Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-09-17
THE HISTORY REPORT.
Chairman Royal Replies to Mr.
Brent's Criticisms.

| Camp. Confederate veterans, Oh shbi'n
whose report severely criticised the ac
ton of the State Board of Education IL
placing the histories of Fiske and Cooper
Estil e. Lemon on the school list. an(
was in turn scored by Mr.. f. =. Brent
secretary of that board, gave the follow
ing interview to the press yesterday:
II have nothing whatever TO say In m
character as chairman of the Histor,
| Committee, and the report speaks for IL
self. and will, think, take care OF itself
but as William J.. Royal, the individual
/ must protest against Mr.. Brent's treat
ing the document as my individual report
1T is the unanimous report OF the His
tory Committee Of the Grand Camp, Con
| federatc Veterans.
INSPECTED THE BOOK.
II must also protest against Mr.. Brent!
intimation that / get my views from in
| terested critics. I get my views from az
inspection Of the books themselves, and
as an individual I wish to repeat what
| have said as chairman Of the History
| Committee. / will never permit my son
| in the formative period of his mind. tC
| be taught the views Of the southern peo-
| pie and the Confederate soldier that are
| to be found in those books.
II may add that / cannot quite under
stand Mr.. Brent's assuming the RESPONSE
| bility for F'iske's History being on the
| list He is only the secretary Of the Board
of Education. and has no voice in the Sc
lection of books to go upon the list That
Is the function of the board itself, and IL
| cannot abdicate it's function.
"But as he actually, according 10 his
own account, imposed Fiske upon our
schools, l would like to ask him a ques-
| ton.
He says he was aware of some Of its
blemishes. and had written Mr. Fiske and
his publishers, urging certain modifica-
| tons and corrections. the inference being
| that the Brooks-Sumner matter was one
Of the blemishes He then says that when
! the board was considered the propriety
of placing Fiskes History on the list.
Governor Tyler asked him If it contained
any statements prejudicial to the South.
A PERTINENT QUERY.
Now, / would like to ask him If he
pointed out to Governor Tyler that Fiske
represented i'm his account of the Brooks
Sumner matter that the people of South
Carolina had, by an almost unanimous
vote, sent back to Congress a man whom
Fiske represents as a person who lad at
tempted to assassinate Charles Gunner?
Il do not know that after being in ses-
sion here for weeks the Board of Educa-
ton would be willing to admit Mr.. Brent's
responsibility as to selecting all the books
but / am disposed to believe that they
will be willing to allow Mr.. Brent all the
responsibility for Fiskes."
MIR. BRENT REPLIES.
Mr.. Brent makes the following reply IN
answer to Mr.. Royals structures:
II do not deem it necessary to say any
thing further in reply to Mr.. Royal, as
he has not attempted to refute any
statement made by me in regard TO his
inconsiderate report to the Grand Camp
on, the history question. The more closely
/ examine his report the more |
am convinced of its inaccuracies and its
injustice TO the State Board of Educa-
ton. For instance, he quotes the Brooks
Sumner incident from an old edition of
Fiske's History, in which Brooks Is rep
resented as having approached Sumner
from behind. The edition in possession
of the State Board of Education con-
tains no such statement. 1t had been
changed before the book was ever Of
fered for adoption.
Knowing Mr.. Fiske to be great his
torian and a fair-minded man, l wrote
to him and his publishers. Messrs. Hough-
ton, Mihlin e CO., of Boston, call
ing attention to certain statements
that 1 considered unfair 10 the South.
In a few days I received the following
reply from Houghton, Mifflin & Co:
1--WE note your statement that there
are certain things in Mr.. Fiske's History
that you would like to see changed. We
assure you that any suggestion you may
make will be very carefully considered.
for it is Mr. Fiskes wish. as we'll as our
own, that his book shall be historically
accurate. We know that his interest in
Old Virginia is such that he will listen
with a very attentive ear TO any sugges-
tons that you may be kind enough to
send. He has already consented TO a
modification of the Brooks-Sumner cpl
side
THE QUESTION ANSWERED.
This letter, written on the 4th day of
August, 1898, shows the spirit of the
author and the publishers of the book.
Mr.. Royal asks me whether told Gov
ernor Tyler that Fiske represented the
people of South Carolina as having sent
back to Congress by an almost unani-
nous vote man who, according to Fiske,
had attempted to assassnate Sumner.
No. i did not, because such a statement
would have been as unjust to Fiske as
Mr.. Royals criticism of the book is 10
the author and the Board of Education
do not see that Fiske's statement even
as quoted by Mr.. Royal, shows anything
more than the excited and inflamed con-
dition of the public mind in South Caro-
lima. We have no more to do with de-
Tending the conduct of Preston Brooks
than we have with defending the cruel
tyranny of General NJ. c.. Butler i'm his
recent treatment Of the Third Virginia
Regiment.
HE HADN'T SEEN IT
''Mr. Royal objects to my treatment of
the report as his individual production.
He says it is the unanimous report of the
History Committee of the Grand Camp.
Four members of this committee are re-
ported to have been present yesterday
when the report was read and adopted |
Mr.. NJ. w. Hazelwood, one of the COM |
mittee. told me to-day that he had never |
seen a copy of Fiske's History And yet |
he is reported as having voted for Mr..
Royals report. Touching Cooper. Estll |
& Lemons History, 1 will say that Mr.. |
Estill, one Of the authors of the book, /
and CHM & Co.. the publishers of il, as |
sured DIR. Southall that all inaccuracies |
would be corrected and all Objectionable |
passages would be eliminated If Mr..
Royal had taken the trouble to consult |
any member of the State Board of Edu-
cation before writing his report. he would |
have been saved from the unfortunate
position In which he has placed himself |
FRANK 7. BRENT"