The Commonwealth. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1911-1914, 1913-02-21
The Highest Education VIII Be Best Possible Investment For the
Future Commonwealth Education Essentially Scientific Labor
THEY ARE TEACHING THE
YOUNG FALSIFIED HIS
TORY

primarily is designed to promote pat
riotism at the expense of the truth,
has met with the disapproval of Gen.
Edwards, of the regular army. The
general has arrived at the conclusion
that our historians have oVerreached
themselves and that instead of
strengthening the national defense
they have weakened it by their ex-
aggerations.
The general protests that in al of
our school histories "the children of
the land have been taught that our
revolutionary soldiers, without expert
ence or training, won great victories
over the seasoned British troops and
they are taught that the same kind OF
troops whipped the British in 1872"
In every war the American volunteer
has emerged from the conflict trium-
phant, establishing beyond doubt that
all that is needed to insure victory is
for congress to vote the needed appro-
priations and the president to issue a.
call for volunteers. Then the enemy
will be beaten.
The general says:
"There never was such rot put into
the form Of history. Our fighting in
these wars was pitiable and the con-
duct of the raw and unframed troops,
with one or two exceptions, was dis
| w in
battle in 1912, 18th two exceptions.
One of them was ought after the war
closed and our capital and public
buildings burned. The same thing
came near happening again after Bull
Run and had it not been that one un-
/ organized mob was defeated by an
other the confederates would have
captured the capital. Both were
tisnrui asIsesl, cGe Dy -uretIat, r4e osrt7r
by victory.
"At the beginning of wars the un-
trained troops have always proved in
effective and inefficient, notwith-
standing that one American is equal
to a half dozen other men and so on,
until our people are left to believe
that all we have to do is to send forth
men with guns in their hands and all
will crumble before them. 1t is time
that these false impressions are cor
rected."
We have an idea that the general
over-estimates the influence of the
school history in the national defense.
If it operates to give to our youth a
false idea of the proWess of the Am
erican when he answers to the bugle's
CALL at least it is calculated to induce
him to respond. 1t is possible that III
he knew the truth, if he could really
see pictured a battlefield, which no
pen has ever yet been able to picture
in all of it's horror and brutality, he
might be reluctant to enlist at the
first call.
The general should compose him
self.
The school history places the Unit
ed States at no disadvantage. If our
school histories make every American
the equal of at least six Englishmen,
eight Frenchmen, ten Germans, band
of Indians and twenty-five Mexicans,
let us not forget that the German
school history leaves no doubt in the
minds of the German boy that Ger
many is unconquerable and that the
kaiser with one blast from his horn
could cause every Frenchman and
Russian to be paralyzed with fear.
The English history has no diff
Guilty whatever in establishing that the
Englishman who is enlisted in Dub
lin or Edinburg has never yet met de-
feat whether he has faced Napoleon
or Fuzzy Wuzzy
In writing history, it's against what
our jurists are pleased to term pub
lie policy to tell the truth. 1t would !
not only discourage war, but it would |
hurt business and ruin the reputation
Of some of our best citizens.-The Mil /
waukee Leader.