Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1900-09-12
wAIHALLA, SOUTH CAROLINA. SEPT. ~. 1000
GEN. ]. 8. GORDON ON HISTORY.
he Tells Of tho First Efforts Of Con. r. E.
Lee and Others 10 Secure Truthful Books.

no loiloWlnS letter from Gen. j
B. Gordon appeared in the Sumter
Item last Saturday, and will be of
especial interest at this time. Mr..
Osteen is editor of the Item and o
teacher of much ability and some
years Of experience
ATLANTA, Ga, August 30, 1900.
Mr.. II. G. Ostecn, Sumter, S. c.
Dear Sir: This letter is written at
the suggesti' \ of several South Caro-
linians.
More than twenty years ago be-
came alarmed at the use of partisan
sectional books in our schools. With
the approval of Gen. Robert T.. Lee,
and other friends, united in an eff
fort to cxpel Ill such books from
Southern schools, and as far as posi-
bic 'front.' Northern schools also. gave
a number of years of earnest labor to
this cause. 1t became necessary to
have new books written, and men,
bers of the faculty of the University
of Virginia and other Southern au-
thors, among whom was Commodore
Nlaury, were employed. The Uni
versity Publishing Company was Or
ganized, and | travelled over the
South raising money to carry through
the patriotic work undertaken. The
combined opposition of rich publish
ers of sectional books, and the low
prices at which they were offered in
certain contests, caused the Univer-
slty Publishing Company for some
years to lose money, but, even while
losing money it was achieving a
great success in forcing other pub
fishing houses to change the charac-
ter of their books.
While the main office of the COM
pany is in New York, in order to
give it facilities for competing with
other publishers, much of the work
isdone in New Orleans and N ashvillc.
The company is under Southern
control, and no sentence or senti-
mcnt unfair to the South can, by any
possibility, escape the vigilant eye of
Major Patton, who is president of
company and Missippian. l am
myself stockholder and director in
this company and have been for
twenty years or more.
10 my personal knowledge no
other company has any stock in the
University Publishing Company, and
no voice whatever, directly or indi-
rcctly, in its management or policies.
The company deserves the graft
tudc of our people, think, because
of the great revolution it has caused
in school books and histories, while
on the score of merit alone | think it
safe to say that the books Of this
company are unexcellcd.
| have gone into details in order
that you may clearly understand the
facts.
Permit me, in conclusion, to say
with emphasis, that this letter is
written in my personal capacity and
lio other. The United Confederate
Veterans, of which organization |
have the honor of being the com
mandcr, is entirely free from partial
ity to this or any other company or
business venture. The Association
can properly endorse, and does en-
dorsc, books which the historical
committee may recommend as non
partisan, but it would be utterly in
consistent with the objects for which
the United Confederate Veterans
was organized and destructive to its
very life for it to take any action to
promote the financial interest of any
company whatever. 1t is scarcely
necessary for me to say that if the U.
9. Y. organization should propose to
endorse the University Publishing
Company or any other concern en-
gagged in an effort to make money,
should do all in my power to prevent
it. | am, very truly yours,
j. B. GoRDoN.
DoWitts Littlo Early Risers arc
prOmpt, pallatablO. nloasant noWnrfnl