at at some time in the past Russia showed sympathy and extended
aid to the United States when sympathy and aid were sorely needed. This
is entirely untrue. No specification of the time and circumstances can
be made which will stand examination. Nevertheless the popular belief
cannot be corrected.

+705. Overvaluation of history.+ Never was history studied as it is now.
Amongst scholars there is a disposition to overvalue it, and to develop
out of it something which must be called "historyism." Jurisprudence has
passed through the dominion of this tendency. Political economy is now
lost in it. When has anybody ever been governed by "the teachings of
history" when he was philosophizing or legislating? The teachings of
history can always be set aside, if they are a hindrance, by alleging
that the times have changed and that new conditions exist. This
allegation may be true, and the possibility that it is true must always
be taken into account. No two cases in history ever are alike.

+706. Success and the favor of God.+ Sects and parties have claimed
God's favor and power. They have boldly declared that they would accept
success or failure as proof of his approval on their doctrines and
programme. No one of them ever stood by the test. There were some in the
crusades who argued that the Moslems must be right on account of their
successes. The Templars were charged with making this deduction when
grounds for burning them were sought. It was a heresy. If the Christians
had any success, the deduction might be made against the Moslems, but
not contrariwise. All nations have treated in this way the deductions
about the approval of the superior powers. If there are any superior
powers which meddle with history, it is certain that men have never yet
found out how their ways and human ways react on each other, nor any
means of interpreting their ways.

+707. Philosophic faiths and the study of history.+ In a similar manner
other philosophic faiths interfere with the study of history. The mores
impose the faiths on the historian, and the faiths spoil his work. "It
is not difficult to understand how a people imbued with the idea that
the world is an illusion should have neglected all historical
investigations. No such thing as genuine history or biography exists in
Sanskrit literature. Historical researches are, to a Hindoo, simple
foolishness."[2215]

+708. Democracy and history.+ Democracy is almost equally indifferent to
hist