The Vulgar Have Been Excluded Form the Court of the Gentiles

1. When George Mccaulay Trevelyan stated "The vulgar have been excluded form the Court of the Gentiles," in the article "ClIo A Muse: Clio Rediscovered," he was referring to History. GM Trevelyan feels history, was not look at as good Literature to read, but as a Science. He also thought history was not as important as it once was to many people because of the changes taking place for example, New Hierarchy, techniques, etc... Historians did not investigate, nor write and view History of the past as many once did and this upset G.M Trevelyan. G.M. Trevelyan belied History should be a filter back into our lives, because it is educational also great Literature for everyone, especially lovers of History to read.

2. G.M. Trevelyan does not agree with J.B. Bury as J.B. Bury declared History a Science. Trevelyan clearly pointed out history was a combination of scientific research, imaginative interpretation and literary presentation. History is a story, not a science. Trevelyan explained, the natural he thought, was valuable in terms of practical utility and in the deduction of laws of cause and effect, but History had no practical value because no one ever was able to derive general laws of cause and effect from History, like such laws in the physical sciences. As G.M Trevelyan stated "The functions of physical science are mainly two. Direct utility in practical fields; and in more intellectual fields, the deduction of laws of "cause and effect". Now history can perform neither of these functions." History is telling a story of the past, which we should just position ourselves to open our minds, look back into the past and imagine what the story is telling us, because history is educational.

3. The point Trevelyan is making when he contrasts "The Modern German ideal of History" as methodology to the "Old English Ideal." The Germans view of the past, he thought, was authoritarian and hierarchical because they looked at history as science. Whereas, the Old English Ideal was more a liberal intellectual tradition. G.M. Trevelyan viewed English tradition as the source of historical inspiration. The English looked at history as literary.

4. Trevelyan's judgment of Thomas Carlyle's "A History of the French Revolution", was that it was a valuable work of History because T. Carlyle had strong imaginative and narrative qualities, which allowed him to imagine and interpret the cause of the French Revolution in extraordinary way. Carlyle had "the warmest human sympathy and the highest grasp of intellect." He was able to gather all important documents and evidence available to him and write one of the best interpretations of the French Revolution.

5. When Trevelyan stated : "the highest theme of History is man's attainment, not his evolution," He is talking about the value of history.

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