Page:History of Oregon Literature.djvu/584

538 Oregon history is far from being in a sad condition and is fortunate in the extent of its preservation and the quality of its interpretation. Some of the ablest people in the state have written it and are writing it, and a substantial percentage of the population, including newcomers as well as descendants of the pioneers, are interested in reading it. Both because of its availability and its importance, many outsiders are studying it and putting it in articles and books.

Western states in their efficient historical societies are in inspiring contrast to some of those of the East. The Oregon Historical Society has been gratefully listed in the acknowledgments of numerous books. The state, though not in proportion to the importance of the work or the public interest in it, at least does something and provides a small but trained and eager staff that makes the Society, through its museum and especially through its library, a functioning institution of daily and far-reaching usefulness. The history department of the University of Oregon, in sound emphasis, encourages graduate students to do their research and prepare their theses in fields of Oregon history. Working steadily and intelligently over a long period of years, the University Library, the State Library and the Portland Library have all gathered together large collections of material relating to the state. Other days continue to have a place in the newspapers and in numerous public meetings, and Oregon history is a required subject in the elementary schools. It is still a proud lineage to be descended from the pioneers. Altogether, Oregon's past, instead of being wholly obscured by the greater vivid-