The Dominion. TUESDAY, JULY 13. 1909. THE TEACHING OF HISTORY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 558, 13 July 1909, Page 4

The Dominion. TUESDAY, JULY 13. 1909. THE TEACHING OF HISTORY.

..- . ;'■. '-— r~r*~ — ~~- ■■■ '•■ -.. A cable message; from Sydney: to-day jiyos u5.;,,,a,, summary of the conclusions, irrivcd ai/by' t DR. Hpdgkin after a: tour ;hrpugh this-cquhtry;/ The reputation of ih-2;lear.tieii : author i .,-of. Italy, and.her. ln-W(|fn:-sta,n(jisr,so\high;; l; npt only- as an liiUorian,;but as : a-,Btudent of social and political 1 .institutions;.,that, his judgment mist bo regarded as having special interjst. and weight. He -was particularly struck-during his ..stay in this country by the. inadequate attention that is given to bistpry;in our. University Colleges and by "the absence of a\gotid ambitious Univorsity extension ' scheme." Here Dβ. HopoKiN.has, placed His finger on a weakness which is probably even more serious than;he suspects.■'■ .can believe that to ask; the average New Zealandcr to study history will "be to'evoke tlie- retort;that history is'a v thing with which New, Zealand has nothing to do,: that this country canlearn nothing from history, ■■ that the. rules'.that:apply, to other countries,>and the-laws that'slowly operate in , : them, have no application, and have.been prevented from , having- ■ any -operation, in ■ this ■', fortunate-,;. ; young land. The more. ; ■intelligent of our. University -College .'professors/--are well enough aware that tho.-contrary is true, but it is h.ot, .the. professors,, unfortunately, >hp have' the; establishment of tho Chairs,' 6? the arrangement of the courses of study'/ The;absence of'; Chairs of History is.bne of;,the, results of the widespread' popular delusion—sedulously, .fostered, by a-Liberalism that has lived on popular we in -New Zealand have. '-solved".; the-.: problems that have'•;'.'baffled ,, ,: older countries, and that we have; "disproved" tho jlaws : which generations have deduced history of> peoples and countries. DkV comments . come , in timely support-of ;BishopWalhs's recent .plea for tlie. ; s,tudy yjf ? .sociology and economics. : ;Nstf ?oifly; % if Beyond 'question that the, University and the- ; Univcrsity 'Colleges would irendef-a natibnal. service by prbmoting'thc study of history and establishing a"; University extension scheme: it is urgently. necessary that, they.' should do';soinething to counteract the"growing totidoricy: of.(Parliament and the public tc ;disrcgard; fundamental principles, and tc proceed on the tHcbry'that the laws which arc. respected by the statesmen of oldei and wiser countries are; worn-out dogmas -that' Have not, a'nd never had,' a core oi -truth." The gbod'r'esuHs would come mosi quickly from,; a..; University;'.'exterisipri scheme, of which -the principal obj'ccf ■would be the dissoraiha|ion of knowledge upon .'political, 1 - economic, and social ques- ' tions.; There are; no, limits tp the .domain that .what iDi. Hodqkin ; cails an "ambi Hous" scfieme would'take for its province, In timo,the ; current'dolusion laws do not apply hero 1 would-, be" dis ; polled. We might even 'find 'quite' at early, recognition,of. the fact, that tho, mar, is:' a fool: who ..deciar^cs— as so many ■ supporters, of the. Gpvernment i? are; always do 'blaringV-that, ..when; bad 'resuijis, do [, npl -ildw"-,within"a -yiar' from'.a' , certam;'law, that?law,' ing bad results. It was evidently with ar eye'to the political drift of NewZealanc -that Dr. :H6paKiN-emphasised the'' iin '■portance of "rbmomberirig that this,coun try. can profit, from tho; study of : history Hβ is roportc.d as ; ,saying that ''perhapi .the State .was' trying .'■to'■ regulate mori than'.any' other.;State; ( the.'relation's be 'tween labour arid capital, , '.'.:.','if that wen so, "he went on; "somo natural law woul< in;.duotime stop-the process.". ;It,:is.im ■ ppssjblo' riot tb ailmire' the; cburage of i !''4ari;:^ho''dar4s:tp--.talk\in''. , iustralasia' "natural, law."'. "Most of-our public, men bwo-tneir places to- their carefulness in flattering the" people by assurances that their..' peculiar.' wisdom ;has : driven -out •natural-;law and its irksome, if salutary, compulsions.;; /: /.■:.'. v ■ '■-:■.'-[ . ;:; '"-■<.■■: "■■'•i. : . : .*j When he.: arrives home, Dr. Hodgkin, re-weighing his impressions, of Social-, istic,legislation;of this country; will prbb-1 ably find that he,; will have to issue a new ; 'warning against; our ; Socialism sans doc-' 'drjnes, , '. uppn H wbjc'|j !the. public has been led. ;to-plumeitsclf]f: ; irt!the;bld'form;in-which, in '■• his ■.'.; Itihj"', 'α-nd l ''her : . he ■issued tb/'feritain tte .warning which he found, in, the •"history/; of Imperial Romo. It is.;, : a matter; ,of : mere fact thatthb; fall of Ebme was broughPjibout by the action of,State';Socialisrh. A:f.ter recounti ng the facts, ; Dr. HoDokiN drqwJ.the lesson for ■modern democraciesrin- this membrable' ■.passage':-'/ , ':■..-'■'■/:'■■ : :'■■■..•-■" ";■}'.''' '■■[ ,-•;. "Pf all the forces which were at work for the destruction of -the..Roman world none ia more, deserving;of the: careful study of an; Endish .statesman "thnn. the grain largesses; to _■: T,he.ipopulace of Rome: Whatever ' occasi6nal;,ehbing's' thore :may be irti the •current,thereipau,be, little .doubt that the. title, of affairsiiriErfgland and in all the countries of Western, Europe,' as well' as" in the United ■ States of :. ; Ameriea,v .sets '■ pornianently towards- democracy.':.- Will ihe |;reat/democracies, of the. twentieth ■•■century -.resist tho .tehiptation to uso political power as a means of material self-enrichment? With 1 a'higher ideal ,of public duty ; than has been shown by ;;spme of the..governing classes'which ■ preceded them, will • they refrain from jobbing ithe cotainohweaHh/? t Warned; by the,'experi'ence of Rome, will they shrink from reproducing, or indirectly, the political heresy of CaiUs Graoohus, that he who votes in the. Forum;mdst?be fed by the State? If■ they do; perhaps the'world may see democracies as long-lived'iis the dynasties of Egypt or of China. ''If they do hot, assuredly now as in the days of, our Saxon forefathers, it will be found that he who is a giver of bread is;alßo'lordA the'old weary round will re-' commence, democracy leading to.Jannrcliy, and 'anarchy : to -despotism;: and the national •workshops of s6me' future s .Gracchus > will build the palaces in. which British or Ameri : can despots,; as incapable of, rulo ,8s Arcadius or; H6norius, will guide mighty empires to ruin' : amidst tlje acclamations of'flatterers as eloquent, and as'hollow !as the ' courtly Cljiudian."; „ .' ;. ,■ ~'■' ; ( people of this, country are feeling ;acutely the'results—which 'have •appedrßd; with, marvellbus, : ppliticaiignorancofs '.'playing- down" to the populace. It;sho\ild help to rocall tho people ''to a ! regard r fpr .' the '• principles ,<which; ; as history'abuhda'ntly; teaches us, exact heavy penalties, from those who infringe them. . -.■:■•■- -.■•■•■■ ■■; -■' ■