Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1923-01-25
WEST VIRGINIA IN HISTORY
A REVIEW

puDllSHeIS. IHG dutiiUI - oauiCo
Morton Callahan, Professor of His
tory and Political Science at West
Virginia University.
Willie someone might have written
better history, the fact remains
that no one ever has, and future his
torians of the state can hardly escape
the duty of acknowledging their debt
to this work.
There is not popular history IN
the ordinary sense of that term. Yet
it is just the book, perhaps the only
one, for the reader who wants in
formation about West Virginia, it's
geography and geology, its resources
and its industries, its early settle
ments, annals of war and peace, the
developments along its valleys, and
in keeping with this the history Of
the state as a whole.
Someone has said that the history
Of the nation is the history Of tbs
villages writ large Probably DR..
Callahan had that principle in mind.
He seems to steer a middle course
between the tedious, Recommendation
of history and the philoso phic his
torians. He does not load the pages
with tiresome evidence that never
renders verdict, and at the same
time he seldom appears as the per-
sonal interpreter Of the facts before
him. He is satisfied to keep the
channel of discussion broad and stead
lily flowing, so that it may carry
everything vital of fact or circum-
st&hce connected with West Virginia
or any of it's component parts.
The account Of how the mountain
state" was settled and developed the
individuality forged into a separate
commonwealth under the stress OF
war, is ADEQUATE and scholarly, as
is also that describing the fortunes OF
the state government and the politi-
cal development in the past fifty
years. This is about the scope OF the
ordinary Estate history"
But the significant feature OF this
new work by DIR. Callahan is its IN
innate revelations of the life of the
people, his survey passing back and
forth repeatedly from the eastern to
the western panhandle and up and
down all the main valleys where civil
Iization has pushed it's way, setting up
homes workshops, churches, clearing
the forests, opening fields, planting
orchards, digging mines and setting
up furnaces. There are chapters on
railroads, historic highways, tele-
graph and telephone, oil, gas and coal
schools, newspapers and churches,
politics and taxation, the historic
communities and towns and cities.
These are the matters that come
closest to the life and interest of the
West Virginian, and it is a welcome
surprise to find how much space the
author has been able to devote to sub
jects that ordinarily are reserved for
purely sIocaT histories"
In looking over the table Of con-
tents and index and sketching
through the pages one wonders
whether anything of real Importance
in the story Of West Virginia has been
omitted. It is storehouse' of in
formation, and at the same time a
readable account, so that the review
er is tempted to read on consecutive
ly.
As reference work it's value is in
creased by comprehensive index. The
West Virginia biography contains a
large number Of contemporary West
V7rginians and family chronicles, in
GLIDING number Of historical sketch
es of men prominent in shaping the
destiny of the state whose history
is so well told by DR.. Callahan.
The books present a neat appear
ance. The printing is well done. The
historical section is Illustrated with
views and scenes of general char
acter, and the biographical section
contains cuts of we'll known. citizens.
Altogether the volumes, whether as
examples ofJbook making or consider
ed with reference to their purpose as
history or biography will be credit
to any library.
eggs contain only TOO, raisins 800,
ETC., seven ounces of honey being
in food value to Is ounces