The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-08-18

The Rev. DR.. Scott contributes to the At
lanta, Ga, Constitution a column in denun-
citation of "The Leading Facts Of Ameri-
can History" which he describes as "a
dangerous book" that has found its way
into hundreds of Southern schools and
thousands Of Southern homes, and has
secured the endorsement of some of our
best educators"
In proof of his charge that this history
is "a dangerous book" DR.. Scott first cites
the fact that it "bears a Boston imprint"
This OF itself would hardly make the book
dangerous. as there is a good deal of cloth
ing worn at the South that "bears Bos-
ton irnprint." DR.. Scott thinks this New
England publication q dangerous book"
because its author claims with confidence
that "Uncle Toms Cabin" is just pre-
sentation of the merits and dement's of the
slave-holding regime; that it gives the
bright side as well as the dark side of At
rican slavery with judicial impartiaIity.
This is not very grave charge, for it is
the exact truth. "Uncle Toms Cabin"
did give the bright and fascinating side Of
plantation life between master and slave
in its picture of the fine Kentucky gentle
man, Shelby. and of st. Clair. the second
humane and generous master of "Uncle
Tom" The tender treatment of Topsey
by Eva further illustrated the humane
side of the intercourse between the slave
and the family of the master. The vulgar
slave trader and the brutal master of the
Legree type have their place in the book,
but while they are correctly painted as
among the possible and actual horrors OF
slavery, they are not delineated as the Or
binary. but rather as theexceptional types
of slave society. Mrs. Stowe did not present
an exaggerated or one-sided view of
slavery, for when assailed by this charge
she disposed of it forever by publishing
the 'Key to Uncle Toms Cabin" mass
Of facts drawn direct from Southern news
papers concerning slave life, which fur
nished plenty of pigments for far blacker
picture than that drawn by Mrs. Stowe.
Mrs. Fanny Kembe Buffers twelve
Years on a Georgia Plantation" record
Of actual experience as mistress of plan
plantation life under slavery in half as
bright colors as Mrs. Stowe uses in
her sketch of Shelby and st. Clair.
On the whole Mrs. Stowe gave a fair
picture both of the humane and
the brutal actualities and possibilities
of slavery. and if it makes "The Leading
Facts in American History" dangerous
book" because it tells the truth on this
point why then DR.. Scott has our SYM
patty.
We suspect the Rev. DR.. Scott is a sur
vival of an ancient type of Southern
Bourbon, for at twenty-seven years. dis
lance from the civil war he ought to be
able to endure the truth about slavery,
just as an intelligent Protestant today can
afford to regret that Calvin burned Ser
vetus; just as an intelligent Catholic can
afford to deplore the execution of Savon-
arola and Giordano Bruno. This ancient
old Bourbon. among other things, says:
Is it not queer thing-rather is it not blatant
impertinence-that this incendiary book ("Un-
Gle Toms Cabin'C should be recommended in
a school history which invites the patronage
of the educational boards of the Southf L. 1t
other than suicidal frenzy that could induce
Southern teachers to inoculate the boys and
girls OF the South with sentiments which In
evitably destroy the reverence Tor the traditions
of their fathers.
This is absurd. Surely the Southern
boys and girls can afford to know the
truth of history, which is of more inn
portance than the traditions of their
fathers" Alexander II. Stephens after
the war never lost chance to say that
slavery was gone; he was glad it was gone
and that the South was glad that it was
gone. In the very nature of things of
course slavery was an evil, and it could
not possibly exist without having an i'm
human and imbruted as we'll as humane
and attractive side. This is all that
"Uncle Toms Cabin" teaches concerning
slavery, and at this late hour the truth
about slavery's past, told withou: malice
or extenuation, can surely be included in
a school history even when intended for
Southern circulation.
Suppose the terrible story of the Puri-
tans' treatment of the Indian was sup
pressed in all the school histories of
Massachusetts and Connecticut, what
would the South think of the manliness
of the descendants of the bigoted and bar
barous Puritans? We cannot afford to
whitewash public wrongs in any section
for the sake of family pride. Poor DIR.
Scott further holds that Leading Facts in
American History" is "a dangerous book"
because It tells the history Of John Browns
career. and describes the march of Sher-
man from Atlanta to Savannah, from
Savannah to Raleigh. and the Shenandoah
valley campaign of Sheridan.
DR.. Scott thinks that Sherman and Sher-
idan were guilty of vandalism" but it is
not easy to see why the story of their
campaigns should be suppressed in a
Southern school history. 1t is not a
pleasant memory for the South: neither is
Waterloo for Bonapartist. Bail Run,
Chickamauga. Fredericksburg. are not
pleasant memories to the North. but it
would be most inane and immoral to omit
these stories of terrible Union disasters
from school histories intended for North
ern or Southern circulation. Neither
section can afford to educate their
children to error 10y suppression
of leading facts of American history"
expurgated school histories are as stupid
rs expurgated editions of the classics.
Only a childish and a vainglorious people
will insist on history that recites nothing
lint fbeir glory and whiteWashes or sup