Evening star., 1922-06-18
To the Editor Of The Star:

At
in the article in The Star was TO the
effect that the opposition OF the
Piney Branch Citizens Association 70 ,
MuZzcy'S History is part OF thIs
nti-British propaganda. That inIet
'enCe is not only entirely unwarranted'
but is diemetrically contrary to the
fact.
Cordial to Great Britain.
In the opening paragraph of our
attack upon MuzZey'S History occurs
this sentence: We believe America
has a warmer feeling for Great Brit
am than for any other natioh on
earth" and every member of the COM
mittte who signed that report is most
heartily in favor OF close relations
between America and Great Britain
We added in that report, however.
that this is no reason for falSlfylng
history, belittling British errors and
wrongs of $50 years ago and relesat-
ing to inucuous deSuetude the names
and deeds of those who heiped 10
found this republic. In this we are
in entire accord with the opening and
closing sentences quoted in The star
from Mrs Minors address, TO W.T.
Let as. also, strive to keep truth
in American history" and keep the
truth IN our histories. for history
without truth ceases TO be. This is
exactly what the Piney Branch Ciu-
ZenS' Association is striving for ana
it is because MuZZey's History does
not measure up to this standard that
We are seeking 10 have II excluded
from our public schools.
RnpS DIR. Muzzey's Defense.
In the issue of The Star of June 4,
you give DIR. MuzZey over two columns
IN defense OF his history, in which
he charges that the Piney Branch
Citizens Association goes far beyond
propriety and decency' in criticizinS
his work.
DR. Muzzey defends the statement
in his history that the cause of the
revolution was a difference of opinion
as to the nature of the British EN-
pire" and alleges that he says plainly
that he thinks Britain was wrong
and quotes English historians like
Trevelyan. Lecky. May and Green to
the effect that Britain was in the
wrong. MuZzey'S history nowhere
says that he thinks that Britain was
wrong ard the historians which he
quotes (p. 10N) are not to the effect
that Great Britain was wrong. but
that George III was the evil spirit
of the British empire" He refers to
page after page in his history as sub
stantiatinS his allegation that he
says plainly that England was wrong,
and not one of the pages referred to
contains any such statement, So far
as | could see.
In regard to the charge of the Piney
Branch Citizens Association that he
=
charges that tp. 12S). the United
States violated its treaty of alliance
with France and concluded the peace
with England alone, DR.. MuzZey Jug
giles words. In his defense he says:
II am accused of error in stating that
we made a separate peace with Eng
land and that our commissioners 'vio-
lated the treaty of alliance with
France and concluded the peace with
England alone. thereby securing the
,.-bo the Atlantic
the Mississippi.
Denies Separate Peace.
The Piney Branch Citizens Asso-
citation charges in so many words that
that statement in Muzzey's history ,
is false. With a historian as well
posted as DR.. Muzzey it can not be
set down as error" The United
States did not make separate peace
with England. it did not violate the
treaty of alliance with France. AMI
it did not by any treaty made with
England alone secure the territory
from the Atlantic to the Mississippi.
In his defense DR.. MuZzey says, Il :
append quotations from careful Amer
lean historians in support of the
truth of my statement that we made
a separate peace with England"
This in effect reiterates the statement
in his history that we made sepa
rate peace with England"
There is nothing complicated about
the question at all. Article of our
treaty of alliance of February 6, 177S.
with France provided that neither of
the two parties should conclude"
either truce or peace with Great |
Britain without the formal consent
of the otheS and that they should
not lay down their arms until the !
independence OF the United States /
shall have been formally or tactically
assured by the treaty or treaties that !
shall terminate the war" BY pro-
visional articles agreed upon between ;
the United States and Great Britain.
November 80. 1882. Great Britain
acknowledged the said United States
to be free. sovereign and in
dependent states" and the conditions
under which peace between the two
countries could be secured were out
lined. but with the express provision !
that they were not to go into effect
until such time as peace was con-
cluded between Great Britain and
France. Such a peace was concluded
September 3, 1888. and then and not
tween the United States and Great
Britain.
DIR. Muzzey. as a well informed his
torian, must know this or he is not
qualified to write American history, |
and if he does know it, the statement
contained in his history that the
United States violated the treaty
with France is knowingly false and.
as charged by the Piney Branch Cit
liens Association, it amounts to the
statement that the United States
treated its treaty of alliance with
France as d scrap of paper and
justifies. as DR.. Muzzey says. the evil
dent deduction that he classes Frank
lin with Bethman-Hollweg.
American Heroes Left Out.
DIR. Muzzey justifies his omission of
the names and deeds of the American
heroes particularly of the wars of the
revolution and 1922 on the ground
that these are matters that are read
by children in the primary grades"
but he finds room for Maj. Andre, the
spy, who participated in Benedict Ar ,
nold's treason. but none for Nathan
Hale. who died as spy on a British
scaffold. He gives us the name of
Gage. the British commander at
Bunker Hill. but does not mention
Warren. the American commander. !
He has plenty of room to mention
names like Gen. Charles Lee and his !
base conduct at the battle of Mon |
mouth. and Benedict Arnold. the |
American traitor, but he finds no room ,
for Gen. Stark, for Marion, or Light |
horse" Harry Lee, or Moultrie. or
Hull. or Porter, or Decatur, or Balm |
bridge. Can it be that the pupils of
the grades do not learn of Arnold and |
Gen. Charles Lee. or Gen. Gage or Maj. !.
Andre? Tarleton was the British Hun !
of the American revolution. whose !