The New York herald., 1920-01-25
Learned Yale Professor of American
History Discusses Shortcomings
of Things Taught.

sign them TO the scrap basket"
1t was Dr. Allen Johnson, learned pro-
fessor of American history at Yale Uni
versity, profound student and scholar,
the possessor of many degrees and also
an inspiring teacher of college boys. who
spoke.
~ mean.' he continued, that it is
shame that we have allowed dry-as-
dusts' to write the pages of our school
histories. In the early days, before men
bothered much about scientific method,
history was written as a brilliant drama.
a series of delightful and moving scenes
as thrilling as the most enchanting nc
ton. OF course. facts were USED put il
the facts did not fit the picture they were
quite cheerfully shuffled, lest literary
,o,sterniece should be spoiled Then |
there came the developments of physical
science Historians grew painstaAlngly
scientific, and correspondingly dull. They
assumed that all facts were created
equal
"Ah, The German influence?" The in
terviewer was pleased with his display OF
knowledge.
Exactly Plodding doctors of philos-
onhy made in Germany turned their
thick-lensed spectacles in scrutiny of the
past On it they laid their heavy hands.
deadly
yestigated and disproved most OF the
charming stories with which the early
historians had embellished the lives or
their heroes Doubtless we are Just as
we'll off without these apocryphal legends,
but, alas they squeezed all the romance
out of the ages. and substituted in its
place date-labelled facts served up in the
most unappetizing manner. Ever since
our American children have yawned over
their American history lessons, and voted
dull that which should have been most
exciting reading. 1t would appear too,
that our foreign born population has been
forced to believe that nothing interesting
ever happened on this side of the water,
and. not properly respecting American
institutions. have decided to start new
ones of their own 1t is time that we
Americans got into action and saw to II
that our history was presented in its true
light"
''Dr. Johnson, American history can
really be made entertaining, and stick to
the facts?" The questioner's eyebrows
curved upward in inquiry. for he too.
had been victimized by those aforesaid
dry textbooks
Chance of the Mother.
"Of course! One of the purposes Of
The Chronicles of America which l am
editing for the Yale University Press, is
to demonstrate to that fact and to show by
vivid and graphic narratives how the
United States became n nation and a
world Power. The teachings of American
history should not begin as late as the
sixth. seventh or eighth grade. When
the child first clamors for a story, that
is the opportunity for the American
mother. We have no national fairy
stories, no NEUROLOGICAL history, because
the settlement of this country was ef-
fected by people already civilized. But
Ua oar Toll hONS
childhood and youth of our great men, OF
the mothers and little children of pio-
neer days, of the boyhood OF Washing
ton jefferson. Franklin. of the life in
the backwoods Of the young Lincoln, and,
as our children grow older. of the stren-
uous adventures of our own Theodore
Roosevelt"
"The child of eight or nine begins to
take an interest in social life. That is
the public school teachers opening. Don't
give him dull textbooks. Answer the
eager cry Tell me a story with inter-
esting spoken narrative of how other boys
and girls lived and struggled in the will
derness. how they played Indian games and
often had TO help fight the savages, how
they grew up and dedicated their weap-
ons to the freedom Of their country.
Every growing child has his heroes. Boys
love adventure stories. Let them have
Daniel Boone, George Rogers Clark, Meri-
wether and Lewis and William Clark, the
great explorers and missionaries: Joliet,
Marquette and the others, the patriots
and statesmen. For the girl there are
the heroic women of Colonial days, who
followed their husbands into the wilder
ness and endured its perils that new
nation might be born"
IL sounded fascinating.
IF they could only see iti'
They can for pageantry is a very i'm
portant factor in teaching history. When
children act out the events of history an
indelibe impression is made on their
memories and their maginations are
splendidly stirred. Historical plays and
pageants by youthful actors should be
enacted each year in every community
Then tie up the past with the present.
Fnr instance. one eXample:-All our girls
and boys helped i'm the drives during the
great war just ended and they know
about the work of the local Red Cross.
The Revolution and its glorious fight for
freedom. and the civil war. which main
tanned the Union, viii be very real to the
child who can picture how in 1916 and 1861
the American mothers-just as did their
own in l9l7-knitted socks and made shirts
and clothing and bandages and cut down
on their own food supplies to feed the
army"
"As our young people grow up and
enter hign schools and colleges they
should not be tormented by the teaching
OF history in arbitrary time periods, like
the terms Of our Presidents, to the exclu-
sion Of important underlying movements
our method OF dividing history has been
misleading. We have emphasized the
wrong things"
"Just what do you mean: surely one
must stick to the facts?' the interviewer
Insisted.
The Human Equation.
absolutely; but when the human equa-
tion enters facts they cease 10 be dead.
Facts arc something more than accurate
dates. We must grant that the scienti-
fic spirit ia history has done much for
the establishment of truth, and that is
very important one difficulty is that al
most all history has been written as a
record OF political movements. and that
is only a small part OF the entire SUBJ
iect
~ large number OF our boys and girls
will 20 forth from school TO enter the
business world. Why should not they be
taught the history Of industry? In no
other country has that history been so
vigorously and brilliantly enacted. but
where shall we find it's readable record?
Teach the boy the meaning of the great
movements in industrial life. You will
also be fitting him to cope with political
problems. lie will understand your Ian