The sun., 1896-10-07
HAwTHoRNES TEXT BOOK.
A COMPILATION or LITERARY
MISJUDGMENTs.

Flushing Board OF Education on account OF
text book on American literature that is used
in the high school of that town. The book Ia
tho work principally OF Julian Hawthorne. Tho
tempest was raised at the last meeting OF the
Board of Education by Frederick Hebbard, who
demanded that tho use of the book be dscon-
tinued and that another book be used In its
place. The chief complaints against the book
are that IL is prejudiced, that is unjust In its
conclusions. and above all, that 1t is so written
that it will keep alive seotionalism In the minds
OF the pupils, Rlorifying the South and its
cause and sneerinR at and abusing the North
ern cause and magnifying Southern writers be-
yond their merits. Incidentally. the complainant
AYERS that for book written by Hawthorne
the Hawthorne family occupies much too
prominent place In 1t. AZ to the other literary
judgments, tho opponents of the book declare
that they are SO manifestly unfair and preju-
diced that the pupil who uses the book cannot
form n correct idea Of the merit of and place
occupied by various writers.
As to the charges OF sectlonaiism. the oppo-
nents say this is explained by the preface. Mr..
Julian Hawthorne is chiefly responsible for the
book, and his father was man with Southern
sympathies. Mr.. Hawthornos aide In the prep
aration Of tho book was Mr.. Leonard Lennon,
Superintendent of Schools Of Sherman, Tex,
and the help of Charles w. Stevenson Of War
rensburg. Mo-. and H. C. Davis and G. G. Hem-
ming of Gainsville, Tex, is acknowledged. This
of itself, say the opponents, shows where the
prejudice comes from.
Among the things noticed as illustrating this
ia the section given to William Lloyd Garrison
in the chapter headed Some Statesmen and
Historians" Mr.. Hawthorne says:
but there was violent party at the North
that insisted on the abolition OF slavery without
regard to law or Constitution" and then going
TO the discussion of Garrison he says: I'm COM
mon with others of his time he had developed
the doctrines OF human freedom contained in the
Declaration of Independence and the Constitu-
ton until he found himself in an attitude Of
criticism toward all forms of government; and
his religious convictions were also peculiar
- Country. patriotism. national power
were as nothing In his eyes IL they obstructed
the discharge OF n moral duty"
Speaking of Webster and his attitude toward
the extremists OF the North preceding the
passage of the Mason Fugitive Slave law, Mr..
Hawthorne says:
But with the growing acerbity of sectional
animocties. the extremists began to murmur
because Webster refused to give their war
dances and echo their threats. But
these persons were victims of the same sort Of
optical illusion that leads the uanstructed to
suppose that the sun revolves around the
earth"
Speaking of Webster's speech on the meas
vre. March z. $780, the book says:
He rebuked the hair Drained and premature
real of the Abolitionists: and tho picture he
drew of the consequences to the South of Sc
cession was of such convincing force as to de-
lay for q decade their resort to that alterna-
tive"
Referring to others of tho same period. Mr..
Hawthorne says of Wendell Phillips: Patriot
he cannot be termed, and. ardently though he
IN 1ova ref0rm he prohahlv loved
speaking on 1t even better" John G. Calhoun
has q page to himself. Henry Clay has nearly
two and Garrison. Phillips. and Sumner have
to content themselves with page and a half
all told. Jefferson Davis gets two notices. one
on page 7s. whore he 10 called "a trenchant
controversialist. author of The Rise and Fall
81 the Confederate Govesnmen." 1I sh',, and u.
tory Of the Confederate States Of Amerl-
GSSd notice rfsdPs Is Ss nss nSss' of as
ander H. stephens. an eminently temperate
and luminous writer" and T. then foley fol.oT william
ncient TO announce that he was Of Lincoln's
Cabinet and G was ;.. the author Of rdipIomat!e
Lincoln. who though anything but a literary
man. was among Ameries's history makers"
farewell addresses and commemorative speech
q Gettysburg. which are unsurpas,ed for
msnt." That is all Lincoln gets Under the
second notice about Davis is sentenee that
made valuable contributions to the history OF
the civil waT:" Grant, however. got a section
to himself. No other histories OF the civil war
Another point made by the objeotors to the
much more space than they are S entitled 70 shs in
comparison with Northern writer's. Sidney
Ho En xes and dSfihFss " GSss a4s
SON. son gets three lines, and Charles Egbert Grad
dock Mary n MurfreeJ gets nearly q page.
Julia Ward Howe is forgotten entirely. Will
psm LENT TilmoR s!mms, John Esten Cooke; John
and thrse-quarters. Mr.. Hawthorns saying:
future: indeed. it is more than possible that an
Donald G. Mitchell and John G. SAKE are dis
That Mr.; Hawthorne is bound to give promi.
nence to his own family is seen at once. His
lin the honor of having q chapter to himself and
Is page ssesd IL Psp0f of American
H.ants Whittier, Holland Hale Winthrop TheodofeJ.
on 6aySfd WStsy ISyloT IT, apa ls.ss, ones In the article
MI THaTthorne n says. among other things:
0nyissn @sy Ss,s SsInsa whe guided hf
and hndered his artistic deveIopmeat ynssnt ss1
Gated marrow. prejudiced, his headlong zeal
men wished TO act. rather than reflect Tho
spoon having passed. the verse OF which it was
the occas!on must cease TO bs judged by other
thah literary standards, and according to these
s.hnaarGs It's value is, for the most part COM
hSveEtng to the Hawthorne element In In.
oook, there Is oyer half page of laudatory
Nh N9rninsht I, devoted 10 George Parsons. Lnthrop.
oar: HnTthoTne's hrother.in-law, and a hall
HaRa lor Mr.. Hawthorne himself whose works
IhniGate powers In tbs writer which. IL con-
tSrm,enIonsy Smea and carefully employed might pro.
H%uve % good results That is evident from tha
Hsnu HSeu ihnt since those lines were written MIR,
mfIwttih2rne has written a 10000 prize novei
nS,Ih Mnich nobody has heard since Its prize pub'
d.psn uI i2.e are not all the things that must h,
Iba hon1 IRON the attacks Of the opponents Of
ths ,yrisn., ithey mai ante!n that the function OF
uas, "r,ter @ o. text book literature is To- sue.
tyri,.r evIn & lhat Wholesale condemnation Of n
ment OF thr pn works are admired by large ee-
tsnd ~ ~ thS people is out OF place They con-
tNLi,nat Ia WI h"wthorne's remarks about Wait
w mntmah ~ ahu anu Edgar Allen Poe are absolu,siv
~. Son ot pace hhG ot themselves unfit the bonS
says about Whitman " ''""' VI the thlngs he