THE HAMIJ.TON ASSOCIATION. 35 



closed their earthly careers in 1859. 1,000 B. C. and i,ooo 

 A. D. call up Solomon and Otto in. of Germany. 490 B. C. 

 and 490 A. D. present Marathon and the Ostrogoths, Miltiades 

 and Theodoric. Initial or final letters are sometimes useful in 

 fixing names and facts. It might aid one in remembering the 

 Popes of the Reformation period to make the initials, L. A. C, 

 stand for their names, Leo X, Adrian VI and Clement VII. It is 

 not of extreme importance to remember the respective colors of 

 the roses of York and Lancaster, but none need ever be in doubt 

 so long as Lancaster ends with r, and r begins red. Dramatic 

 arrangement may vividly impress historic characters upon the 

 mind. Place great personages upon some stage and give them 

 their parts to play. Those mighty heroes known as the "Nine 

 Worthies " have a provoking habit of refusing to come when 

 they are called. Of course it's childish, but it is effective to 

 convert those gentlemen into a base ball nine. After selecting 

 your favorite modern hero to take the bat, then summon King 

 Arthur from the round table, to catch ; Charlemagne, from 

 the Royal Academy, to pitch ; Godfrey of Bouillon, from the 

 Crusades, to act as short-stop ; Julius Caesar, from the Eternal 

 City, takes first base ; Alexander the Great, from oriental con- 

 quests, takes second base ; Hector, from the fields of Troy, 

 takes third base ; Judas Maccabeus, Patriot of Palestine, goes 

 out to right field ; King David from the throne of Israel, to 

 center field ; Gen. Joshua, from the conquest of Canaan, takes 

 position on left field. All that is wanting now is some doughty 

 warrior, fearless yet wary, and willing to be the observed of all 

 observers, to act as umpire. 



It is impossible to avoid the question, how far is Chronology 

 important in the study of history? There is no shadow of a 

 doubt that many are turned aside from the perusal of the 

 historian's page by the bustling ranks of dates. These vexa- 

 tious intruders spring up at all points, deploy as skirmishers, 

 fire from their picket lines, mass themselves in solid columns, 

 until the frightened and indignant reader withdraws from the 

 field. What wonder if the hapless young victim whose task it 

 is to make conquest of that field should solemnly aver that he 



