Ohio History Journal

REVIEWS, NOTES AND COMMENTS

 

 

BY THE EDITOR

 

LIFE OF A NOTABLE SCHOLAR AND

UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT

William Watts Folwell: The Autobiography and Letters

of a Pioneer of Culture.  Edited by Dr. Solon J.

Buck. The University of Minnesota Press, Minne-

apolis, Minnesota, 1933.

An autobiography of more than usual interest and

value has recently come to our library. It is entitled

William Watts Folwell: The Autobiography and Let-

ters of a Pioneer of Culture. It is edited by the well-

known historian, Dr. Solon J. Buck, formerly secretary

of the Wisconsin Historical Society and later with the

University of Pittsburgh.

In his Preface Dr. Buck says in part:

Those who knew Dr. Folwell found in him something that

was timeless, something that kept him forever looking forward

with the zest of youth. To a friend who said, "Dr. Folwell, you

must sometime have resolved never to grow old," the character-

istic reply was, "I never thought of it." Those who see his spirit

and influence in living men and institutions are grateful that he

did take the backward glance that has given us this autobiography.

It is fitting that this volume appears on the one hundredth anni-

versary of his birth. Its publication is a tribute by the Univer-

sity of Minnesota to its first president. The name of William

Watts Folwell heads the honor roll on a tablet dedicated this day

to the "Makers of the Name."

Coming to Minnesota scarcely more than a decade after it

became a state, William Watts Folwell devoted himself to plan-

ning not only a university but a state educational system. As a

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240       Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications

 

teacher he awakened enthusiasm by the independence of his

thinking and the freshness of his methods of presentation. He

was active in the founding of the Minneapolis Society of Fine

Arts, the establishment of a State Geological Survey, the develop-

ment of a park system for Minneapolis, and the promotion of

public health in the State. He was truly a pioneer of culture.

Dr. Folwell recognized that scholarship is the only foundation

on which to build the future, and he was eager to promote re-

search in every field. With his retirement from teaching in 1907,

he was free to devote himself to research, and during the remain-

ing years of his long life the history of his adopted state was his

major interest. Unlike most men who turn to history after their

active careers in other fields are over, Dr. Folwell wrote, not

amiable reminiscenses but critical, objective history, based on

extensive research in the original sources.  He examined the

last shred of available evidence and set forth his conclusions

fearlessly but judiciously. His four-volume History of Minne-

sota will stand for all time as a monument to his scholarship.

In 1920 Dr. Folwell dictated his autobiography to the end

of the Civil War, and shortly before his death, which occurred

on September 18, 1929, he completed it. In the meantime he had

begun turning over his voluminous papers to the Minnesota His-

torical Society, and after his death large additions were trans-

ferred by his family. From this material and other sources the

editor has supplemented the autobiography with letters and other

pertinent documents. The autobiography and the letters reveal

not only the character and personality of the author but also the

processes by which they were formed. Moreover, they depict

social and cultural conditions and developments in western New

York, various European countries, Ohio, and Minnesota at dif-

ferent periods, and aspects of life in the Union army during the

Civil War. Of unusual interest is the new light thrown on the

early history of the University of Minnesota.

This comprehensive statement presents a character

of influence in the service of his country and the develop-

ment of culture in its different sections, especially in the

west. Full of interest are the chapters on "Prepara-

tion for College," "Life at Hobart," "Student and

Teacher," and "A Student in Germany." These indi-

cate a liberal education for the times and careful man-

agement on the part of the student to earn his way

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Reviews, Notes and Comments           241

through such a varied course. The chapter entitled

"The Engineer Officer" details the service of the sub-

ject in the Civil War from which he emerged as Colonel

at the age of thirty-two near the close of that war.

Following his military service he came to Ohio where

he lived in the town of Venice, Erie County. This

chapter will be especially attractive to Ohioans. It

covers only ten pages and may appear in a future

QUARTERLY. In this chapter he tells us of Castalia and

the Blue Hole, Sandusky Bay, the Sandusky Register, of

which he was offered the editorship, of Kenyon College

where he served as a member of the faculty before go-

ing to Minnesota where he became President of the

University. The reader of local history and the student

of the intellectual and moral advancement of the country

included within the years of Dr. Folwell's long and use-

ful life will find this volume abundantly worth reading.

American Colonists in English Records. First Series.

A Guide to direct references in authentic records,

Passenger Lists not in "Hotten," etc., etc., etc.

By George Sherwood, 210 Strand, W. C. 2, Lon-

don, England. Price $5.00.

The Prefatory Note explains the purpose and scope

of the work:

Direct references in English records to colonists in New

England and America are extraordinarily hard to come by. Hun-

dreds of pounds are spent annually in searching for them. The

following are presented as the result of constant daily search

covering the last forty years, and they will be useful, it is hoped,

in this form for reference. A healthy sale of the book will

enable the compiler to give his whole time to the search for these

"missing links." A good thing, surely, for here we strike the

note of Anglo-American kinship and the consolidation of all that

is best in the English speaking world.

Vol. XLII--16

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242      Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications

 

It is expected that further volumes of this work will follow,

as material continues to accumulate. Searches will be made for

particular names in the unpublished material, and in a collection of

"clues" in English records to persons "beyond sea," but not

definitely named as in America, at a charge of five dollars per

search.

The First Series is a neatly printed and substantially

bound book of ninety-nine pages. The information it

contains is taken direct from authentic sources and is

not otherwise available in printed form.

 

 

ROOSEVELT TAKES HOLD

A book of very timely interest that should have a

generous reception bears the title Roosevelt Takes Hold.

This is "A Chronological Summary of the 1929-1933

Panic--Depression--with Explanatory Notes."  It is

written by Orton G. Rust, member of the Ohio State

George Washington Bicentennial Commission; His-

torian of the Ohio Revolutionary Memorial Sesquicen-

tennial, and author of Sleep and Mad River Country.

Mr. Rust is a very active and entertaining news-

writer who did memorable work in connection with the

George Rogers Clark Sesquicentennial celebration at

Springfield in October, 1930. The Battle of Piqua, in

which George Rogers Clark completely vanquished the

Indians in 1780, was celebrated October 9-10, 1930.

Through the efficient publicity given this event by Mr.

Rust, it was one of the most successful celebrations ever

held in Ohio and attracted attention beyond the borders

of the State.

In his latest literary effort, Mr. Rust has faithfully

presented the news of big events in the United States in

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Reviews, Notes and Comments       243

their logical sequence through a period of unusual civic

and political activity. The administration of President

Roosevelt has been prolific in achievements of major

importance that will certainly affect the immediate

future and whose influence will be felt long after his

administration has passed into history. These achieve-

ments have been so numerous and have followed each

other in such rapid succession that every thoughtful

citizen will wish to have at hand a concise, comprehen-

sive, non-partisan presentation. Such a statement of

the history that the United States is today making is

included in Mr. Rust's book. It covers, with appendix,

116 pages, is in pamphlet form and sells for seventy-

five cents. Assuredly, as stated in the author's sum-

mary, "the teacher or instructor will find the pamphlet

handy and valuable in furnishing himself or his class

a dated, concise summary of what took place, together

with statistics sufficient for normal classroom needs,"

while the busy man will find here concise information

without encountering long dissertations or following

new or vague theories.

 

 

 

DR. JOSEPH H. TODD

Dr. Joseph H. Todd, who has lived ninety-six years

in the community of Wooster, has presented to the De-

partment of Geology of Wooster College a rare specimen

known as the Paint Creek Meteorite.

This specimen is said to be an unusually fine one

and weighs twelve pounds. It is composed of nickel

and iron; is black in color; half a foot in diameter, and

has a smooth surface. It fell in the vicinity of Paint

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244      Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications

Creek, on the property of William Johnson, located

about three miles from Hopewell Church, in the year

1868. Two millers, Adam Hoffstadt and John Mooch,

at a flour-mill located about one-half mile down the

creek from the scene, and Mr. Johnson, saw the meteor-

ite fall. These men verified the story of Mr. Johnson

and witnessed the extraction of the meteorite.

Mr. Johnson, who lived on a terrace a short distance

from the stream, heard the noise of the approaching

body and ran to his porch. Upon looking up he saw a

flaming body, white in luminosity, with a trail of fire

behind it. As he watched it, it exploded almost directly

over him, breaking into a thousand fragments. The

largest portion fell almost straight down, striking a

fence about a quarter of a mile down-stream, toward the

mill. It seared and scorched the fence for some dis-

tance and then buried itself in the ground. Mr. John-

son dug the meteorite from a depth of about four feet.

Dr. Todd, who presented this meteorite to Wooster

College, has been for many years a good friend of the

Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society. A

few years ago a large and very valuable collection of

Indian implements and weapons, numbering about

35,000 specimens, was acquired by the Society. Dr.

Todd through his entire life has been interested in

geology and archaeology and his service to the State and

its educational institutions is most commendable.

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