The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1861-03-26
From the North Carolina Journal of Education.
ABOLITION TEXT BOOKS.

At the suggestion of several brother teachers,
beg leave to expose through your pages the viru-
lent abolition character Of new School Text
Book. issued by E. c. & J. Biddle, Philadelphia,
called "Cleveland's Compendium of American
Literature" In this new compilation, the author
is alike guilty of violation of gooG faith, good
taste, and good sense His first work was "Com-
pendulum of English Literature" book still used
in our best schools, aud highly priced. | have
also been using this work, and about twelve months
since, upon learning from the publishers that a
similar work was out on American Literature,
ordered copies for my first class in reading. In
about two weeks use, | found out that it was a
unique abolition manual, and discarded it at once.
First, about one-6fh of it's matter, which extends
over 74O pages, is made up of the peculiar phil
anthropic Billinsgate of the Garrison, Sumner,
Seward and Beecher School, with all of it's choice
perfumed phraseology and all of its utter contempt
for decency and truth. Twelve pages devoted
to Harriet Beecher Stowe, who, Cleveland says, is
without rival in either Hemisphere" the ben
eft of which aduaton is most cheerfully con-
ceded, for no woman ever before shocked the
moral sense of the world by such black misrepre-
sentation, to use no harsher term. The extracts
selected from her writings are all on the "bleed-
ing" subject mostly, if not ALL from the redouta-
BILE "Uncle Toms Cabin"
Charles Sumner is immortaized in about the
same number Of pages, with minute, doorous
account of his affair with Brooks in which our
author rings the changes upon "cowardly assail-
ants lasting disgrace of South Carolina" Gin
herent wickedness," " cause of freedom" &c, &C.
Miss Elizabeth Chandler, Delaware abolition
ist fills several pages with five extracts, all on the
interesting subject. A Boston poetess, and
slave there till Natures Higher Law dissolved the
institution North. whose name is Philis Peters,
wife of " sometimes called DR. Peters," is
also rendered immortal in several pages while the
impartial author finds it convenient to omit even
the name of VIM. Gilmore Simms, and that in
work protesting to give the best specimens Of
american literature Next comes DR. Claiming
Whittier Barnes and others, including Washing
ton, Franklin and Jefferson, whose writings have
been culled and garbled, and newly translated and
proStituted to the vile purposes of sectionalism.
Indeed school boy would at once infer from
Cleveland that the world masse was made up IF
frst-water abolitionists.
Daniel Webster is indeed allowed .embalming by
our author-but to obhUio", for having fallen from
grace on the fugitive slave law question.
But enough. The facts speak without extracts
i hope my brother teachers will pass round the
name of Cleveland and his publisher. To the
latter would say, that the confidence reposed by
the South in Northern school-book publishers has
heretofore been liberal and unsuspicions, but that
commence mas at length become alarmed, ana It's
eyes will henceforth be close upon you, and upon
any vehicles, in whatever disguise you may send
them forth, for the circulation of social and polit
cal poison in our midst There are some other
school books which the guardians of education and
of the South should inquire into.
Six years ago | excluded from my list of text
books, " Wayland's Moral Philosophy" yet it is
used in University and other schools Mrs
Willard's Histories in universal use, yet she is
a class abolitionist So is DR. Cutter. Of
g bleeding Kansas notoriety Let every book in
which the individual sentiment and moral of our
section is disparaged, be at published and
in all our schools of every grade. The
ominous agitation of the great social question
which underes the present political excitement,
demands it. But aside from our interests, do we
owe nothing to pride, to selfrespect and dignity
nothing to the cause of Southern educational
progress and independence If our text books
are at fault, is there not ability and industry
enough in the great body of Southern teachers to
make them, and enterprise enough in pnb-
fishers to print and biud them? In this connec-
tion, it is but just to say, that the firm of f. III.
Butler & Co, Philadelphia never published an
unsound book of any kind, and in their Good
rich's Pictorial History of the United States jusl
the offensive part with regard to the
history of the abolition of slavery in Pennsylvania,
is expunged.
But | will close my hasty remarks. hope to
hear from the Journal of Education on this sub
ect. Yours, d. s. RICHARDSON.
DEBT OF NORTH CARoLINA.-The public debt
If phor last incl