The St. Joseph observer. [volume] (St. Joseph, Mo.) 1906-1932, 1921-10-08

| Americanism.
But now the new Barnes has ap-
peared, bearing no relation to the old
ones, and so called because written
by one Everett Barnes. This school
text book has been issued by d. c.
Heath e Co, in two forms; first in
TWO volumes, entitled Short American
History for Grades and later con-
densed into one volume, American
History for Grammar GRADES (iy2u).
THE old Barnes speaks always
from the American viewpoint, with
American interests ana sympathies
at heart; the new BARNES speaks per-
sistentIy IRON the British viewpoint,
with the interests OF England in jeal-
Gus consideration.
For instance, the two accounts of
10 vital a matter as the first of the
navigation acts. which early aroused
bitter resentment in the colonies.
read:
"CBarnes' Primary History 1856
D. S6)
1.-THE New England people. living
as they did chiefly along the sea-
shore, had early entered into the bus
iness of building ships. which they
sent with valuable cargoes to the
West Indies. to England and to other
parts of the world. The English peo-
pie. after a time became jealous Of
the prosperity of the colonists, and
having many ships of their own, be-
gan to devise plans by which to grasp
for themselves a share of the wealth
that was thus rolling into the col
onies.
a. % Accordingly a law was passed in
England which prohibited anything
being brought into that country from
the colonies unless taken there in an
English ship. commanded by an
English, captain and sailed by an
English crew. This was called the
navigation act
"CAmerican History for Grammar
Grades 1902. 131):
The welfare of England seemed
to depend on her shipping business.
which extended all over the world.
AS the Dutch were in the same busi-
ness and were getting the ocean
carrying trade away from the Eng
lish, Cromwell thought something
should be done. In 1851 laws We're
passed that none but English ships
should be allowed to bring goods to
England. This shut out the Dutch
vessels from English trade and kept
it for those of the English. These
laws were called the navigation laws.
Hancock a "SmuGgler'
"Now, why pick on the Dutch. in
an American history. to the utter
neglect of the pregnant fact that the
American colonists were the ones
most seriously affected by this act. as
it was designed they should be-? Il
there discernible any possible motive
for dragging in the Dutch. other thar
to discredit in the minds OF our youth
! this fact Of deliberate British oppres
sion. Y-.
1.-The odious navigation act ant
u acts OF trade which England imposed
upon the colonies to destroy thei
shipping, finally forbidding them an!
5 ocean trade except in English ships
- or even the exchange of goods from
n one colony TO another. and which tn
>, colonists naturally defied. this ney
II historian nowhere in his book de
n nounces as insufferably unjust an,
h properly met with defiance, as al
% true American historians do. but tn
n crux OF his comment is this:
y bringing goods into a countr
a without paying such taxes on then
as the law demands is smuggling
W and smuggling is a crime. But tn
re colonists felt that the law was unjus
l. and that breaking it was neithe
IL wrong nor dlsgracefuL A great par
he OF the merchandise that came to tn
20 colonies was smuggled. Many lead
10 ing merchants we're smugglers. job
We Hancock. a rich merchant OF Bostor
CT who at a later day was president c
the Continental Congress and the firi
ef signer OF the Declaration of Inde
Il pendence, was = smuggler. So ha
'y been his father. Short History. Vo
a III. p. Q.
Id Sailors Called pirates"
o. mot only is IT thus carefully mad
clear to the children that the found
ors OF our government were outrigi
d. criminal smugglers. but 1t is also in
as pressed upon them that but for II
i'll slim defense found in q technicalit
they were pirates.
ry "'Such vessels. called privateeI
as' since they were owned by priva
or persons. would have been pirate era
aa In tinaa of naaca n theIr ownara hs