The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-07-16

neCkS were SllNened dSAlnSt n cODWeD
for a yoke from the first gunshot of
their rebellion. The beautiful picture
of their loyalty and their suffering.
of THEN moderation n virtues, of
their successes and constancy, as
painted by Britain's foremost writer's
in the Annual Register, not only fat
tered the newly born national pride,
but it was for some years the only
readily available record of revolution
ary events to ne obtained. So II hap
pened that the first histories of the
revolution We're drawn entirely from
that British source and were infinitely
more conducive to American complac-
ence than if they mao been compiled
from the genuine records here.
The browning myths, however. We're
supplied by Rev. Mr.. Weems, a born
genius in superlatives. an utterly on
scienceless old fraud as a historian, a
dime novelist mislaid by luck in the
early nineteenth century. who hit the
popular hunger for something really
satisfying and gus-gug-glorious about
the herofsms of h revolution. AS a
popular historian Prescott, Motley and
Parkman have proved mere hewers of
wood and drawers of water beside
his Phoebus soarings.
Parson Weems had a church in
Virginia, near Mt. Vernon. He was a
country book agent for Matthew Ca
rey. of Philadelphia. He was d stump
speaker whose talents We're exercised
from a wagon. like an Indian medi-
cine fiddler. who could make the
country lads and lassies shake a leg
till 2 in the morning. He had a big
family, and he needed the money. So
he wrote lives of Washington, Frank
lin n Marion. which Carey publish
ed, and he sold to the mutual profit
and the eternal misguidance of the
whole American people. The life OF
Washington ran through forty edi-
tons. He made Washington, the So
cial. genial. card-playing gentleman.
a canctimonious wooden image. Il
Sunday-school lay figure that will new
er escape the fraud of unreality the
tiddling parson put upon him. OF the
revolution itself he made a Homeric
and mammoths arrayed against the
unfathomable corruption and wicked
ness of a dozen dragons and fiends
who called themselves the king and
ministry of England. He didn't care
a hang about facts: he never did a
stroke o f research; he simply took
the Wing Annual Register and whoop-
cd its biased records up bout 500 de-
grees and cut loose for heroisms i'm a
style mixed up of scripture. Homer,
Virgil and the vigorous backwoods of
his native land. He was. Mr.. Fisher
thinks. the greatest mythmaker who
ever lived, and he has old Homer and
gentle Virgil pushed down among the
kindergartners.
In Parson Weem's histories every
thing and storms, slashes and
tears. In his battles the Americans
and the English plunge their bayonets
into each others breasts and fall for
ward together. faint. shrieking in
death and mingling their smoking
blood"
why was this cruel wal made?"
the parson asks in dealing With it's
cause. Simply because the king want
ed money for his hungry relations and
his ministers stakes for gaming ia
bles or diamond necklaces for their
mistresses."
1T was the most popular, short.
easy, practical explanation that could
have been devised" Mr.. Fisher COM
ments. ut reveals nothing of the
real issue at stake; nothing of the
question of the supremacy Of parlia-
ment or the other great principles in
Waived. But it pleased vast numbers
Of the people; they could grasp it in
stantly. 1t appealed to their suspic-
ions of what the effete monarchies
across the Atlantic really WERE"
1t has stuck to this day land in
spite of Mr.. Fishers concluding ap-
peal to his compatriots to see their
revolution in its real dignity and it's
true human perspective it seems likely
to stick forever.