YALE UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY

NEW HAVEN, CONN.

January 28, 1920

My dear Booth

I have, too, often thought of you and
Mrs. Booth, but as usual have not brought myself to the
point of writing to you. I am afraid I am
a very poor correspondent. I usually leave my
letter-writing till Sunday, and when that day comes,
there are too many letters to write, and I can
write just urgent letters and leave the others to
fate. Yes, there are so many things we might
talk over, and I am surprised to find out every
little while how little I know about many things
actually going on,---in the Balkans, in Russia,
in the United States Senate, etc. I am often
dejected about the way things are going generally
after the great war, but that may be because I
had for a moment given up my proper attitude of
the student of history, which should teach, if
any thing can, that all things are relative, and

mising ~~for~~ loyalty for truthfulness. When one
have such objects, he cannot stop for a subject
merely because it is inspiring and appealing to
his personal taste. He must avoid things about
which there is an element of advocating an idea,
or even a subtle admixture of fact and opinion.

Truthfulness in research and in expression is
rarer in this world than is generally supposed.

But it is needed, at least as a purifier, if for
no other purpose. I must work for it, of course
within the limits of my training and capacity.

That means history of my own country, and my work
lies within that field and must meet the require-
ments I have set forth. So I am working along
the lines that have now been well marked out.

Besides striving to meet these standards, I also
try to make the work somewhat contributory to
the great future science of social life of man.

I am glad to hear that you are nearly
through with your writing. I don't know exactly
what it is about, but am sure that you are interest-
ed in establishing some truthful facts,

4

and it makes little difference what facts they
are, so long as they are truthful.

Creative life is needed, but that belongs to
others, rather than to me, for creation, either
in art or in life, cannot be done without a great
deal of sacrifice of truthfulness; one would
have to plead, preach, talk half truths and un-
truths, and make compromises. In fact, one
cannot live a single day without doing these things
more or less, and without being creative in some
way or other, but they must be strictly kept
out of the chosen sphere of my kind of intellect-
ual work. But more of that, when we meet.

I do not expect to come to Boston in the near
future. I have some longing for that city, as I
have not seen it for some little time. Thanks
to you both for the invitation. If you come
the New York way, be sure to stop here and look
me up. I am living in a University building,
and can be easily found.

Always very sincerely yours

international affairs can make only imperceptible
progress. The general spiritual relapse that seems so de-
pressing may be largely on the surface, and the
sudden prominence that the inter-class problems
have taken on may have added to the general im-
pression of confusion and discouragement. I
am literally gasping for a strong comprehensive
view of the whole situation. And, to make the
matter worse still, I have so little time for
calm thinking about these questions, for I am
too fully occupied with investigations and writing
of subjects that have little relation with the
present.

What the new line of history that you
thought I should take up? I received two letters
from you in Tokyo. Did you write a third? There
are more live subjects than those I am identified
with, but you know I am in for subjects that
combine at least two great requirements on the
part of the investigator: the most exacting rigor
for impersonal accuracy and the most uncompro-

YALE UNIVERSITY,
DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY.

New Haven, Conn. February 23, 1920.

My dear Booth:-

I have not answered your letter sooner, for there
seemed to be nothing very important for me to write.

I was very much amused to read about the photostat
edition of ten copies. I do not believe I can afford
a copy of such an expensive work.

Do I understand you to say you are writing two
books? You were kind enough to offer me copies of
your last books, but I should like to see them before
I dare ask you to send me copies.

Perhaps it may interest you to learn what I am
writing at present. In the northwestern part of the
Island of Kyushu there was a fief which was perhaps
the largest in feudal Japan, and which certainly
lasted longer than any one line of lords. I shall
eventually take up the whole fief and discuss the
development of its institutions, but before I do
that, I thought I would write a small book on a part of
the fief. During my journey through the territory
I happened to discover a body of documents, numbering
about 400, related to that part and to the family of
its lords. I am making a selection out of these
documents and translating them with notes and an
introduction for the Princeton University Press. I
hope to finish this before the end of this academic
year, and then begin the larger work.

I do not expect to go to Boston in the near
future, but if there is any opportunity for me to
go I shall let you know.

Pray, give my regards to Mrs. Booth,