Munro—Some Tendencies in History. 
701 
possibility, or at most of probability. And there is hardly 
one of the younger European leaders in geographic science 
who has not taken occasion within the last dozen years thus 
to protest against wild assertions as to ‘geographic influ¬ 
ence.’ ” 
Teaching history as a patriotic task found many advocates, 
even before it was given such standing by the members of the 
Prussian School. Napoleon naturally thought of this as the 
chief duty of the historians in his empire, and expected every 
university lecturer to pay a tribute to him and his work. 
Bancroft’s History of the United States was written largely 
from this standpoint and found, and still finds, many imi¬ 
tators. Some of the states insist upon having their own 
state history taught for this reason. 
If time permitted, it would be possible to enumerate other 
modes of approach to history. Professor Dunning in his 
presidential address before the American Historical Associa¬ 
tion said: 7 “In these days no science is sure of its footing 
until it has proclaimed its special interpretation of history. 
The economic, the sociological, the metallurgical, the patho¬ 
logic, the meteorological, the astronomical, the geological, 
and for aught I know, the geometrical interpretations are in 
heated rivalry.” It is not necessary to follow out all of these 
“sundryological interpretations” of history to indicate how 
greatly its field has been broadened, and confused, by the 
workers in other branches. Possibly each one has added 
something of value; possibly amid the chaff some grains of 
wheat may be gleaned. Let us hope so! 
But now we must turn to the present status of history and 
plot the course which the student must steer. What is his 
goal and how is he endeavoring to reach it? What freight 
has been added to his cargo from the other sciences and 
which are the most precious commodities? What instru¬ 
ments of precision has he for directing his course or deter¬ 
mining his position? Only a partial answer can be attempted 
this evening. 
The first point which forces itself upon our attention is 
the present interest in general history. While nationalism 
and therefore national history were dominant in the first 
three-fourths of the nineteenth century, the expansionist 
tendencies which became influential towards the close of the 
