The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1890-06-19
CONCERNING OUR HISTORY.
1T SHOULD BEFULLY,FAIRLY AND
IMPARTIALLY WRITTEN.
8 The Necessity of Preserving the Me-
MORALS of the Past and of Transmit
ting to POsterity Just and Impair
tial History of the State"
JRichnOnd Dispatch1

tial History of the State.''
[Richnond Dispatch.l
The address OF Col. w. H. S. Bur
gwyn at the commencement exercises
Of the North Carolina University at
Chapel Hill, on Wednesday, was a
production Of far more than ordinary
importance, as it was delivered of an
able man, and the aim was to impress
upon the people the necessity ofpre-
serving the memorials of the past and
transmitting to posterity a just and inn
partial history of the State. He
pleaded for the establishment of a sep
arate chair of history at the University,
and from some researches made by
him was able to show that North Car
olina has by no means received the
credit to which she is entitled for the
part she took in the Revolution.
1t was stated by him as somewhat
remarkable fact that upon the adoption
of the Federal Constitution, one of the
amendments requested by North Car
olina, but which failed of adoption,
was to prohibit Congress from "inter-
fering in the times, places, and manner
of holding elections for Senators or
Representatives, or either of them.'
1t was with proper deliberation that
North Carolina seeded but Col. Bur-
gwyn presents figures to show that she
went into the war with great hearth
ness, and out of voting population
of $4,000 in 1861 she equipped and
sent to the field IL 1000 fighting men.
He claims for her that she sent more
soldiers to the field in proportion to her
male population than any Southern
State, and lost more in killed and
wounded than any.
The address concluded with an ap-
peal to the alumni to aid in the estab-
lishment of chair of history, where
the memorials Of the glories of the
State should be gathered, and with an
invocation to those graduating not to
leave North Carolina, but to remain at
home and help to make the State pros
porous and great.
All the arguments-and they are
many and weighty-that Col. Burgwyn
advances in favor of giving promi-
nence to this important branch of
learning applies with equal force to
| Virginia. We should, however, prefer
to see as the initial step in new be-
ginning to rescue from oblivion or un-
friendly or unappreciative hands his
tory of the United States fitted for
common schools; a book written and
revised by persons in full sympathy
with our traditions, achievements, and
aspirations. If there is such an one in
existence and worthy of general adop-
ton it should be put into every school
house in Virginia.
The Hon. Jefferson Davis said some
months before he died that a great
many so-called histories had been sub
mitted to him for his inspection, but
that when ever (and it was nearly al
ways the case) he looked into the vol
ume and found that the battle of Lex
ington was magnifed into a grand en-
gagement and the battle Of the Cow
pens belittled into a trifling skirmish,
he Immediately cast aside the work as
unworthy of serious consideration.
In like manner the landing of the
Pilgrims upon Plymouth Rock often
has been made the pivotal point in our
country's history, whereas the settle
ment Of Jamestown, which occurred
thirteen years before and was of supe-
rior moment. is counted OF no great
consequence.
When it comes to the war of 1861
IS it is possible for few, if any, North
ern men to present our side Of the case
with exactness. We believe that in
some of the Northern histories now in
vogue, the authors have honestly en-
deavored to do us Justice, and they
have failed only because the head
could not supply the lack of heart.
The man who writes our history ex-
ceptably must have his heart in it.
Now, far be it from our purpose wholly
to condemn all existing school histo-
ries; but we submit that we are jus
tilted in saying that better books are
to be hoped for and doubtless will be
produced, and the earlier Southern
youth are taught the distinction be-
tween streason" and secession" the
better it will be.
We are not doing all that we can
and should do in this respect. If any
one doubts this statement let him cat
echize the average school-boy or girl
upon some of the simplest subjects con-
nected with the late war and ascertain
as he will-how little has been
taught concerning the men and meas
ures Of our great struggle.