The attention of the writer was pointedly called to this situation a few years ago on reading a circular received from a popular “literary agency,” whose business was to find markets for articles whose authors could not dispose of them without assistance. From the librarians who hand out the books which the people read, from the publishers and booksellers who distribute the books that are published, and from all other competent observers of actual conditions comes unvarying testimony that history is less read to-day than formerly, and that it is not in strong demand at this time with the people we are accustomed to call the “educated class.” Such was not the case forty years ago. Since more of them have studied it in school, ought we not to expect that a very large part of our people should be interested in reading history, that a great demand should exist for historical books, and that a large and powerful group of historians should be writing many histories to meet this demand? But no such conditions exist.
With this brilliant advance we have a right to expect history to be in a better position with the men and women of the country than ever before. In university, college, and public schools, as compared with 1884, history is now being taught several times more in quantity and several times better in method. Forty years ago history was taught in a perfunctory manner in the public schools now it has a strong place in the grades and in the high school. To-day the average college has from two to five teachers of history, and political economy and political science have been made separate departments. Most colleges had one professor of history, but he usually taught it in connection with political economy, political science, or public speaking. In 1884 the big universities had one or two professors of history where they now have ten or more. By John Spencer Bassett, professor of history at Smith College and secretary of the American Historical AssociationĪs this report is being written the American Historical Association is completing the first forty years of its existence, a comparatively brief period in the life of a great cultural society, but nevertheless a period rich in progress and actual achievements.
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