DISTINGUISHED HISTORIAN.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1131, 19 May 1911, Page 6

DISTINGUISHED HISTORIAN.

-fr— DR. JAMES GAIRDNER, Dr. James Gairdner, Uic distinguished historian who was lor so many years tho Assistant Keeper of the l'libna Kecorus, has just completed his oighly-third year (says the "Morning Post.' , ) It is now eighteen years since he relinquished that post, but he has not. been idle. "It was in 1846," ho told a representative of the "Morning Post," "that 1 lirstbccaino connected with the Public Record. Oilice. There was a vacancy for a clerk,, and Sir William Gibson Craig, Maeaulay's colleague in the representation of Edinburgh, who was a friend of my father's, secured the nomination for me. At that time our national records were in a really, disgraceful state and could hardly bo said to bo accessible to students at all, although a beginning of reform had becji effected in the early years of Queen Victoria. Practically the records were never consulted except by officials, whose work' consisted principally in preparing copies: of legal deeds, for which fees were charged. Thousands of documents were stored' away in dark rooms in sacks, ard only rats' hud access to thorn. Moreover, Iho records were in live different places. , Nowadays the whole collection is concentrated in one place, the Kceord plhro. Before this great reform was efleeted, however, much had been done to facilitate the researches of students of history. "The bringing to light of the treasures' of our national archives, Dr. Gnirdncr continued, "has had a marker effect on hisloiieal literature, and it will no rlonbt continue to have far-reaching consoquences in the future. As Lord Acton remarked, 'the great conspiracy against Historical truth is now dissolved; not' only our own archives, tut (hose of Prance, of the Vatican, c.f Madrid, all are open- now. . The historian has less ox. ciise for blundering than he had formerlv' And the historian aims more and moro at accuracy, more and more" at t-tatin" what he believes to have been the actual ™" r ' B nf w , ** op l ' l f , ' , "" nnv personal.bias or predilection. Men like Bishop Siubbf, Dr. Freeman, MY. Raw«on Gardiner, and Bisliop Cirighton are only :i few of those writers who li.iv* adopted the modern method nf invVMiir.ilion and patient analysis, liishop Oreieh(on said that, the epitatih ho would lilt* above all others was IHis: 'Ho wanted to write true history.' "