Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-05-07
"FIRsT REPUBLIC OF AMERICA"
"R. A. H." Makes Comment Upon the
Book and Our Review.

To the Editor or the DlspalcH'
IF the somewhat sweeping review
in your issue Of the LIST instant. of the
earnest labors of DR. Alexander Brown,
and more particularly of his last invalua-
BILE work-"The First Republic of Ameri-
ca''-were less enigmatical 1t might be
needless for me to avail myself of your
kind invitation to offer for your columns
further comment.
The definition of History" as given in
the Century Dictionary, may be con-
cisely stated as recorded. or accom-
plished fact" The following citation
Is also given: at is the true office Of
history to represent the events them
selves, together with the annals. and 20
leave the observations and conclusions
thereon to the liberty Of every man
judgment.-Bacon's Advancement of
Learning. H.. 1876"
The potency Of song and folklore. or
tradition, in moulding public opinion
is universally admitted. The prime mo-
tive i'm the constant literary offerings
of DR.. Brown Stree early manhood Is
clearly manifest. He has ever sought
and endeavored to present the truth
only. He may be allowed to dis
pose of any implication as to his
opinions" or his 'prejudices." The i'm
pulse actuating him is frankly stated in
his preface:
Captain John Smith was the hero of
my childhood; but after reaching man
hood. as l continued my studies. / was
obliged to abandon one idea after an
other which | had derived from Smiths
history. until / was finally obliged to
relinquish my faith i'm him, andt | then
became convinced that there was GER
tainly something wrong with our earliest
history"
Deprived Of hearing from injuries re-
ceiyed as "A Confederate soldier, and de-
barred from business pursuits. he con-
tinues: II then determined to try 10
locate this historic wrong. and to right
it. II l could. With this object in
view, | searched for evidence whereso-
ever there seemed a prospect of finding
any. | have collected great deal and
it is really not me, but this evidence.
which is opposing the Smith views I
believe that the maxim. Under no cir
cumstances are we justified i'm defending
an injurious story which we do not know
to be true, is an especially good maxim
In matters of history, where truth and
justice are necessary for historic uses.
Smiths history is beneficial TO himself.
but IL is injurious TO others; and how
ever true parts OF it may be. It conveys
an untrue and trivial idea Of the great
movement Of which 1t pretends 10 be
a history"
After a tribute to the wisdom and be-
nefcence of the broad designs of Sir
Edwin Sandys. he admits that Smith
was a brave man. but urges that he was
not the only one in Virginia"
THE history of the origin of the nation
must now be written from the records
of the Virginia Company, which were
then suppressed by the Council. rather
than from the histories of writer's H.
censed by the Crown" "'The main
question is not whether John Smith was
saved by Pocahontas. but whether our
earliest history can be saved from the
incorrect and unjust ideas conveyed by
Smith, and formerly accepted by our
historians"
The Divine command to honor those
who produced us. that our days may be
long in the land, is as applicable to a
nation as to a man" Ii is a mistake
to think Cas some do) that the matter
Is OF especial Importance 10 Virginia
only, and the responsibility Tor the his
toric conditions must be laid on Virgin
ians alone"
With the preface. all presentation OF
his opinions" or "prejudices," by DR.
Brown. ceases. and his treatment OF
his subject, therefore. is rgidly By the
abduction of authority. I'm preparing
to write this book (he states) / have
made a careful chronological. and gene
raj index Of all the evidences in the pre-
misses that l could find. written between
1905 and 1867. with few by contempo-
raries, but of later publications" 1.-The
volume has been written from these in
dices, and every statement I'm 1t is based
on these evidences. and not on the
writings OF any more modern authors
AS to some statements. 1 have only one
authority; as to others, there are many
Sometimes the several references TO the
same item agree fairly WELL at other
times they are contradictory. In such
cases l have followed the evidences
which i regarded as the most reliable
avoiding controversial evidences. fol
controversy is not history, and we can,
not accept a mooted question as an his
torical fact injecting eX parte evidences
and unfriendly criticisms; frequently
confning myself TO the words OF tho
original documents; always trying simply
To state the facts, and let them speal
for themselves.
Inc oHlceS pef1Ofneu Dy Ut. BfoWI
may not be sneered at. They are price
less in their vlndication OF truth. OF
virtue. and of honor
Public sentiment is often baseless. and
oftener unreasonable. Much animad-
version has been visited on those who
honestly doubted the truth of Smiths
narratives, and this has not always beer
pleasant: no one is willing TO be unjustly
censured. and surely every man Is JUST
fed In his own conscientious conclusions
A deceased scholar and diligent stu
dent. an evolution from mercantile life
Charles Deane. LII. D.. OF Boston. Whose
valuable library has lately been dis
pcrsed by auction. was the first 10 ex
pose the filllibllity OF Smiths histories.
and this hr did critically and dispassiop
ately American students are indebted
to DR.. Deane In the devotion Oh III