The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-04-20

q History of the United states
. In observations on the War VIC
are told: The Civil War brought gu,
no commanders OF the very highest
! gradc-certalnly no Napoleons or
tiannibals''; but "the nrst place among
lie commanders Is usually. and per-
5 haps justly. awarded to Grant" Lee
is dismissed with q few lines by this
writer. although his praises have been
for half century in the mouths OF
all the great military students of tho
world
In accounting for '.the causes OF
Northern success" which were very
definite. another must DC mentioned
the great superiority OF Lincoln over
Jefferson Davis" We are further told
that the most remarkable fact con-
corning the Civil War is that 1t
wrought no permanent change in our
civic institutions (asiIe from slavery !:
that II left no trace upon the people
las regards local government. personal
liberty or freedom OF speech. and that
II did not change our character us a
!
] very next para graph we are informed
! that aside from the extinction OF
slavery the great war read jmsted
the rotations between the Na,Ion ana
the Individual States. and established
| the Nation on permanent basis by
eliminating from American politics Tie
idea of State sovereignty and OF Sc
! cession; it transferred the primary
allegiance of the citizen from the State
! TO the Nation" Yet this his torian does
not think that such q change as that
in the very heart of our American in
stitutions was of any great "perma-
| nent" Importance.
! or the capture Of Mr.. Davis, Ell
son says: Davis was defiant and sui
len. though he was well treated by his
| captors." which Is true SO far as his
treatment By General James H Wilson
was concerned; but the only note made
of his life and sunerinss at Fortress
! Monroe is this: HE was carried north
ward. and imprisoned in Fortress Mon
roe. Here he remained for two years,
when he was indicted fer treason ana
released on bail. his bondsmen
being Horace Greeley Gcrrt Smith
and Cornelius Vanderbilt We'll
treated by his captors" down in
Georgia. but not one word said
about how he was treated by his
taller. Nelson a. Miles. a, Fort
ress Monroe; not word about the fet.
ter l,lt
rufian. The ASSASSINATION of AIR. Lin
coin by John Wilkes Booth is de-
nounced. and properly SO. as the most
atrocious murder in American annals"
but no. one word in condemnation OF
the brutality of Miles to the helpless
caro-
II must be said however. TO the
credit Of Elson that now and then in
his History the bowels of his com
passion seem 10 have been moved
towards the Southern people lie ac-
tually goes SO far as TO say that in
determining upon secession as the
only radical solution of their political
troubles, there can be no doub, of
their sincerity; they honestly be-
| lieved that the continued agitation or
the North against slavery threatened
the peace and happiness of their
homes, and would. If continued, rem
der life uncomfortable at the South"
More than this. it is actually concedcd
in The most generous spirit that,
! though THE old colonial aristocracy
OF the South was not without It's
Shortcomings. on The whole ii was
chivairic and picturesquc." ana the
further concession is MADE that the
small farmers or tile South were also
a respectable class" Think of that,
| This is the sort OF text book thar
was used al Roanoke College-"a
southern institution with Southern ira
ditions.' and the faculty OF which,
1 composed. rs IL is, chiefly OF South.
crn men dhc college, has no desire
tina, i should he anything clsc"--so
A that the young men aud women at
tending Its classes in history might be
able 10 take II broad view Chat is 10
say the prejudiced Northern View OF
The facts OF the history OF the United
states; so that the young women might
lie taught In the history classes thai
the mothers Of the white boys and girls
Of The South IN the days of slavery
were Simply The mstresscs OF their
fathers who consorted with the nee 70
women IN the days Of slavery. There
y WEB never Il moro nlonstroue Iibn, of
!, a ''chiyalric and picturesque" people.
but this was the history taught at
lsoanoke College. against which Judge
(, Moifett made so vigorous protest and
which has been condemned by the
William Watts Camp of Confederate
I Veterans as II should be condemned by
all honest aud sclf-rcspccting Southern