The sun., 1918-11-10
THE CHRONICLES OF AMERICA"

Yale University Press of fifty such books under the
designation The Chronicles of America Each book
has photographed article and each is indexed
Each is illustrated chiefly with portraits in photo
gravure. There are special maps very clear and
helpful. The printing and binding of the books is
exceptionally fine. To complete the formal record:
The volumes are $3.50 apiece, but the whole set
must be subscribed for.
The purpose is to offer short and popular &C.
counts of many phases of American history; to that
end the books are mostly by different authors; three
volumes of the fifty have single author, some five
writers are to do two apiece. The ten at hand are
written by as many persons
Our readers have already been told something of
this series and need only be reminded that while
each book is Independent of the others, the whole
number of them, if Prof. ALLEN JOHNSON, the edi-
tor, succeeds in mis- aim, will dovetail to make a
complete picture of this country, and indeed this
continent from the time Of its sole habitation by
the red man to the present day.
Writing History
History is the story Of the past for the guidance
of the living. In writing history you should con-
Germ yourself equally with what is important
and what is interesting" The Importance of a
bygone event is determined by the present; what
seemed important when it happened, in 1643, we
will say, is of consequence unless it affects us in
1918. But if it seemed highly important in 1913
and is of Importance in 1918 the fact that people
thought it of moment in 1643 may be interesting.
The interest of a past occurrence has nothing
whatever to do with its Importance at any time A
thing is interesting if it throws light on human
of, do that H. 1o,,- oe 3,,o1
appearance and ever after; or it may do so only
long after.
"Tl past, at least, is secure The past s>never
secure and never will be. The past is largely what
you make it, and there are distortions in his
tory than In any other branch of human knowledge
People who read the past and people who read the
future do so with an almost equal percentage Of
inaccuracy. There should be some form of histori-
cal insurance to safeguard the past even as we use
insurance to safeguard the future. People are sin
gularly careless in this respect they seem not to
remember that the past is piece of property and
that worthy and honorable and glorious past is as
valuable as worthy and admirable reputation.
They let any who will bedevil this priceless pos
session. HAROLD LYMPH may sit him down and lie
In ten volumes; he may blacken the spotless dead
and yet is nothing done to him. But if HAROLD
LYMPH lied about his inconsiderable next door
neighbor should mulct him in damages, or even
pen him in Jail.
Enough; we hasten to say that of the ten pub
ished books of The Chronicles of America there is
not one which does not in all essentials speak the
truth not which does not unite in its narration
what is important with what is interesting, not one
which is not readable Some of the volumes are
much more than readable, as hope to show. 49,.
"Elizabethan Sea Dogs, - $50. ..l
And first we take up Elizabethan Dogs, by
WILLIAM WOOD. 1t starts with JOHN CABOT and his
son. SEBASTIAN teller Of tall stories 1t may not be
true, Mr.. WooD allows, that SEBASTIAN CABOT
had hard work TO force his ships through the waters
so thick with Goldfish off the Newfoundland shore;
but it is true that cod have been caught as long as
a man and weighing a hundred pounds. A
whole Hare, big guillemot with his beak and claws,
a brace of duck so fresh that they must have been
swallowed alive rubber wading boot and very
learned treatise complete in three volumes-these
are few of the curiosities actually found in sundry
stomachs of the all devourng cod. q" He is the billy
toff no g