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.
79
80
Ohio Archaeological and Historical Quarterly.
The educational institutions are also
doing their full share
not only in the study of history already
written, but in the
far more important work of original
investigation of subjects,
which though important, have received
little careful consider-
ation on account of their seeming
smallness as compared
with the broader general history of the
country. Yet the
results of these investigations are of
vital importance in the
light they throw upon the development of
our country and
its institutions. Some of these colleges-notably John
Hopkins University-are publishing in
serial monographs the
results of the investigations made by
their students, and are
thus doing much for the cause of historical
study.
Still there are many subjects of local
history and local in-
stitutions, which can be truly and
properly investigated only
by men or women living in or near the
places where the
events occurred, and where the material
for investigation
chiefly lies. Hence there arises a
necessity for local or at
least State societies which shall foster
and encourage these
local investigations, and act as a
medium for bringing to-
gether the investigators and their
results. Again, the arch-
aeological and historical material for
studying these matters is
rapidly disappearing, owing to the
neglect or inappreciation
of their value by the average American
citizen.
In another place in the QUARTERLY
attention is called to
the destruction of the mounds and earthworks
of Ohio.
Not less careless have the people been
with regard to the
preservation of manuscripts, old
documents, and papers con-
taining mines of treasure for the
historical delver. Even the
State itself is said to have sold to the
paper manufacturers or
permitted to mold and decay in the damp
rooms of the
State-house, hundreds of valuable
dcuments, which cannot
be replaced. It is even said that some of the Executive
offices of our State do not to-day
possess a complete set of
their own reports. Here too important
service can be ren-
dered by State and local historical
societies in collecting and
preserving valuable papers and documents
and in creating
a public spirit that shall demand the
careful preservation of
every scrap that can be valuable to the
future historian.
The Society and the Quarterly.
81
The Archaeological and Historical
Society of Ohio has a
special importance on account of the
unusual richness of
archaeological and historical treasures
in the State. On the
archaeological side, there are mounds to
be preserved and
opened; systematic results to be brought
together from
isolated investigations. On the
historical side the subjects
of special importance are probably more
numerous than in
any other State outside of the original
colonies.
The influence of the Ordinance of 1787
on subsequent in-
stitutions in the Northwest; the
peculiarities of our State
Constitution and local governments; the
early history and
peculiarities of our settlements and
municipal institutions;
the varied religious elements of the
State; the history and
growth of our material industries-all
these and many more
subjects will amply repay careful study.
The Society can
do a great work, as can no individual or
group of individuals
elsewhere, in encouraging investigators,
by affording them a
hearing for the results of their study,
and in bringing to-
gether for conference those who are
seeking to unravel our
earlier history.
Still if these studies are worth
pursuing, if their results
are worth obtaining, in order to be
valuable they ought not
merely to be read before the limited
audiences gathered in
the meetings of the Society; they must
be preserved in per-
manent form and given to the world. We
cannot rely upon
newspapers and general literary
magazines to publish all of
the valuable papers presented to the
Society. It is neces-
sary that the Society should itself
print them. For these
reasons, then, primarily, is the
publication of this QUAR-
TERLY undertaken. Its scope and contents
will not, however,
be limited to addresses and papers read
before the Society.
Whatever is valuable, pertaining to the
archaeology and his-
tory of Ohio and the Northwest
Territory, and is in fitting
shape for such a publication as this,
will be deemed within
the scope of its purpose. While western
territory will be
its peculiar field, other portions of
American archaeology and
history will not be neglected.
It is believed that the QUARTERLY will
not only interest
82 Ohio Archaeological and Historical Quarterly.
and profit historical students in all
parts of the United States,
but that through its pages a stimulus
can be given to the
further and more systematic study of
Western archaeology
and history by those best situated for
carrying on such work
-students, old and young, residing in
the West.
GEO. W. KNIGHT.
NOTICE.-It is but just to the Editorial
Committee to state
that the papers that have hitherto been
read before the Soci-
ety were secured by the Library
Committee. Their appear-
ance in the QUARTERLY, in full or in
abstract, is in persu-
ance of arrangements which were in force
when the Editorial
Committee was chosen, and for which the
latter is in no way
responsible. Hereafter, however, the
selection of papers to
be read before the Society will be made
by the Library Com-
mittee, with the knowledge and approval
of the Editorial
Committee, as expressed through its
chairman, and the selec-
tion of material therefrom for insertion
in the QUARTERLY
will be left solely to the Editorial
Committee, where it right-
fully belongs.
A. A. GRAHAM,
Secretary,
Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society.