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give him any more publicity than I could help。
‘‘This is very well as far as it goes；'' said the next critic；
‘‘but how about the Puritans？ We are celebrating the tercentenary
of their arrival at Plymouth。 They ought to have
more space。'' My answer was that if I were writing a history
of America； the Puritans would get fully one half of the first
twelve chapters； that however this was a history of mankind
and that the event on Plymouth rock was not a matter of far…
reaching international importance until many centuries later；
that the United States had been founded by thirteen colonies
and not by a single one； that the most prominent leaders of the
first twenty years of our history had been from Virginia； from
Pennsylvania； and from the island of Nevis； rather than from
Massachusetts； and that therefore the Puritans ought to content
themselves with a page of print and a special map。
Next came the prehistoric specialist。 Why in the name of
the great Tyrannosaur had I not devoted more space to the
wonderful race of Cro…Magnon men； who had developed such
a high stage of civilisation 10；000 years ago？
Indeed； and why not？ The reason is simple。 I do not take
as much stock in the perfection of these early races as some of
our most noted anthropologists seem to do。 Rousseau and
the philosophers of the eighteenth century created the ‘‘noble
savage'' who was supposed to have dwelt in a state of perfect
happiness during the beginning of time。 Our modern scientists
have discarded the ‘‘noble savage；'' so dearly beloved by
our grandfathers； and they have replaced him by the ‘‘splendid
savage'' of the French Valleys who 35；000 years ago made an
end to the universal rule of the low…browed and low…living
brutes of the Neanderthal and other Germanic neighbourhoods。
They have shown us the elephants the Cro…Magnon painted
and the statues he carved and they have surrounded him with
much glory。
I do not mean to say that they are wrong。 But I hold that
we know by far too little of this entire period to re…construct
that early west…European society with any degree （however
humble） of accuracy。 And I would rather not state certain
things than run the risk of stating certain things that were not
so。
Then there were other critics； who accused me of direct
unfairness。 Why did I leave out such countries as Ireland
and Bulgaria and Siam while I dragged in such other countries
as Holland and Iceland and Switzerland？ My answer
was that I did not drag in any countries。 They pushed themselves
in by main force of circumstances； and I simply could
not keep them out。 And in order that my point may be understood；
let me state the basis upon which active membership to
this book of history was considered。
There was but one rule。 ‘‘Did the country or the person
in question produce a new idea or perform an original act
without which the history of the entire human race would have
been different？'' It was not a question of personal taste。 It
was a matter of cool； almost mathematical judgment。 No race
ever played a more picturesque role in history than the Mongolians；
and no race； from the point of view of achievement or
intelligent progress； was of less value to the rest of mankind。
The career of Tiglath…Pileser； the Assyrian； is full of
dramatic episodes。 But as far as we are concerned； he might just
as well never have existed at all。 In the same way； the history
of the Dutch Republic is not interesting because once upon a
time the sailors of de Ruyter went fishing in the river Thames；
but rather because of the fact that this small mud…bank along
the shores of the North Sea offered a hospitable asylum to all
sorts of strange people who had all sorts of queer ideas upon
all sorts of very unpopular subjects。
It is quite true that Athens or Florence； during the hey…day
of their glory； had only one tenth of the population of Kansas
City。 But our present civilisation would be very different
had neither of these two little cities of the Mediterranean basin
existed。 And the same （with due apologies to the good people
of Wyandotte County） can hardly be said of this busy metropolis
on the Missouri River。
And since I am being very personal； allow me to state one
other fact。
When we visit a doctor； we find out before hand whether
he is a surgeon or a diagnostician or a homeopath or a faith
healer； for we want to know from what angle he will look at
our complaint。 We ought to be as careful in the choice of our
historians as we are in the selection of our physicians。 We
think； ‘‘Oh well； history is history；'' and let it go at that。 But
the writer who was educated in a strictly Presbyterian household
somewhere in the backwoods of Scotland will look differ…
ently upon every question of human relationships from his
neighbour who as a child； was dragged to listen to the brilliant
exhortations of Robert Ingersoll； the enemy of all revealed
Devils。 In due course of time； both men may forget their
early training and never again visit either church or lecture
hall。 But the influence of these impressionable years stays
with them and they cannot escape showing it in whatever they
write or say or do。
In the preface to this book； I told you that I should not be
an infallible guide and now that we have almost reached the
end； I repeat the warning。 I was born and educated in an
atmosphere of the old…fashioned liberalism which had followed
the discoveries of Darwin and the other pioneers of the nineteenth
century。 As a child； I happened to spend most of my
waking hours with an uncle who was a great collector of the
books written by Montaigne； the great French essayist of the
sixteenth century。 Because I was born in Rotterdam and
educated in the city of Gouda； I ran continually across
Erasmus and for some unknown reason this great exponent
of tolerance took hold of my intolerant self。 Later I discovered
Anatole France and my first experience with the English
language came about through an accidental encounter with
Thackeray's ‘‘Henry Esmond；'' a story which made more impression
upon me than any other book in the English language。
If I had been born in a pleasant middle western city I probably
should have a certain affection for the hymns which I had
heard in my childhood。 But my earliest recollection of music
goes back to the afternoon when my Mother took me to hear
nothing less than a Bach fugue。 And the mathematical perfection
of the great Protestant master influenced me to such
an extent that I cannot hear the usual hymns of our prayer…
meetings without a feeling of intense agony and direct pain。
Again； if I had been born in Italy and had been warmed
by the sunshine of the happy valley of the Arno； I might love
many colourful and sunny pictures which now leave me indifferent
because I got my first artistic impressions in a country
where the rare sun beats down upon the rain…soaked land with
a