186 THE ESSEX NATURALIST.
and research was becoming more difficult because new material
appeared daily and the sifting of evidence became harder to in-
vestigate and to accomplish. The historian's task was a
laborious one because the sources of history were often biased
in the cause of national and political interests. In some
countries the censorship that was being exercised prevented
the real facts from appearing before the public, and only distorted
views of these were presented. The task of the historian was
only possible in a country where there was liberty of speech and
writing. The task of the lawyer on the other hand had the
advantage of cross-examination, and by piecing together the
information thus obtained the lawyer was able (to a great extent,
at any rate) to overcome the effects of false evidence presented
by one-sided propaganda, or suppressed by direct censorship.
If we take such an example as the history of the late Great War
some facts are so hidden that the truth cannot be ascertained.
For instance, was the sinking of the Lusitania right or wrong ?
Was the Battle of Jutland a second Trafalgar on the day, or
in its final results ? Was the Treaty of Versailles inspired
by a remembrance of the past or by fears of the future ? Truth
was too often at the bottom of an unfathomable well. The
task of the historian was, in the long run, more anxious than
that of the advocate, for it is he that moulds public opinion,
and his duty as a teacher is to give a fair and accurate record
of facts, which is supremely important. There can be no
more dangerous weapon in the hands of a nation than false or
one-sided teaching of history. The correct and true explanation
of history was one of essential necessity for securing peace for the
coming generation, and the country which exalted its own
annals at the expense of another country was creating a dangerous
situation for the world.
At ten o'clock in the morning of the next day, which was
the first of the Conference, July 7th, the various Sections were
opened by a General Meeting, and a discussion at this meeting
was initiated by Dr. A. J. Toynbee, with Dr. A. F. Pollard in the
chair. The subject was "Has history any shape or pattern ?"
Both the reader and the Chairman are English Professors of
History. There was one General Meeting at the conclusion
of the Conference when Professor W. E. Lingelbach, of
Pennsylvania, read a paper to which I shall refer later.