The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1914-12-08
MIR. HULME'S BOOK

doubtless every person at all II
touch with university life has beef
for some months well acquainted will
the remarkably fine history entitle,
"The Renaissance, the Protestan
Revolution, and the Catholic Reform
alton in Continental Europe" brough
out in the early fall by Edward Maslil
Hume, professor of history in tn,
University of Idaho. Doubtless thos,
who have not yet had the good fortune
to read it are nevertheless thoroughly
aware that in the writing of such {
book Mr.. Hulme's achievement has
been a really distinguished one, anC
that the superb quality of the work
has abundantTy justified the expecta-
lions of the discerning scholars who
after looking the country over for the
student of history best fitted to deal
with the most difficult of all periods
invited Mr.. Hume to engage in the
labors which he has just recently
brought to such a highly satisfactory
conclusion.
Because the book is a stout one,
passing the 500-page mark, while our
leisure for the kind of reading we
like best is sadly limited, we have
not before been in the way of testify
ing that the delight we experienced
year or two ago in reading part
tended undiminished to the limits of
the completed and published work.
Perhaps it was the same lack of le1s-
ure or perhaps it was the just sense
of our general unfitness to pass up
on the merits of such a piece of schol-
arship that has kept us and still keeps
us from expressing our agreement
with the fiattering opinions of skilled
reviewers of historical works, who
have been unanimous in their high
praise both of subject matter and of
style
When so many excellent and inform
ed reviews of the book are available,
to attempt an analysis of the three
fold volume which includes thirty
interesting chapters and q
number of useful maps. 1t remains
for us to point out some of the facts |
in connection with the writing of such !
a work which, if they are rather per-
ropaI NOV he narhanc aycucod on |
the ground that in his own home il |
is permissible to be a little familiar
with even distinguished author.
The most striking fact among the
many striking facts is the tremend-
BUS amount of labor, patience, self
sacrifice, devotion to his profession,
and overcoming of formidable OBJ
stacles involved in the planning and
execution of such work Mr.. Hume
las had to pursue his researches thou
sands of miles distant from reference
libraries, from original sources, from
he scenes of which he was writing,
md from the friends and counselorS
whose nearness would have been OF
ncalculable benefit He has had to
year heavy expense in securing copies
nd translations of needed references,
le has had to work alone, and he has
lad to give up the vacations to which
is ordinary labors entitled him. He
as had to endure with patience the
and b1underS con Seuuent |
pom his being so remote from his
ublishers, and he has had to suffer
rying delays which could not have
ccurred had he been able to COM
hand instantly the resources of .
reat library. More than all these
ifficulties must have been the one of
nding time and energy to pursue his
erculean task. Mr. Hume has never
Idu1ged in an idle moment in the
University. Since his coming here
velve years ago he has perhaps had
savier work than almost any other
,rson on the faculty. He has been
good teacher, faithful, energetic, al
avs ready to bestow a generous
Mount of his precious leisure upon