The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 43, July 1939 - April, 1940 Page: 379

Texas Collection

not taken into account the multitudinous forms of life that remain
in the sea, that his net could not even sample.
Now history, broadly interpreted, can never be caught in the
scientific net. The experimental scientist can drag the waters all
he likes, but he can never catch the fine spirit of history and
literature. Science can contribute something, but not all, or
even the most important.
The orthodox scientific method of experiment can not even
be applied to man's past experience with which history is solely
concerned. If the scientist wants to know the structure of a
butterfly he catches one to take apart. He records its structure
and differentiating marks. But suppose he wants to know what
the butterfly did yesterday, where it went, what it said to other
butterflies, and the kind of reputation it bore among other butter-
flies of its acquaintance. How can the scientist learn these
things-the social history of the butterfly? In order to do it, by
his method, he would have to capture yesterday and have the
butterfly re-enact for his benefit its whole yesterday's perform-
ance. Then he would have caught that which is essential for the
writing of the butterfly's history. He confronts two difficulties:
he can not capture yesterday and he can not persuade the butterfly
to rehearse for his benefit.
Now the writing of man's history is exactly the same as that
of writing the butterfly's. The scientist has not, with all his
skill, been able to induce man to re-enact his yesterdays. But
man is unique in that he can remember yesterday and talk about
it; he can record his daily experiences; others record their im-
pressions of him. Then comes the historian to recreate as best
he can from available records the history. The material is not
scientific unless love, hate, joy, sorrow, ambition and revenge
are made manifest with a cold regard for scientific use. But
these very emotions, so far beyond the instruments of the scientist,
are the keys with which the historian and literary artist unlock
the mysteries of individual character. Science may assist him,
like the nurse that stands by while the surgeon performs his
miracle.
Moreover, when the scientist draws up his "Immutable laws,"
he knows he has the truth. He proves it. Therefore, if he
draws up a law, it is assumed to be true--because a scientist

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