The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1901-07-28
Does Injustice - ~
y ~ to the South.

Nearness OF view Increases the cieRrness
OF physical vision, hut seems TO confuse
the mental vision. Perhaps II would be
better 10, say that nearness OF mental view
peelouds the Judgment Something there
Is, certainly. that prevents historical
writer's from fairly viewing the war OF
the rebellion. II seems that we shall have
TO walt for another generation to evolve
writer clear-vlsioned enough to treat
fairly that epochal period OF the nations
history. Mr.. Justin Windsor. In writing
his great work "The Critical and Nara
tive History of America" declined to
bring II this side the civil war. because he
believed that no man of this generation
could sufficiently divest himself OF pseju-
dice TO treat the events Of that time with
the judicial fairness required Of n historian.
Whatever the possibilities or the impossi.
b;lities of the case. the fact Is that no man
lnor woman either has yet written n criu.
cal account Of the period which deserves
to be called fair. though there are. Of
course. school histories and other bare
chronicles which relate facts without preju-
dice
And wish to add that Southern writer's
are quite MS bad as Northern writer's. 7
know nothing more unfair than little
volume by Miss Lee, which was exploited
In the South few years ago as 'long
felt want" and Gregg's pretentious work.
which was SO loudly heraided throughout
the South. Is downright perverslon OF
truth In some respects and generally a
SANDER upon the spirit OF AmerIcanlsm.
But when sat down to read "The Amer
lean History Series" written by Rev
George +. Fisher Of Yale. Prof william
NJ Sloane of Princeton. General Francis A.
Walker of the Massachusetts Institute OF
technology aud Prof George w Burgess
Of Columbia, and published nv the Serb
ners, J congratulated myself that after so
long time | was to find really catholic
exposition Of American principles. policies
ard achievements. Alas. 1t is no better
than the others, and the day Of "The Great
American History" like the day Of THE
Great American Novel is indefinitely post
poned. The high standing Of the authors
and OF the publishers requires some pro-
test lest by silence the South seem TO
give assent,
Prof Burgess himself rather confesses
the unhtnoss Of the present generation
to write fair history. for he says in his
preface:
81 am old enough to have hcen a witness
NJ the great struggle Of 1876 and TO
have participated. in a small way. In II.
My early years were embittered nv the
political hatreds which then prevailed.
learned before my majority to Fegnrd So
cession MS an abomination. and its chief
cause. slavery. MS n great evil; and | can
not say that these feelings have been much
modified. II at nIl. nv longer experiences
and maturer thought"
Further along In his preface Prof. Bur
CESS says:
"Thc South must acknowledge its error
as well as Its defeat In regard to these
things slavery and secession, and Tint.
too. not with lip service. but from the
brain and the heart and the manly will,
before any real concord in Thought and
feeling any real National brotherhood, can
be established"
It might he well to dismiss the whole
subject right here with the rctort that the
men Of the South will never acknowledge
(nor will their sons acknowledged that they
were wrong In the sense TINT their views
Of the constitution were Illogical or that
their actions In maintaining those views
were reasonable They will acknowledge
that their theories of government were un-
wise, and they have long reioiced that
their disastrous course was arrested. II
this Is what Prof. Burgess means by
wrong the point is readily conceded. But
1t is not my purpose to argue constitu-
tional theories. desire only to point out
some of the polpable preiudces of "The
American History Series"
The series Is composed Of the following:
1.-THE Colonial Era" by Prof. Fisher; THE
French War and the Revolution" by Prof.
Sloane; "The Making Of the Nation" by
General Francis A. Walker; "The Middle
Period" by Prof. Burgess, and "The Civil
War and Reconstruction" Gn PRESS. by
Prof Burgess.
Prof. Fishers work is limited to the
period Of settlement and therefore does
not touch the controversial subjects under
discussion.
Prof. Sloane strikes the subject on page
124, where he discusses the navigation
acts and the relation OF New England's
shipping interests thereto He relates that
smuggling was common with orr Puritan
forbears, who also shipped rum to Africa
and traded II for slaves who were in
turn sold to the South. This was an old
story, and I thought nothing Of his fail
ure to morallze upon the unholy traffic.
hut / couldn't held smiling and looking
back TO It when. on page 1888, he made the
simple chronicle without comment that
slavery gradually disappeared in the North
ern States either legslly and from public
disapprohatlon or BECAUSE 1T WAS NOT
PROFITABLE" Considering the pro-
nounced, righteousness OF his Views and his
unsparing denunciation OF other American
errors and vices, the lack OF comment
along here Is striking.
In nanating the incidents and eucldat
ing the causes that led to the revolution
there is n plain Partially for New England
leaders and Northern colonies. Virglnla's
distinguished hegemony is but stlngIiy nc.
knowledged. and the Inspiring work OF
Patrick Henry receives only parenthetical
mention. Alexander Hamilton's nrsi np
pearance upon the stage OF political action
is thus described:
The latter therefore held mass meet
ing. in the debates OF which appeared for
the FIRST time the youth who was destined
not only TO lead the opinion OF the great
commonwealth as an advocate of independ
I...- l..