D V 018 459 665 9 1 Hollinger Corp. pH8.5 13 5y 1 The Historical Monograph SUGGESTIONS FOR THE Preparation of Historical Monographs BY LAWRENCE HENRY GIPSON, B.A. (Oxon.) Professor of History, Wabash College JOURNAL PRINTING COMPANY Crawfordsville, Indiana 1814 INTRODUCTORY NOTE The writer is convinced that undergraduates in begin- ning the study of History should receive definite instruc- tion in historical methods. Obviously, it is important that they should be kept from forming faulty habits of work which they almost inevitably do unless carefully guided. Only comparatively few of the total number of college students who select work in History continue it until they enter any really advimced course where time can well be spared to emphasize research processes. Various expedients have been tried by conscientious instructors to meet this situation. The writer has made use of lectures, has posted instructions, has held conferences, and has referred stu- dents to approved works dealing with this subject; but no method seems to yield such results as the placing of a very brief manual of instructions in the hands of every imder- graduate as soon as he takes up a course in History. As he advances in his work he will then be able profitably to make use of the more or less elaborate treatises on histori- cal method. The suggestions that follow have come from various sources and are among those given to beginners by many of the leading contributors to the field of History. Copyright, 1914, by Lawrence Henry Gipson T)l3 The Historical Monograph WHAT IS AN HISTORICAL MONOGRAPH? Every student who is doing work in the field of His- tory should have some experience in the preparation of so-called historical monographs. The monograph is a special study which is limited to a careful consideration of some one subject. It should be critical in nature and should sum up the latest investigations that have been made rela- tive to the subject in hand. Therefore, to be of value, the monograph as far as possible should avoid the reiteration of commonplace, well-accepted facts, and should compre- hend a discussion of points that are in dispute. It should be the endeavor of each writer of a monograph to present the truth of the past just a little more clearly than has previously been done ; at least the production should represent the matured viewpoint of the writer. GENERAL PROCESSES OF INVESTIGATION After selecting the subject, a general article covering the same should be read, if available, and a digest made of the leading points. ]\Iuch assistance can be gained from such a publication as the Encyclopaedia Britannica in lay- ing the foundations for an investigation. Certain phases of the subject will now demand attention and it is im- portant that some sort of an outline be prepared to guide one in the quest for further information. Unless this is done the student is apt to spend much time in collecting facts that will be of little assistance to him when the actual writing of the study begins. Some such process as the following can be used in evolving a monograph : Suppose one desires to prepare a scholarly paper upon Presidoit Andrew Johnson. As there is no standard life of Johnson which could give a suitable background, it will be necessary in laying a foundation for investigation to use either some popular work or an encyclopaedia article, or to refer to such an author as Rhodes, who in his History of the United States from the Compromise of 1850 gives a sketch of Johnson's life, while at the same time treating quite fully the events of his presidency. In reading Rhodes 's account certain statements will attract the atten- tion ; among them, charges that Johnson was raised in the midst of a low environment, that he was a man of intem- perate habits, that in various other ways he was utterly unqualified for the high office of President, that by his actions he disgraced this post of honor, and that had Lincoln lived he would probably have been able to save the Nation from much of the misery of the Reconstruction period — something that Johnson could not do. Naturally enough, the question arises wliether Rhodes is correct or is simply deeply prejudiced in his statements. The only way to decide will be through the collection of as much first class evidence as possible. This evidence will be used to clarify the following aspects of Johnson's life: His Early Training, Habits and PersonMity, Preparation for the Presidency, Mistakes as President, and The Recon- struction of the South. The most valuable is contemporary evidence. But in this case it is extremely conflicting; for writers in those days were intensely partisan in their views of men and events. As far as possible the credibility of each witness for and against Johnson must be tested. Take as an ex- ample The Diary of Gideon Welles, which exhaustively deals with Johnson's administration. The following ques- tions among others must be answered before one is pre- pared to decide how far Welles may be relied upon as a witness : Who was the man ? What were his qualifications and opportunities to write with accuracy 1 Did he prepare his Diary with some special motive in mind? Was it ac- tually written from day to day? Was he biased in his views? In deciding these points there must be employed the internal evidence which the Diary contains and the external evidence drawn from various sources relative to Welles himself. By this proces-s of examining sharply each source of information the investigator will be able to do a discrimin- ©r.l.A3.88435 NOV 181914 -^^z ating piece of work, provided that his search for evidence is sufficiently exhaustive. SOURCES The next thing to be settled after the preliminary work has been done is whether or not additional light can be gained upon certain special phases that have attracted the attention of the investigator. The sources of the desired information are of three classes : a. Original sources. These consist of such materials as original legal documents, contemporaneous accounts left in letters or in newspapers, official journals, and relics of various kinds. h. Special works. These are studies pertaining to the field in which the subject lies, written by those who are recognized authorities. c. General works. General histories by approved writers make up this class. Note. Most school manuals, popular accounts and un- signed articles found in the niajority of publications should be used with great caution and seldom quoted as authority for any statement. The material in class a is intrinsically as a body more valuable as authority than that in the other two classes. However, it is the most difficult to use. The material in this class is not all of the same value ; this applies as well to the material that belongs to the other two classes. Again, the material in class b is apt to be more valuable than that in class c. To illustrate : An exact copy of the Declaration of Independence which is a so-called original source is the best authority as to the contents of this document. How- ever, it is not easily understood in all its phases when studied without the aid of some critical commentary. Priedenwald 's scholarly book on the Declaration of Inde- pendence, which behmgs to the class of special works, gives great assistance in interpreting this docmnent and in many ways is more valuable as an authority than Fiske 's History of the American Revolution, which is a general work deal- ing with this period of American History and as such is worth consulting. Again, among original sources, The Secret Journals of the Second Continental Congress are obviousl}'^ more valuable than the files of The Connecticut Gazette of the year 1776 in supplying information relative to the steps taken by Congress in the passage of the Declar- ation. While the Gazette will furnish some interesting information, for many reasons that will become apparent to the student, it is more liable to contain misstatements than the Journals which were officially published. In case of conflicting statements between tliese two sources, the pre- sumption nnist always be in favoi- of the correctness of tlic latter. Among tlie multitude of sccoiidai-y woi'ks of an histori- cal nature the writer of a monograph is called upon to exer- cise great discrimination in selceting those that are really contributions to his subject. Out of the vast quantity that have been published comparatively few are worthy of a scholar's consideration. The following reasons are gener- ally assigned to account for this fact : In the first place, writings are apt to be based upon insufficient data. Too many are satisfied to make sweeping generalizations with- out any attempt to prove them. As one scholar has pointed out, people have a fatal tendency "to be very sure of things about which they know nothing." Secondly, they do not often represent the results of original research. It takes time and patience to go to the bottom of things through first-hand investigation, and so secondary sources alone are i-clicd upon. Thirdly, they are liable to be preju- diced accounts. Few writers are disposed to maintain a judicial attitude of mind until the investigation is finished and, then only, arrive at definite conclusions. The ardent champion of certain opinions is in danger of falling victim to one of two temptations: either the willful suppression of evidence that does not harmonize with his notions, or the twisting of it in such a fashion that it appears to help prove his point. In each case there is intellectual dishon- esty and the work will lack authority. It, therefore, be- hooves one to exercise great caution in deciding how far it is safe to place reliance upon the statements found in any published work. This<3omes as a cliallenge to one's highest capacity for discrimination. THE BIBLIOGRAPHY A list of books and other sources that have been use- ful in the working up of the monograph should accompany it. This bibliography is always strengthened if a word of comment is added to each listed authority. The following examples will illustrate this: General "Works. George Baiicroff. A History of the United States (last edition, 6 vols., 1883-1885). Strongly prejudiced against tJie British hut ac- curate in statement. Sir George Otto Trerelyan. The American Kevolution, in three volumes. Puhlished in 1903. The author takes the American and English Whig point of view. The hest piece of literature on the subject. THE TAKING OF NOTES No one should attempt to write a scholarly historical paper without first gathering notes upon the subject from the available authorities. It is recommended that these notes be taken on loose 5x8 sheets or on sheets of some other standard filing size. For general convenience in use and filing, each sheet should have the subject under investi- gation written at the top. There should also be a sub-head. Suppose the subject to be The Origin of the Declaration of Independence, then one of the sub-heads used might be Thomas Paine and the Declaration. These notes should be literal quotations from the au- thorities consulted. Let there be a sheet for each extract whether long or short. The author, title, volume and page should appear on each sheet, either along the left-hand margin or at the bottom. Needless to say, a pen or indelible pencil should be employed. USE OF THE NOTES When one has finished the task of taking notes there comes the problem of making proper use of them. The reason for having each on a separate sheet becomes apparent as one surveys the confused pile, dra\\Ti from different sources. The reason also for the sub-headings is now evident. For the notes with the same sub-heads are assembled together and soon the whole body of them as by magic has become at last really serviceable. Such a system is a great time-saver when it conie« to the mastery of these extracts, which is the next sti'p in the preparation of the monograph. In reading them over and comparing them, too much attention cannot be paid to conflicting statements. After using them, the notes can be filed away in a standard tiling case. THE WRITING OF THE MONOGRAPH In writing tlic paper do not give siiiii)ly a mass of facts. Deal with those aspects of the subject that have most vitally influenced succeeding events. This applies equally to a man's life and to a public issue. Pertinent questions should be raised and as far as possible answered with reference to problems that are connected with the topic that is being treated. In fact, in beginning the investigation one should formulate these problems that are to be solved, if possible. For instance, in pre[)ariug a monograph on WasJmigton as President it would be interesting to attempt to determine just how far he was under the influence of Hamilton and why he tended to favor the English rather than the French. Whenever reliable authorities ditfer on any imjxirtant point this should be indicated. A discussion of conflicting evidence will be the most valuable feature of an historical monograph. It should possess clearness and correct em- phasis, and great care should be used that there is a logical development of ideas. It should not be a mere mass of quotations, but on the other hand shoukl reflect the writer's ideas and viewpoint. Above everything else, it should be accurate in every detail. USE OF THE FOOTNOTE Footnotes are used for various purposes. For instance, whenever an important or disputed statement is made or a literal quotation is used, authority should be furnished for these in footnotes. Explanatory and additional il nstrative material is often found among the footnotes of well^--t - monographs. Reference to each footnote should be made in the body of the paper by means of a small figure placed at the end of the statement in question. Footnotes should as a rule appear somewhat as follows: (7) See Burgess, Civil War and Constitution, II., 120. (15) The hest discussion of this point is in GMon. See Vol. VI., pp. 240-250. or (8) It should he home in mind that Clarendon's de- ^^ ^nXn of Cromwell is radically different from that (liven hy either Gardiner or Firth. THE VITAL IMPORTANCE OF ORIGINALITY An instructor in History would fail in 1- ^-/^J; his students if he neglected to charge them never to forget ^at ptg^a^^^ is held among writers to be nothmg less than a crime. A true student will certainly take pnde m htv ng he mark of his individuality appear m every sen tence of the paper that comes from his work-shop and bears Ws name He will see that each piece of work represents his finest power of achievement. THE HISTORICAL SPIRIT It is fatal to attempt to write acceptable history imder the impulse of strong personal, family, -^-^i;^' ;j;^]j; religious prejudices. While the writer may well have deep eonvi tions he should guard lest these lead him to tort^i. and distort the evidence which he has succeeded m accumu^ lating. It should never be forgotten that there is nothing Ire sacred than truth, and that to uncover the truth and proclaim it irrespective of preconceptions should be the fofty mission of every investigator. Men who distori facts in no matter how good a cause so as to picture the past as they would personally like to have it appear are not writing history but are defeating the cause of truth. In- tellectual honesty is a priceless gift— cultivate it. 8 BOOKS ON HISTORICAL METHOD AND EVIDENCE The following hooks on historical mt^liod and evidence are especially recommended to students interested in research : Fling. F. M. Outline of Historical Method. 1899. Ainsworth. George, H. B. Historical Evidence. 1909. Clarendon Press. Langlois, C. V.. and Seignohos, C. Introduction to the Study of History. 1902. Holt. Vincetit, J. M. Historical Research: an Outline of Theory and Practice. 1911. Holt. Two works intended for advanced students should be mentioned. Bernheim's Lehrbuch der Historischen Methode and Wolf's Einfiihrung in d/is Studium der Neueren Gcschichte. neither of which have up to date been translated into English. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 018 459 665 9 #