The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1878-11-28

PROFESSOR WHEELER, OF Yale Col
lege, read paper before learned So
cietY of New York, IN which he says:
The famous saying attributed to
Louis XIV. of France, 'L'etat c'eSt
moi" was never uttered by Louis at
all, but was said by MazariD, twenty
years before Louis came to the throne,
and said before Mazarin by Queen Eliz
abeth. SappEo never killed herself by
jumping from a rock, but died a natu-
raj death. Leoni1as fought at Ther-
back, but 7GG0. The philosopher D.
ogenes never lived in d .Gh. The story
of the virtues of the Roman Ihatron
Lucretia must be rejected, while the
story of the Horatii and Curatii is
worse than doubtful. The sons of
Brutus were not the victims of
their fathers firmness but of his brutal
ity. 1t was utterly impossible for
Hannibal to have followed up his vic
tory at CanD9, and the story of his
using vinegar to cleave the rocks of
the Alps is absurd. So, too, is the
story of Cleopatra dissolvIng a pearl
in goblet of vinegar and drinking up
fortune at one draught. Archimedes
never said, "Give me a lever long
enough and will move the world"
nor did he cry Eureka" at any known
period of his life or discoveries. Alex
andria was never visited by Omar, nor
was the Alexandrian Library burnt.
No more did Calico say, "And yet it
moves, for all that" since it Is proved
from authentic documents that he did
not dare to. That Columbus broke the
end of an egg and thus confuted his
mockers is fabulous, as also is the story
that he encouraged his followers with
brave words when the shores of San
Salvador were still out of sight. Rich
ard I'LL, of England, did not kill his
brother Clarence, and the story about
butt of Malmsey arose from the fact
that the body of Clarence, who died
natural death, was transported from
Calais to England in a wine butt.
Charles II. never had the body of Crom
well taken from Westminster Abbey
and hanged at Tyburn, for the daugh-
ter of Cromwell, apprehensive of some
such ill-treatment, had her fathers
corpse secretly removed from the ab-
bey and buried in quiet churchyard.
Milton's daughters could not have con-
soled their father in his blindness by
reading passages from the old authors
for the best of reasons-they did not
know how to read. Almost the only
story which Prof. Wheeler did not de-
molish was the one about Washington
and his hatchet.
What are we to believer II there be no
historical truth and part of the Bible
itself be denominated "Apocrypha"
by those having boundless faith, Will
some one tell US what of history or
biography is true9 Take Southern
and Northern official accounts of the
same battle of the late war and, read
ing them, we will only have the same
localities mentioned In the two reports
end concurrence in nought else, and
from these papers history is to be writ
ten. Who will believe its recitals
of deeds OF daring and heroisml
There is little in books that is true and
least, we suppose, in the oldest, since
writers OF Heredotus's time were igno-
rant and credulous. and modern writers
only tell each what he saw. 1t Is very
unfortunate when learned professors
are forced to go about destroying pop
ular faith in old books and histories.
The inducement to read is little
enough, but when Prof. Wheeler's as
sertions are accepted as final, people,
having no respect for books or faith in
their assertions, will cease to read. II
history be only q fable and lie we
would have no more Of history.