The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1898-02-05
HISTORY las SHE IS TAUGHT"

HISTORY las SHE IS TAUGHT"
An esteemed correspondent of the Irish
Standard approves the holding up to pub
lie reprcbation of the fabulous STORY
of Liberty" which was recommended so
highly by lady teacher in one of the
Minneapolis schools. and sends us for
publication a monstrous fish story re-
lated by Scudder in the latest edition OF
his "llistcry of the United States of
America (Which is used as a text book
in the public schools for the instruction
of Young America" AS our cores
pendent says. the information contained
in the para graph from the book in quos-
ton is worthy of Joe Miller, the famous
joker. 1t is to be found in chapter iii,
pages 81 and 2S, under the caption OF
THE Breton Fishermen Make Their
Way To America" and is as follows:
while the Spaniards were taking
possession Of the Central and Southern
parts CT America. other European peoples
were making acquaintance with the more
Northern parts. AT THIS TIME, BY
THE RULES OF THE CHURCH, NEAR
lY TWO-THTRDS OF THE DAYS IN
THE YEAR WE'RE FAST DAYS, ON
WHICH NO MEAT COULD BE EATEN;
AND IN CONSEQUENCE THE FISHER
les HAD BECOME OF GREAT M
PORTANCE. On both sides of the Eng
fish channel, and on the Western coast
c! France, large part of the population
was engaged in this business. The fish
ing grounds near at hand became so
| exhausted that the hardy fishermen VEN
turcd further each year, until
al last they came to the coasts
of Newfoundland and Nova Sco-
Tia and tished on the banks,
which still furnish a yearly harvest to
thousands OF fishermen: but they
| troubled themselves very little bout the
land that lay near"
The pupils are supposed to accept the
Foregoing fish story for histcri, truth,
| ard lest they might allow the precious
tale to escape their rerolections, qles-
each chapter: why hal fish become 50
important to Europe in the Sixteenth
century," The bright girl will promptly
answer the words OF thc author: AT
this time, by the rules Of thc church,
nraliy two-thirds of the days in the
year were fast days" etc, and the dull,
idlc boy will be reprimandnd because he
has forgotten it. In her monthly report
the teacher will dock the lal a cerrain
percentage fer not giving the ssh
answer given by the smart lutte maiden.
This is history "as she is taught" in
the public schools to the rising genera
ton of American citizens.
Where Scudder made the discovery tnat
in the sixteenth century, by the rules of
the church, people were obliged to Sub
si$t Gu fish instead of meat for about $40
days in the year. he does not coade-
srend to tell the little dupes who sw1l-
low his yarn unquestioningly The
bright American children who are OH
iged To take such fiction for mental
pabulum cannot help thinking that a
reformation" in diet. If not in religion,
was badly needed at the time when Mar
tin Luther appeared on the scene to call
the Pope donkey. and to cat meat AID
ElZZle beer al the boar tavern all the
year round, Fridays and fast days incl,li-
ed. We pity the innocent youth who Sc
confidence is betrayed by sc-calIcd his
torians like Coffin and Scudder. The
latter ''sruds' over very important
events that children ought to know, IN
order to make room fer his pscatorial
! fiction; while the former drew upon MS
fertile imagination to misrepresenr and
paint in the darkest tints the venerable
church of Rome, The Irish STANDARD
ardpntly desires that some anterprising
publisher will engage a trustworthy
writer to produce Il school hist 1ry free
from s2ctaran bias, and when such a
hoo! appears it will be hailed with DE-.
light b. every Catholic citizen in the
land.