The Importance of Local History in the Writing of General History

244 THE CANADIAN HISTORICAL REVIEW historians whose names are widely known on both sidesof the Atlantic, Professor F. M. Powicke of Oxford and Professor Dixon Ryan Fox of Columbia University. THE IMPORTANCE OF LOCAL HISTORY IN THE WRITING OF GENERAL HISTORY HE term general history is usually restricted tosuch writings as deal with mankind as a whole or with men and women who have made an impressionupon the whole world of thought and action; and this leaves to local history all men and movements that have beenconfinedto one country, state, province,or smaller political sub-division. Under generalhistory, in this sense, would be classifiednot only such works as are entitled universal or world history, but also such efforts as, Draper, History of the intellectualdevelopment of Europe; Lecky, History of the rise and influence of the spirit of rationalism in Europe; Bury, Idea of progress;Spengler, Decline of the west; and Friedell, A cultural history of the modern age. Under local history, then, must come all national histories, even when they extend to many volumes, such as, A political history of England, The American nation series,or Canada and its provinces,becausethese confine themselvesalmost entirely to the strugglesand achievementsof particular peoples,without attempting to discover general experiences common to all mankind. It is clear that these two speciesof history will differ greatly and that the local historianswill outnumber the generalhistorians many thousandsto one. If the two speciesmay be regardedas mergingin the centre of a pyramid, the generalhistorianswill be at the apex and the local historiansat the base;and it will be seenthat many local historiansmust have lived and died before onegeneralhistorian couldundertaketo write an adequategeneral history; for the latter cannot discern the common underlying principlesof human endeavourunlesshe has read and reflected upon the characteristic features of the various peopleswho have succeededone another in man's long upward march. Nor, even when he hasnoted the similar or dissimilarfeaturesof this struggle, has he necessarilygot the whole story; for, on the borderlands of variousphases of national life ason the borderlandsof various nations, struggleshave ensuedwhich have modified movements within a nation, modified international life, and producedsome- LOCAL HISTORICAL SOCIETIES 245 thingvery differentfromeitherthe aggregate of nationallivesor the sum of their differences. The chief function of the local historian is to provide the generalhistorianwith verified and verifiablefacts about their smallerfieldsand with the most discerninginterpretation of these factsthat they canoffer,in orderthat, by comparing,contrasting, and reconcilingthese,the generalhistorianmay fit them into his schemeof history as a whole. It is characteristicof the local historianthat no incidentor phaseof history is negligible. With commendablezeal he tracesevery settler from his origin to his destination. He notesthe physical basisof his community, the beginnings of social,educational, and religious organization, the first contact with larger groups,the impact of outsideforces,and the final merginginto national life. Becausehe canmake suchan intensive study of a small group, if he is capable of accurate observation and some degree of reasoning, he cannot fail to providesome oftheelements outofwhichfirsta nationalandthen a world history may be compounded,by which some aspect of human effort may be illustrated. But, having recognizedthe fact that a strict classification placesnationalhistoriesamongstlocalhistories,for the purposes of this short article, I must regard Canadian history as analogous to generalhistory,and the storyof a province,county,township, or locality, in which an intensivestudy of the peoplein all their activities is possible,as the local history par excellence. This departure from my own definition is made necessaryby the variety of physical features within the dominion--the varied originsof the peoples that arebeingamalgamated into the Canadian nation, and the different histories of the provinces that form the dominion and have to be shown as converging into the one stream that sinceConfederationhas been called the history of Canada. It is necessary,also, because to a local historical societyeven the history of a provinceseemsto be generalhistory, when compared with the intimate and detailed narrative of a county or township or similar subdivision. It is important to recognizethat the distinction between the local and generalhistoriansis not necessarilyin the quality of their work but in the nature of their subject. Nor isthe restricted local field unworthy of the trained historian. In fact, until local history iscompiledby trained historians,it will tend to be...