The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 31, July 1927 - April, 1928 Page: 5
390 p. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Review of Work of Texas State Historical Association 5
as told in the report of Cabeza de Vaca of his sojourn and wan-
derings in Texas, down to 1876, when our civil government was
again established after the war between the States, Texas and its
inhabitants were making spectacular history.
The histories printed in English prior to Texas independence
from Mexico were few and simple. Texas, by Mary Austin Holly,
in a series of letters printed in Baltimore in 1833, contained only
167 pages. A Visit to Texas, published by Goodrich and Wiley
in New York, 1834, contained 264 pages. Guide to Texas Emi-
grants, by David Woodman Jr., published in Boston, 1835, with
map, contained 188 pages. The History of Texas, by David B.
Edward, published in Cincinnati, 1836, and finished before hos-
tilities began, contains 336 pages. These are all descriptive of
Texas and its resources, with its form of government as a Mex-
ican state.
After the Revolution came the era of partisan history, at times
acrimonious, increasing in geometric progression, both in number
of volumes and pages per volume.
In one sense, and a very agreeable one, the organization of this
Association marks the beginning of an epoch in the tone, style,
and method of history writing. The chief aim of the new writer
was an open mind, and zeal in searching all possible sources for
the truth. He questions every unsupported statement and takes
nothing for granted; the tone restrained, the style simple, direct
and with few adjectives. This school of scientific history did not,
of course, originate in Texas, but had been well developed when
our Association was organized.
The persistent search for the truth in the sources of history in
England had already destroyed the influence of HIume and Rob-
ertson, exposed gross errors in Froude and Allison, and even
questioned the historic value of Macaulay and Carlyle. The
American Historical Association, of which our professors were
influential members, was formulating and promulgating standards
for historical research and correct expression when the Texas
State Historical Association was organized; and its deliberations
and standards have greatly aided and stimulated our own work.
Facts are the foundation of history, and in order to build on
it, all sources of Texas history had to be assembled and made
available for students. Official records in municipalities and state
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 31, July 1927 - April, 1928, periodical, 1928; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101088/m1/11/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.