The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1870-09-23
CDIgT s. O..
Friday gornini 4 I ssptsmbs sas, 1872
Tho Necessity; or Proper sohool Books
Tor Observation-Disclosures. Of General J.


Tor lns Of General J.
In the Baltimore' Slnw find report
Of General J. B. Gordon's address On
the above subject This address was
delivered before 8 large and attentive
audience ofiadies and gentlemen of the
city Of Baltimore. j General Gordon
first addressed himself to the character
Of the readers and other school books
that have been put forth by Northern
writer's, and showed how, in many cases,
they were full OF misrepresentation of
the character, tia spirit, the motives
and the conduct OF the Southern peo-
pie; and how they also sought to i'm
press upon the minds of the young
ideas and theories Of human rights an
tagonistic to the true spirit of the CO.
yernment, and destructive of oil that
subordination in society which should
DO preserved. General Gordon asks:
.'Does the system now in use through
the South, or do the books used in
Southern schools, illustrate Southern
habits aud, feelings, Southern society
and Southern history? If they do not,
they do us positiye Injustice, and mega
lively injure us. II they destroy the
pride and self-respeot of o child, they
destroy his character, and thus inhict an
irreparable injury upon our children"
He next shows how partial, prejudiced
and false are the Representations of the
South put forth in the Northern system
Of school books; and thus closed his ad-
dress with suggestions that we most cor
daily commend to our readers:
"Gen. Gordon then proceeded to state
the remedy for all these evils by the for
organized, with capital of $500, 900,
to publish q series of Southern school
books, about fifty in number, written by
the faculty OF the University of. Virginia
and other Southern scholars, by such
men as: Gildersleeve, Holmes. Maury,
Whose biographies ore unequaled.) LIE
compile, and others. These books ex-
cInde everything calculated to excite Sec
tionRl ,animosities. A considerable por-
tion Of the stock has already been placed
in Southern hands, and high-toned men
of business appointed to conduct the
business. The publication of school
books is always profitable, realizing from
twelve to sixty per cent. One establish
ment sells 100000 of school books.
The copyright of one set Of school geo.
grnphies was sold in. Philadelphia for
100000. One set of school readers was
sold for S500,000. We have full set of
all kinds of school books, fifty in num-
Der. The only. question was-can the
books be sold?1 With oil the States for
a market and THE cooperative sympathy
of the whole Southern people, their sale
in IMMENSE numbers was assured. The
practical point he wished to present for
their consideration was, will the citizens
OF Baltimore subscribe for portion of
the stock not taken? It was wise say
ing, that of the man who said, Let me
make the ballads Of n nation. and care
not who makes their laws The same
may be said in greater degree of those
who. write the. school books of country.
He believed it be the deliberate pur-
pose of the men engaged in the manu-
facture t.of school books to write our
people infamous. Even the definitions
of words in Webster's Dictionary have
been changed to suit the modern radical
ideas. He would make one or two more
suggestions. Slavery is dead. He did
not intend to discuss it. Think you the
self-respect of child will be cultivated
by being taught that his father was q
barbarian who held slaves? We repre-
sent the slave as our eyes saw him, in
his happy, contented, merry condition.
WHO will be the bost defender of his
country? Is it not the boy who has
been educated to respect himself and his
country? The doubter does not succeed
in life. Men have'lived who have been
successful. because impressed with the
idea of success, and never doubtful of
theirsabilities. Mahomet, Loyola, Ma
poleon, were not doubters. Grant, de-
spite Of circumstances, gained his yicto-
ries because imbued with the idea of
success, and that he ought TO fight it
outson that line, if it takes all summer
Look at Lee, repeated applause,) the
man of the century, carrying upon his
great heart the destinies of his people,
gathering about him his ragged legions,
and never baf1ed. Look at Stonewall
Jackson,r enthusiastic applause with
thered cross of battle, as it streamed
above him, leading his invinciblo lines
ever to victory.
1"These are the men who never doubt,
and such are the men we should raise for
the future service of the country. Such
are the men we shall not raise if we do