The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-10-04
A SIGNAL

The revision of the school history in use
In Indiana so that justice has been done 10
the Union cause and Union soldiers during
the war should afford encouragement to all
those who have a good cause. A veteran,
seeing a school history, picked 1t up and
opened it by chance at a page where Gen.
Lee was applauded, and where nothing was
said of Lincoln or Grant. This discovery
led him to read until he became indignant.
He took the matter to his Grand Army
post in this city. His post asked the other
posts to join in naming a committee to in
vestigate the school histories. This COM
mittee devoted many evenings of the win
ter of 1885 to reading school histories, the
result of which was that it made a report
of a very vigorous character, which was
referred to the State Encampment. The en-
oampment named a committee to bring the
matter to the attention of the Board of
Education. AS a new contract was about to
be made for school histories for the State,
a contest began at once between the Grand
Army committee and the publishers of the
history in use. Fortunately, the cause of the
Union and the Union soldiers was ~intrusted
TO persistent as well as dDIe IleI. lie
Board of Education was persuaded that
changes should be made, and the publishers
agreed to make them. When the new his
tories were received it occurred TO q town
ship trustee, who is a Grand Army man, to
see if the changes had been made as prom
Used. He found the promise had not been
made good and the fight was renewed. The
racrtIt &c 4hat thu Dnarl IF Erd17oatinn hnC
insisted, and the publishers viii do as they
agreed with hat portion of their histories
which are sent to Indiana.
AT no time did the committee of the
Grand Army nave the support and assist
ance of many of the friends of popular edu-
cation, or of any considerable portion of the
press of the State. On the other hand,
there were those who quietly opposed the
movement, on the ground that to change
the textbook as indicated would arouse
sectional animosities, which should not be
done. The fears of these excellent people
did not deter the committee from carrying
out the purpose of the Grand Army. 1t in
sisted that the cause of the Union should
be fairly stated, that the praise Of the valor
of Confederate armies and silence regarding
that of Union armies should not lead the
present generation to suspect that the lat
ter were inferior to the former, and that,
If the loyal submission of Lee TO the result
of the war was praised, the magnanimity
of Grant must not be ignored. Because it
insisted, the magnaninity of Grant is
placed above the high quality OF the sub
mission of Lee. Statements regarding bat
ties and figures in foot notes and in text
have been revised. In short, the history of
the United States which will hereafter be
used in the schools will do justice to both
sides.
The National -Encampment of the Grand
Army, at st. Paul, authorized a committee
to take up and carry forward, for all the
States which it repre- ents, the work So au>
spiciously begun in Indianapolis, and taken
Up by the great veteran organization Of tie.
State. In honor of the signal service of the
Department of Indiana the chairman Of the
Indiana committee will be made the chair
man of the national committee. Thus. from
so small a beginning, a national movement
is under way which Will insure to the public
schools of the country an impartial history
of the period of the war for the Union. IT
has succeeded because it was a lust cause