Washington Historical Quarterly/Volume 16/Book Reviews
BOOK REVIEWS
This is a project of constituting a history out of a classified and arranged compilation of representative editorials and public addresses—carefully annotated—of the long-time and renowned editor of the leading newspaper in the Pacific Northwest. These conditions make this a unique undertaking. Insuperable difficulties would seem to debar the possibility of approximating anything near an ideal history with such a plan and materials. History's function is to convey a sense of continuity and unity of the social process depicted. To be true to reality all events must be seen as interrelated and developing as an organic whole. Editorials and public addresses wholly distinct and appearing apropos to casual occurrences, without any thread of sequence, are thus quite unpromising elements for an integrated story of a people's life. And yet the revealing potencies of these constituent units of the text of this work, supplemented by the results of the assiduous research of the compiler that are with fine art used to articulate these elements and round out the story, do achieve an effect, different from that of a connected narrative, but probably equal to the highest.
The last volume is wholly taken up with an exhaustive index and bibliography. The contents of each of the first five include a main portion-averaging about two thirds of the volume-the output of the pen of the elder Scott, functioning as editor and publicist. This main body of each volume is followed by fin "appendix" by the son in which we have a most effective exhibit of the historian's art of enabling the reader to get a complete mental picture of the course of events, with references to the sources of pretty much all extant records for the account given. There are thus two positive historical contributions fused in the work, first the nucleal or textual, that originated during the period from 1865 to 1910, excepting a gap of five years from 1872 to 1877; the second, designated as the "appendix" in each volume, applied to the bringing of additional light from other sources and the factual setting of each situation discussed by the editorial or address.
No assurance bearing on the character of this work need be offered to the great majority of those who were as adults living in the Pacific Northwest prior to 1910. Definite opinions of Harvey W. Scott's intellectual leadership are held by virtually all of these, either from a confirmed habit of reading the editorial page of the Oregonian or through an acquaintance with the ideas there set forth gained in their community center discussions. That editorial page through the thought and discussion it provoked constituted essentially a folk school, for by it the people of all of the "Old Oregon Country" communities, accessible from Portland, were stimulated and guided towards grappling with their community problems.
This institutionalizing of the editorial sanctum of the Oregonian with Harvey W. Scott in charge came about naturally. As a boy of fourteen he participated in the great and trying adventure in crossing the plains with the. migration of 1852. Arriving here, his father's accumulations exhausted, he did his share towards supporting the Scott household, but was left to his own resources for earning the means to attend college. The beginning in this was made through the use of the ax to secure which he had to have a loan. Applying his powerful native intellect with indefatigable energy and with the unremitting study of the best books he rose gradually from the level of association with the day laborer to regular companionship in his reading with the best minds of all ages. Having thus shared the conditions of life from the humblest planes he retained a keen interest in the lot of every class through which he rose to become as managing editor of the metropolitan daily the counsellor and guide of the commonwealth.
Through his assiduous reading and thought on the most fundamental interests in human experience he saw in clear perspective the course of change down through the centuries. The meaning of the occupation by the white man of the Pacific coast in all its relations was clear to him. As he had grown up with the country he was doubly at home in the discussion of any phase of the history of the Pacific Northwest. The following is a list of the subjects under which the compiler grouped the selections used: Discovery, exploration and acquisition; pioneer settlement, especially around Champoeg and Puget Sound centers; Indian affairs-wars and treaties; nomenclature of the Pacific Northwest; varied matters in the earlier and later pioneer periods; Oregon colleges; Oregon and California, Northern Pacific and Union Pacific railroads and railroad miscellany; political comment on the admission of Oregon, slavery, the Civil War and the party contests; climate, floods; biographies and obituaries of notable Oregonians.
The agency of change that probably had deepest appeal to him was the railroad. All of volume four is taken up with an account of the development of the railway mileage of this region. He hailed the advent of the transforming change inaugurated through rail transportation but his heart and admiration was with the heroic age then fading into the mist of the past. The trinity of principles most sacred in their relation to our national welfare were from his point of view the indestructible Union, sound money and representative government.
An Introduction, including a review of his career and an estimate of his work by Alfred Holman, an able associate trained by him, and a second paper by his son, the compiler, on his writings, give the publication something of the character of a memorial.