Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1892-12-25
THE RICHMOND DIsPATCH-sUNDAY DECEMBER o. 1892

I
ter should be regarded as "one OF the
great historic characters Of Virginia las
~ RcU0rh saws ne was--because DIS
character does not impress me as belng
great in any respect. 49,
But II really makes comparatively little
difference TO US. and ia this controversy,
what one person or another may think or
may have thuueht OF Captain John Smith
personally, and | should never have put
my pen 10 paper IN tho controversy II u
only involved difference OF opinion re-
gardmg John Smith. for peoples opinions
are as various as their faces and are base d
on as numerous influences as their 'pi-
pulses
Captain John Smith devoted n largo part
of bus manhood 20 publications. bearing on
the beginning of this nation. Tnere can
be no question OF the fact that these pub
licGtions convey ve:y favorable idea of
Smith, for they are really eulOgistic OF
him; neither can there be any doubt of
the fact thai tnev give a very uufavorable
idea OF other members of the Council in
Virginia, Of the emigrants to Virginia, of
the managers Of the enterprises, their
motives, etc, for they are really nm
adverse criticism of them. The really
important questiou-the root Of the
controversies, Does Smiths history
convey an impartial, faithful, just,
ana accurate idea OF the mem
bers Of the Council in and OF the emil
grants 20 Virginia. of the managers Of the
ENTERPRISE, Of the movement itself of
events III Virginia and England, of John
smith, and OF John Smiths position IN
these premises, or does 1T notI--that is to
say. Does 1t furnish sufficient grounds
for the ostracism of John Smith from the
company OF historians" or does 1t notf
TaE ISSUE PLAIN.
The issue involved is plain. Two mas
tcrs cannot be served. and the question is
Under which kIng?" If the Smith story
ia unfair and unjust Smith has mised US
into an historic crime, and the less said
about him the better tor him. II his story
Is true. then the less said about the found
crs Of Virginia the better. If he has told
the truth in calling his story history, and
IN the writing and compiling thereof, then
the history of Virginia from 1907 10 1929
has been written, the controversy IL
ended, and II will be utterly useless for
any ono TO attempt 10 defend those men
10 whom Il is our duty to see that full JUS
tlce ia done.
But his story, fortunately for the honor
Of our founders and foundation, is not
history. The primary end of history IS
20 record truth. and 1t is manifest that II
was not Smiths primary end TO record
truth. the whole truth, and nothing but
the truth. with ImpartialIty aud fidelity"
IL Is manifest that ms motive was 10 make
"a SPECIAL ploa for himself and against
others, regardless of all fairness 10 give
"A much prominence rs possible 20 tho eX-
perimental period of the first Virginia
COMPANY. 10 take nearly all credit therefor
to himself. and 20 lay all blame on
others: to beNttie and TO ignore the sub
seduent definite and determined effort of
the Virginia Company of London. whlcn
resulted IN securing 10 English PrOfestants
their first actual possessions IN the New
World: TO criticlse the managers (the
charter. form Of government, manage
mcut. etc. who removed him from Office,
aud to take TO himself the honors which
rightly belonged 10 them. As an evidence
Of this COMPARE the accounts in his ms
tory of fhe two periods IN Virginia Of two
years each-ir-t. from Septem Der, 1907, TO
September, 1903; second, from June, 1914,
to June, 1916.
EVENTS THAT DID NOT HAPPEN.
More than one half of his history is
taken no with his descriptions. dIscOurses,
orations. dlcressiOns, criticisms, etc, and
more than half of the historical narrative
IS devoted 10 the first peri1L Events which
did not happen in Virginia and events
which happened after 1909 are inserted IN
that period, and be reverts 10 1t re-
peatedly IN his writings, the motive
being TO give as much prominence as
possible TO II and 10 Cam the credit
for smith. To make it appear that under
Smiths management the colony had be-
come somewhat selt-sustalnlng, that he
had left it IN $50 good q state Of forward
ness" etc, etc Now turn 10 the account
in his history Of the second period, one OF
the most important epochs In the
lie of the colony. when under the
management of Sir Thomas Dale
il was IN fact for the first time
becoming somewhat self-sustaIninR, and
in $50 good state of fOrwardness as 10
como TO be regarded as Il settled planta-
ton. and the only particular e1e1b men,
toned IN this history as having happened
in Virginia during this important period IS
the arrival of the Spanish spies. ub'c'
ytabj happened IN 1911.
II is useless for any one to attempt 70
disguise the fact that nearly all the hOnors
of securing the first lot or portion IN the
New World for the English race and re-
hgion-one of the most momentous
national events in the annals OF Engllsh
history and the most important IN our
Own AiIAi~-HhFt Nttu EANph " - "
lance. and that this has been done on
the faith OF evidence published by the
free lance himself, while the really
great men on whom this great national
movement really depended for continuance
and for final success have been dlsparaged
or ignored on tho faith Of partisan evil
dence. Our earliest history has been
based on the eulogv of u man edited by
himself, and our ideas of this great Protes'
10 Eoap Iart vnH from d
criticism Of the managers thereof puo-
lIshed under tho patronage of memDeI
of the most powerful Roman Ca!hohc
families in England.
UTTERLY WORTHLESS.
As to nv "simply making myself ridicu.
lous" by protesting against these things
as 10 my capacity tor writing history, and
as to Il" An RerOG]sn other personalities
have nothing TO say, but | will say that II
our histories are to be based OF such cyl
dence Us Smiths they will be utterly
worthless.
It gives me no pleasure to reply to such
attacks, and am sorry that Al HeoOT
should have brought such sweeping
cbarges az TO require SO long al
answer. | have no desire. 70 impose
ON "a suffering public" l hope that
/ shall not feel obliged to write again Tor
the Virginia press on this subject. ana, III
order TO avoid doing so, VIII be giad 10
reply to any written request from any one
really interested in our ealiest history, and
TO explain any point which | have at any
time failed to make clear az fully as CIR
CT instances will permit. My address Is
ALEXANDER BBOwN,
Norwood Post-Offce.
Nelson County, Va.
EFATS OF STRENGTH.
I ,,,.,I,.I,,e Stortes of the Prowcss of the