Outline of Universal History | Page 6

the causes or laws through which it
is accomplished, as far as our limited capacity will allow, is the object
of what is called the philosophy of history.
FREEDOM AND LAW.--It must not be forgotten, however, that man
is a free agent. History, although it is not an aimless process, is,
nevertheless, not subject to the forces and laws which govern in the
realm of matter. Physical analogies are not a literal image of what takes
place in the sphere of intelligence and freedom. Moral evil, wherever it
is a factor in history, has its origin in the will of man. In respect to it,
the agency of God is permissive and overruling. Through his
providence, order is made to emerge, a worthy goal is at last reached,
despite the elements of disorder introduced by human perversity.
Nor is progress continuous and unbroken. It is often, as one has said, a
spiral rather than a straight line. It is not an unceasing advance: there
are backward movements, or what appear to be such. Of particular
nations it is frequently evident, that, intellectually and morally, as well
as in power and thrift, they have sunk below a level once attained.
Of the inscrutable blending of human freedom with a pre-ordained
design, GUIZOT says: "Man advances in the execution of a plan which
he has not conceived, and of which he is not even aware. He is the free

and intelligent artificer of a work which is not his own." "Conceive a
great machine, the design of which is centered in a single mind, though
its various parts are intrusted to different workmen, separated from, and
strangers to, each other. No one of them understands the work as a
whole, nor the general result which he concurs in producing; but every
one executes with intelligence and freedom, by rational and voluntary
acts, the particular task assigned to him." (Lectures on the History of
Civilization, Lect. xi.)
PERSONAL POWER.--The progress of society has been inseparably
connected with the agency of eminent persons. Signal changes, whether
wholesome or mischievous, are linked to the names of individuals who
have specially contributed to bring them to pass. The achievements of
heroes stand out in as bold relief in authentic history as in the obscure
era of myth and fable. Fruitful inventions, after the earlier steps in
civilization are taken, are traceable to particular authors, exalted by
their genius above the common level. So it is with the literary works
which have exerted the deepest and most lasting influence. Nations
have their pilots in war and in peace. Epochs in the progress of the fine
arts are ushered in by individuals of surpassing mental power. Reforms
and revolutions, which alter the direction of the historic stream,
emanate from individuals in whose minds they are conceived, and by
whose energy they are effected. The force thus exerted by the leaders in
history is not accounted for by reference to general laws. Great men are
not puppets moved by the spirit of the time. To be sure, there must be a
preparation for them, and a groundwork of sympathy among their
contemporaries: otherwise their activity would call forth no response.
Independently of the age that gives them birth, their power would lose
its distinctive form and hue: they would be incapable of influence.
Cromwell would not have been Cromwell had he been born in any
other period of English history. Nor could he have played his part,
being what he was, had not the religious and political struggles of
England for generations framed a theater adapted to his talents and
character. Michael Angelo could not have arisen in a half-civilized tribe.
His creative power would have found no field in a society rude, and
blind to the attractions of art. Nevertheless, his power was creative.

Cromwell and Michael Angelo, and such as they, are not the passive
organs, the mere outcome, of the communities in which they appear.
Without the original thought and personal energy of leaders,
momentous changes in the life of nations could never have taken place.
A great man may be obliged to wait long for the answering sympathy
which is required to give effect to his thoughts and purposes. Such a
mind is said to be in advance of the age. Another generation may have
to appear before the harvest springs from the seed that he has sown.
Moreover, it is not true that great men, efficient leaders, come forward
whenever there is an exigency calling for them, or an urgent need.
Rather is it true that terrible disasters sometimes occur, at critical points
in history, just for the lack of leaders fit for the emergency.
THE MEANING OF HISTORY.--A thoughtful student can hardly fail
to propose to himself the question, "What is the meaning of history?