The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1913-08-28

peace is the child of war;" is the
way that the Scientific American char.
acterizes their belief in the world
vide agitation for peace. They say:
The present generation is enjoying,
throughout the most highly civilized
portion of the earth, period of quiet
and peace such as is perhaps unpre-
cedented in the history Of the world.
Not that all war has ceased-a look
1T the newspapers is enough to con-
vince us of the contrary-but such
vars as have been waged within the
last forty years or so have not-in
the Western World at least-drawn
fame and sword through our very
hearths and homes, have not even
pursuits in any very distressing meas
ure: The art of peace have con-
tinued comparatively undisturbed.
Thus a generation has sprung up
Tor whom war and military pursuits
are of academic rather than of vital
interest. But the writing and teach
ing of history has Jagged behind the
general spirit of our time. The schol-
astic historian is often still content
10 recount for us the catastrophes
and intrigues which convulsed the ma
lions in their struggle for light and
life. For the truly essential factors
Of human life-industry, commerce,
economic, conditions, science and art
these historians" have at most
passing reference here and there. But,
it may be urged, such topics are re-
served for specialists, for works on
the history of wars belongs to the spe-
and so, forth. The retort is: Then
the hitory of wars belongs to the spe-
sialist in military science. Surely
his field is more remote from general
interests, at the present day, than that
of the manufacturer and merchant.
u, therefore, the general history writ
ten and taught for the benefit of the
general public, is to borrow (as it
nusN from special fields, surely it
Is more natural that it should select
chapters from the history of science,
art, and political economy. than from
the records of war.
We may compare the wars through
which nation passes in the course
Of its evolution, to the sicknesses with
which! an individual battles on his
way through life. What would we
say of the author who should write
the biography Of some great man, and
content himself with an account of
his struggles with the measles, Group,
and other ailments which he success
fully encountered, until at last the
grim enemy won his accustomed vic
tory? Such an account might indeed
be of interest to a specialist-to the
medical practitioner. To any other
person it would appear nauseating.
But this is precisely what the aver
age historian does in relating the life
history of nations. One would al
most think that war was the chief end
Of human existence!
And there are so many things
Which we, the reading public in the
twentieth century, would like to know
from the historian. When did men
begin to mine coal? When and how
did money come into general use?
How much gold has been in circula-
zion in the several civilized countries
at the past, and how have the figures
changed, and what are they now?
Today the population Of the United
States, is about ninety-one million
s0uts., that of Germany sixty-five mil
s5aAs, Of the British Isles forty-fve
millions, Of France thirty-nine mil
Hpns. But how did they stand rela-
lively ten, twenty, thirty years ago?
Who would say that this is a matter
If Indifference to the nations con
teerned2
But above all, let not history be a
mere narrative a collection of pretty
stories and romantic adventures
though romance has it's place in his
asry-but let us have sober account
Il the history Of mankind which il
Dothing more nor less than a natura
Qhenomenon. Let not history b.
presented as series of casually dis
connected events, determined by thu
faprice Of favored individuals, but al
n orderly sequence of steps in
process of evolution governed by tn,
Ae1orable laws of nature.
THE UNklNDEST CUT