Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1911-05-19

who came to this country after tn,
civil war was over. He is AN alumnu
oil Bethany College, Kansas. He woi
the a. b., A. M, and PHI. ID. degree.
at Yale University. All of his spec
ial preparation has been in the sub
Jects of history and social science
He accepted his present position al
Roanoke College in the summer Of
1907, coming here from the Univer.
sity of Oklahoma. We know him te
be an impartial scholar. This is the
vital point.
lt should also be remembered that
the student, at the college age, has
an inquiring, independent mind. He
wants to know this and understand
that. The wise professor will not in
dulge in conce ailments. He will re-
view impartially all the facts, and
misrepresentation. His aim will be
comprehensive study to guide the
student to just and true conclusions.
But he will not only endeavor to add
to- the students sum of knowledge and
to improve his mental discipline but
he will also familiarize him with
wise methods scientific investigation n.
Having in mind the actual princi-
Piles, methods and practice of college
work. it seems puerile to condemn n
professor and suspect a college on the
ground of few Objectionable pas
sages or opinions in text book of
nearly thousand pages. 1t seems
possible to account for the continued
agitation of this matter only by sup
posing that hasty Judgements have
been formed on the basis of ex parte
statements.
1t is significant fact that Con-
federate veteran, who was chapalin
in the army, proposed, without any
consultation with me whatever, the
following resolution for the March
meeting of the Board of Trustees:
In regard to text books and their
use in the recitation room, it is not
necessary or even desirable that the
teac her and the text books should in
every particular be in full accord.
The excellencies of a text book NAV
so far exceed its defects, as to justify
its use in the recitation room, leaving
corrections to be made by instructor" {"
Shall Southern institutions make
an exception of American history in
their application of the above princi
pies to the work of higher education?
l believe such position would be un-
tenble. After all, is there any neces-
sity for an intolerant attitude on this
subject? For my part / am thorough
ly in sympathy with true Southern
ideals and traditions. 1t is my convic-
tion that the ante-bellum civilization
of the South was unique among the
civilizations of the world. Like all
things human, it had it's defects, but
its excellencies were so fine, so ap-
pealing that, despite the drag of
slavery, the civilization of the olo
South will always remain one of the
marvels of American history. The
case of the South is not so weak that
it needs to fear the full light of
scientific investigation. Let the truth
stand, as it must stand in the final
verdict of history. But while the
Southerner, whose patriotism is based
on convictions, will thus invite the
just and fair historic estimate of the
South's past, without solicitude for
the result, knowing that honest schol-
arrhip will do justice to it's heroes
and its achievements, is there not al
so a broader patriotism that should
be inculcated in our educational
work? | am reminded here of the
words of General Lee to Virginia
mother when shortly after the war,
he said: "Abandon all these animos-
tiles and make your sons Ameri-
cans" heard similar sentiments ex-
pressed while living in Richmond a
good many years ago, by the late
General John B. Gordon in his elo.
quent address to the Camp of United
Confederate Veterans converting in
that city. Will the South forget
these great leaders, even though they
be absent from the body? do pro-
foundly believe that the educational
program in patriotic sense-North,
South, East and West, is expressed
once for all for US in the noble words
of General Robert E. Lee. y
This agitation in connection with
the history controversy has seemed to
ho M ri icu 10 rI,, ,,,t;,.,oIx. MI
the South are winning place and rec
ognition in the councils of the nation.
There are numerous indications in
very recent years that the North
wants to be just to the South both as
to its history and as to it's opportuni-
ty for service in the cause of our re-
public. / feel sure that the South on
the whole is really ready to meet the
North in the same generous snirit.