should make any very considerable impression. It was not until 1839 that the study of history in any American college was first encouraged with the endowment of a special chair. To that chair, the McLean professorship of ancient and modern history at Harvard, Jared Sparks was called. At Baltimore, Professor Sparks had made the acquaintance of Marshall, Story, John Quincy Adams, and others, and was already known as a successful student and writer of American history. Mr. Sparks's work at Harvard, though not epoch making or even very progressive in its character, was an improvement on what had been done before. In 1840 he published his edition of Smith's lectures, and in the following year introduced the constitutional history of England. Though in that same year (1841) history and natural history were offered as elective studies, yet when Sparks became president of the college, in 1849, he attacked the elective system with so much vigor that no further advances could be made. This distinguished historian unquestionably gave an impulse to studies in American history, but he left the foundations and methods substantially as he had found them. Very few lectures on general history seem to have been given to relieve the aridity of Tytler, Keitley, and Schmidt, though some gain was experienced by the introduction of Sismondi and Smith. The small importance attached to this general work is shown in the fact that from 1853 to 1857 the entire field of history was intrusted to the instruction of a single tutor. Nor was there any very important change in method till after the accession of President Eliot in 1869. Up to 1870 Professor Torrey had for thirteen years done the entire work; but now it was a gain of great importance that ancient history was tranferred to Professor Gurney and medieval and modern history to Prof. Henry Adams. This enlargement of the force not only enabled the professors to give fuller and better instruction, but, more important still, it made possible the introduction of new and improved methods. The work of Professor Adams was not distinguished by any innovating name; but the volume of essays on Anglo-Saxon law abundantly shows that the spirit of original investigation, not altogether unworthy of a German university, had at length taken root in American soil. And it is gratifying to note that the work so well begun in 1870 by Professor Adams has since that date been carried forward in a similar spirit. The historical staff now consists of seven professors and teachers. The number of

courses offered the past year was eighteen. There appears to be no very clearly defined seminary work, though connected with six of the courses opportunities are offered for something analogous to the methods of investigation that prevail in the seminaries of Germany and the cours pratique of France. It must be regarded as unfortunate that at Harvard, where so much excellent work appears to be done, no provision as yet has been made for the systematic publication of the results that are achieved. But it is no small triumph in behalf of historical studies, that within a single administration instruction in history has been brought at Harvard from its condition in 1869 to its condition at the present day.

Until within a very recent period the teaching of history at Yale was not very different from that which prevailed in the early days at Harvard. President Stiles taught a very little ecclesiastical history at the end of the last century, and Professor Kingsley imitated his modest example at the beginning of this. We find that in 1822, when the first course of studies was published, ancient history was taught in a way by means of the ancient historians, and by means of Adam's "Roman Antiquities" as a text-book. Tytler's "General History" was taught during one term of the junior year, and the first volume of Kent's "Commentaries was this year introduced for two terms to the senior class. This course appears to have had little modification till the accession of President Woolsey in 1847. Nor was the change during Woolsey's administration a very radical one. The introduction of political philosophy, of political science, and of international law was undoubtedly a very considerable advance. But these were not wholly within the domain of history. Graduates of Yale, not yet quite venerable, remember with little satisfaction the course of history which consisted chiefly of lessons learned verbatim et literatim from the dry pages of Pütz and Arnold. It was, as Prof. Herbert B. Adams has said, in revolt against this juiceless and utterly disheartening method of instruction, that Prof. Andrew D. White determined to make such a fresh and original departure in 1857 at the University of Michigan.

To the theological students at Yale, Prof. George P. Fisher began in 1861 to give scholarly instruction in Church history, and for many years Dr. Leonard Bacon lectured to theological students on the history of the churches in Amer. ica. But it was not until Prof. A. M. Wheeler entered upon the duties of his chair in 1868 that the entire energies of

one professor were required for the teaching of history, and it was not until nine years later that Professor Wheeler was relieved of the American history. Even after Professor Dexter began his work the courses appear to have been very largely confined to such text-books as Eliot's "United States," Lodge's "American Colonies," Johnston's "American Politics," and Von Holst's "Constitutional History." Since 1887 Professor Dexter's work of instruction has been taken by Prof. George B. Adams. Besides a class in Roman history, taught by a tutor in Latin, eight courses of instruction of one, two, or three hours a week during the year are given by Professors Wheeler and Adams, and a two-year course on the constitutional and financial history of the United States is given by Professor Sumner. By Mr. Raynolds, an instructor, a course in comparative constitutional history is also now given. Two of these are for graduate students, and are conducted, more or less rigorously, in a manner to teach methods of original research.

At Columbia College nothing of importance was done till the advent of Professor Lieber, in 1857, as professor of history and political science. And I know of nothing that more vividly shows the conception of what in those days a professor was expected to do, than the formal requirements of the trustees in regard to this professorship. By special vote of the board, the following subjects were assigned to the newly elected professor: modern history, political science, international law, civil law, and common law. It ought not, perhaps, to be regarded as very singular that after Dr. Lieber had staggered under this load from 1857 to 1865, President Barnard should report to the trustees as he did when he said: "It is quite doubtful whether modern history, in the proper sense of the word, ought to occupy any considerable space in the teaching of our colleges. The subject," continued he, "is so vast, and practically so exhaustless, that the little which can be taught in the few hours of class instruction amounts to but a small remove from absolute ignorance." As the result of this suggestion, a committee was appointed "to consider the propriety of abolishing the professorship of history," and, in accordance with their report, the duties of the professorship were added to those of the professor of philosophy and Eng. lish literature. Professor Lieber was transferred to the School of Law. It was not until after ten years that this singularly

unhappy policy was abandoned. But in 1876 the call of Prof. John W. Burgess from Amherst College was to open a new era. The School of Political Science was opened in 1880, under a plan of organization which gave assurance of good results; and yet, if one may be permitted with some hesitation to express such an opinion, it would seem that the productive efficiency of the school had been not a little hindered by the amount of class-room work exacted of the professors and students. It may well be doubted whether, during the two years immediately before the candidate comes up for Ph. D., more than ten, or, at most, twelve, hours a week can profitably be passed in the lecture-room. In spite of Euclid, it is sometimes true that a part is greater than the whole. The best of historical instruction is such work of investigation as can be carried on under judicious and inspiring guidance; but such investigation can not be profitably made when the time and energies of the students are exhausted in the lecture-room. In this connection, moreover, it should not be forgotten that the Columbia School of Political Science is essentially what its name implies. During the three years of its course, the amount of history that finds a place in the curriculum is not very large.

It has been already stated that in 1857 Prof. Andrew D. White carried to the University of Michigan an enthusiasm, born of a reactionary spirit against what may be called the Pütz and Arnold methods that then prevailed at Yale. Professor White also carried to his work the added enthusiasm of a student who had just returned from three years of study in the universities of France and Germany. This beginning of new methods at Michigan was eleven years before Professor Wheeler began his work at Yale, and thirteen years before the appointment of Prof. Henry Adams at Harvard. And the inestimable service of Professor White during his five years at Michigan was the fact that at that early day, years before a similar impulse had been felt any where else in the country, the study of history was lifted to the very summit of prominence and influence among the studies of the college course. No one who was not on the spot can adequately realize the glow of enthusiasm with which this reaction was welcomed by the students of the university.

The work abandoned by Professor White, practically in 1863 and formally in 1867, was carried on by myself, his

successor, until 1885. Perhaps the most notable fact during that period was the introduction of the historical seminary in 1869. Observation in the seminaries of Leipzig and Berlin had convinced me that even advanced under-graduates could use the methods of the German seminary with great profit. My expectations were more than realized. At a little later period, a working library of nearly three thousand volumes was given by a friend of the department, and these books were made constantly accessible to students in the commodious seminary rooms of the new library building. Unfortunately there has been no publication fund by means of which papers of value could be given to the public. But the monographs of Professors Knight and Salmon, published by this Association in its first volume, are evi dence of the quality of the work done. During the year 1888,-'89, the number of half-year courses given by Professors Hudson and McLaughlin was eleven, the equivalent of five full-year courses of lectures and one half-year seminary

course.

Cornell University was opened for students in 1868. Professor White, in coming from Michigan to the presidency, no doubt brought all his old fire of enthusiasm for historical teaching. But his interests now had to be divided and subdivided between the necessities of the various departments of the new university. The teaching of history, therefore, had to be very largely done by Professor Russell. This was continued till 1881, when Prof. Moses Coit Tyler was called to the first professorship of American history established in the country. Prof. Herbert Tuttle, engaged at first for a part of the year only, was in 1887 gven a full chair of the history of political and municipal institutions and of international law. In 1888 Mr. George L. Burr, having previously acted as instructor, was placed as assistant professor in charge of the work in mediæval and modern history. Instruction in ancient history is given by Instructor Herbert E. Mills. During 1889-'90 eleven full-year courses are given, each extending throughout the year, besides a course in palæography given for one term by Professor Burr. Of these full-year courses, three are seminaries, devoted to methods of original research.

Johns Hopkins University, devoted as it has been from the first very largely to graduate work, has offered unusual facilities for advanced instruction. Studies in history early assumed