Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-02-20
THE SOUTH AND HISTORY.

1
Many newspapers and great many peo-
pie in the south have welcomed the pros
pect of the establishment in the south of
publishing house, one of the main objects
of which will be the encouragement of
southern writer's, especially authors of
histories and historical literature in gen.
eral and the preparation of fair school
histories.
We are surprised to find in the Louis
vile Courier-Journa the following at
tack upon this enterprise:
"a project to set up a publishing house
| in the south for the benefit of southern
! writer's who cannot get their manuscript
| accepted in the north would be certain 10
i fail, and a project to conduct publishing
house to profit by and stimulate section
/ alism would deserve to fail. If the south
makes books on large scale it must DO
| II as II makes cotton cloth or sugar-for
| the benefit of everybody that wants them
and must adapt its products TO the
/ wants of the market as other branches OF
business are obliged to do There is no
! such thing as an exclusively northern pup
fishing house, and there is no legitimate
/ field for an exclusively southern publish
ing house"
An unfairer statement OF the purposes
of the movement to which we have re-
ferred could hardly be conceived. Nobody
has proposed to "set up publishing house
in the south for the benefit of southern
writer's who cannot get their manuscripts
| accepted in the north"
There is a strong and growing feeling in
| the south I'm favor of industrial develop
ment in every possible line.
The Courier-Journal would be one of the
/ a. Or II
enterprise in the south that would cause
the people of this section to depend upon
the other parts of the country for supplies
which they could furnish just as well
themselves. And yet it frowns upon an
endeavor to provide for a home supply of
school text books and considers it advis-
able for the south to continue to pay $l5-
100000 a year to northern publishers TO
make these books for us.
There is not the slightest justification of
| the charge that it is proposed to establish
a concern for the manufacture and distri-
button of books which are designed to
| perpetuate sectionalism. The worst SLAM
| derer of the south could hardly descend
TO a wilder Misrepresentation.
It is a fact, however, that the patience
of the south has been sorely tried by pub
| fishing houses of the north which have
worked off upon the south, where proper
| vigilance was not kept, books pretending
to be histories which embody reckless
misstatements of the principles foF which
the southern people contended in the civil
war and the manner in which they con-
| Quoted themselves in that conflict.
Often, where school authorities have
been deceived or have been by any sort Of
Influences prevailed upon to the extent
that would permit the introduction Of such
/ text books an indignant public has kicked
| these slanderous publications out of its
schools The people of the south would
rather that their children should not be
taught history at all than that they should
| be taught lies about it,
The Courier-Journal protests against the
establishment of publishing house in the
south that would be effective in protecting
the south against imposition by the agents
of literature that attempts to pervert
history, and would at the same time sup
ply. text books based upon facts and the
! indisputable accounts of men and events,
| but it has no word of accusation or re-
buke for the establishments that have
been busy for years in sowing and cult
waiting the seeds of falsehood, whether
they intended their enterprises to have
that effect or not.
If it be maintained that an absolutely
impartial text book of history is an i'm
possibility all we have to say is that if
they insist that books of that kind must
inevitably lean one way or the other the
south shall have the fullest possible OPP
portunity to obtain for her schools those
that lean in her favor instead of against
her. But the people of the south are quite
as liberal and fair minded as those of the
north and have at least as little desire to
have history colored to match their pre-
| JUDGES.
The Courier-Journal says: There are
no exclusively northern publishing
houses"
We know Of nobody who wants to estab-
lish an exclusively southern publishing
house.
But will The Courier-Journal say that
the general character of the literature
touching questions upon which the north
and the south have differed. and differ
still, that is sent forth by northern pub
fishing houses is historically reliable and
is presented with perfect impartiality?
Is it such literature as meets the appro-
val of intelligent and self-respecting
southern men and women? Nay. more,
do these publications, as a rule. present
the truth of history as the official records
compiled and preserved by the United
States government and the indisputable
testimony gathered from cotemporaneous
sources attest tt?
1t is a remarkable thing that a news
paper published in the south should not
only see no good reason for establishing
a great publishing house in this section
but should go to the extent of attacking
an effort I'm that direction and even mis-
represent that enterprise to an extent that
can be honorably excused only on the
| ground of ignorance.
PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATIoNS.