The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-09-27
THE STATE VI. THE STATE.


 book is. Chambers Higher History of the United States:
 Teacher-What European first put foot on the mainland of North America?
 Pupil-Leif Ericsson. the Norseman A. D. 1000
 Teacher-I think not; John Cabot and his son, Sebastian. must have been the first, in 1497.
 Pupil-That, I know. is what the book says on page 22. but when, on page G, 1t reads as have answered. assume that the revised first" Is the best first. |"
 Teacher-How many of the excellent reference books offered to you have you consulted? For example, have you. with due care, looked into "Old South Leaf cts" 'Vespucci's Account of His First Voyage etc.
 Pupil-r do not know in what private libraries those and the many other books named in Parallel Readings" notes of this history may be found. I had the op- portunity to look into the public libraries of Mobile and Birmingham in search or many. but found very few. Few or none are here in Montgomery.
 Teacher-Taking up the productions or climate, where in the United States does long or hanging moss growT
 Pupil-There is an abundance or hang ing moss on the James River.
 Teacher-I think you are mistaken. The long, hanging moss, for upholstery pur- poses Is well explained in some of the later dictionaries. It is tropical and semi tropical. The market of New Orleans handles 1t in large quantities. It grows in the West Indies and there is some in Alabama.
 Pupil-Ah. beg pardon. I imagined am examined on Chambers and no on dictionaries. Chambers shows, p. 1E1, that the trees now standing about the ruins of Jamestown are weighted down by hanging moss. take 1t the pictures in the books are authority. as much as the print.
 Teacher-Tell about the British-taxed tea and the treatment 1t received in the several ports of the American colonies, Noorth and Sopth.
 Pupil-I can tell you what happened in Boston harbor to the tea. Nothing was done of the same kind anywhere else.
 Teacher-You are mistaken. There was trouble with the tea at all the other ports of the colonies, notably at Charleston, South Carolina.
 Pupil-My authority is page POS of trouble with the tea in any other port than Boston.
 Teacher-what colonies adopted con- stitution and practically declared Inde- pendence before July {, 1776?
 Pupil-South Carfolina and Virginia.
 Teacher-Did not Rhoe Island do the same?
 Pupil-I follow the text, page 2s. No mention is made there of Rhode Island. If Rhode Island can stand the omission. so can the Alabama school history and all who study It.
 Teacher-When was the Independence of the several colonies as State respec- lively acknowledged by England?
 Pupil-There was no such acknowledge ment. American national Independence was made a treaty right with England at Paris. September 3, 1783. I suppose you refer to that. We were born a "nation." "
 Teacher-You are mistaken. The treaty expressly enumerated each colony as an independent State. It said nothing of a nation" King George III made a speech before Parliament, in the House of Lords, soon after, on the character of the treaty. He said 1t was treaty nego- tiated between himself and the "colonies' that had become, severally, free states. If you will look into Elkajah Watson g Diary. you will find the speech, as Wat son heard it delivered from the throne and tok it down at the time.
 PPupil-I am compelled to say, I am not mistaken on Chambers, page 249. He Is my present authority. I am bound to stand by him, for my education is my all The King recognized the American ma tion," according to the State text books
 Teacher-We won't quarrel. but I will mention, incidentally, that I have In my possession, which will now show you the commission as Captain in the Vir- ginia continental forces issued to Reuben Vaughan, later citizen Of Marengo County, and signed by Patrick Henry Governor, in his own hand, on October % TIT, the second year of the Independence of the Commonwealth of Virginia" Ii nation" was created by the Declara- tion of Independence. this illustrious Governor of Virginia had not discovered the fact 'in the second year of the 1nde- pendence of Virginia
 Pupil-I suppose I shall stiD hold tc Chambers.
 Teacher-Was Virginia represented ir the Annapolis Convention of September l786?
 Pupil-Not at all.
 Teacher-No? I think she does the main thing there! She got up the meeting and was hardly absent.
 Pupil-Chambers names the four States present. and Virginia is not one.
 Teacher-There were five States pres ent and Virginia was one, and the main one Will you tell something of the Phil SOnNSilllOl OL tAO 4CAS SSo4p SAae~ followed by advice of the Annapolis Con- vention, and that framed the Constitution we now live under? All histories lay tress on that event.
 Pupil-Two plans of government were submitted to the Convention, one, called the Virginia plan, was national; the other, called the New Jersey plan, was federal.
 Teacher-Did not Charles Pinckney oi South Carolina, introduce plan, In be- tween these two you have named and did late in the session? That was certainly the case. Pinckrey's plan came nearer the final for moi the document adopted than any. Hamilton'S plan was an elective monarchy and was wholly renounced-
 Pupil-I find nothing of Pinckney's and Hamilton's Lians in the States History assume such matter Is not an import ant feature In the proceedings of the Con- vention.
 Teacher-Till you speak of the Choctaw Indians of Alabama and of their great Chief, Pushmataha? These Indians were extremely important allies of Jackson ir the war with Great Britain He could not have done without them, They were very notable Indians. different from any Tribe in America in the degree of theil enlightenment. and their friendship fol the white settlers. Alabama has named fine county for the tribe, in honor ot It's friendship. and there is a village there named "Pushmataha," in slpecia honor of that great Chief.
 Pupil-I presume the interest of history in the Choclaws may come after awhile when, for example. the Indian land ques ton dies out. Chambers may have taker that view. At any rate, I see nothing 1T i the History I study along the line oi your compliments to the Choctaws They