THE SOCIETY AND THE QUARTERLY.
THE past fifteen years have witnessed,
especially in the
United States, a striking and continuing
zeal for the pursuit
of historical study and
investigation. By the side of the
historical student the archaeologist has
been pursuing his
studies with unflagging energy. The
evidences of what we
may call the "new historic
spirit" are seen on all sides.
Never before in the history of this
country have there been
so many specialists pursuing various
lines of historical and
archaeological investigation. Never
before were there so
many enthusiastic young men entering
into this work-not
as mere general students, but for their
special life-work.
Never were the mines of historical truth
being so carefully
worked. Never were the. results of the delving richer in
treasure.
Probably no other decade in the history
of civilization has
seen so many valuable contributions to
historical knowledge,
as have been laid before the world
during the past ten years
through books, monographs, historical
magazines and re-
views.
Some of these contributions are unsurpassed in
merit, many are valuable fragments of
historical truth, while
very few are totally devoid of
value. Most of them are the
results of careful and honest research
and differ as widely
from the so-called historical works of a
generation or a half
ago as a modern scientific treatise on
Zoology differs from
Goldsmith's "Animated Nature."
The crowning evidence that this zeal for
historical knowl-
edge is widespread and that it is no
mere passing freak is
found in the organization or
reorganization of State Histor-
ical Societies; and in the formation of
an American Histor-
ical Association for the purpose of
bringing together "those
writing, those teaching and those
studying history." This
association, although but three years
old is now said to out-
number in membership every national
organization repre-
senting the other branches of
intellectual pursuits.
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