The use of history

There are two ways of thinking of history. There is, first, history regarded as a way of looking at other things, really the temporal aspect of anything, from the universe to this nib with which I am writing. Everything has its history. There is the history of the universe, if only we knew it-and we know something of it, if we do not know much. Nor is the contrast so great, when you come to think of it, between the universe and this pen-nib. A mere pen-nib has quite a considerable history. There is, to begin with, what has been written with it, and that might be something quite important. After all it was probably only one quill-pen or a couple that wrote Hamlet. Whatever has been written with the pen-nib is part of its history. In addition to that there is the history of its manufacture: this particular nib is a 'Relief' nib, No. 314, made by R. Esterbrook and Co. in England, who supply the Midland Bank with pen-nibs, from whom I got it -- a gift, I may say, but behind this nib there is the whole process of manufacture. In fact a pen nib implies of universe, and the history of it implies its history. We may regard this way of looking at it -- history as the time-aspect of all things: a pen-nib, the universe, the fiddled before me as I write, as a relative conception of history. There is, secondly, what we mat call a substantive conception of history, what we usually mean by it, history proper as a subject of study in itself.

相关单词：nib

nib解释：n.钢笔尖；尖头

nib例句：

The sharp nib scratched through the paper.钢笔尖把纸戳穿了。

I want to buy a pen with a gold nib.我要金笔。

相关单词：mere

mere解释：adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

mere例句：

That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。

It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

相关单词：fiddled

fiddled解释：v.伪造( fiddle的过去式和过去分词 )；篡改；骗取；修理或稍作改动

fiddled例句：

He fiddled the company's accounts. 他篡改了公司的账目。 来自《简明英汉词典》

He began with Palestrina, and fiddled all the way through Bartok. 他从帕勒斯春纳的作品一直演奏到巴塔克的作品。 来自辞典例句

相关单词：secondly

secondly解释：adv.第二，其次

secondly例句：

Secondly,use your own head and present your point of view.第二，动脑筋提出自己的见解。

Secondly it is necessary to define the applied load.其次，需要确定所作用的载荷。

相关单词：substantive

substantive解释：adj.表示实在的；本质的、实质性的；独立的；n.实词，实名词；独立存在的实体

substantive例句：

They plan to meet again in Rome very soon to begin substantive negotiations.他们计划不久在罗马再次会晤以开始实质性的谈判。

A president needs substantive advice,but he also requires emotional succor. 一个总统需要实质性的建议，但也需要感情上的支持。

查看更多关于【边读边学】的文章