The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-07-09

accepted the story In the face of Gayarre's
plain statement that his volume OF lectures
does not profess to deal with facts.
The Importance of St. Denis in the hos
tory of Texas must rest upon founda-
ton of quite another sort. In the conillct
of the two great Latin peoples for Texas,
st. Denis was the agent through whom
an arrangement was made which resulted
In the occupation of the country by Spain,
1t was St. Denis who led the Spanlards
into Texas on tho occasion OF the estab-
lshmcnt of the Spanish posts and mis-
sions along the eastern border and In the
San Antonio valley-an occupation which
proved to be permanent. IL this case,
then, we must not only correct, we must
also re-Write.
One of the most difficult tasks TO which
tho historian must address himself is TO sit
in Judgment upon great national and in
ternational movements and issues, to I'M
derstand and appreciate the ruling motives
and conditions on each side. and TO explain
the final result In the light OF these. He
must avoid partisanshp, and he must seek
a rational explanation of the acts OF All
persons and factions and peoples concerned
in history. In dealing with the Texas rev.
oution our historians have in many cases
been manifestly unfair to Mexico. For
instance, in the commonly accepted ac-
count of the decree of April 6. 1880, which
practically closed Mexico against the
Americans, we are taught that The Mexican
&c veri ment acted in bad faith and that 1t
committed a crime In barring the door
against a guest who had been Invited to
enter: we find the adjectiyes tyrannical,
oppressive, infamous, and others of similar
meaning, applied to the Mexican govern
ment in this connection. Should we not
rather try to look at this part of the ques-
tion from the Mexican's standpoint OF
view?
He beheld one of the best sections OF his
country becoming rapidly settled by for
eign people: he had heen startled by the
aggressive energy OF his new fellow citi-
zens he believed his institutions despised,
his laws ignored, and his God dethroned,
He was fast coming to believe that the
Texans were not loyal, that they We're dan
gerous to the stability of his government.
and that their mother country stood ready
with open arms to welcome back her lost
children and with them the land they had
adopted II should be no matter of sur
prise that further immigration was pro-
hibited; indeed one views with anazement
the supineness of the Mexican government
In failing to take vigorous measures before
1880. Why, then, should not the historian
account for Mexico's action In this matter
by explaining to us how the Mexicans
thought and felt about 1t? At least he
could show us that they were moved by
considerations entirely human and rea-
sonable. and that the prohibition was rot
primarily intended to Cypress and harass
the Americans.
To these three sources-the acceptance
of generally believed but really ground
less rumors, the use of untrustworthy au-
thoritles, and the prejudices of the author
may perhaps be traced most of the posi-
tive errors in our books OF Texas history
The investigation of the future will also
probably bring to light faults of proper
lion in them. The sculptor does not put q
gigantic head upon diminutive body.
The various periods of history must AZ
tremendously into the whole just as the
various parts OF the figure under the
sculptor's hand must preserve certain def
mite relations TO each other. The iudg-
ment Of the historian must arrange these
periods, must determine what degree OF
emphasis should be laid upon each In con-
structng systematic. logical and we'll
balanced whole; he must see TO 1t that
be does not At a gigantic head upon a
diminutive body-nay, like the sculptor.
he must descend to minutest details and