The Writing of History : Anintroduction to Historical Method. By
F. M. Fling. (Yale University Press ; H. Milford. 8s. 6d. net.) —Professor Fling writes for undergraduates, for untrained teachers, and for private students, all of whom will find his little book helpful. Its chief value lies in the fact that the author takes definite examples from his own special subject, the history of the French Revolution, and shows how to apply the ordinary methods of historical criticism. Thus the third volume of Bailly's Memoirs is shown to be a mere compilation from three newspapers of 1789, and to be oonneeted with the alleged first half-year's issues of the Montan., which were, infact, compiled and published six years after the dates which they hear-- a notable instance of the fact that even an old newspaper is not always contemporary evidence. When on July 17th, 1789, Louis XVL visited Paris, Bailly as Mayor presented him with a cockade. Was it the tricolour, as most historians think, or was it of blue and red—the colours of the city ? Professor Fling shows that the witnesses disagree, but that the balance of testimony is unquestionably against the tricolour. The author's chapter on " Synthesis or Grouping of the Facts " contains some useful hints. In his concluding chapter on " Exposition " Pro. feesor Flin g blames the public for " estimating the value of an historical work by its style and attractiveness," but he is inclined to underrate the importance of style in a history and to lay far too much stress on footnotes. American as well as British historians are still unduly influenced by German pedantry ; the modern French historians, who combine exact scholarship with a pleasant literary sense, are far bet ter models than the Germans.
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