Oak family register, 1906

PDF page 82, printed page 74

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f4
HENRY LEBBEUS OAK
numerous
obstacles
and
setbacks,
such
as
fires
and
financial
stringencies that threatened at times to stop the work.
Mr. Ban-
croft reahzed and acknowledged that he was not paying Mr. Oak
as he deserved, but his plausible excuse was that
it was
all out-
go and no income, but when the tide turned and the bread cast
upon the waters came back buttered toast, "Oak should be amply
provided
for."
To insure Mr. Oak's continuing in the library in
case of his (Mr. Bancroft's) death, he made a provision in his will
that Oak should receive $10,000 and
full authority
in the library
to complete the work in hand.
How Mr. Bancroft kept his prom-
ises we shall see
later.
With the library an accomplished fact, the question arose, How
best
to
utilize
it.
Mr, Bancroft was not the man
to lock up a
quarter of a million dollars in books to lie idle.
He had achieved
commercial success.
He was
a
fluent
writer.
He
thirsted
for
literary fame
;
for
a reputation
as
the
Historian
of
the
Pacific
Coast; and after numerous
trials and experiments,
it was deter-
mined to write
first as
a preliminary work, "The Native Races
of the
Pacific Coast," which was issued
in 1875
in
five volumes
and was accorded
a satisfactory
reception and
established Mr.
Bancroft's reputation as
a writer and
historian.
Nearly half of
that work was written by Henry L. Oak.
Of Mr. Oak, Mr. Bancroft says in his "Literary Industries":
"I have often regarded
it as remarkable that so true and con-
scientious a friend, so faithful a librarian and laborer should so
early and opportunely come my way.
"In him were
combined
in
a
remarkable
degree,
those
rare
and
admirable
qualities
essential
to
the
work.
This man had
certainly
found
his
vocation and
fitted
himself
to
it
perfectly.
Ability, application, endurance, clear-headedness and sound judg-
ment united with patience and enthusiasm, enabled him to tram-
ple down many of the obstacles that constantly beset our path.
Pleasant and affable to all around him, he sought no man's com-
pany.
Methodical in his habits, having
little to do with society,
he fastened his mind upon the work, and there kept
it day after
day and year
after year.
No one ever has known, or ever will
know the early history of California or the Spanish Northwest
as we knew it."
(Originally written as "Oak knew
it.")
"Oak was
plain
of speech.
Without dogmatism, he had an
opinion and
usually
a
clear and
correct one, on
almost every

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