The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1919-12-25
Thursday, December 25, 1919.
INFLUENCES AT WORK Tt
CHANGE AMERICAN HISTORY.

Some little perturbation is mani
tested in the east over what is called
an organized effort to dilute the
fountains of Americanism by altering
American history, especially colonial
and revolutionary history" says the
Lewiston Tribune. 1t is said thai in
v%estigation of the facts surrounding
the publication of many modern his
tories of the United States and the
utterances of many public speakers
on American history reveals a more
or less studied attempt to tbelittle the
chief actors of the colonial period and
wholly change the commonly accepted
Interpretation of the great events that
led up to the American revolution. 1t
Is argued that this development should
be brought to public attention because
OF its retarding effects on the unset
fish and patriotic efforts of many
leaders of pure American thought to
Americanize the nation as it Is today.
The subject is rather a delicate and
difficult one to approach, because 1t
the American and British peoples, and
1t is a mistake to develop any subject
that would prejudice these relations,
when no national purpose is to be
served in doing so. 1t would, though,
be an even greater mistake to have
these good relations rest on a false Oh
improper foundation, both Oh
these influences are at work in this
country 10 a market extent. The ba-
sis for any good and useful under
standing between the two peoples
must rest in their respect for each
other and not in any trucking or sense
OF superiority or inferiority of either
one with reference to the other. In
the present instance England and the
ed with attempting to emasculate and
pervert American history in the sup
preston of the facts of the past, for
the purpose of cementing the present
accord. How much of this charge may
be attributed to the campaign against
the league of nations can not be
known, but the specifications given do
not seem especially serious or effect
i've. 1t is charged that propaganda to
influence public thought in the homes
and schools of the United States be-
gan about 1916. Since then in many
e biographies of American revolu-
tionary heroes, uncomplimentary ref
erences to them and the causes of the
war for independence have been made. !
A new history by Prof. Albert Bush
nell Hart says: "As we look back it is
hard to see where the colonists were
or oppressed. Thousands of
people sincerely loved Great Britain
and were loyal to King George. . i.
The weakness of the federal constitu- /
ton was not yet understood" Prof.
Cheney in the London Times writes: /
"A movement to correct the public {
school books (of the United States) p
been started INT will go on" In
many of the public schools the tablets /
given the pupils to write on have the {
British flag on the outside and a pic c
ure of Field Marshal Sir Douglas c
Iaig, whose history of the recent war e
to mention the American e
roops. From this history one would p
lever know that the Americans rem
cred any assistance to Europe. "
Haven Putnam, publisher, in a n
of July address, said: ''The IL
of the British elements in a
population has proved sufficiently ii
to weld it (the United States) ec
ITO q nation that in its common
and purpose is English. v
ext books are now being prepared
ihich will present juster historical
Of 1775-S7, 1S12-15 and
'61 1855" al
Secretary of War Baker is not for so
)tten for his address of October 25,
nc, when he spoke of Washington's ST
at Valley Forge as men 'who de
ole the silver vessels from the
and melted them up to buy 70
ink and who drove ministers out of av
churches and out of the coun- m;
"" There are others, just thought
SIS folk and little Americans, who lis
'ntinually hold up their country as as