The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1899-08-25

With certain aspects Of the controversy
which has been, and, for that matter, is
still being wsged in many of the southern
states over the selection of histories, the
public is thoroughly familiar. Every
one knows that the people below the Ma,
son and Dixon line have deemed the
books now in use which treat of the civil
war, uD justly partial, and that, therefore,
steps have been taken to have placed in
their stead the works of southern writers.
As has been said, with these cardinal
facts every one is familiar; but of the
many incidents and details that follow In
the wake of the struggle, the majority OF
readers are ignorant, and probably no
one, with the exception of the immediate
parties, ia aware of the peculiar turn that
the controversy took in one OF the small
townships of Nebraska.
BrOomton is one of those numerous
places that sprung up like mushroom
at the end OF the war Of secession, to
which soldiers from both sides, out of
employment, flocked to find openings
and, unlike the majority Of such boom
town., 1t held its own, although its
growth since the first few years has not
been In startling geometrical progression.
AS a matter Of course, in the early life Of
she place, when the war was fresh in the
minds OF its citizens, quarrels and feuds
were frequent; but rs the men that had
fought In the great struggle aged and
settled down in business, and as the
troublous times became more and more
remote, all intense feeling vanished and
every thing was allowed to pursue the
even tenor of its way.
or rivalry, however, there was, and
still is, an abundance; but this is only
natural and has never become bitter
enough to engender harsh feelings. The
form taken by the rivalry is associations
each side having 3 society and club,
The Union club stands on one side OF the
main stI eet, and over 1t, on q flag pole,
waves the stars and stripes. The Bull
Run club Is situated directly opposite,
and from one of the windows there lie
swung, as II in defiance to- abe neighbor,
q battered and faded, but still recogniza-
BILE, flag Of the conte2eraoy. The rooms
are used as lounGing places by those
members too Old to work, and the daily
occupation OF many such consists in sit
ting in the windows, and like schooIboys,
making faces at their opponents.
Originally, when the soldiers fiocked
to the town, only few were officers. AS
time passed, however, the old veterans
became forgetful and began to imagine
that the gun they had carried on their
shoulder had been a cannon drawn by
four horses and worked by large num-
Der OF men. Whether the implements of
war actually seemed larger in retrospect
is, OF course, matter OF conjecture. But
this much is certain, colonies, majors.
generals and captains were almost az nu-
merous as the soldiers themselves: and
no one was respected at all who did not
remember that he had been lieutenant.
AS was only natural, long before the
history problem began TO be agitated
elsewhere, it was discussed there. Edu-
cation Ia positively necessary, and az the
old soldiers married and had children,
thoughts OF this subject troubled them.
AS early as '75, however, compromise
was effected by which the history taught
In the schools was to embrace only the
time previous to 1850. or the remaining
years the parents Judged that the children
would hear the greatest suficiency at
their firealdes.
Inaamuch % under the existing system