The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-12-05
"A Significant Southern Movement.

The Nc,cs and Courier Of Charleston, in
South Carolina, has provoked a discussion
concerning the text books in United States
history proper for use in Southern schools,
which indicates a desire and a determine
ton to provide Southern children with in
struction in the history of their country
that shall be specially adapted to the preju-
dices Of that part of the Union. The de-
mand expressed is for histories that shall
treat the war OF the rebellion from the
Southern point Of view, and for those only.
The Charleston journal started the dis
cussion by deploring the apparent indiffer-
ence of our people to the evil of allowing
perverted histories to be employed in
the education of our children" Its refer
ence is to the standard text books in United
States history, which deal with the civil
wal in a national rather than a purely sec
tional spirit. All such histories it would
drive out of Southern schools, substi-
tuting for them distinctively Southern his
tories by Southern writer's; and to that
end it is seeking to stir up the Confederate
Veteran associations to a united effort to
induce legislators and school authorities to
exclude the obnoxious books" and replace
them with books whose treatment Of the
rebellious attempt to break up the Ameri-
can Union is Southern in tone and color.
Representatives Of those associations, how-
ever, write to the South Carolina paper that
they need no such provocation, but that the
task of keeping alive the old secession spirit
has been assumed by them of their own vo-
lition and vigorously performed. 1t seems
chat thn Irp,tnI Ta.-s. ~,
torical Committee unanimously adopted n
report in May Of last year which describes
the evil fully and strongly, and urges
that active steps be taken for its
correction" The steps it urges are the ex-
clusion of the objectionable books" in
favor of histories that are true and lust to
both Sides" The report gives a list of
eleven text books which 1t recommends
without hesitation" as suitable for pres
ent, il not for permanent use" They are
all by Southern writers exclusively. 1t also
announces with qualification that "other
school histories are in preparation by South
ern authors, which give promise of great
excellence" Finally. it calls upon the
Veterans Associations to provide for
carrying into effect the recommendations of
this committee" and it seems that the
exhortatlon has been needed. For instance,
the superintendent of n public school in
Florence, South Carolina, writes to the
Neus and Courier that, to his horror, he
found one Of the obnoxious" Northern
histories in use in hat school, and re-
moved it as soon as ne could"
1t appears, therefore, that there is a con-
certed and vigorous effort to drive out all
Northern histories of the United States
from 1.-The families and schools of the
South" SO that the children in the old
secessionist Confcderncy shall receive in
struction only from those which present n
narrative and n view favorable to the "lost
cause" The plan is to urge upon our
people the great Importance Of avoiding the
purchase and dissemination OF books and
literature which are unkind and unfair to
the South and to keep up the agitation
increasingly.
That is, this significant movement is for
the purpose of combining the children of the
old secession States to histories distorted to
suit Southern sentiment peculiarly. 1t is a
scheme to keep alive the spirit of the lost
cause" and intensity the sectionalism and
provincialism of the South by intoxicating
in each succeeding generation as it grows
up, a sentiment that is distinctively south
ern, and therefore hostile to the feeling Of
nationality which Is essential to the perpe-
tuity of the republic.
1t is accordingly a wholly pcrnicious
movement, Instead of persisting in its
steps backward from civilization, the old
Confederate South, more than any other
part of the American Union, needs to get in
line with the progress of civilization. 1t
needs TO look ahead instead of wasting vain
regrets over its failure a generation ago to
break up this republic, in the interest of the
barbarous institution of human slavery.
ME IualIanu nj 4aIyarl