"Das Wesen der historischen Methode ist forschend zu verstehen.-Droysen." "The way to that which is general is through that which is special."-Yäger. "It is a favorite maxim of mine that history, while it should be scientific in its method, should pursue a practical object.”—Seeley. "Das was heute Politik ist, gehört morgen der Geschichte an."-Droysen. 66 'Learn the Past and you will know the Future."-Confucius. "C'est une vérité banale que l'étude de l'histoire est indispensable aux peuples libres, appelés à se gouverner eux-mêmes. La connaissance du passé fait seule bien comprendre le présent et aide à éviter les écueils sur lesquels nos ancêtres ont fait naufrage. En relevant l'enseignement supérieur de l'histoire, on ne rendrait pas seulement service à la science, mais aussi à la patrie."-Paul Frédéricq. "Scientia pro Patria."-Motto of the Société Historique et Cercle Saint-Simon, Paris. IN HISTORICAL AND POLITICAL SCIENCE HERBERT B. ADAMS, Editor History is past Politics and Politics present History - Freeman SECOND SERIES I-II METHODS OF HISTORICAL STUDY BY HERBERT B. ADAMS, Ph. D. BALTIMORE N. MURRAY, PUBLICATION AGENT, JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY January and February, 1884 I. SPECIAL METHODS OF HISTORICAL STUDY1 AS PURSUED AT THE JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY THE main principle of historical training at the Johns Hopkins University is to encourage independent thought and research. Little heed is given to text-books, or the mere phraseology of history, but all stress is laid upon clear and original statements of fact and opinion, whether the student's own or the opinion of a consulted author. The comparative method of reading and study is followed by means of assigning to individual members of the class separate topics, with references to various standard works. These topics are duly reported upon by the appointees, either ex tempore, with the aid of a few notes, or in formal papers, which are discussed 'This article contains extracts from a paper on "History: Its Place in American Colleges," originally contributed in October, 1879, to The Alumnus, a literary and educational quarterly then published in Philadelphia, but now suspended and entirely out of print. A few extracts have also been made from an article on "Co-operation in University work," in the second number of The Johns Hopkins University Studies in Historical and Political Science. But the body of the article is new, and was written at the request of Dr. G. Stanley Hall, as a contribution to the "Methods of History," Vol. I. of the Pedagogical. Library, Boston: Ginn, Heath & Co., 1883. By the kind permission of the publishers, the chapter is here reproduced in connection with a paper on "New Methods of Study in History," which is now for the first time printed, but which is the natural outgrowth of the original paper and, like that, suggested by Dr. G. Stanley Hall, for pedagogical purposes. 5 |