The New York herald., 1921-10-09
Rewritir History.
IKE a vain and noisy actor,
War has crowded the chroni-

war HAS CTOWueu Iic CnroHi-
cles of the past, cutting the
character and comedy parts with a
stupid sword that marred all values.
There might have been excuse for
the generations that actually en-
gagged in these bloody episodes. But
for the scholars of peaceful era to
go on perpetuating the distortions Of
rage, parroting over the soldiers
brag and leaying the great story of
the nations growth untold-well, all
that can be said is that human ma
ture is that way.
Happily the case is not hopeless
The scientists, the students of social
progress, even the popular writer's
who have played up the romance of
business are doing their part to cor
rect the proportions. The spectacu-
lar success of Wells's Outline of
History" proves that the reading pub
lie welcomes fresher, truer view
Wells himself admits the imperfec-
tion of detail in his first attempt.
He has done what he could to rem
edy faults in a new edition, now
issued in single volume.
But the last stronghold of tradi-
tion is the school. The child's first
impressions, never wholly removed
in later life, are usually made by
writer's of no authority, who follow
the easiest way by retelling the old
stories.
The future development of pub.
lished history will probably be along
two lines: the complete world view
of the general stream of life; and
the intimate revelation of a wide
range of interest.
The fixed and formal definition of
history as moving picture specta-
Gle of battle scenes with the actual
life Of the peoples mere hyphen to
connect wars no longer holds. A
good example of the newer treatment
is Frederic L. Parsons Recent His
tory Of the United States" (Hough-
ton Mifflin Company. This begins
at the close of the civil war and
comes down to the present.
The triumph of this book is the
evenness with which the pattern is
woven. The beginnings of each
change in the national life are
traced. Parties and personalities
emerge and fade into the growing
fabric of events. The arts, educa-
ton, religious currents have their
place with business, expansion.
A portrait of Mark Twain in his
Oxford gown is one of the leading
illustrations. And the fact sug-
gested is closer to the heart of his
tory than many a famous triumph of
arms. And such paragraph as this
is history also:
"The rise of sport in America be-
tween the Centennial Exposition in
Philadelphia in 1876 and the Worlds
Fair at Chicago in 1893 Is due in
part to readjustment Of American
life. from rural to urban conditions,
and provides the outlets that re-
placed the frontier as it was closed.
Before the civil war there was little
sport in America. The Turnverein
members had imported group gym
nastics from Germany. There was
some racing OF both horses and boats,
and there was much hunting on a
small scale, but sport was generally
only an afterthought and a by-prod-
uct Robert Bonner, who
owned Maud S when her records
beat the world, found the burden Of
proof still against him, as the public
asked why a man of known respec-
liability should devote so much of
his attention to sport"
Only fifth of the volume is de-
voted to the recent war. And here
also the general activities OF the
world behind the fighting lines are
duly emphasized.
This is a good book. The author
is more judicial than Wells. AT
times the reader wishes there were
a little more enthusiasm in the mar
rative. But the union Of fire and
fairness in the same writer is un-
common. Maybe IL will be less rare
in the day of our hope.