An Ethnologist's View of History

Delivered to the New Jersey Historical Society in early 1896, this lecture invites listeners into a lively debate about the very purpose of history. The speaker, a seasoned professor of archaeology and ethnology, observes how societies worldwide are amassing ever more material from ancient relics to oral traditions, and he asks what responsibility this bounty imposes on the historian.

He sketches three dominant schools of thought. The first treats history as a neutral chronicle, a faithful ledger of events; the second wields facts as evidence to support religious, political, or philosophical agendas; and the third, his own, urges historians to act like scientists and artists, weaving data into universal laws and a coherent narrative that reveals deeper patterns. Listeners are encouraged to reconsider whether history should merely record or also interpret, shaping how we understand our present and future.