The Washington herald., 1922-02-15
THOMPSON AGAIN
HITS MUZzEY'S
SCHOOL HISTORY
Supt. Ballou Orders an
Investigation of Con-
tents of Book.


"Boishevistfc, one-sided. inaccu-
rate" This Is the Characterization
given Muzzey's American History
last night by Clinton r. Thompson,
chairman Of the school committee
Of the Piney Branch Citizen Asso.
citation. continuing his light AGAINST
the use of this book in washihgto
psbiic schools. Mr.. Thompson. who
lives at. 1874 Farragut street north
west. Is an editor with the Repub-
lican Publicity Association.
The book. written by David 8.
Muxzey. OF Columbia University.
was condemned in resolution
passed by the Piney Branch Asso-
citation Monday night. demanding
its withdrawal from public schools.
1T is a one sided argument for
free trade" said Mr.. Thompson. ~
don't mean to say that II breaches
free Trade outright. but IL does
so by insinuation. which is worse.
Such arguments have no place In
our public school histories"
Right at the timo when we are
asking Congress for more money
for our schools and teachers" he
continued. 'they are teaching the
children chat our Congress Is corr
rupt. deny that our Representa-
tives are improperly Influenced by
money. or by the so-cailed cap
tains Of industry" The book Is an
Indictment against the government.
Newspaper Issulted.
References In the history TO the
corruption of the press are insults
TO every paper in the United States,
said Mr.. Thompson.
The following passage was OBJ
jectcd to particularly by Mr.
Thompson: Clique of Wall street
Bankers practically managed the
country during Grants Presidency
and ever since that time the great
capitalists who have finance oui
railroads, our mines, our oil fields
our steel mills and our packing
houses. have expect and received
from Congress immunities which
have made them .fabuiously rich
and bred in many Of them the be-
lief that the government exists
| primarily for purposes of protect
ing and increasing their wealth"
This is pure Bolshevism," say,
Mr.. Thompson. While / am not sc
familiar with Grants administra-
ton. I deny that the rest 10 true
and that IL should be tsught in ous
public schools
! The following paragraph on So
! cialism also was opposed by MI
Thompson: Socialism has unjustly
! been associated in the popular MIND
with violence and revolution. But
in this country the ballot. freely
put into the hands of every prac-
/ tical citizen, is the WEAPON fo'
peaceful revolution"
Meaning OF Socialism.
Everyone knows" said Mr.
Thompson, that Socialism means a
! distribution of wealth among the
poor. 1t teaches the poorer classes
to envy the rich and arrays one
| class against the other"
Criticizing the sins OF omission
in the history. Mr.. Thompson states
that only one sentence is devoted
to the battle of Bunker HHl, one
sentence to John Paul Jones and
but seventeen pages to the revolu'
tionary war Many historic char
acters such as Mad Anthony
| Wayne. ''LIgnthorse Harry" Lee
and others are not mentioned, he
| says.
I'm my opinion" said Mr.. Thomp-
son, "a history should not be merely
relation of events. II should he
filled with hero tales calculated 10
inspire patriotism. Probably some
foreigner could write an accurate
and unbiased history OF our coun-
try. but he probably would leave
out stories of our great heroes that
inspire us with love of country.
| believe our schools should teach pa
tr.otism and that the American
point of view should be written
into our school books"
No fight. other than the letter to
the School Board. will be made to
exclude the book from Washington
schools. according to Mr.. Thompson.
Investigation Ordered.
Washington school children are
never taught anything unpatriotic
in the public schools" pronounced
George J. Jones. head of the depart
ment of history OF the school sys-
tenn. Jones. together with Charles
Hart. principal of Eastern Eigf,
School. chairman OF the. text books
committee. mas been directed hy
superintendent cf Schools Ballou to
Investigate the Mussey's American
History
NO discussion Of any subject
can please every point of views
said DR.. Ballou. Various groups
have disapproved of textbooks as
pro-German. pro German, pro-war
pro-anything. No one work on his.
tory can possibly satisfy them all.
The knights of Columbus in
augurated campaign against
certain text books sometime ago:
the American Legion Is making an
effort to have history taught with