New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-04-04
HISTORY ONLY SKIN DEEP

We have often been annoyed by the assumed
prOfundity of historians who have insisted upon
making the course Of past events inOrdnatey
complex and difficult Of comprehension In the
good old schOOlbOOks history was simplicity it.
self, being mere sequence OF events connected
chiefly by cOnjunctions inserted by the printer
Of textbooks. In those fair days a good memory
was the only gift required for the comprehension
OF the world story, But human arrogance has
recently asserted Itself In this once pleasant
study; experts have arisen, saying that eco
nomic, social. psychological, physiological, geo
graphical, meteorological and a hundred other
kinds Of factors are always involved in every act
Of history, and unless all these factors are thor
Oughly understood the simplest events of the
past are inscrutabe. So successful have the ex-
perts been in convincing people of this alleged
fact that to-day the man of average intelligence
never thinks Of referring TO his own old diaries
without first consulting the almanac, the Con-
gressional Record and the history Of stock fuc-
tuations in order TO realize clearly the conditions
under which he made the entries referred to.
Just at the point when this state of affairs
was becoming lntOlerable some new experts an
peared in response to the public demand for
return to the simple life in matters historical.
These experts promise a single key to all his
torical puzzles, and several patterns of such an
instrument have been put upon the market.
There is the language key, for one, the evolution
OF speech being hailed as the explanation OF all
important historical events. Then there Is the
skull theory. the morality theory. the total alb
stinence theory and many other equally diverse
models. any one OF which is guaranteed to work.
But none OF these can compare in simplicity and
CONTINGENCIES with the latest prOnunclamentO.
which assures Us that history is Only--or almost
Only-skln deep: or, in the words OF its able ex-
pOnent, Major Woodruff, e. S. A., complexion
is the basis Of universal history
In a new book on 'The Effects OF Tropical
Light on White Men" the distinguished army
surgeon and investigator brings together an as
founding array Of facts proving that the course
Of history Is written in pigments on the under
side of the human skin. The amount and kind
OF fermentation determines. In the long run, the
fate Of nations Blond races, having little pig
ment, cannot thrive long In sunny clmes be-
cause the short actlnic rays in sunlight get
through blond skin and play havoc with living
tissue. Sunlight. 1t seems, has been grossly
Overestimated Of late; light Is a tonic and may
be taken safely only in small doses. Plants. AMI
mails and people living In the dark thrive better
than these who bosk il the suns rays And the
light TO which man IS exposed eventually tells
upon his general health and brain power.
With these and kindred facts in mind the stu
dent OF history may take up his Peter Farley
once more with renewed interest and restored
simplicity. he may read between the layers Of
skin. Sc 10 speak. and discover that the animals
which survived the Deluge were really those
whose steamer chairs were on the shady side OF