Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-12-10


IN saying this, that since i have been
chairman of the committee I have never
been able-I have never been able. be-
tween the meetings of the Grand Camp,
10 get full attendance Of the History
Committee l have tried repeatedly
Colonel Cussons is the only one who has
responded every time when | called the
History Committee / want to say fur
Their still, that whenever / called them.
we have had a public gathering, either at
the Exchange Hotel or in the Capitol
building All of my reports-I had TO
write the reports-between the sessions of
the Grand Camp, / labored as hard as
man could do TO work up sentiment
against Barnes's History. and on that
line | want to say this. that l am proud
TO say that l am backed up and support
ed In that circular that / sent to the
History Committee by the School Board
OF the city of Richmond, and the report
on Shinn's History, at the time / sent
II to these gentlemen. A more fattering
and more complimentary report / have
never read from any one on any history,
and the School Board endorsed It'll
think, written by Mr.. Fox. If / am mis-
taken. some gentleman can correct me.
Then 1t was, Mr.. Chairman, that we had
on the lst-the Board of Education had
placed it on the list in March-let me
get the year straight-the first year Of
QFerrall-1S94-Marc 1894, or some time
in the fail or spring of 1894, they had
placed on the list of histories to be fur
nished for use in the public schools of
Virginia, two histories-Holmes's and
Barnes's. When that was done, l went
away back yonder. and ] found that
Barnes's History had been used in the
public schools of Virginia for very many
years past-had been on the list
TOOK THE BEST COURSE.
At the meeting of the Grand Camp in
Alexandria in 1894 the History Committee
consulted nOinf-hnVV
get any more southern histories on the
list? We decided then-and knew that
the University Publishing Company and
the American Book Company had the
control Of furnishing histories to the peo-
pie of Virginia-to the schools of Vir-
ginia-and had a contract for four long
years. l think you were present at the
Grand Camp sir. Colonel Morgan, and I
think Colonel Taylor was. We went
down then and there, and decided then
that as the University Publishing Com
pany and the American Book Concern had
close corporation in furnishing our
children with school books, we took the
best we could find, using Colonel Gus
sOns's expression, better than Barnes's.
and we took Hansell's History and
Shinn'S History, and adopted them, and
L want TO say, when they were adopted,
out of my own pocket, / was so anxious
to get those histories on the list before
the 1st of October, when the schools open
ed. as soon as the Grand Camp adjourn
ed. or as soon afterwards as practicable,
i got a certified copy of our proceedings
from the AdJutant General; / left my
home. l went to see the School Board,
and asked them TO meet me in Richmond,
as the chairman of the committee. The
reply was: Governor O'Ferrall is at the
Blue Ridge, Mr.. Massey is at Charlottes-
ville and Major Scott is at Warrenton.
] took that same report we had adopted,
/ went 60 Charlottesville. and said to Mr..
Massey. "Wll you approve this IL the
two other members will concur?" He
said: Il will" Taking the train that
night I went 20 Blue Ridge. and had an
interview with Governor O'Ferrall. and
he endorsed it. l mailed from Blue Ridge
the approval OF these two gentlemen to
Major Scott at WarrentOn. and received
a reply that it was a unanimous thing,
and the two books would go on the list.
Now that was the Board Of Education.
Their hands were tied; they tied them
selves up; we were tied: they tied us up;
and that circular letter. want to go on
10 say, was sent for the purpose OF find
ing out whether the majority OF the HIS
tory Committee would not approve OF
Shinn's History. and have a uniform his
tory in Virginia; wipe out Barness, II
we could; get rid of ii. If we could; 1t
was a stencil in the nostrils of every
decent man, and it is now.
- SENT TO THE COMMITTEE.
And 1 then and there said if a majority
History until the new Board Of Educa-
ton would come in which would not be
until 1898, we would have UNIFORM school
history in Virginia like the people OF
Richmond had adopted Shinn's History 10
be used in the schools here. Now, that
is oil / know about that circular letter.
And | want 10 say further without con-
sultation with anyboay, ! was 1J IN rHe
that session-as soon as l wrote that re-
port-I could not get the committee TO-
eether, for II was very inconyenient LOT
the gentlemen to come here-l sat down
and wrote that circular letter, and re-
ceiyed a very courteous reply from eacn
one OF them, and they endorsed on II
pro or con, and that circular letter was
nothing in the world but an inquiry as
10 whether they would endorse the &C
tion of the School Board of the city OF
Richmond and adopt Shinn's History un-
iii we could get better history from
the Board of Education IN 1870 ndVS
never had any interview. Some one SAID
/ was Intimate with Mr.. Womack. L am
not Intimate with him. l know him as
everybody else knows him; and 1 want
10 say 10 this committee thaf as chalrilan
~ the History Committee l have neces-
sarily had interviews with men who were
odyocating certain books; pleasant as
they could be. no proposition ever inauY
TO prefer one book to another, anu
have i'm my Office to-day, In the county
~ Cloucester-and receive frequently
comics of histories from all parts or TINS
country. / have never acknowledge the
recent of them, because | took II Tor
granted that they knew l was chairman
70 The History Committee. and they sim
Nv sent me the books. In the last few
20 Ky I have received q cCpy OF "Our
ccooyy,ntrv''-Dr. Jones will help me out
now-pnblished, 1 think, by man named
Ag pr' Jones: Published by Cooper. Estell
a Lehman.
THE LIST OF SIX.
Mr. stubbs. continuing: A southern his.
,orv was sent me, and on the OUTSIDE OF
The cover, just below my haHe' was
T Dr Jones: CHM & Co. publish the
po s3S stubbs: Rush & Co. was on that
~ The word Rush Is stamped WIN
poo'ss.rcti over the word "Ginn.' nave
a ni,,ad Fsields's History: and the inter-
IT,, mat / had with you, sir (addressing
nis tones, al this Grand Camp was SIM
~ -, ~ saw that the histories that were
ny ,n.,v,nended. and they. were recommend-
Ieco,,,,,''animously by the committee. as
su ,,,y recollection serves me, we olu
LdI eS.efSr one TO another, but we Sc
not and I want the committee 70 un,
lec',.,,d this proposition-we seiecteo
dsIs'uii histories, not preferring tnose
oiS .tstnries one over the otner, tney
sin ,here for the purpose OF recon-,
WI ,,.i. those histories we reccmmenusu
nie.Si"A, soar.i of Education next Marcn
70 s mn ,vhen they meet 10 seiect tns,e-
or np.sn 49,, the use OF the puDnc scnoois;;
itoh, 49,, said 10 me: Don't recommenu