The Daily Alaska empire., 1928-09-27
History ana life.
lCincinnati Enquirer. )

No what happened before his time" The sentence is from the work of Frenchman who travelled in the United States exactly hundred years go, and he is describing Americans he them. Today we believe, he wuld not have made the remark History, both of the United States and of the world, has become integral part of American life in ways than one There is, of course, the history that every child learns at school, but we are referring more particularly to interest which seems to be widespread in history for it's sake. This could only come with the dscarding of the idea that history anonymous with huge uninteresting volumes, and the more medieval idea that history of value simply as source of moral truths and examples.
 Today history is actually read for enjoyment The biographies of Emil Ludwig and Andre Maurois rank best sellers" even over works of fiction. The same is true of a recent book dealing with the rise of a great European bank ing house, and other more general historical works The tendency is to be seen in the popularity of historical themes in motion pictures and in novels. We see more attention paid to history in the press, whether it be the prom inent position given to articles about the exeava- tion of lost civilizations the comment on every day affairs of the editorial page.
 The new attitude is a surprising one Our Amercan civilization, often told is en- tirely materalistic. How, then, have we time for history amidst all the rush for wealth and luxuries? We do not have, moreover the ancient traditions of European countries, whose histories are measured not in terms of centuries hut of thousand-year periods. There is no single ex- planation of the new attitude. The World War was, of course, of great influence in making Americans watch with interest the affairs of countries they had never heard of and to see the eheets of events long passed which they had never noticed Then, too discoveries and excavations of historical importance have appeal ed to the public imagination. But most important or all, something has happened to the writing or history itself. One need longer read it In the forbidding volumes of Gibbon or in the overwhelming German of Mommsen The new history strives to be brief and interesting If is concerned not with dates and battles but with people It expresses itself best therefore in the form of comparatively short biographies which concentrate on the life of a single man, but which sketch with accuracy the whole historical background And these lives, told without the Tear or favor of the Court biographer are as fascinating and exciting any novel One won ders sometimes what the descendants of the
 nero must think when hidden details of their ancestors life become public Knowledge in the pages of the best seller. Whatever their feelings It IS to be doubted if there is single detail of any mans life which modern bographer would hesitate to anayze and discuss To put it briefly, history has become readable
 The new attitude toward history is a whole some one. We need not think of it as A store house of good and bad examples when we say that the study of history is beneficial If ia of Deheht In that it is bound to conduce to broaH- mlndedness and better application of our own times Our roots are in the past and without an intelligent understanding of history we cam not expect to cope with present-day problems There is history concealed in every event and 1t Is a good idea to hunt for it.