New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1917-11-30
HISTORIANS
SHOULD USE
ONLY FACTS
SECRETARY OF
MUSEUM OF NEW MEXICO
DECLARES MANY HISTO-
RAMS TRY TO FORCE CON-
CLUSIONS
By Paul A. +. Walter

TOO few historians leave anything
to the imagination or the judgment
of the reader. The average chroni,
cler is more eager to force his view
point upon the public than he is tc
record facts. He has either cause
to espouse or hero to defend and
will lay undue stress upon minor
events that viii boster his argument
or justify his conclusions he viii
minimize important episodes whose
trend is antagonistic to his assump-
tions From Herodotus to Carlyle
historians have been more or less
special pleaders,"
"Of late years, however, new
school Of historians has made its
influence felt, a class that is content
to let events speak for themselves
that permits the reader to judge for
himself the motives and underlying
causes, that devotes itself entirely
to research work, to bringing to
light the most trustworthy original
sources from which history should
be written"
For New Mexico this kind of in
valuable research work was first
done in scientific manner by
Adolf A. Bandelier and Of late years
by Hon Benjamin NJ. Read, him
self an important figure in the his
tory of the new state and who has
spared no means, no time, to get
at the original sources, to point out
mercilessly the errors of hearsay
traditions, to give the people cor
rect version Of events as they real
ly happened. He secured two con-
tinents for his data, employed schol-
ars in Spain, Mexico and Central
America to ransack archives and Ii
braries for him, oorresponded volum-
inously with men of science who
have made a special study of special
periods and places, secured at heavy
personal expense and unremitting
labor, manuscripts and documents
that pour flood of light upon dis
puted points and some of which have
been never before published"
1T is quite natural therefore, that
Mr.. Read, in delving in the musty
records of the Spanish conquest and
occupation Of New McNicp, should
acquire much invaluable material and
information upon collateral events.
1t was only few years befoSe the
momcntous and romantic expedition
Of Coronado, that Fernando CorttS,
one OF the most notable figures in
all history performed those prodi-
gious deeds OF valor that resulted
in the Conquest of MeNico. The
life Of this magnificent warrior and
statesman, had been much becloud-
ed by the acrimonious comments, the
bitter accusations, the fulsome eu'o-
gics OF partisan historians, until one
half of the world thought OF him
rs A pitilcSs butcher and the other
half as a superhuman conqucrer, Mr.
Read found much material in his
other researches that placed Cortts
in his true light and undertook the
task OF setting before the public the
real man Cortes He adhcrcs scrupu-
lonsly to the story as told in the
record of contemporaries, of origin
al annals, and upon points which
may be viewed from opposite angles,
he permits more than one chronic ler
TO speak. Thus, wellrounded his
tory has been produced, without
dull line and yet exact and truthful.
1t is a narrative more thrilling than
fiction, and a work that must appeal
to young and to old, to the savant
as well as to the casual reader but
particularly to the people of the
great Southwest bound by ties OF
language and family to the land of
CortGs and the domain he added to
the Spanish crown"