New-York tribune., 1910-02-05

New York has had many historians,
Dutch. English and American, both be
fore and since Diedrich knickerhocker'
whose irresponsible extravaganza has.
ctIriousiy enough. outlived the lapors OF
all those serious chroniclers and remains
10 this day the source whence great
many of us draw. if only at second hand
and in the form Of vague tradition. their
ideas of the early history OF the city.
The insouciant indifference with which
,he average New Yorker. not merely ny
abortion but BY birth, takes his igno-
rance OF the founding and beginnings OF
tho capital of tho New World is puz-
sling phenomenon, traceable. in part at
least. 10 the exclusively Anglo-SaKon
Interpretation of American history of the
New England historians. the modihca-
ton Of whose point of view. carried on
these last twenty years, has as vel
worked its effect only in a small circle
Of students.
The early historians Of the city and
province lsbored under the handicap of
plentiful lack Of documents: the later
ones were hampered in their work by
the same difficulty. while some Of them,
like Mrs Martha Lamb, were in no sense
trained TO their task The documents
that have been tardily. but assiduously,
rsthered. classified and digested in the
Office Of the State Historian. b5 the His
sorical Society and py individual stu
GENTS had long awaited the master
hard that would draw from them the
material for a history which might be
considered complete and authoritative.
This IS the service that Mrs schuyler
Van Rensselaer, has rendered, primarily
30 the city, but. in the second place, TO
the state as well. Her History of the
CITY Of New York in the seventeen
Century is likely 10 prove TO be It's
.snai history as we'll, for, while it may
a. some future time call for revision IN
"details in accordance with new sources
of information whose discovery Is pos
.ssble IL not probable, if Will unaues-
.rionahly stand in its entirety Holland
Il fs now certain, has little left to yield
tn the way Of documents except an oc-
,rss;onsl narrative OF early travel (the
records Of the West India Company
~-ere lest in the early part of the last
century,: the English and French
archives have been searched with NIL
nutost care, while city and state have
teen gone over time and again as with
8 Nne tooth comb. But early indifer-
.nce and neglect have done their de-
structive work Mrs. Ven Rensselaers
hityliosraphy of the original sources
consulted in the writing Of her work
containing some FIVE hundred titles, may
be accepted as complete
The history Of New York in the seven
-ean4h century had TO be written anew
from the very beginning: no reliance
could be placed upon the use made by
earlier writer's Of the material available
10 them. Nay, more: not only coulu MIS-
Van Rensselaer, find no guidance. nc as
sistance in the work OF her predecessors
she found herself obliged tC rectify their
errors. omissions and misinterpretatons,
to contradict wilful misrepresentation
not few. She came fully equipped TO
!. her Iahorious task at the right moment
Awhen American historical scholarship
khad reached the right perspective OF the
multiple origins of our institutions, and
of the unifying influences that went TO
The making OF the American character.
Hers is the wider historical outlook,
interest, has wider value as well in its
Interpretation Of the influence exerted by
the Dutch upon the shaping Of the
American spirit and Of American in
stitutions, an influence which. first
ignored. then denied, much exaggerated
for 4 Period. she places in its true rela-
zion and light:
In Kew York as in the other colonies,
fhe Revolution began when the history or
IRE Colonies began. II was not. as some
have tried 20 believe. an event that
eaanced TO happen wnen IL dio; one t.dt
might have been avoided or long post,
breach. q mere family quarrel. which
small increase OF good will ON ooth siogs
might have permanently settled -
wss the culmins ting point OF lohG sfa
slow evolution The real revolution which
of feeling OF. as John Adams said,
srste Of opinion. And this mental atutuds
the first Dutch and English settlers es-
~ sbiished themselves along The American
eeehoaTd- IN the Dutch GAYS, OF course,
New York did not stand with any OF the
English colonies in their efforts to pre-
serve or 10 secure self-governing powers.
But II strove for itself and by itself along
parallel lines after l. became an English
possession il drew nearer to its neighbors;
and still later II fought the common fight
for a time with q more helpful energy than
they. Moreover, from the beginning
the history Of this province rs especially
that of any other. not excepting PennsyI-
vsnia. that the American Revolution was
not movement Of tranSplanTed English
men. More plainly than any other it shows
Row Europeans Of diverse origin were
transformed into Americans by the inf1u-
ence of their new environment this word
meaning a combination Of geographical.
economic. industrial, and human inf1u-
enCes.
This wider historical view is found,
also. in Mrs. van Rensselaer's clear ex-
position OF the influence of. European po-
litical history upon the fortunes of New
Netherland. She explains, first of all,
the attitude OF the West India Company
toward its settlements on the Hudson,
its graspinG myopia, 50 FAR as their COM
mercal possibilities were concerned, the
many difficulties with which il had to
deaI at home. chief of which was not
maj administration. but the firm refusal
Of the Dutch government to risk the
chance OF way with England for the
sake of its subjects in the New World.
interposing between aggressivelv en-
croaching English settlers 70 the north
sn0 soUin.
Thus far the large outlines or Mrs.
Nan Rensselacr's History, which. in its
details draws comprehensive picture