One of the most useful directions for facilitating the study of
history, is to begin with authors who present a compendium, or general
view of the whole subject of history, and, afterwards, to apply to the
study of any particular history with which a more thorough
acquaintance is desired. The Historical Department of this work has
been compiled with a view to furnishing such a compendium. It covers
the whole ground of Ancient History, including China, India, Egypt,
Arabia, Syria, the Phœnicians, Jews, Assyrians, Babylonians, Lydians,
Modes and Persians, together with Greece and Rome, down through the
dark ages to the dawn of modern civilization. It also embraces the
history of the leading nations of modern Europe, and of the United
States of America.
Wisdom is the great end of history. It is designed to supply the want
of experience; and though it does not enforce its instructions with
the same authority, yet it furnishes a greater variety of lessons than
it is possible for experience to afford in the longest life. Its
object is to enlarge our views of the human character, and to enable
us to form a more correct judgment of human affairs. It must not,
therefore, be a tale, calculated merely to please and addressed to the
fancy. Gravity and dignity are essential characteristics of history.
Robertson and Bancroft may be named as model historians in these
particulars. No light ornaments should be employed――no flippancy of
style, and no quaintness of wit; but the writer should sustain the
character of a wise man, writing for the instruction of posterity; one
who has studied to inform himself well, who has pondered his subject
with care, and addresses himself to our judgment rather than to our
imagination. At the same time, historical writing is by no means
inconsistent with ornamented and spirited narration, as witness
Macaulay’s popular History of England. On the contrary, it admits of
much high ornament and elegance; but the ornaments must be consistent
with dignity. Industry is, also, a very essential quality in an
accurate historian.
As history is conversant with great and memorable actions, a historian
should always keep posterity in view, and relate nothing but what may
be of some account to future ages. Those who descend to trivial
matters, beneath the dignity of history, should be deemed journalists
rather than historians. As it is the province of a historian to
acquaint us with facts, he should give a narration or description not
only of the facts, or actions themselves, but likewise of such things
as are necessarily connected with them; such as the characters of
persons, the circumstances of time and place, the views and designs of
the principal actors, and the issue and event of the actions which he
describes. The drawing of characters is one of the most splendid, as
it is one of the most difficult, ornaments of historical composition;
for characters are generally considered as professed exhibitions of
fine writing; and a historian who seeks to shine in them, is often in
danger of carrying refinement to excess, from a desire of appearing
very profound and penetrating. Among the improvements that have of
late years been introduced into historical composition, is the
attention that is now given to laws, customs, commerce, religion,
literature, and every thing else that tends to exhibit the genius and
spirit of nations. Historians are now expected to exhibit manners, as
well as facts and events. Voltaire was the first to introduce this
improvement, and Allison, Macaulay, and others, have adopted it.
The first and lowest use of history is, that it agreeably amuses the
imagination, and interests the passions; and in this view of it, it
far surpasses all works of fiction, which require a variety of
embellishments to excite and interest the passions, while the mere
thought that we are listening to the voice of truth, serves to keep
the attention awake through many dry and ill-digested narrations of
facts. The next and higher use of history is, to improve the
understanding and strengthen the judgment, and thus to fit us for
entering upon the duties of life with advantage. It presents us with
the same objects which occur to us in the business of life, and
affords similar exercise to our thoughts; so that it may be called
anticipated experience. It is, therefore, of great importance, not
only to the advancement of political knowledge, but to that of
knowledge in general; because the most exalted understanding is merely
a power of drawing conclusions and forming maxims of conduct from
known facts and experiments, of which necessary materials of knowledge
the mind itself is wholly barren, and with which it must be furnished
by experience. By improving the understanding history frees the mind
from many foolish prejudices that tend to mislead it. Such are those
prejudices of a national kind, that have induced an unreasonable
partiality for our own country, merely as our own country, and as
unreasonable a repugnance to foreign nations and foreign religions,
which nothing but enlarged views resulting from history can cure. It
likewise tends to remove those prejudices that may have been
entertained in favor of ancient or modern times, by giving a just view
of the advantages and disadvantages of mankind in all ages. To a
citizen of the United States, one of the great advantages resulting
from the study of history is, that so far from producing an
indifference to his own country, it disposes him to be satisfied with
his own situation, and renders him, from rational conviction, and not
from blind prejudice, a more zealous friend to the interests of his
country, and to its free institutions. It is from history, chiefly,
that improvements are made in the science of government; and this
science is one of primary importance. Another advantage is, that it
tends to strengthen sentiments of virtue, by displaying the
motives and actions of truly great men, and those of a contrary
character,――thus inspiring a taste for real greatness and solid glory.
The second department of our work has been devoted to BIOGRAPHY,――a
species of history more entertaining, and in many respects equally
useful, with general history. It represents great men more distinctly,
unincumbered with a crowd of other actors, and, descending into the
detail of their actions and character, their virtues and failings,
gives more insight into human nature, and leads to a more intimate
acquaintance with particular persons, than general history allows. A
writer of biography may descend with propriety to minute circumstances
and familiar incidents. He is expected to give the private as well as
the public life of those whose actions he records; and it is from
private life, from familiar, domestic and seemingly trivial
occurrences, that we often derive the most accurate knowledge of the
real character. To those who have exposed their lives, or employed
their time and labor, for the service of their fellow men, it seems
but a just debt, that their memories should be perpetuated after them,
and that posterity should be made acquainted with their benefactors.
To a volume of biography may be applied the language of a pagan
poet:――
“Here patriots live, who for their country’s good,
In fighting fields were prodigal of blood;
Priests of unblemished lives here make abode,
And poets worthy their inspiring god;
And searching wits of more mechanic parts,
Who graced their age with new invented arts;
Those who to worth their bounty did extend,
And those who knew that bounty to commend:
The heads of these with holy fillets bound,
And all their temples are with garlands crowned.”
In the lives of public persons, their public characters are
principally, but not solely, to be regarded. The world is inquisitive
to know the conduct of its great men as well in private as in public;
and both may be of service, considering the influence of their
examples. In preparing this department of our work we have aimed to
introduce variety,――selecting representative men from all the various
pursuits of life.
The third department of our work has been designated as the Department
of TRAVEL. It embraces the principal voyages of discovery and the
lives of great navigators and travelers, since the days of Columbus
and Vasco de Gama. In the history of scientific expeditions, the five
following divisions may be made: 1. The earliest age of the Phœnicians
down to Herodotus, 500 years before Christ. The Phœnicians undertook
the first voyages of discovery for commercial purposes, or to found
colonies. 2. The travels of the Greeks and the military expeditions of
the Romans, from 500 B. C. to 400 A. D. The Greeks made journeys to
enlarge the territories of science. The armies of Rome, during this
period, supplied an extensive knowledge of a part of Asia, Egypt, the
northern part of Africa, and Europe to South Britain. 3. The
expeditions of the Germans and Normans until 900 A. D. The Normans
discovered the Faroes, Iceland and Greenland. 4. Besides the
commercial and military voyages of the Arabs and Mongols, the travels
of the Christian Missionaries, and other Europeans, down to 1400,
furnished much valuable information. 5. The fifth period, from the
year 1400 to the present time, is the period particularly embraced in
this work. During this time, North and South America, a portion of
Asia, and the interior of Africa, have been explored, and the
adventurous voyagers in the Arctic and Antarctic seas, have pushed
their researches to within twelve degrees of the poles. Sir J. Ross
reached the south latitude of 78 deg. 4 min. in the year 1841. Such
are the results of the labors of four centuries. The knowledge has
been slowly gathered, but it will remain a lasting testimony to the
triumphs of intellect. It is but recently that human enterprise has
penetrated many of the secrets of the Antarctic regions,――that realm
of mighty contrasts,――and it will doubtless pursue the investigation.
‘Meantime the wintry solitudes of the far south will be undisturbed by
the presence of man; the penguin and the seal will still haunt the
desolate shores; the shriek of the petrel and the scream of the
albatross will mingle with the dash and roar of continual storms, and
the crash of wave-beaten ice; the towering volcano will shoot aloft
its columns of fire high into the gelid air; the hills of snow and ice
will grow and spread; frost and flame will do their work; till, in the
wondrous cycle of terrestrial change, the polar lands shall again
share in the abundance and beauty which now overspread the
sun-gladdened zones.’