The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1897-11-28
A VIGOROUS INDICTMENT
or THE METHODS OF TEACHING
HISTORY IN THE SOUTH.
A strong Plea for Justice To tho Memory
Of the Zen who Risked All to De-
feud Home and Character.


an admirable address was delivered by
Professor John p. MCGUIRE. The visor-
Gus plea for the proper education OF 'nc
young in the history OF the late wa,
and the strong Indictment Of the methous
which ave been pursued, make coi,.i-
button 10 the fight for correct history
which should never be lost and TO that
end The Times has secured the fuil 'e~'
OF the address for its readers.
Professor Mcclure spoke as foilows;
Some years before the late war, MI
Chairman, distinguished Northern
statesman gave 20 party OF southern
men the following impressive counsel:
you gentlemen" he said. must go
home and beat your plough shares into
swords and your pruning-hooks INTO
stpcars, for the Northern school mistress
ts are training a generation OF Northelh
oys TO make war upon the South. ne
" as faithful counsellor. Many OF inns
AZ Idience remember the text books USED
10. that dire purpose: the books that the
ea. Az going Southerner even then bought
IN the Northern market and put into the
hal IDS OF his own children. the pictures
of Southern cotton fields. and Southern
ma sters and OVerseers. standing with
VIII ps Of inordinate length. apparently
aws dtng an opportunity for brutality.
TRAINED TO HATE.
W hen. sir. upon the invitation Of the
veto ran commander for the State. i de-
tern lined TO break the professional ST.
lenc OF years, and aid as far as i could
the great rescue work. i'm which you are
enga ged. IL was with all my heart. II
has been bitter grief to me to see
whole generation of young Virginians
taugi al TO estimate the motives. the deeds
the characters OF their fathers by men
who in their youth were trained TO hate
them and In their manhood sought their
lives.
To l,ut II mildly just at first 1t has been
a stra nge situation. whether we look upon
man 2 S yet a little lower than the angels
who doubtless have no sense of wrong.
or as "A little above the beasts, that love
and defend their young during the help
less stage. and afterwards forget. I
have sought TO recall the little history
that know. and i verify believe that
never since man became living soul, by
the breath of the Creator so elevated
above the beasts that ne looked beyond
the passing day, realized the fact that
thinking posterity would follow him. and
30 began TO keep record of his thoughts
and actions that he might not be forgot
ten. never, Sir, since that day has so
strange a thing been done. Think YOU
Sir. that the priests of Isis and Osiris
the learned men OF Egypt. taught the
story of Cambyses' destroying march as
the Persians told IL? that the children Of
Darius drew their account of Alexander's
invasion from Macedonian sources? that
those heroic Spartan mothers trusted
the fire-worshippers of Xerxes to teach
the children of Leonidas the meaning of
the blood stains upon the shield on
W 70
home from Thermopylae? or that the
descendants OF Datis and Mardonius
taught the story of Marathon and Plat
aea as Thucydides told It? Did Cedric
the Saxon hire a Norman to tell how
Harold fell and Hastings was last? Sir
Walter Scott was great writer. Think
you that in the schools of France his
Life Of Napoleon is used TO teach the
children Of France how 10 estimate their
great emperor.
GRAVE MATTER.
Mr. Percy Gregg has written what
some OF us consider a good book His
picture of General Lee, and general esti-
mate OF Southern men and things suit us
very well. But would you, or any Vir-
gilman. who knows the mind Of a child
be willing that his son should be set 10
con for days, or even for an hour, that au-
fer IL by channel of sight to the brain?
] think that the Northern enthusiast,
who bought up for destruction all the
copies he could find Of the first edition
of that book lest Northern boys might
read our splendid story, was a wise man
and good one. Let Northern schools
teach Northern boys to honor their
fathers, but let us do likewise. II q
matter of priceless import to us that that
shall be nation Of honorable. self-re-
specting men. Let them guard their
sons. ] say. But let us be no longer un-
faithful to oursi Perforce we are TO live
with them. Whether we will or not. as
ISOLATION with them will in n measure
affect our people. not only I'm the ma
terial prosperity that may come and go
with their votes. but in the far higher
matter OF character, that by contact is
more or less changed Let them teach
their sons TO honor their fathers. The
by who does not, the boy who can not.
the boy who has been so taught that he
Is not sure that his father was worthy
OF honor In character in motive and i'm
action-unless rescued by influences for
which we have no right to look-wil be
a base man.
The Fifth Commandment has the prom
Use OF the life that now is and OF that
which is TO come. What shall we say OF
the boy or for the boy who has been so
taught that he cannot unreservedly obey
It? No promise nor hope is there for
him. and good men will have none of
him.
A STRANGE THING.
Sir, I believe that never before have
men who honored their own fathers and
loved their children allowed this strange
thing 10 be done. Never has II been
done in the whole course OF human his
tory. except when some relentless con-
queror-some man Of blood and IRON
bent TO destroy root and branch. has en-
forced it at price OF liberty and life.
For the good OF all. desire that North
ern boys shall be taught to honor their
fathers. I demand that ours shall be.
VIII you pardon a personal allusion?
Some years ago the commander Of the
monitor feet. then lying in James river.
brought me his son 10 be taught. The
boy was al the point when ne should have
studied United States history. told his
father that no must remember that II
taught him ne would have to learn what
] believed 20 be the truth.
oh" he replied. 81 want him TO learn
what General George Meade believed
true" Gle happened TO be General
Meade's nephew.
well" I told him. ''you had better
teach him United States history down at
the ship and 7 will teach him other
things here"-and so we arranged II. So
j would always arrange IL. Let them
make the best men they can Of their sons
and let us at last begin again 10 make
the best we can Of ours.