The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-07-05

as reason. though. of course. the board
IS not required to give reasons for all
its acts. Is it not possible that de-
mand from certain quarters for tho
adoption OF strictly Southern textbooks
was the cause OF the change? Or did
not specially Industrious publishers
make it appear that F'iske's excellent
book should not be used?
At any rate. 1t is a matter OF regret
that such q good book as F1skes should
be excluded from our schools. The fact
that he was Il Northern writer will be
given as the cause and the State VIII
be charged with seeking thus TO keep
up sectional feeling. At the present
time We need to have no moro charges
OF this kind brought against US than mu5t
be. The State is perhaps at the opening
of a new way in her history education
ally and politically.
There are many indications which point
toward a greater and more promising
future. For example. in matters OF edit.
cation. the Ogden Association is seeking
how It may wisely return to Virginia in
educational improvements: some OF the
many millions of dollars taken away in
the form of natural taxes and paid out
in other sections of the country as PEN
sonS Shall we discourage the move
Inent by justifyin. the oftrepeated charge
writer's book IN CUR schools, matter
how much superior It may be?SureIy, wo
would not put stumbling blocks In the
way of so great an undertaking as this
just mentioned.
And to speak again OF the subject under
discussion, history knows no craftsmanship.
The best book is the which gives the
simplest, clearest statement of the facts
with which it deals. There has OF late
arisen q cry in our section that only
Southern writes CT American history
shall be allowed to fu-2ish our schools
with. textbooks. This is perhaps a rea-
sorable demand, provided thu same stand
ards Of scholarship are applied. II. how
ever, the truth must be confessed. we
can boast of few great scholars who are
giving their time TO history
Our University employs but one man to
teach history. while northern universe
ties employ from four to ten; our pro-
fessor of history devoteS about two
thirds of his time to teaching history.
while all the half dozen men in Harvard.
we'll say. devote all their time to his,
tory. Our department of history has per-
haps n thousand dollars year to spend
in the form OF scholarships for the en-
courageuent Of the study of history:
while Harvard has 4o.o0o dollars year.
In fact though Virgtnians have been
great in the. making OF history. they
writing 1t. And now we rise up and say
that only Virginia. or at most. Southern
books shall be used In our schools. And
to make matters worse we lay down two
dicta, which our writers shall accept.
first that the South was absolutely right
IN the controversy which led TO the Civil
War; record. that slavery was not tho
cause OF the controversy Scholarship
with such milissones about its neck IS
not apt to excel John Fiske- Yet no one
would be more delighted than the preseny
writer to know that we have Southern
writer's who have overcome all Difficult
ties and whose books have surpassed the
one question. and that for tals reason
alone Ffsks's was excluded.
WIN. E DODD.
Randolph-Macon College.