Prose Masterpieces From Modern Essayists (Classic Reprint)

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Excerpt from Prose Masterpieces From Modern EssayistsLadies and gentlemen, - I have under taken to speak to you this evening on what is called the Science of History. Ifear it is a dry subject: and there seems, indeed, some thing incongruous in the very connection of such words as Science and History. It is as if we were to talk of the color of sound, or the longitude of the Rule-oi-three. Where it is so difficult to make out the truth on the com monest disputed fact in matters passing under our very eyes, how can we talk of a science in things long past, which come to us only through books? It often seems to me as if History was like a child's box of letters, with which we can spell any word we please. We have only to pick out such letters as we want, arrange them as we like, and say nothing about those which dc not suit our purpose.Iwill try to make the thing intelligible, and I will try not to weary you, but I am doubtful of my success either way. First, however, I wish to say a word or two about the eminent person whose name is connected with this way of looking at History, and whose premature death struck us all with such a sudden sorrow. Many of you, perhaps, recollect Mr. Buckle as he stood not so long ago in this place. He spoke more than an hour without a note, never repeating himself, never wasting words, laying out his matter as easily and as pleas antly as if he had been talking to us at his own fireside. We might think what we pleased of Mr. Buckle's Views, but it was plain enough that he was a man of uncommon power, and he had qualities also - qualities to which he, perhaps, himself attached little value - as rare as they were admirable.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully, any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.