The Durham recorder. [volume] (Durham, N.C.) 1879-19??, 1896-07-02
MISTAKES or HISTORY.
ors That Creep Into the Popular Mind
and Are Hard 70 Eradicate.

ana Are Hard 10 Eradicate.
"What is history but universally ae-
pepted fable?" said learned Smith.
onian professor II quote the great
Napoleon. For example, consider Ply.
mouth rock. In the town Of Plymouth
ts rock with fence around it. 1t is
> sort of local fetish. On Forefather's
day every year exercises are held there
COMMUNICATING the alleged fact that
on this rock the pilgrims landed. AS
matter Of fact, there is no evidence
that such was the fact. Prof Chan
ming, the historical expert of Harvard.
has traced the story back, and believes
II to have been started by an old man
named Faunce, who many years ago
pointed out the rock to some children.
saying: 'Y,ere ttlI landed" =.
History sta:es THU. the pilgrims ar
rived on Sunday, but iefrained from
landing until Monday lost they should
break the Sabbath. That is pure non
sense. As matter of fact, the women
and children stayed on the ship all
winter because it was more comfort
able. -
1.-THE gorgeousness and high civilizs
ION st the ancient Mexicans at ths
.ime OF the Spanish conquest have beon
permanently embalmed IN history.
The whole story is a misrepresentir
ton. Cortez naturally wished to give
the impression at home that no had
conquered great and rich nation. In
reality it was only a half-civilized and
untutored people. The mode of living
was patriarchal, whole families of one
hundred or more persons living in ono
house. The communal dwelling was
Of one story and necessarily of large
size. These structures were Described
by the Spaniards as palaces The
people ate only one cooked meal each
day, 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 a.
'banquets.'
THE schoolboy learns that Columbus
was the man who first conceived the
ides that the world was round. Moth
ing could be more nonsensical. The
truth is, that he merely accepted mo-
ton on this subject which had been
handed down fron classic times by
scholarly men. Strabo, the Latin
author, was one Of these. The concep-
ton was for many centuries as faint
light glimering in darkness.
"Let me call your attention to an in
stance of the making of fictitious his
tory. There are excellent reasons for
believing that the Norsemen reached
the shores of North America before Co
| lumbus. The records of their sagas,
however, give no notion of the locality
where they landed. Only few such
non-descriptive facts are stated as that
they found grapes growing. Yet an
| enthusiast named Horsford, a trustee
Of Harvard, few years ago built on
the Charles river tower between
Waltham and Newton to COM
memorate the landing of the Morse
voyagers at that point Ths
ngas tell of going up a riyel
and Horsford chose to assume that the
Charles river was the river referred to.
Very likely the notion thus recorded
by a monument will gain 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.
~ quoted Napoleon a moment ago.
You probably know that no battle wss
ever fought at Waterloo. Waterloo
was a post dispatch station some miles
distant. Dispatches were sent thence ]
10 England, and hence the name given
20 the battle.
'.Sheridan'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
Erietchie. The same is true of the
yarns about Pocahontas and John
Smith. "-Washington Star.