OHIO STATE ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND
HISTORICAL
SOCIETY
REVIEWS, NOTES AND COMMENTS
BY THE EDITOR
MEETING OF AMERICAN HISTORICAL
ASSOCIATION
The annual meeting of the American
Historical
Association to which the attention of
the members of
the Society was invited by a circular
letter under date
of December 17, 1923, enclosing a
detailed program of
the meeting, was held on schedule time
in Columbus,
December 27-29, 1923. The sessions of
the Associa-
tion and the related societies that
held their meetings
on the same dates fully realized our
prediction that
this meeting would afford "an
opportunity for instruc-
tion, inspiration and rational
entertainment never be-
fore presented to Ohioans interested in
American his-
tory."
A detailed account of the sessions of
the Associa-
tion and other organizations meeting at
the same time
would fill a volume and cannot be
attempted here.
These proceedings will later be
published elsewhere and
will be available to all interested in
them. The pub-
lication of the report of the American
Historical Asso-
ciation by the United States
Government, like other
government printing, national and
local, is much delayed.
In answer to a letter of inquiry we
have learned direct
(95)
96 Ohio Arch. and Hist.
Society Publications
from Washington that the report for the
year 1919
has not yet been published. These
reports are of great
value, however, and are well worth
waiting for.
In the meantime valuable papers read at
the dif-
ferent sessions of the Association,
many of them, will
be available through other channels
before they are
published by the government four or
five years hence.
The meeting on Thursday evening,
December 27, in
the First Congregational Church was
largely attended
and the speakers were heard with
closest attention and
evident appreciation. Honorable James E. Campbell,
former Governor of Ohio and President
of the Ohio
State Archaeological and Historical
Society, presided
in his usual felicitous manner. In introducing Dr.
Harry A. Garfield, son of President
James A. Garfield,
Governor Campbell paid a brief but
sincere tribute to
the distinguished father of the speaker
and his sons
who have themselves won honorable
position in the
service of their country. Dr. Garfield had chosen as
the subject of his address,
"Recent Political Develop-
ment:
Progress or Change?" a subject entirely ap-
propriate but one that did not give
definite intimation
of the treat in store for the audience. The Columbus
Evening Dispatch editorially fittingly characterized this
address which was delivered in a
pleasing voice and
reached everyone in the audience:
Dr. Garfield, of the Political Scientist
Group, argued the
advisability of handling problems such
as the coal distribution
through the agency of two special
commissions, in addition to
the finally responsible government
officials -- one, a fact-finding
commission, the other an advisory
commission. The fact-finders
should have no power or responsibility
whatever except to find
out facts and arrange them in
intelligible form for use. The
Reviews, Notes and Comments 97
advisory commission should study these
facts and to the best
of its ability interpret their meaning, suggesting any
govern-
ment action which might seem advisable
as a result of that study,
but it should have power only to
advise, not to act. Our
ordinary constitutional agencies should
not have their powers
and responsibilities lessened in any
way whatever by the setting
up of these commissions. The argument
was put with clearness
and force and is well worthy of serious
consideration by Con-
gress and our state legislatures, which
would have to furnish
the legal authorization and financial
provision for such a plan.
The annual addresses by the Presidents
of the
American Historical Association have
almost without
exception been notable contributions to
history. So
true has this been that they are looked
forward to with
assured anticipation of a message of
more than ordi-
nary merit. Those who came to hear Dr.
Edward P.
Cheyney, President of the Association,
expected much
and they were not disappointed. The long continued
applause at the conclusion of his
address was a real
tribute from a discriminating audience.
Dr. Cheyney's subject was "Law in
History." He
began by pointing out a number of
incidents: a south-
west wind increasing to a gale on
August 10, 1588,
which drove the Spanish Armada through
the North
Sea to destruction; the advent of Anne
Boleyn, "black-
eyed, vivacious, charming," in the
reign of Henry VIII;
the incursion of Attila, King of the
Huns, into Gaul in
the middle of the fifth century; the
appearance of the
bubonic plague, the "black
death" in Europe in 1345,
"more devastating than the armies
of Attila"; the per-
sonality of Washington as a decisive influence
in the
American Revolution -- all these were
cited as super-
ficial indications that general laws do
not control the
course of history; that much is left to
chance influences
Vol. XXXIII -- 7.
98
Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
and personalities outside of any
general law controlling
the course of events. "My allotted
time this evening,"
said the speaker, "could easily be
filled with a mere
enumeration of instances where great
and general
effects are asserted to have followed
upon certain ac-
cidental or personal causes. But are
these statements
of cause and effect true, or are the
appearances decep-
tive?
Have these events and personalities really had
the influence on the course of history
so easily and
naturally attributed to them? A hasty
reexamination of
the instances I have taken may suggest
the need of a
more adequate explanation. Although the
wind blew
from the southwest on the tenth of
August, 1588, it
did not blow adversely for the
Spaniards through the
whole twenty years of the Elizabethan
war. * * *
Can anyone believe that there would
have been no
Reformation in England in the sixteenth
century if
Henry VIII had not fallen in love with
Anne Boleyn?
* * * American independence as we look
on it now
was not the creation of Washington and
the 'Fathers'
but a necessary result of the
divergence of the two
countries. So it is with the other instances." The
speaker then led up to the conclusion
that "history, like
the stars, has been controlled by
immutable, self-existent
law, by what Mr. Gladstone in his
sonorous eloquence
once described in Parliament 'as those
great social
forces which move on in their might and
majesty, and
which the tumult of our debates does
not for a moment
impede or disturb.'"
Mr. Cheyney then proceeded to the
enumeration of
what he conceived to be some of the
laws of history.
Reviews, Notes and Comments 99
"Laws of history there must
be," said he, "and my
guesses at some of them are
these."
The laws that he suggests in the order
presented
were as follows:
1. "The law of continuity * * *
The con-
tinuity of history is not merely a
fact; it is a law. By
no voluntary action can any great
breach of historic
continuity be accomplished."
2. "A law of impermanence, of
mutability * * *.
Perhaps an America scornful of a League
of Nations,
wedded to isolation, struggling to keep
her life separate,
unconformable to a world that has been
made essentially
one by economic and intellectual
changes, may not be
able to survive. Thus the law of
mutability, of insta-
bility of nations, will receive one
more illustration."
3. "A law of interdependence --
interdependence
of individuals, of classes, of tribes,
of nations. The
human race seems to be essentially an
organism, a unit.
* * * No part of the human race in
history has
really progressed by the injury of
another. We have
all risen or fallen together. Conquests of one people
by another have always demoralized the
conquerors.
* * * Who shall say that France and
Italy, England and
the United States, are freer and better
countries since
the Great War than before? The fruits
of victory in
war have often proved to be apples of
Sodom, turning
to dust in the mouth."
4. "A law of democracy, a tendency
for all gov-
ernment to come under the control of
all the people.
* * * Who would not trust, if he may,
the instincts
and aspirations of the mass of the
people in the passage
100
Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
perilous of the next few years, rather
than the vagaries
of a Mussolini, the obstinacy of a
Poincare, the
pedantry of a Lenin, or the narrow
vision and restricted
interests of any one class of the
people?"
5. "A law of necessity for free
consent. Human
beings are free agents in their
relations to other human
beings; they cannot permanently be
compelled. Not
only should all government be by the
consent of the
governed but all government has been by
the consent of
the governed. * * * The effects of
force in his-
tory have been temporary and partial
and illusory; vol-
untary acceptance alone has been
permanent and ade-
quate and substantial."
6. "A law of moral progress."
The speaker de-
clared that there seemed, "so far
as this groping search
extends," such a law. "Obscurely and slowly, yet vis-
ibly and measurably, moral influences
in human affairs
have become stronger and more fittingly
extended than
material influences."
After a recapitulation of these laws
which were
each appropriately set forth with
references not only
to past history but present conditions
the speaker said:
May I repeat that I do not conceive of
these generalizations
as principles which it would be well for
us to accept, or as
ideals which we may hope to attain; but
as natural laws, which
we must accept whether we want to or
not, whose workings
we cannot obviate, however much we may
thwart them to our
own failure and disadvantage; laws to be
accepted and reckoned
with as much as the laws of gravitation,
or of chemical affinity,
or of organic evolution, or of human
psychology.
Near the close of his address Dr.
Cheyney gave this
as his judgment of the practical use of
history:
Reviews, Notes and Comments 101
For practical uses, if history is to
have a practical use,
what we need is a clue to the future.
This a knowledge of the
laws of history might give us. If we
knew the laws of history
we might reason and act with the same
intelligence and precision
and anticipation of success with which
the engineer acts in con-
formity with the known laws of physics,
or the astronomer with
the laws of astronomy, or the cattle
breeder with the Mendelian
law of inheritance.
While there are doubtless those who
would not agree
with all of Dr. Cheyney's conclusions,
it will be gener-
ally admitted that his address, here
all too briefly re-
viewed, is timely and
thought-stimulating.
At the conference of Patriotic
Societies on Satur-
day afternoon, December 29, Professor
Carl Wittke of
the Ohio State University spoke on
"What the Patriotic
Societies can do to aid the
Organization of Work in
Ohio History." He reviewed briefly some of the
program adopted by the Ohio History
Commission and
made an appeal to the Patriotic
Societies to aid in the
collection and preservation of the
sources of local Ohio
history.
The business meeting of the Association
on Friday
afternoon lasted so late that but few
members found
time to inspect the collection of the
Ohio State Archaeo-
logical and Historical Society at 5:30
P. M., the hour
fixed in the program for this
inspection. In the course
of the three days' session, however,
many members at
other times visited the Museum and
Library Building
of the Society. The reception and
smoker given under
the auspices of the Society in the
Deshler at 9:30 Fri-
day evening was a great success -- a
most enjoyable
affair in every way. Practically all those in attend-
102
Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
ance at the meeting were present and
expressions of
appreciation of this function were
frequently heard.
The program closed with the session of
the Con-
ference of State Historical Societies
at the Hotel
Deshler Saturday afternoon. Though this meeting
came at the end of the series when a
number of mem-
bers had to leave on early afternoon
trains, it was well
attended and there was a profitable
interchange of
views among those present.
Professor Wilbur H. Siebert of the Ohio
State Uni-
versity was accorded unstinted praise
for his very suc-
cessful arrangements for the
conference. He was
chairman of the Committee on Local
Arrangements,
and a number of delegates assured the
writer that at
no previous meeting of the Association
had the ar-
rangements been in every way more
satisfactory.
Woodrow Wilson, former President of the
United
States, was elected President of the
Association. Other
officers chosen are: Charles M. Andrews
and Dana C.
Monro, Vice-Presidents; John Spencer
Bassett, Secre-
tary; Charles Moore, Treasurer. Among
the members
of the council chosen were Professor A.
M. Schlesinger,
formerly of the Ohio State
University. Professor A.
C. Cole of the University was a member
of the nomi-
nating committee.
Reviews, Notes and Comments 103
Resolutions adopted by
THE AMERICAN HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION
at its Annual Meeting held at Columbus,
Ohio,
December 27-29, 1923
WHEREAS, there has been in progress for
several years an
agitation conducted by certain newspapers, patriotic
societies,
fraternal orders, and others, against a
number of school text-
books in history and in favor of
official censorship, and
WHEREAS, this propaganda has met with
sufficient success
to bring about not only acute
controversy in many cities but the
passage of censorship laws in several states,
therefore,
Be it resolved by the American Historical Association, upon
the recommendation of its Committee on History Teaching
in
the schools and of its Executive Council, that genuine
and in-
telligent patriotism, no less than the
requirements of honesty
and sound scholarship, demand that
textbook writers and
teachers should strive to present a
truthful picture of past and
present, with due regard to the
different purposes and possibili-
ties of elementary, secondary, and
advanced instruction; that
criticism of history textbooks should
therefore be based not upon
grounds of patriotism but only upon
grounds of faithfulness
to fact as determined by specialists or
tested by consideration
of the evidence; that the cultivation in
pupils of a scientific
temper in history and the related social
sciences, of a spirit of
inquiry and a willingness to face
unpleasant facts, are far more
important objectives than the teaching
of special interpretations
of particular events; and that attempts,
however well meant, to
foster national arrogance and
boastfulness and indiscriminate
worship of national "heroes"
can only tend to promote a harm-
ful pseudo-patriotism; and
Be it further resolved, that in the opinion of this Associa-
tion the clearly implied charges that many of our
leading
scholars are engaged in treasonable
propaganda and that tens
of thousands of American school teachers
and officials are so
stupid or disloyal as to place
treasonable textbooks in the hands
of childen is inherently and obviously
absurd; and
Be it further resolved, that the successful continuance of
such an agitation must inevitably bring
about a serious deteriora-
tion both of textbooks and of the
teaching of history in our
schools, since self-respecting scholars
and teachers will not stoop
to the methods advocated.
104 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
OHIO HISTORY DAY AT THE LOGAN ELM
A large and appreciative audience
assembled in
Logan Elm Park near the grand old tree
which gives it
its name to celebrate Ohio History Day
on October 7,
1923.
The local papers gave generous space to this
notable event. The Union Herald prefaces
an extended
account as follows:
The celebration of History day at Logan
Elm Park Sun-
day was attended by from 1500 to 1800
people from all over
central Ohio, and the great success of
the meeting must have
been most gratifying to Mrs. Howard
Jones who conceived the
splendid idea of getting together once a
year on this historic
spot to study the remarkable history of
our wonderful state.
The contemplation of the remarkable
success of the first
celebration must be doubly gratifying to
Mrs. Jones for the
reason that succeeding gatherings at the
park will naturally
grow larger year by year, as time goes
on. The permanency of
History day in the annals of Ohio is
assured now and future
gatherings will witness the assembling
of great crowds, not only
from central Ohio, but from the
furthermost corners of the
state.
Sunday's meeting was an inspiration to
all who were so
fortunate as to be present and the story
of the first History day
will be told and retold until its annual
celebration will be hailed
with joy and thanksgiving.
The day was ideal, the sun shone kindly
down on the people,
and nature, dressed in her best, never
gave forth a prettier pic-
ture. There was just enough tang in the
air to give zest to the
celebration and visitors from Columbus,
Canal Winchester,
Lancaster, Chillicothe, Washington C.
H., and nearby towns
felt richly repaid for their effort in
making the trip to Logan
Elm.
A very pleasing program was rendered
with Attorney Bar-
ton Walters presiding who in introducing each of the
speakers
gave some interesting bits of history.
The Democrat and Watchman was
equally felicitous
in the introductory paragraphs of its
account:
"Ohio History Day" at the
famous Logan Elm on last
Sunday, October 7, was enjoyable and
profitable from every
point of view.
Reviews, Notes and Comments 105
The day was typically autumnal. The sun
shone brightly
and in the bracing air there was just a
hint and tang of the
coming winter days. The branches of the
old elm, clothed in
the verdure worn for centuries, swayed in the breeze
and wel-
comed to its grateful shade, a
representative posterity, many
harvest moons removed from Dunmore
treaties and Chief Logan
laments.
The people came from all sections of
central Ohio, unmis-
takably impressed with the aim and
object of the occasion. It
was the largest audience ever yet
assembled at Logan Elm Park.
Attorney Barton Walters of Circleville
presided, and in a very
appropriate manner prefaced the splendid program of the
after-
noon. He then introduced Honorable John
F. Carlisle of Co-
lumbus, who spoke briefly but fittingly
concerning Ohio His-
tory Day, not forgetting to remind the
audience that this-to-be
annual event, had its conception in the
mind of Mrs. Dr.
Howard Jones of Park Place, Circleville;
and who, because of
several months of illness, was not
privileged, as it would have
been her pleasure, to take part in the exercises of the
occasion.
Mr. Carlisle closed his interesting
remarks with the reading of
lesson from one of the McGuffey Readers on "The North
American Indian."
Mrs. Herbert Backus, Vice Regent of the
Daughters of the
American Revolution, told, in a very
interesting manner how
her organization was taking steps to
memorialize important
events of the Revolution.
Mr. C. B. Galbreath, Secretary of the
Society, was
present and made a brief address
devoted to prominent
points in the Dunmore War and Logan's
famous mes-
sage to the peace conference with the
Indians at Camp
Charlotte, seven miles distant from the
Logan Elm.
He stated that the central virtue of
this message,
usually spoken of as Logan's speech,
was its arraign-
ment of ingratitude. He then read some
verses of his
own on the Logan Elm. These were
prominently pub-
lished in the local papers and in the
November issue of
the Ohio Educational Monthly. For generous notices
grateful acknowledgment is here
recorded.
106 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications FRANK L. PACKARD The announcement of the sudden death of Frank L. Packard on Friday morning, October 26, brought sadness to a wide circle of friends in Ohio and other states. In Columbus where he was personally known as almost no other citizen, the expressions of regret were general and sincere. The Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society, of which he had been a trustee
Reviews, Notes and Comments 107 neer of Delaware. Later he took special
courses in architecture and engineering at the
Ohio State Univer- sity and the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology. He also studied in the offices of the
leading architects of New York City. In 1892 he came to Columbus, formed a
partner- ship with J. W. Yost and entered upon
the practice of his profession. In 1899 he acquired full interest in the firm. The list of buildings that he
planned is a long one.
The first big structure for which his plan was accepted on competition was the Girls'
Industrial Home near Delaware. Following this his plans were ac- cepted for other state buildings. A number of these are on the University grounds of the
capital city and the grounds of the other state
universities. His plans were accepted for the Lima State
Hospital for the Criminal Insane, one of the largest
structures of its kind in the world. Recently he was
selected by Presi- dent Harding to plan and superintend
the construction of the American Embassy building at Rio
Janeiro, Brazil, which was formally dedicated
last summer at the Brazilian Exposition. The papers announce that all told he had designed more than 3400
buildings. He was prominent in business and civic circles
in Colum- bus and was active officially in the
affairs of the Broad Street Presbyterian Church. In 1892 he was married to Eva L. Elliott, of Delaware, who
survives him. Edi- torially the Ohio State Journal pays
Mr. Packard this tribute: Mr. Packard was a great architect. He
was a great citizen, too. In these later years his time was
in constant demand but he always had it to spare for his city.
Anything, at any sacri- fice of his personal interests, which he
felt he could do for
108
Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications Columbus, was done with generous
enthusiasm. To him more than to any other man Columbus owes the
fact that the dream of a Civic Center is becoming a reality.
That noble idea, in its concrete form at least, was Mr.
Packard's and many hours and days and weeks he gave to perfecting his
plans and to helping create an irresistible sentiment for
this greatest of city beauti- fications, this building for the future
of Columbus. What a monument this will be to a great
architect and a great citizen. PROFESSOR CHARLES SUMNER PLUMB. Professor Charles Sumner Plumb, author
of the leading contribution to this issue of
the QUARTERLY, was born in Westfield, Massachusetts,
April 21, 1860. He was graduated from the Massachusetts
Agricultural College at Amherst. For a time he was
engaged in editorial and agricultural experiment
work. Since September 1, 1892, he has been
professor of animal husbandry in the Ohio State
University. He is author of the following works: Biographical
Directory of American Agricultural Scientists;
Indian Corn; Little Sketches of Famous Beef
Cattle; Types and Breeds of Farm Animals and revision of same; A Par- tial Index to Animal Husbandry
Literature; Beginnings of Animal Husbandry; Judging Farm
Animals; also many monographs and contributions to
agricultural periodicals. Of his Types and Breeds
of Farm Animals more than 100,000 copies have been
sold. Professor Plumb has for years been a
recognized authority in his field and his
monograph in this issue of the QUARTERLY is a tribute to one of
Ohio's pioneers and a distinct contribution to the
history of the live stock industry of the state. OHIO STATE ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND
HISTORICAL SOCIETY REVIEWS, NOTES AND COMMENTS BY THE EDITOR MEETING OF AMERICAN HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION The annual meeting of the American
Historical Association to which the attention of
the members of the Society was invited by a circular
letter under date of December 17, 1923, enclosing a
detailed program of the meeting, was held on schedule time
in Columbus, December 27-29, 1923. The sessions of
the Associa- tion and the related societies that
held their meetings on the same dates fully realized our
prediction that this meeting would afford "an
opportunity for instruc- tion, inspiration and rational
entertainment never be- fore presented to Ohioans interested in
American his- tory." A detailed account of the sessions of
the Associa- tion and other organizations meeting at
the same time would fill a volume and cannot be
attempted here. These proceedings will later be
published elsewhere and will be available to all interested in
them. The pub- lication of the report of the American
Historical Asso- ciation by the United States
Government, like other government printing, national and
local, is much delayed. In answer to a letter of inquiry we
have learned direct (95) 800 E. 17th Ave. Columbus, OH 43211
(614) 297-2300 |