The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-01-31
historian Rancroft's RetrospectIon.


Historian Bancrofts Retrospectlon.
/ Chicago Tribune: It is good thing
/ in our hustling national life, when
/ the election of a president and the
! lassoing of the galloping cost of liv-
! ing seem about the only things worth
considering, to stop and look around
| a bit and realize that we are no
mushroom, but that We have a back
ground and have been shaped by con
/ ditions and driven on by forces ir-
Howe Bancroft, happens along as a
most efficient guide to just such med
/ itations. For himself a veteran of
! so years, he has seen much Of the ac-
1 tual making of the nation and he
does deal of personal retrospection.
| Then he has been so long a student
Of history that the facts of existence,
before his own existence began, have
been SO thoroughly assimilated that
they are almost like personal recollec-
lions. He handles them with the same
sureness of touch and throws about
them the same shrewdly humorous
comments.
His is mind OF magnificently
broad scope, and for the benefit OF
our little one sided mental faculties,
he has brought into focus all the
scattered and manifold facts OF our
national development, from the long
ago converting of the heather by the
| Spanish padres, through the growth
OF our great west, down to the gate
of our future prosperity. the Panama
canal, in SO crisp and effective fash
/ ion that he who runs to catch train
may read pleasantly and profitably
this marshaling OF independent and
disjointed facts into an harmonious
historical whole. Each subject treat
ed is begun by paragraphs supplying
the facts; these facts are then merg-
ed, their development traced and
their final influence shown on the
national life. In this way much is
accomplished; historical memory is
refreshed, historical facts are inter-
pre-ed and philosophical view is en-
gendered. We are apt entirely to for
get that we are making history day
by day, and it takes a book of this
sort to digest i. and translate it for
us and snow US really the kind of
i history we have been making and
seem or the high road to continue.
Not for loEg time has there been
more effective assembling of facts
I with shrewder comments thereon.
For Mr.. Bancroft has a clever pen.
as well as far seeing eye; his atti-
! tude is not one of pious resignation
/ to things as they are, and he is skill
ed in flinging off fiery shafts OF sa-
tire that nigh. do damage to many a
gas filled balloon Yet he is not a
ranting radical! he analyzes justly
and gives TO evil things their scant
need of good as to good things heir
need of evil It isn't at ali a both
sides Of the fence book, but it is one
which may rouse resentment il 1t
happens to step on any readers po-
litical toes as it doubtless viii on
ittoAJS DrilS ali IlppeSl ENpDSiLiOn OF
Its subject and heartily opposed to
graft. But i. is too big book to be
measured By political bias. To honest
citizens it will appeal unquestionaoly
with awakening force, It is to be
hoped. For il liz such lamp shining
back over the way We have come
showing up the shadows in he cor
ners as we'll as the big bright spots
; and pointing path forward whittier
We are journeying, as he has never
! been lit for US before. We American
citizens can only be thankful that Mr.
Bancroft has been spared % round
. out LIES work in this big fashion
/ to have made for us a real mirror Of
ourselves.
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