Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1879-07-11
Southern School Books,

by giving them something else 10 JalK
about. Chicago Times, ( Ind. Den1.
Southern" School Books.
WHEN Senator Blaine recently spoke
of certain extraordinary school-books
in the Southern States, which seemed
to be designed to cultivate sectional
hostility rather than patriotic feeling,
some Senators denied that such books
were now published or used. Those
Senators were incautious, and were not
fully informed. There are school
books published in this year 1879, in
tended for use in Southern schools eX-
clusively, the plain purpose of which is
to celebrate the renown and greatness
of ." the South" and which indirectly,
but none the less purposely, inculcate q
narrow, local sectionalism, and jealousy
of the America and the Union which
are the glory of every true patriot in
the land. We have in mind especially
school-book expressly called The
Southern STUDENTS s Hand Book of Selec-
tjo,eS tor Reading and Ordtory. The
scope of this book, the character of its
influence, and its purpose may be gath
cred from glance. Instead of aiming
to make the youth for whom it is pre-
pared honorable and patriotic Amer
lean citizens, it seeks to make them
Southerners. If the object of the
book were to introduce students to the
great masterpieces of oratory. they are
all accessible, and valuable work
could have been easily compiled. But
the pitiful purpose of this book is to
/ nf
Southern" rhetoric to inhame
Southern feeling, and this at a
time when the paramount necessity of
the country is the obliteration of q
wretched, irritating, belittling section
| alism.
An Index to authors" gives their
names, specifying the States to which
they belong, and they are all "South-
ern" States, every other State being
carefully excluded. Otis and Adams,
Webster and Everett, are names of men
no longer living which would naturally
occur in book of selections from
| American oratOry. But they were not
Southerners. Henry Clay is one of
the great American orators, and he was
a Kentuckian. But among eleven names
in the index from Kentucky, most of
which certainly are not familiar beyond
that State, that of Henry Clay does not
occur. Indeed, with the exception of
some members of Congress whose names
are more or less familiar from the men
ton of them in the daily proceedings,
the great multitude of authors and
speakers cited in this hand book are of
no reputation whatever, and their sole
recommendation is that they are
Southerners, and generally write or
declaim upon some Southern " theme
for the purpose of arousing "South-
ern'' emotion. 1t is useless to COM
ment upon the literary character of a
work compiled by such rules. The
selections are in general curious anc
astonishing mixture of sentimenta!ity
and Jurgid rhetoric, and there is prob
ably not a single passage in the book
which properly belongs to literature.
The work does not directly inculcate
the doctrine of secession. But the spirit
and tone and influence of the whole
book are revealed in the selection from
speech of MIR. William Preston John.
ston on 1.-The Confederate Dead The
orator says: "They represented, more.
over, the principles of self-gOvernment
of local freedom, and of the right of 9
people to decide their own political as
sociations. In them was struck dowr
these ancient and honorable ideas; anC
the community of nations allowed itsel
to listen to and virtually to approve thu
plea of the imperial and irresponsible
Capitalization that triumphed. We have
no complaints to maker but wher
startled Liberty in other lands turn
hither and thither for sympathy oraid
we can point them to the lists wherI
our champions lie slain, but not dis
honOred."
The Southern soldiers fought bravely
land happily in vain, and we theretor'
omit the comment which instinctivel,
rises to dispose of this flourish. Blu
: the Southern Senators who denied tn
, existence or present use of such school
books will own themselves to have beel
mistaken Teachings like this ma,
tend to make good " Southerners, bu
| they do not make American citizens
, They may satisfy man who is conten
, to call Arkansas or a swamp in Florld
his country" but they do not pleas
q patriotic man whose glory is that h
{ is an American and citizen of all tn
States, and whose pride is not in
: Pine-tree flag or a Pelican, a Rattle
I snake, a Palmetto, or q Lone Star, bu
( in the Stars and Stripes that hung owe
the surrender of Cornwallis and tn
, victory of Perry, and still hang suprem
4 over the American Union. 1t is pre-
? cisely the revelation made by such
. book as this which justly startles an
: arouses the loyal American people
8 They learn from it that in certain State
= of the Union children are taught in I'll
[ public schools to hate their country q
a an oppressor, and to regard its Govern
!, ment as kind of foreign power. 1t
Q surprising-and we put the question
$ men like Senators Bayard and Lamar
Y that under ali the circumstances of I'll
/ last twenty years, the paramount fee
r ing of the patriotic intelligence OF III
e country is that the control OF the Cover
n ment can not safely pass into the hanc
Il of those whose sentiments such booi
@ discloseP ? Is it amazing that the NJ
cessity of keeping that control out
d such hands becomes the absorbing p,
It litical consideration with those who q
l. not think that the cause OF secessio
/ was that of liberty, or that the maint
IS nance of the Union was death-blow