The daily journal. (Salem, Or.) 1899-1903, 1901-07-29

Il
by declaring that the Protestant church
hymns are doggsrel and Sundayschool
books are set down az worse than dime
novels, and adds: "The study of litera-
ture has no place in the education of an
orthodox person." No intelligent per-
son pretends that church hymns and
Sundayschool books are literature. IL
can az tTuthfully be said that a great
deal of the Bible is not literature, while
greater part is of,the greatest literature
the world today possesses. Some church
hymns are the very highest order OF
poetry. It the evolution of the Sunday
school great deal of it's reading matter
will 90 to the ragbag, but that is true
Of the Hchoolroom everywhere. The
point ut which we would like TO insert
our penknife in Prof. Triggs's Slamshell
thinkbox and seek TO pry il open far
enough to get in an idea or two,
is where he says the study of English
Literature has no place in the course
Of study Of an orthodox person. English
literature was founded by King Alfred
and the Christian monks, and the first
monuments Of English prose aud poetry
are translations of the scriptures and
metrlcal versions OF the Psalms that the
snglo.saxons memorized and chanted
for centuries The entire philosophy of
English literature is platonic and
christian as against the schools of
materialism and agnosticism. Shake
spear, TO whom he has had the tallow-
Drained audacity to compare the Ameri-
can Oil monopolist who keeps him on a
good salary, is declared by the professor
Of Engliah Literature at the Wesleyan
university Of Ohio to be the prince OF
platonists, and Professor Welsh is about
as orthodox as they make them, The
study Of English Literature may not
tend TO make men members of this
church or that, but that il should tend
10 make them heterodox IL false, be
cause that has not been the case. The
college that is afraid to lot its studens
read Shakspear and the greater lights OF
our literature had better 20 out of busi-
ness, because the broadest culture and
the understanding of what real literature
is, and how there came to be any
English Literature, will inspire men and
women with sounder faith. This is
too deep a subject for aIsummer editorial
but Chicago university should diaplace
some Of it's two-by-iour manikins with
men who love the truth better than
newspaper sensations.
There is something wrong with the
Navy. A mere department clerk in the
Brooklyn navy yard has been permitted
10 write three'volume history Of the
war with Spain and had il adopted as a
textbook at the Naval academy. Now il
appears that the third volume describing
the naval victory At Santiago, when the
best fleet Spain had was destroyed, is
constructed with a view TO blackening
the character OF Admiral Schley sand
whooping up to heaven the performance
Of Admiral Sampson. This petty clerk
historian as much as says Schley is
liar, coward, a poltroon, a Caitih. an
incompetent insubordinate, aud that he
rendered no service in sinking the span
ish fleet. The redtape literary genius,
who was never before heard of, insults
the general government by saying that
he submitted the proofs OF his book 10
Secretary Long aud other prominent Of
ioers of the Navy and Army before he
published. Long, who has slways borne
the name OF a gentleman, promptly 10.
pudiates the claim that be in any way
endorses the book by ordering that il
shall not be used at Annapolis until the
obnoxious language about Schley is
eliminated. lie has at Sehley's request
ordered court martial to determine
whether there was any just foundation
for criticism of SeAley and il will be held
with open doors. Maoleay excuses his
treatment oiSehley by saying he was not
aware when he wrote IL that the terms
he employed were "immodeTale aud
incorporate. IL il his iRtention 10
"rsyise that portion of the work" that
refers 10 schley. lie says "Bu' l shall
not alter the facts, Tor they are correct
and must hrst be assured that they are
In error" Very kind OF naval histo,
rlan TO agree 20 not alter the facts But
before he does "alter the facts" he must