Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-06-08
THE TRUTH OF HISTORY.

The Wards Seminary incident recently
referred to in these columns has created
good deal OF comment, and it is
gratifying to know that the news
papers OF the south generally
take the game view of the matter a.
did The GAZETTE. The incident was
small thing in Itself, slight tempest in
very small teapot, and ye. it has probably
been productive Of discussion thst will
bring abou. good results. When the
people Of the south emerged from the
Livil wsr which had wrecked their homes
and devastated their fields, they set about
the work Of rebuilding their homes and
repairIDg their broken fortunes, and have
from that time to the present been too
busy with the anairs OF the
present to give their time to q record Of
the past that should give faithful his
tory of events to the generations of the
future. Impelled by patriotic motives in
sl1 they had done, they had no desire in
connection with the histories which
should be written, except that the exact
truth should be told and, honest sHd
truthful themselves, they relied upon the
honesty and truthfulness OF the VT tiers OF
the north to write Of events exactly as
they had transpiIed.
The first histories thst were printed by
the publishing houses Of the north were
full OF inaccuracies snd nisrepresents
tions. "Very natural, coming SO soon
after the WAR;" said the southern people,
1--WE can excuse them. The prejudice
which caused the Misrepresentation will
soon die ont and the ignorance which
is responsible for the inaccuracies will
soon be cured. Our northern brethren do
not intend to do US injustice and will not
when their eyes become little wider
open" And SO they returned to the fields
to raise the cotton and the rice, while the
northern people went or with the work
OF manufacturing the history. Years
have passed. Young men, born after the
surrender at Appomsttox have gone
through the common schools and been
graduated at the colleges and hsve en-
tered into the active work Of their trades
and professions; girls, born five yesrs az
ter the close of the war, are now standing
up in the first flush Of womsnhood to re-
ceive their diplomas which declare them
to be thoroughly educated in all those
branches Of learning that are requisite to
finish and sdoTnment Of the female mind,
and yet the histories which they have
studied, even in southern schools,
are so full Of bliss and prejudice and
of actual, willful misststement
regarding the occurrences Of go to $50,
that they have very little conception OF
the war or the causes which brought it
about.
The time has arrived when it becomes
necessary for the south to demand th.t
fair record be written. The southern
people should not object to northern
writer's clarifying their own cause and
their own people, but they should now
demand that justice be done themselves
and their cause. Let Lincoln be written
down patriot and q statesman, wise,
and honest, and true, but insist that JET
ferson Davis be credited with pure mo-
tives end patriotic purposes. Let Grant
appear IS great general and brave
man, but insist that Lee shall be
shown as chivalre us soldier,
who drew his sword in defense
Of 8 principle which he entertained in all
sincerity. Let Sherman and Sheridan :,
presented as skillful officers and able
commanders, but insist that, Jackson and
Stuart shell lose In history none Of the