led to all this.
| There has been more progress in the
world in the little over a century that the
| United States has been nation, than In
the whole of the II centuries since the
birth of Christ which had preceded it. The
United States was one of the greatest fac
tors in that progress, and no man car
afford to be ignorant Of any feature Of
American history.
President James should come out of his
dim cloister into the sunlight Of the mod
ern day, and see what life there is in the
world.