REPORT OF ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON HISTORY 



To the Board of Trustees of the Carnegie Institution. 



Gentlemen : The undersigned, requested by you to serve as an 

 advisory committee in matters of history, beg leave to submit the 

 following report, based upon a careful consideration of the present 

 status of historical studies in the United States : 



Introductory . — While we think it probable that ultimately consid- 

 erable sums may well be expended, under adequate methods of su- 

 pervision, in directly aiding the work of individual investigators 

 along special lines marked out by themselves, we make no recom- 

 mendations of that kind at present. We believe that results perma- 

 nently and widely valuable to historical science are much more likely 

 to be obtained by devoting attention first of all to the promotion of 

 general and comprehensive yet definite projects, helpful to the pro- 

 fession at large. We should give the foremost place to certain tasks 

 naturally fundamental, tasks which logically come first as the neces- 

 sary preliminaries to generations of successful individual work. It 

 seems to us clear that, for some years at least, attention should be 

 mainly concentrated upon American history, European history 

 being relatively well cared for already by existing European agencies. 

 We also believe that it is well not to make initial recommendations 

 or arrangements too elaborate, experience showing that it is wiser 

 to give scientific establishments an opportunity to grow in the hands 

 of those who direct them. 



So far as we can judge from such consultations as we have been 

 able to have with historical students, the principles above stated 

 seem to have the general approval of the profession. 



On these general principles we make three recommendations : 



I . An Institute of Historical Research in Washi7igto7i. — More Amer- 

 ican historical work of wide utility can be done in Washington than 

 anywhere else. It is desirable to found there a permanent estab- 

 lishment under a competent director, who should be given some 

 freedom to develop it. There are goods models, mutatis imdandis, 

 in the French, Prussian, and Austrian institutes at Rome. Such an 

 establishment:Could serve four important purposes : 



(a) First of all, in logical order, it should execute a comprehensive 

 and detailed examination of the Government archives, resulting in 



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