Ohio History Journal


THE CHALLENGE OF THE TIMES TO THE HISTORIAN1

THE CHALLENGE OF THE TIMES TO THE HISTORIAN1

by CARL WITTKE

Professor of History and Dean of the Graduate School,

Western Reserve University

The question is frequently asked nowadays, Why do historians

have so little influence in public affairs, and why have men and

women, who have been especially trained to study and distill con-

clusions from the long experience of the past, so little status as

counselors and molders of public opinion in present-day society?

It is easy to exaggerate the influence of historians of an earlier

day in this regard, and it must be remembered that on some of the

burning questions of a century ago, like slavery, the historical guild

had relatively little to say and rather studiously avoided becoming

involved in the acrimonious sectional controversy. Nevertheless,

history probably was more widely read then than now, and certainly

historians of distinction were more highly honored and respected,

and received more public recognition from their fellow Americans.

The so-called "middle group of literary historians" wrote dis-

tinguished history which was widely read. One need only recall such

names as Motley, Prescott, Bancroft, Parkman, and Fiske to make

the point. Parkman, despite his physical affliction, produced a series

of volumes which stand up well before the rigorous tests of modern

historical scholarship, yet they were written in a beautiful, vivid

style that made them popular reading. Motley's history of the

Netherlands was literature as well as history, and Fiske, with a

mastery of several fields of learning, had great influence on his

generation. Bancroft was not only venerated as a distinguished his-

torian, but was rewarded with public office.

Why have the disciples of Clio fallen from that high estate? The

present generation goes for advice to the scientist and the business-

man, or the psychiatrist, but seldom to the men and women who

 

1 An extension of some remarks made at a luncheon meeting of the Ohio Academy

of History, in Columbus, April 7, 1951.

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