TO THE
BY
OF THE SORBONNE
Translated by G. G. BERRY
With a Preface by F. YORK POWELL
NEW YORK
HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY
1904
| TO THE READER |
| CONTENTS |
| AUTHORS' PREFACE |
| INDEX OF PROPER NAMES |
| FOOTNOTES |
It is a pleasure to recommend this useful and well-written little bookto English readers. It will both interest and help. There are, forinstance, a few pages devoted to the question of evidence that will bean aid to every one desirous of getting at the truth respecting anyseries of facts, as well as to the student of history. No one can readit without finding out that to the historian history is not merely apretty but rather difficult branch of literature, and that a historybook is not necessarily good if it appears to the literary critic'readable and interesting,' nor bad because it seems to him 'hard orheavy reading.' The literary critic, in fact, is beginning to find outthat he reads a history as he might read a treatise on mathematics orlinguistics, at his peril, and that he is no judge of its value or lackof value. Only the expert can judge that. It will probably surprise somepeople to find that in the opinion of our authors (who agree with Mr.Morse Stephens and with the majority of scholars here) the formation andexpression of ethical judgments, the approval or condemnation of CaiusJulius Cæsar, or of Cæsar Borgia, is not a thing within the historian'sprovince. His business is to find out what can be known about thecharacters and situations with which he is engaged,vi to put what he canascertain before his readers in a clear form, and lastly to consider andattempt to ascertain what scientific use can be made of these facts hehas ascertained. Ethic on its didactic side is outside his businessaltogether. In fact MM. Langlois and Seignobos write for those "whopropose to deal with documents [especially written documents] with aview to preparing or accomplishing historic work in a scientific way."They have the temerity to view history as a scientific pursuit, and theyare endeavouring to explain to the student who intends to pursue thisbranch of anthropologic science the best and safest methods ofobservation open to him, hence they modestly term their little book "anessay on the method of historic sciences." They are bold enough to lookforward to a day, as not far distant, when a sensible or honest man willno more dare to write history unscientifically than he would to-day bewilling to waste his time and that of others on observing the heavensunscientifically, and registering as trustworthy his unchecked anduntimed observations.
Whether we like it or not, history has got to be scientifically studied,and it is not a question of style but of accuracy, of fulness ofobservation, and correctness of reasoning, that is before the student.Huxley and Darwin and Clifford have shown that a book may be goodscience and yet good reading. Truth has not always been found repulsivealthough she was not bedizene