罗马民族素以其实用主义的价值取向闻名于世，而这也是罗马文化的核心精神。在教育领域，实用主义体现得尤其明显。修辞学以其实用价值，一经介绍进入罗马就迅速传播开来，并成为罗马教育的核心内容。而主题演讲则是修辞学教育的主要训练模式，在当时的社会有着巨大的影响。本文试图说明，正是罗马民族的实用主义精神，导致了主题演讲中大量历史因素的存在。无论是主题的设置，还是内容的引用，历史因素都发挥了基础性的作用。通过在主题演讲中引入历史因素，学生对历史认识更加深入，对历史人物的感悟更加深刻。学生的道德水平，适应社会的能力也得到极大的提高。主题演讲中的历史因素充分地体现了罗马史学的实用价值。

Roman people were well known for their pragmatism which was also one of the core-spirit of Roman culture, particularly in the field of education. For the special pragmatic value, rhetoric had spread quickly after it was introduced to Rome and became a core-content of Roman education. As a major training mode of rhetorical education, declamation effected Roman society greatly.This thesis based on classical materials, through the analysis of many cases of declamation, tried to clarify that the pragmatism of Roman people was the major cause of the existence of historical elements in declamation. The historical elements affected a basic function both in the setting of topic and the quoting of contents. With these elements pupils could learn history and understand historical figures deeply, and their moral level and adaptation to society had been promoted highly. The historical elements in declamation had somehow reflected the pragmatic trend of Roman historiography.