The Necessary History

(Political, Economic, Historical, Biographical)

THE NATIONS OF TODAY--Edited by John Buchan--Six Volumes Published: British America, Baltic and Caucasian Republics, France, Italy, Japan, Jugo-slavia--Houghton Mifflin ($5.00 a volume).

Since Homer wrote of the heroic feats of unhappy Achilles and of the exploits of the ingenious Odysseus, history has drawn its heroes from the great. The mere nod of a mighty king was of more account to historians than all the people of his kingdom. The era of democracy in history has just begun, and evidently John Buchan is its prophet.

These histories deal with the life of nations as an organic whole, not merely made up of events and dates, but of personality as expressed, not only by a few individuals, but by the corporate body of the people.

The Authors. On a work such as The Nations of Today, which, when finished, will be a complete history of the world as it is today delimited, it is indispensable to state something about the authors.

John Buchan, as a writer, is a man of enormous power. As the author of adventure stories, such as Mr. Standfast and Greenmantle, he has already won wide recognition as a novelist. As a historian he bids fair to surpass Carlyle, both in the excellence of his style and on the merits of his prose.

With Mr. Buchan are collaborating 120 men--men chosen because of their clear title to authority on the subject on which they write. These men are chosen judiciously. They are representative of learning in both its empirical and theoretical forms. Thus, it must be noted that the very long list contains such men as Hillaire Belloc, probably the greatest authority on military history in England; Professor Charles Seymour of Yale University, one of the foremost historians of the U. S., H. Pirie Gordon, Foreign Editor of The Times, London; Sir James Ren-nell Rodd, British diplomat of great experience; Andre Tardieu, French statesman of acknowledged gifts.

Special mention must be made of Major General Lord Edward Gleichen (former Count Gleichen and son of Prince Victor of Hohenlohe-Langen-burg), who as a soldier and an author is a man of great distinction. Under his direction the above six volumes have been admirably prepared and set forth. The division of the material has been made wisely and in such a way as to cause the reader a minimum of inconvenience.

Structure. First comes the past history, disposed of in mere outline. Then, on entering the past century, the subject matter becomes more detailed. The pre-War period is dwelt upon with greater emphasis. And the War period, viewed from the standpoint of internal events, is one of real value; for most people, even historians, seem to be either ignorant of or at least hazy with regard to what took place during that era of mighty Armageddon. Finally, the histories end with a fair account of post-War events, which, without questioning their accuracy or usefulness, are inevitably open to controversy. The supplementary matter is composed of essays on economics, the people, finance, etc., besides which each volume contains a miscellaneous section in which much useful and some pertinent information is to be found.

Arguments Con. The arguments against the Buchan plan, on historical grounds, are many and formidable. At best the volumes can only be considered as a synthesis of political history. It is obviously impossible, for example, to include in one volume the entire history of France. The events which are unimportant have been omitted and in the early history of each nation event follows event with bewildering rapidity.

Arguments Pro. Favorable criticism must, however, outweigh other considerations. The series is being written to provide for the ordinary citizen a popular account of the history of his own and other nations. Ex-cfPt for the fact that "the ordinary citizen" takes little or no interest in history, the above-mentioned six volumes do more than fulfill their purpose. They constitute a reference library of first-rate importance, one that should find a place in every branch of activity, even demanding only a superficial knowledge of history. Schools and universities could not have better books on which to start the embryo historian; for by covering all the ground, they combine the necessary with the pleasant, and give the student a good general idea of history before he tackles the deeper currents.

Style. It is clear that such a work of collaboration can make no bid for literary excellence. It is written in a plain, straightforward manner particularly suited to the subject. Sentences are short without descending to the level of mere staccato. The style is a combination of synthesis and analysis, which results in avoiding unevenness and in combining narrative with description and creating an epic worthy of an epic's traditions.

Content. The above quoted books are all written by men who are favorably disposed to the nations whose histories they write, but rarely is any bias left unsupported.

On the vexatious question of Fiume, now happily settled, the author of the Italian history does not seek to justify the Fiume incident, but says plainly that the despatch of cruisers to that port and the subsequent occupation of it by d'An-nunzio were approved by public opinion. The writer on Yugo-Slavia, of course, takes the contra stand; thus between the two views it is possible to get an exact appreciation of the circumstances. There are some partisan statements, as for example, in a short chapter in the book on Yugo-Slavia, devoted to King Nicholas of Montenegro. Events tend to show that the man was an opportunist, but in proving it the author would have done well to have been less arbitrary.

Conclusion. Taken all in all the histories are well written, well edited, useful, and above all necessary. It is impossible to understand the flux of foreign news without some knowledge of history. Here is a series of histories which lends itself to instructive but enjoyable reading, a history of the world for every man and woman interested in foreign politics and problems. Here is a history which needs no expert knowledge and requires no particular effort to assimilate. Its simplicity and interest are so apparent that anyone can read it. And it really deserves to be read.