PAST AND PRESENT.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 502, 8 May 1909, Page 6

PAST AND PRESENT.

A TALK WITH A HISTORIAN. ' . DB. HODGKIN ON" HISTORY AND ITS ' LESSONS. IMPERIAL SOME AND MODERN SOCIALISM. Dr. Thomas Hodgkin, D.C.L.. Litt.D.j distinguished historian aitd ethnologist, woo is visiting Wellington, was interviewed yesterday by a Dominion representative. "I am here on a friendly visit, a religions visit," ho said in reply to tbo first question; "bat I am preaching all the time. The members of our Society of Friends in New Zealand are not a large body, but we in England wish them not to feel isolated. I want to help keep tho chain bright." A Warning from History. Aware that Mr. St. Loo Strachey,' editor of the London "Spectator," had praised Dr. Hodgkin's "Italy , and Her Invaders " for its "lofty eloquence and rare political and had quoted it to show that Imperial Rome was ruined by State Socialism, the reporter asked Dr. Hodgkin what, in his view, history had to -teach on this great issue of to-day. : -~- "I think it iatime," he replied, "that the Roman Emperors, by supplying bread to tie proletariat providing games , for them 7 to witness, brought on the rain of Rome, or, at any rate, this policy, this attempt to play the part of a sort of earthly providence, was one of the principal causes of its ruin. I. do not say this is paralleled modern Socialism, but I rather regard it as a warning to us in these days not to look for too much from a ruler or a Government. Let me tell you what my friend,; tho late Bishop Creighton, Baid to me one evening among his family and guests. , Socialism was being discussed, and some of us were condemning it strongly, but our host said, 1 do not believe in-Social-ism, but I think you will see legislation taking a more and more Socialistic bias. Things that would have been objected to a generation ago as arrant Socialism will be accepted and will work well.' That expresses fairly well my own feeling, and many of us since that time have come round to similar conclusions. There need not .bo quite;-such ■ a dread of legislation which may be objected,to as somewhat Socialistic in its tendency. At the 6ame time, the story of Rome shows that it is dangerous for a Governor or a'State to undertake to fiiid 'subsistenw for the people." i Something Better than Soelallsm. : Does that apply, to relief works for: the unemployed? • ' "I think such undertakings aro,dangerous, and should' be ! exceptional. ■ I. sometimes Bay. that Socialism would .work' 'well' and beautifully :if. we only "had an 'all-wise,. all-benevo-lent ruler at the head' of affairs—and that is what we cannot expect. I am not furious against Socialism, but I am.dreading that.it may bo carried too far. The competitive system has 'to a certain , oxteht broken down.. The evils of mere unmitigated, competition are but too manifest, but the true remedy seems to lie in' Christianity, and' especially in the recognition of ,the great .fact of stewardship.' All, we have is. puis only in trust •for higher purposes—not really our, .own. Onco that'is generally recognised, the whole social problem is solved. _ And I think tho conscience of the world is a little, sounder than it was.' The. number of those who say., 'May ! not, do:;whafc I will'with mine own? has.- perhaps, ibecome smaller. I am an optimist; You ask if history teaches optimism ? • I Bh6uld„ say that history aflows optimism." '' " 1 , : . . Tho Historian's perplexities. • 'Prom the lessons of history. Dr. Hodgkin went on to tell of- the-task of tho historian^ tho 'great-amount of work that has. to be done before the, actual: writing of the' book is begun* ..the'study of authorities, the balan- ' ciiig of thom against , each other, .and the manifold perplexities that' beset the ■ scholar who wishes to write true history. As a curious illustration, he told of the very circumstantial given by, an eye-witness-of the opening of tho tomb of Charlemagne, centuries after.his death—hoTfl. ;the_embalmed» •body of the Emperor was found sitting bolt upright, ' with a; beardthat had grownVlong in the tomb, and grasping a Bceptre. When compared with the statements of Charlemagne's personal friend and'biographer, thispicturesque account appeared utterly incredible. , Yet the writer was undoubtedly an eye-witness, and though he was generally a trustworthy, guide, it could only be supposed that,-for once, he was, romancing. . Thus historian.had to weigh improbability against, improbability,: and' it - was often i; .extremelyj difficult to arrive 1 at a.conclusion: v;'Nowadays< it was .absolutely neoessary in alinost-eveiy-branchi'of (history; to read the, bootsi;6f : Ger-" man 'sihblarsif wpA 'werd- not ralways veiy easy reading!; The - Germans, however, [ were ■ not nowj doing so much in history as thoy , were'-a generation ago, but tho, French-were doing more. , Englisn scholars' wero t holding their own very .well, and it was distinctly encouraging: to seo the attention now given to research'work in the universities,; and - tho tendency, to • give less prominence to examinations. ■ The Cenests of a Book. ■ Dr. : Hodgkin confessed that he had always been . intensely interested .in history, _ even as a little ,boy. Later, at college (he is one :of the oldest graduates of University. College,/ London), ;ho won a prize for an essay on the writing'of history. The competition was judged by A. H. Clough, the poet.' Italy had long , attracted- him, and ,when, in 1868; ":ho. went, : for his; wife's health and his own, to the Riviera, aiid on'to Florence and Rome, he became more than ever enamoured of that country. . .On his return to England, he set to "work to write a'compendious. history of Italy j. from the.Mof Rome to : the present day. He thought it would make three little, volumes,' but jt, grew' under his hand,, until; when, completed, it filled eight volumes , in, octavo, and,- instead of coming down to , the present day, it ended with the: death of Charlemagne. Some Other Books. "A very usual experience with writers of history," was Dr. Hodgkin's comment. . 'It is bettor, I think, to deal thoroughly, with a' short period, than to take a long one and treat it superficially. I have just been writing, for Harmsworth's History, a very superficial sketch of tho Middle Ages, from the fall of the Roman Empire, to tho ; death of Charleinagno. I had to-got it mto o(J pages. It is a mere gallop through history. "Some of my other WTitingst 1 _ WeU, 1 have done lives of Charlemagne, Theodonc, and George Fox—a curious sequence I My last work of any importance was Volume I. of the "Political History of England, published by Longmans. I do not think this history, is much known out here, but I believe it will take rank as a very-important work, and will bo of-great assistance to students. I may say this, because only one volume out of tho 12 .s mwe. They are a 1 by different authors;' Another piece of work which'l am very glad to have done, is tho editing and annotating of _the Letters .ot. Cassioderus, tho secretary, of Theodonc, the great king of the Ostrogoths. . Before the pressman left, Dr.. Hodgkin presented him with a copy of his latest published historical work T a brief monograph on the early Queers in the Isle of Man. "It shows," ho remarked, that the bloou of tho martyrs is not_ always the seed of the Church. The Society of Friends was crushed out'of the Islo of Man by the terrible persecutions they were subjected to. Dr Hodgkin will attend a conference ot members of the Society of Friends while m Wellington, and he hopes also to come mto touch with educationists, and to spend some time in the-museums. He is deoply inter-, cstod in university work, .and was one of the foundors of the Physical Science College (now named Armstrong College) at Nowcastle-on-Tyne. The history and ethnology of the Maoris also have strong attractions for him. He does not expect to havo much idle time during the few days which ho will spend in Wellington before going on to Auckland. Ho. is accompanied by his wife and a son and daughter.. -