The Durham recorder. [volume] (Durham, N.C.) 1879-19??, 1895-01-16
MISTAKES OF HISTORY.
rors That Creep Into the Popular Mind
aud Are Hard To Eradicate.


and Are Hard to Eradicate.
"What is history but universally ac-
epted fable?n said learned Smith
bnian professor. II quote the great
Napoleon. For example, consider Ply
houth rock. In the town of Plymouth
rock with fence around it. It's
sort of local fetish. On Forefather's
Law every year exercises are held there
{ommemorating the alleged fact that
bn this rock the pilgrims landed. As
matter of fact, there is no evidence
hat such was the fact. Prof. Cham
Ming, the historical expert of Harvard,
has traced the story back, and believes
II to have been started by an old man
hamed Faunce, who many years ago
pointed out the rock to some children,
laying: "Here they landed"
History states that the pilgrims ar
tived on Sunday, but refrained from
Ianding until Monday lest they should
hras' ethe Sabbath. That Is pure non
1a5e:ss As matter Of fact, the women
Ind children stayed on the ship all
kinter because it was more comfort.
tble.
THE gorgeousness and high civiliza-
ion of the ancient Mexicans at the
ime OF the Spanish conquest have been
permanently embalmed in history.
fhe whole story is a misrcpresenta-
tion. Cortez naturally wished 10 give
Ihe impression at home that he had
conquered great and rich nation. In
feality it was only a half-civilized and
tsntutorad people. The mode Of living
vas patriarchal, whole families of one
hundred or more pei1'ons living in one
bouse. The communal dwelling was
u one story and necessarily Of large
5ize. These structures were described
a. ~ the Spaniards as palaces The
people ate only one cooked meal each
Bay. for the rest Of their food depend
Ing on grub diet picked up anyhow.
|The dinners partaken of by SO many
Individuals are reported in history as
|banquets.'
The schoolboy learns that Columbus
|vas the man who first conceived the
idea that the world was round. Moth
ing could be more nonsensical. The
/ truth Is, that he merely accepted a no.
\ ion on this subject which had been
banded down from classic times by
tcholarly men. strabo, the Latin
euthor, was one OF these. The corcep-
ion was for many centuries as q faint
light glimering In darkness.
Let ME call your attention TO an in
|tance Of the makiEg Of fictitious his
Eory There are excellent reasons for
believing that the Norsempn reached
Hhe shores Of North America before TO.
pumbus. The records of their sagas.
however, give no notion Of the locality
where they landed Only few such
hon-descriptiye facts are stated a. that
they found grapes growing. Yet an
enthusiast named HorsfOrd. a trustee
of Harvard, few years ago built on
the Charles river a tower between
waltham and Newton TO CON.
memorate the landing Of the Morse
voyagers at that point The
sagas tell Of going up u river
and Horsfurd chose 10 assume that the
Charles river was the river referred 10.
Very likely the notion thus recorded
by a monument will gain u general
credit some day, though there is no
more reason TO suppose that the river
was the Charles than that Il was the
Delaware or Hudson, or any one Of
dozens Of other rivers.
Il quoted Napoleon a moment ago.
You probably know that no battle was
ever fought at Waterloo. Waterloo
was n post dispatch station some miles
distant Dispatches were sent thence
to England, and hence the name given
% the battle.
"Sicridan's ride TO Winchester was
not twenty miles-not over ten miles.
think. There never was any founda.
ton In fact for the story Of barbara
frietchie. The same Il true Of the
yarns about pocahon.as and John
smith. Washington star.