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HISTORY.
The study of History, like that of other great subjects, has its own
peculiar charms and advantages. It cannot equal the study of language
in cultivating the habit of minute accuracy and attention to
details. Nor can it compete with mathematical study in accustoming
the student to habits of clear and rigidly consecutive thought. But
on the other hand, there is no other subject that surpasses History in
its power to broaden and deepen both the mind and the heart. Its
charm lies in its human interest. For its theme is man—"the proper
study of mankind"—a theme that must ever be more attractive to the
majority of human beings than either the asymptotes of the hyperbola
or the subjunctive mood. But, while History deals with man, it should
not be confounded with biography, which deals with individual men.
Biography is an invaluable adjunct to History, but History deals with
the life of societies, nations and states. Fully, fairly, and impartially
to comprehend this life in all its marvelously varied social, political,
religious, moral and intellectual manifestations, is totally beyond the
power of any human brain. Yet the earnest student, who seeks the
can learn enough of even so vast a theme to reward him richly for his
pains. But let him not yield credence to the common delusion that
History is "easy" to learn,—a mere collection of entertaining anecdotes
concerning eminent men. To understand the life of nations—
the evolution and dissolution of organized masses of men—is a fascinating,
but immensely difficult task. Such a task is, very properly, not
attempted in primary schools, children being taught the rudiments of
History with other purposes in view. Nor is it wise for the younger
students at a university to attempt the task. The greater their maturity,
the greater also will be the benefit they may derive from historical
study; and they are therefore advised, as a general rule, to defer its
pursuit until they have had at least one year's training in other university
work.
Two courses in History are offered: one in General History and one
in English and American History.
B. A. COURSE.
General History.—In this course, which comprises the historical
work required for the B. A. degree, great stress is laid on the view that
the career of man as revealed in History, is not a mere jumble of disconnected
dates and facts, but a continuous stream, having its sources
and tributaries in the far-off past, its outlet in the remote future. No
attempt is made, however, to traverse in the class-room the entire
length of this stream; for, although constant efforts are made to demonstrate
the vital connection of nation with nation, of generation with
generation, and of anterior with ensuing conditions of historical development,
the lectures are confined to the more important periods, the
student being required to fill the gaps by private reading. These
periods, and therefore, the text-books studied, may be more or less
varied each year. Three lectures a week.
Text-Books.—Fisher's Outlines of Universal History; Grant's Greece in the
Age of Pericles; Froude's Caesar; Capes's Age of the Antonines; Thatcher's
and Schwill's Europe in the Middle Age; Seebohm's Era of the Protestant
Revolution; Gardiner's Thirty Years' War; Longman's Frederick the Great
and the Seven Years' War; Dabney's Causes of the French Revolution;
Morris's French Revolution and First Empire.
GRADUATE COURSE.
M. A.
English and American History.—In this higher course, which will
consist of English History up to Christmas, and of American History
the rest of the session, the principles taught in the course preceding
may be encouraged to exercise independent thought and judgment,
they will be required to write essays on assigned topics. Moreover,
it should be distinctly understood that the text-books are by no
means regarded by the Professor as infallible authorities. On the
contrary, some of them contain much that is emphatically rejected
by him. And yet such books may be exceedingly useful; for to educate
a man is not to stuff him full of cut-and-dried opinions, but rather
to draw forth and develop his own judgment by presenting to his
mind opinions that oppose and even clash violently with each other.
Graduates in General History will derive most benefit from this course.
It may be taken, however, by others; and, as considerable attention
will be paid to constitutional development, students intending to
study Law will find the course of advantage. Candidates for the M. A.
degree selecting History as one of their four subjects must graduate
both in this course and in the preceding. Three lectures a week.
Text Books.—Oman's History of England; Creighton's Age of Elizabeth;
McCarthy's Epoch of Reform; Gardiner's Atlas of English History; and a
number of works on special periods of American History to be announced
later.
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