The New York herald., 1921-12-27
Authors Call Boston Tea
Party a Band Of Lawless
WantOns.
NATHAN HALE Is IGNORED
Patrick Henry, Alexander
Hamilton and Thomas JEFF
fersOn Ridiculed.

btn. the knights OF Columbus publi-
cation, Charles Grant Miller renews
his attacks upon history textbooks
used in the New York schools, and
adds one more book to the list Of
those already under investigation by
a committee of twenty-one school
teachers appointed to ferret out possi-
BILE unpatriotic or pro-British al
lusions.
1t was Mr.. Miller's articles appear
ing in newspapers here and reprinted
in many cities throughout the country
that first drew the attention Of the
city authorities to what was alleged
to be a concerted effort to "de-Ameri-
canize" school children, and subse-
quently caused the appointment by
Superintendent William Ettinger Of
group Of teachers and principals to
investigate the charges. Their COM
plete report, it is understood, will be
available in the early part Of next
month.
In q footnote to the article, which is
entitled Benedict Arnold Redivivus,"
Mr.. Miller Is described as "a stalwart
foe of propagandzed history" and his
writings are recommended to the ear
nest consideration of X. Of G. readers.
Benedict ArnoId's Spirit.
Benedict Arnold is a long time dead"
the announcement reads, ''but his spirit
still survives between book covers There
are dozens of capable writer's who, for
some reason best known to themselves,
perhaps because they are enamored of
the Anglo-Saxon impulse, rewrite Amer
fcan history to suit their concept Of what
it should be. Mr.. Miller. who is stu
dent of Arnoldism in American history
and an American Of long lineage, cites
author and book. chapter and passage
in this article which will make even the
most phlegmatic realize the urgent need
OF the X. of C. American history move
ment."
The new book mentioned in Mr.. Mil
ler's articles, which has not heretofore
figured in the committees Investigations.
is "A School History of the United
States" by John p. O'Hara, published
by the Macmillan Company. Mr.. Mil
ler's principal objection TO this textbook.
Is that It refers to the revered Boston
Tea Party as "a lawlese destruction of
property" and omts many historical
incidents that the critic believes should
be included in text books for patriotic
reasons.
That there is a common direction
back of these revisions becomes ap-
parent in the uniformity of the distor-
tions. notifications or omissions of
many of the vital principles, heroes and
incidents Of the Revolution and the war
OF 1872" declares Mr.. Miller. Some
of the directing forces also openly ap-
pear. Mclaughlin and Van Tyne
boldly proclaim in their preface: we
make no apology for the omission OF
many OF the yarns of american his
tory"
Six OF the seven school histories un-
der censure, Mr.. Miller states, omit en-
trely any mention OF 'the heroic story
OF Nathan Hale" and the remaining
one, "A History of the United States
for Schools" by Prof Albert Bushnell
Hart Of Harvard University, refers te
Hale only as "a graduate Of Yale"
Taxation GarbIing Charged.
I'm these revised histories" the critic
states at one point, "our children ara
being taught not the consecrated max
I'm, Taxation without representation IL
tyranny but quite the contrary; that
In England's tsxation OF the colonies
there was no injustice or oppression.
and that the real reasons Independence
was sought were that England having
at a great cost crushed out the power
Of autocracy on the Western Hemi-
sphere the colonists no longer needed
the protection OF the mother country
and were unwilling to pay the fair share
OF the costs incurred"
Since the meeting of the committee at
the Office of Edward Mandel. the chair
man. In Flushing last Monday the at
itst1A 10 ~.
we're present has undergone a noticeable
change with regard to conforming with
the committees requests for certain
changes and deletions in the texts
The consensus in the publishing trade
is that the committee has acted in
notably fair minded manner throughout
the controversy, and several of the pub
fishers admitted having been impressed
with the force OF the argument so often
advanced by the committee-that what
might be appropriate for school chill
dren In q small New England town
might be quite out of place among the
homogeneous population OF this city, |
where many of the pupils come from
families already saturated with radical
tendencies.
An explanation offered by one well
known publisher for whatever slight
pro- British leanings might be found in
the text books was that some of these
books were revised and rewritten in 1919
so as to include the world war. and
many of the authors held sincere con-
victions regarding the advisability OF
closer relations between the two English |
speaking nations. This attitude. It is |
said. may have been responsible for !
"toning down" some Of tho passages
that might tend to keep alive racial |
antagonisms.
What Mr.. Miller calls the general |
tendency of these authors to hold up |
10 ridlcule Americans OF the Revolu- |
tlonary period is illustrated by several |
passages chosen from the various his |
tories that are being examined by the |
committee. Prof. Hart's book. school |
History Of the United States" is picked |
out as being particularly guilty in this