The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-02-06
Learning U. S. History
From a Bolshevik

Simeon strunsky in The New York
Evening Post:
Now, If you will recall the opening
chapters Of John F'isl1e," said my
Russian friend
had to admit that precisely
those opening chapters of Fiske were
something ! had postponed to a more
favorable opportunity.
1T does not matter" said my Rus
sian friend. You will find the ground
covered in the first volume Of Nc
Master and, in the opening chapters
Of James Schouler and Charles A
Beard, not to mention Bancroft and
Hildreth. You will there read how a
number Of colonies"
Thirteen" I said proudly.
Exactly" he said, and it would
have been well IL l had let the matter
rest. Instead, began with Maine
and counted all the way down the
Atlantic coast to Florida, and was
surprised to find had enumerated
sixteen or seventeen colonies.
My Russian friend reminded me
that by consulting Albert Bushnell
Harris Documents in American His
tory. in twenty seven volumes, pub
ltshed by Harper g. Bros, / would
find that Maine and Florida did not
enter the union till about the year
1913. But that hardly matters" he
said. THE essential fact is that
among the powerful reasons which
brought the United States into being
was a situation similar to the
colonial problem of today. Most Of
the thirteen colonies owned a great
deal Of land beyond the Allegheny
mountains. They ceded this land to
the new federal government, so as to
give this new government something
to occupy its mind and make &c feel
that 1t was earning its salary. And
also they thought that the new fed
eral government would be SO busy
looking after this new territory It
would have little time to interfere
with the original states.
Now, that is just what we are
going to do in our world federation,
friend Sinbad," he said. we are
going to hand over to the United
States Of the world a lot Of terri
tories to take care Of German
Africa and India and Armenia and
Palestine, and maybe Poland. And
then, as has been admirably pointed
out by your admirable Professor
Thwaites-"
1 asked him how he spelled the
name, and it was not at all the way
he pronounced 1t. These territories,
as they. learn to stand on their own
feet, will be gradually admitted in
to the family Of nations. The advant-
age is double. It not only removes
some Of the main sources Of friction
between the nations, but actually
gives them a common interest and
occupation. Normally, for instance,
1t would be ten years perhaps be-
fore a Frenchman would care to en-
ter into conversation with a Ger
man; but IL they have half the
worlds business to talk about, they
will talk. need not remind you Of
that chapter in Volume Ill OF Henry
Adams"
ITO be sure, Adams" said.
The one thing to keep in mind"
my friend continued, els that peo-
pie as frequently unite to avoid
conflict as from a positive attraction.
After all, that was the secret of your
own nation, in spite OF we, the peo-
pie Of the United States. in order to
form a more perfect union etc"
"Ah, yes, Patrick Henry" / said
He corrected me with consummate
tact. But I could not help wonder
ing why the Russians, with the entire
Harvard library at their fingers
ends, were having such a hard time
OF 1t at home.