Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1868-10-09

l
spreading beauty through the length and
breadth of our noble old, yet rigorous Mary
land, who-to her eternal honor, as testified in
this aoork, as we'll as all true and impartial
history-decared. at the very outset, "that
no person protesting to believe in Jesus
Christ shall be molested on account of reli-
gion, and that too in an age of universal in
tolerance. Or if these elementary works are
of the aorong complexion they will be the seeds
to produce only fruit, sour, wormy, Destroy
ing healthy digestion, dwar6ng the man, con-
tracing the woman, and setting the children's
teeth on edge-and spreading blight, a
mildew and a curse through all our beautiful
land. Such, we say, is the responsible posi-
ton our honorable directors of the public
schools now sustain, to the present and to
future generations-and such they feel their
position to be, as expressed to me this morn
ing at the Glebe by one of their honorable
body perhaps would not have intru-
ded my crude thoughts, or have called atten-
ton to this ,oork, but for the suggestion of
this our mutual friend. I do not propose
Analysing this work, yet would like to call
special attention to few lines as a specimen
Of the whole. In chapter 26, page 800, we
find these words: "In 1860 and 1861 eleven
OF the Southern States, believing and declar-
ing the compact Of the Constitution to be
violated, and their rights, both personal and
political, to be in danger, asserted the right
avooed and maintained by Massachusetts in
1911, that soittdrawaz from, the Union acas
the pri0ilege Of all, and might be tie duty Of
some Massachusetts, which had been first
to proclaim the doctrine of secession, was a.
mong the first to send troops to crush her
own ofspring." Now what say in relation
to this part of the work is, that some authors
who would prepare books for our schools
have forgotten all about "dear old" Massa-
chusetts. We should never have heard of her
beautiful consistency-her parental kindness
to cher own darling child" and how lovingly
she applies powder, sword, fire, and all the
engines of robbery and murder, to crush out
the life of her own .tacorite son. They would
never have told us of another beautiful incl
dent in her history-when, by the orders of
Gen. Mcclellan, the members of the Legisla-
ture Of Maryland, in September, were arrest
led; Massachusetts, was made their prison for
aRdisR a 6ssa g hsf tA IF
lob, no one thought of laying any charge a.
gainst them! They were arrested, carried
| from their homes in Baltimore and other parts
| of the State, imprisoned fourteen months,
turned out and permitted to go home, and all
| the time and to this day remain entirely igno-
rant why they had been deprived of their
liberty. The only suspicion attached to them
was that they entertained the sentiments so
boldly uttered by the delegates from Massa-
chusetts in Congress, in 1861. Now these
are incidents of history belonging to Mary
land, and as such, ought to be incorporated
! in the history of our State; and in this work
we find them stated in plain honest style,
with all the gravity becoming an historian.
Some works which could be imposed upon
us would have forgotten such little incidents
and perhaps would also have omitted rath-
gentlemen and their prison house. The Incl
dent is this. On one Sunday, New Eng
lond clergyman expressed desire to preach
to the prisoners. Upon this being known to
them, one of the gentlemen, of Baltimore, a
venerable and venerated citizen, holding a
high judicial position, proposed to accept of
his services if he would preach from text of
| their selection. The text chosen was one that
had occurred that morning, in this gentle
mans daily reading of the Scriptures-Acts
rs and Fl: "It seemeth to me unreasonable
to send prisoner, and not withal to signify
the crimes laid against him." There was no
sermon that morning in the fortress. An
other little incident may be mentioned in con-
nection with the war of Mexico, where our
State receives her full share of credit, and
honorable mention is made of many of her
distinguished sons. Among the others, OF
our present Governor elect, Oden Bowie, Esq,
who was then captain in our army, where at
the battle of Monterey be received in his arms
the sinking form of his comrade, Col. VIII.
Watson, who was killed by cannon ball.
think this and the other work, which /
noticed short time since in the "Times,
ought to be introduced in our schools. They
are both excellent histories-just adapted to
our people-impartial, reliable, condensed,
perspicuous, and written in very interesting
style. The publishers, Murphy & Co., de-
serve great credit for the very neat and pre-
possessing style in which they are issued
Their very appearance is a strong recommen-
dalton. E.. REED,
Glebe, Trinity Parish.
Sept. 80, 1868.
NOTICE.