Ohio History Journal

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they have been exterminated by war, disease, and failure of

accustomed food supply, consequented upon the advent of the

whites."

The simple and primitive existence and the peculiar characteristics

of these children of the forest are entertainingly depicted. This chapter

is followed by a valuable and full appendix of statistics concerning the

Indians-treaties of the United States with the tribes, the cost to the

government in the case of these aboriginal wards, the reservations, their

area, number of Indians in each, etc.

Mr. Avery's style is most felicitous. We know of no historian more

readable in manner or more elegant in rich but simple English. One

could easily be persuaded to read these pages for entertainment, no less

than for information. Mr. Avery has the true historic temperament as

well as the scholarly intellect; there is nothing mechanical, dull or com-

mon place in the pages of this recital; once entered upon the opening of

this volume, the reader is borne along with an interest as unflagging as

that imparted by the shifting scenes of some play.

The author has selected the material for his readers from an almost

limitless store-house, with exact discrimination. The work is popular in

form, it is, as the author declares, for the reader of general culture, rather

than the professional student. The latter, however, is partially provided

for by having placed at his disposal a bibliographical appendix, in which

are given for this volume alone a list of over five hundred authorities

arranged alphabetically and under topical heads, so that sources of infor-

mation on any given subject may be readily found. The work is profusely

illuminated with maps and illustrations. The mechanical execution of the

work surpasses that of any history we have seen. The publishers have

given the production of Mr. Avery's graphic and fascinating pen a setting

worthy the theme and treatment. The volumes are most perfect and

attractive specimens of the modern "art of arts." No history of the

United States has been honored with such royal encasement. It is worthy

the shelves of a sovereign.

 

 

THE AMERICAN HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION.

The twentieth annual meeting of the American Historical Associa-

tion was held in Chicago, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, December

28, 29 and 30, 1904. Members were present from nearly every State in

the Union, representing nearly all the leading historical societies and the

historical departments of the leading colleges and universities. The Ohio

State Archaeological and Historical Society was officially represented by

the secretary, E. O. Randall, Columbus, and Mr. A. J. Baughman, Mans-

field, life member of the society and also secretary of the Richland County

Historical Society. There were also present Miss Martha J. Maltby,

Columbus, Mr. Nelson W. Evans, Portsmouth, and Dr. C. E. Slocum,

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220        Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

 

Defiance, all life members of the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical

Society.

The meetings of the association were held in the Mandel Assembly

Hall and the Reynolds Club Rooms of the University of Chicago. The

first session of the association was held Wednesday afternoon, and was

opened with a felicitous address of welcome by President William A.

Harper, of the University of Chicago. During the several sessions that

followed, various phases of historical work, both American and foreign,

were presented and discussed. Among the topics considered were meth-

ods of collection of materials, the best means of organizing historical

societies, mutual calendaring of manuscript collections, and the possibility

of co-operation among societies in the matter of publications. Also the

relation of state historical societies to the state government, the work of

American historical societies, the historical congress at St. Louis, the

material of American history in the English archives, and the teaching of

history in the elementary schools and other kindred topics.

The names of some fifty professors of history in the colleges of the

country were on the published program. Three foreign universities were

also represented. Ettore Pais, professor in the University of Naples, gave

an address on Roman History; Paul Milyoukov, professor of the Univer-

sity of Sofia, spoke on the subject of "Russian Historiography," and

Friedrich Keutgen, professor in the University of Jena, gave a very useful

and interesting talk on the necessity in America of the study of the early

history of modern European nations.

Especially interesting was the "Round Table" conference, held by the

representatives of the various state and local historical societies, at which

Mr. Reuben G. Thwaites, Secretary of the State Historical Society of Wis-

consin, presided. At this conference formal papers were read on the

following subjects: "Forms of Organization, and Relation to the State

Government," Thomas M. Owen, director of the department of archives

and history, Alabama; Warren Upham, secretary of the Minnesota His-

torical Society. "The Possibilities of Mutual Co-operation Between the

Societies, State and Local," C. M. Burton, president of the Michigan Pio-

neer and Historical Society; Benjamin H. Shambaugh, State Historical

Society of Iowa. Director McLaughlin, of the Bureau of Historical

Research, Carnegie Institute, gave an account of the indexing of manu-

scripts. W. C. Ford, chief of the division of Manuscripts, Library of Con-

gress, read a paper on "Government Archives in Our New Possessions."

Many topics and phases of historical research, collection and collation

were presented and considered. Reports show that there is a growing

interest in the history of the country, and the consensus of opinion was

that more work upon the lines indicated should be taken up by the colleges

and other institutions of learning, and to this the two hundred professors

and teachers present enthusiastically assented.

Among the social features of the meeting were a luncheon in Hutch-

inson Hall, Wednesday at 1 P. M.: a reception by the Chicago Historical

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Society Wednesday evening, and a reception Thursday afternoon by Presi-

dent and Mrs. Harper, at their residence, corner of Fifty-ninth street and

Lexington avenue. President Harper is an Ohio man, and was formerly

connected with Muskingum College, at New Concord. His wife is also

a Buckeye, and when a girl lived in Mansfield. She is the daughter of the

Rev. David Paul, who was the pastor of the Mansfield United Presbyterian

Church from 1858 until 1864, when he resigned to accept the presidency of

the Muskingum college.

The American Political Science Association and the American Eco-

nomic Association held their annual meetings at the same time, in the

halls of the Chicago University buildings.

 

 

NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY BUILDING.

Apropos of the need for a building for the Ohio State Archaeological

and Historical Society, we note with much interest and not a little envy

the announcement that the New York Historical Society is erecting a

building for its future home on Seventy-sixth Street, opposite Central

Park, New York. The site of the building was bought in June, 1891, at a

cost of $300,000. Some difficulty was experienced in raising the additional

money necessary to begin the work of the construction. Dean Hoffman,

father of the present president of the society, was the leader and director

of this undertaking. He induced several prominent New Yorkers-among

them Archer M. Huntington, Miss Matilda Wolf Bruce, J. P. Morgan,

F. Robert Schell, the late John Alsop King, Cornelius and George W.

Vanderbilt-to contribute large amounts.

The building committee was appointed in June, 1901, to receive and

report upon plans for the proposed building. This committee decided to

erect the central portion, 135 x 115 feet, on the lines of American colonial

architecture, from the plans of Messrs. York & Sawyer, at an estimated

cost of $400,000. The cornerstone was laid by ex-Mayor Seth Low,

November 17, 1903. The work has been going on with more or less inter-

ruption, but it is expected that the building will be completed as far as the

first story this spring. The building when completed will be the finest

of its kind in the country. It will be of pink Milford granite, three stories

high, affording ample shelf space for nearly 500,000 volumes and several

special rooms for exhibits of various sorts, and will contain an auditorium

on the main floor, capable of seating 400 persons, a lecture room, reception,

lounging and committee rooms. On the second floor will be a large

museum, two large lecture galleries and a reading room. The plan of this

central portion of the building is so drawn that at some future time exten-

sive wings of the same general style of architecture may be added.

The New York Historical Society was founded on November 20,

1804, on which date Egbert Benson, De Witt Clinton, Rev. Dr. William

Linn, Rev. Dr. John N. Abeel, Rev. Dr. John M. Mason, Dr. David Hoo--

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