6

LN Ts Bete ie aos eee

vi



THE COLLEGE NEWS










Historian Requires
Imaginative Power



Continued from Page One

la Revolution Francaise, uses the
“sweep” method of writing history.

Sorel finds similarities of patterns
_ in different historical fields which are
related to each other.

Lecky, writing
in the eighteenth century, uses the
same imaginative method in a more
limited’ way. He picks out causes
within one country during one cen-
tury which have not been previously.
noticed and relates them to each other.

The contemporary historian, Rosto-
vtzeff, has one of. the greatest his-
torical imaginations. From traces of
archaeological objects he has been
able to. imagine a trade route in a
location where no one had considered
its existence. His imagination works
more vividly when he has actual docu-
mentation or evidence before his eyes.

Examples of historians who use

“unimaginative historical methods are,

first, George Macaulay Trevelyan,
whose imagination\is purely pictorial.
He depicts vivid scenes by assembling
details in order to\form a_ whole.
When he uses imaginative insight, he
is neither constructive,\ creative nor
relating. A second unimaginative
historian is Thomas Carlyle, whose
French Revolution is difficult to esti-
mate. -His commentary on Crom-
well’s letters shows little of the deeper
understanding of the Civil War period.
He superimposed his own preconcep-
tions of Civil War figures on the
period

S. R. Gardiner, who writes of the
Stuart period, has no imaginative
power. He deals only with the exact
order of events and omits the trends;
but personalizations and _ intellectual
developments are often the most im-
portant and interesting part of his-
tory. Gardiner, judging the seven-
teenth century with Victorian stand-
ards, misrepresents its history.

George Macaulay and John Fiske
have more style than imagination.
The suspense, gusto and ordered ar-
rangements make their books good
reading.

Historians are often criticized for
being over-imaginative. Francis Hack-
ett’s Life of Henry VIII is a pains-
taking verification of facts. Because
he did not. know enough facts, his. at-
tempt to give an imaginative sweep
of all Europe was ‘unsuccessful.
Bacon remarked “that it needed
weights to keep it from flying!”
Rostovtzeff goes beyond facts, but of-
fers his theories for discussion by
other scholars.

The necessary conditions for the
use of the imagination are a profound
knowledge of facts and the realiza-
tion of new slants for non-dogmatic
discussion. The imagination is inap-
propriate in dealing with chronological
history and in character analysis un-
less there are sufficient material such

as those which Pepys and Napoleon,

left the world. Nor is the imagina-
tion very helpful for narrative. Its
main value lies in social and eco-
nomic history and in investigating
the customs of people where there is
usually ample information.

oe





_ “A.A. Election.

The Athletic Association takes
pleasure in .announcing the
election of A. J. Clark, ’39, as
secretary for the coming year.







The imagination working without
facts can sometimes be truer to the
past than historical facts. This ap-
plies particularly to writings contem-
porary with the author.

The yarious stages of the imagina-
tion are not definitive. The loose, un-
guarded reverie stage is the first of
the process. Hobbes in his analysis
of the imagination notes this. wander-
ing ofthe mind in fancy. It is a pas-
sive state in which rare contiguities
come together. Mozart, when he was
in a happy frame of mind, noticed
that ideas: swarmed easily through
his mind. The imaginations. of both
Wordsworth and Bacon were most in-
spired during relaxation and quiet
reverie. It is during this time that
one draws from the treasure house
of the subconscious mind.

There are many half-way steps be-
tween the dream stage and the direct-
ing stage of the imagination. In the
latter we are not dreaming; we are
seeking to an end. Mozart, during
this time of constructive directing
force, found that the pleasant ideas
which he had retained from reverie
would join one another in ordered
succession. Counterpoint would fall
into place and eventually he could
mentally formulate an entire compo-
sition. In this more controlled state
of the imagination new connections
and associations arise from the sub-
conscious. The imagination fits into

,a\ whole, it assimilates energy and

finds unity beneath dissimilarities.

The main problem of the historian
is the subconscious mind. In apply-
ing the imagination to history, the
reverie stage comes after the collec-
tion of materials in which the his-
torian uses pure reasoned thought. If,
in the course of gathering data, he
should come ‘to a closed door, the best
remedy is for him to forget the sub-
ject entirely. The passive imagination
will continue to work and will sud-
denly suggest a new source.

The historian must soak himself in
his materials, but he must lay aside
his cards when he begins to write.
Bedéause the .subconscious can never
be rushed, time is absolutely neces-
sary. During the course of writing
there must be moments of reverie from
which forces eventually proceed and
project the mind to activity. Of this
second directing stage we know very
little. In Sorel and Maitland we
can see the directing forces at work,
but they are indescribable and often
unimaginative.

To learn to use the imagination we
must develop the little which we have
left over from youth. Historians
would be better off if they would con-
sider themselves artists, not drudges.
No one busy doing many different
things will have time for imaginative
reconstruction. Leisure, quiet and in-
tense interest of necessity stimulate
the imagination. Emotional experi-
ences are often its great stimulus.













ARE TACTFUL..







TIMELY...



















































Et 8

ve y ;
a xT GOES re ae ee

. . ,
thea | -
SS eee ee 2 Se ek ee

Rules Here Lenient,

Conferees Discover



_ Continued from Page One

restricted number of night leaves.
Bryn Mawr’s particular subject for
discussion was the question of cutting
classes’ before and after vacations.
Each college except Bryn Mawr has
a system whereby classes may be cut
before vacation, although usually ac-
companied by a severe limitation of

either cuts‘or leaves. Vassar hopes
next year-to introduce a new system
with unlimited cuts and leaves for
juniors and seniors. They would,
however, be restricted to taking not
more than four extra days at vaca-
tion. ;

The most striking part of the con-
ference is the similarity. between the
main problems af each college in such
things. as quiet hours, library rules
and social regulations. It is interest-
ing to compare the way with which
these are dealt with at the other col-
leges and to try to improve our own
methods.

The New England colleges have re-
quired’ chapel varying from once a
week at Smith to twice a week and
once on Sunday at Mount Holyoke.
Vassar occasionally has a required
general assembly. 4:

The American Student Union has
become quite active at Smith and Vas-
sar, and though at present it tends
toward radicalism, they are trying to
make it more liberal. The under-
graduates do not feel that it is very
effective as yet, but they believe it
could be made into an organization of
value.



Group Visits French Congress

Dean Schenck, Professor Gilman
and Professor Soubeiran attended the
Sixiéme Congrés de Langue Frangaise
et de Littérature held at the French
Institute in New York April 16, 17
and 18. This is a joint project of the
French learned societies in the United
States under the auspices of the Al-
liance Francaise. Dean Schenck has
been a member of the organizing com-

mittee. The Congress heard papers
by distinguished - scholars from
France, Switzerland, Canada and

America and closed with a banquet at
the Hotel Plaza at which were pres-
ent the French, the Belgian and the
Swiss ambassadors,

PHILADELPHIA PLANS
. NEW PEACE CAMPAIGN

United States Senator James Pinck-
ney Pope, of Idaho,’ will be a speaker
at the noonday luncheon of the all-day
peace conference of the Emergency
Peace Campaign, Thursday, April 23,
at the Bénjamin Franklin Hotel.
Senator Pope is a member of the Sen-
ate Munitions Investigations Commit-
tee and is the Senate’s leading peace
advocate.

Other speakers at the luncheon will
include George Lansbury, member of
the British Parliament, S. Davis Wil-
son, Mayor of Philadelphia, and Kirby
Page, nationally known peace leader.

The morning session of the all-day
conference will begin at 10 a. m. and
last until noon. This session will be
taken up with a panel discussion on
What to do about war, and will be
presided. over by Dr. Jesse Holmes, of
Swarthmore College.

The afternoon session will be de-
voted to the discussion, ‘‘How to keep
the United States out of War,” and
the presiding officer will be Dr. Karl
W. H. Scholz, of the University of
Pennsylvania.

Kirby Page will be the. presiding
officer at a peace mass-meeting to be
held in the Academy of Music the eve-
ing of April 28. In .addition to Mr.
Page the speakers will include Mr.
Lansbury and Kathleen Norris, novel-
ist.

With a proclamation by Mayor Wil-
son, “Peace Week’ will be observed
in Philadelphia the week beginning
Sunday, April 19, when many clergy-
men will devote their sermons to the
subject of peace and the effort to keep
the United States out of war.

At 9.45 p. m. Tuesday, April 21,
just prior to the speech of Mrs. Frank-
lin D. Roosevelt in Washington open-
ing the nation-wide Emergency Peace
Campaign, Mayor Wilson in Independ-
ence Hall, Philadelphia, will sound
several notes of “peace” on the Lib-
erty Bell. And as the Mayor taps the
bell an airplane bearing a large replica
of the bell in electric lights will circle
above Independence Hall.

An impressive ceremony will be en-
acted Wednesday, April 22, when
Mayor Wilson will receive homing
pigeons bearing messages of peace to
Philadelphia. These pigeons will be
released at 10 a. m. by Mrs. Roosevelt
from the steps of the national capitol
at Washington and it is expected that


















Cryptic is the Go

"4

YOu

®

-

se \e
\
‘

vernor

What's behind that chuckle? Possibly he knows our
Third Class is full and nimbly advances Tourist Class

_ with college orchestras, to forestall your doubling-up
with mother in her Cabin Class on the BREMEN.

Or again, has he merely confused ship. classes with
scholastic standings and thinks Tourist Class is a step

toward the testimonium

sic cum laude?

Anyway, whatever he means, it’s best to acknowledge
that only last night you were discussing Tourist Class

... And here’s proof:

On the BREMEN and EUROPA in the height of
season, Tourist Class is $136 up; on COLUMBUS,

$124.50 up; Famous

Four expresses NEW YORK,

HAMBURG, HANSA, DEUTSCHLAND $117.50
up and on ST. LOUIS or BERLIN is $115.50 up.

EDUCATIONAL SERVICE DEPARTMENT

A totally inadequate idea of the extreme luxu
forded in Tourist Class is conveyed by our profusely
illustrated booklets, sent on request. For those con-

% Hambueg-American fine « North German.







af-



French Summer School .
To Hold Usual Sessign

Students will once more be afforded
the opportunity of “living in French”
at the residential French Summer
School held annually at McGill Uni-

versity. Inaugurated some fifteen
years ago, this intensive five weeks’
course has proved one of the most
efficient and enjoyable means of ac-
quiring a good working knowledge of
the French language. Students pledge
themselves to speak nothing but French
every. day except Sunday, when ‘the
mother tongue may be taken out for
an airing. The Director of the school,
Professor René du Roure, has the col-
laboration of an augmented staff of
French professors; graduates of lead-
ing universities.of Europe. Special
classes in teaching methods, phonetics
and subjects suited to the needs of
the summer school are included in the
curriculum. Provision is made for ele-
mentary, intermediate and advanced
students. Certificates are awarded
and arrangements may be made to
obtain college credits. Graduate stu-
dents may work towards the degree
of M. A.

However, it has been found that
the success of the course results not
so much from the actual classes fol-
lowed as from the “living in French.”
Students find themselves in a thor-
oughly French atmosphere which com-
bines the best traditions of Old. and
New France—they not only speak
French with supervised conversation
groups at meal times and in leisure
hours to stimulate their efforts, but
they read French newspapers and
magazines, attend French theatres,
cinemas and church services and are
brought into contact with the cultural
and social life of Montreal. Sports
are available for the athletically in-
clined and sightseeing exclursions are
arranged.

In short, the school offers a. holiday
which is both pleasant and profitable.
The announcement may be obtained
on application to Residential French
Summer School, McGill University,
Montreal.





Meet your friends at the

Bryn Mawr Confectionery
(Next to Seville Theater Bldg.)
The Rendezvous of the College Girls
Tasty Sandwiches, Delicious Sundaes
Superior Soda Service
Music—Dancing for girls only







SS

Leavsleal
CUrtsd CEASE.
3 E&toptE



June 21

Europa . .
June 25

New York .

Columbus . june 27
Bremen . . july |
ffamburg . july 2
St. fouis . july 4
€uropa . . july 8
‘fansa . . july 9
Deutschland july 16
Bremen . . july 17

Berlin . . July
New York . july 23
Europa . . July 24

Last Sailing in Time for







start of Xith OLYMPICS

sidering study abroad there are also ““The Guide Book
for Study in Europe” and “Summer Courses Abroad’,
1936 Editions. Consultations arranged.

Cag