The New York herald., 1922-02-21
irish, NOT COLUMBUS,
DISCOVEREDAMERIC
81 Monks Inspired by st.
Patrick Landed in Vir-
ginia in 545.
HISTORY IS SET RIGHT
Wakeman Springs Further
Long Forgotten Truths
on Hirshfield.
HENDRICK HUDSON FAKIR
Washington Born on Feb. IL
but Tammany Had the
Date Changed.
HENDRICK HUDSON FAKIR

Recently an eminent Spanish his
torian declared in an interview in
New York that Christopher Columbus
jew, and that documents had been
found to prove it. But that was mild
heresy in comparison to the state
ment made yesterday by Abram
Wakeman at the school history hear
ing being conducted by Commissioner
of Accounts Hirshfield.
Mr.. Wakeman has the faculty of
producing from time to time quaint
half forgotten historical truths. 1t
was only last December he startled a
gathering of members Of the Board Of
Education by coming right out and
saying there seemed to eb an err
roneous idea that George Washington
} was the first President of the United
States.
Mr.. Wakeman is secretary of the
Lower Wall Street Business Mems
Association 4 in which district is the
site of the famous Merchants Coffee
House, and it is his interest in this
historical place that has led the secre-
1ary to delve deeply into historical
data.
Yesterday Mr. waketnan found him
self aligned on the side of those who
believe that school history as 1t is taught
in the schools to-day is lacking in COM
plete accuracy and he was there to see
that certain authors of whom Mr.. Hirsh-
field complains are set right as to I'M
portant facts in our early history.
Irish Discovered U. S. A..
covered this country. but the Irish." said
Mr.. Wakeman, "and the man really re-
sponsible for the discovery was st, Pat
rick. His vision of q promised land so
inspired his countrymen that st. Bren-
dan and sixty other monks sailed from
iceland in 545 and landed at place
now known as Virginia. They lived there
years and returned to their native land
and gave an accurate account OF their
discovery which has been preserved in
several books.
Mr. Wakeman also said histories were
wrong in asserting that Hendrick Hud-
son discovered the Hudson River. and 1t
rather provoked him to think the Dutch
explorer had received 80 much publicity
over an undeserved feat. The truth Is
the Hudson and Manhattan Island were
discovered in 1909 by Giovanne Verraz-
zano, Mr.. Wakeman said, and quoted
several histories to bear out his conten-
tion Commissioner Hirshfield also was
informed that Washingtons Birthday
actually falls on February IL and that
that date was celebrated until 17T2, when
the Society of the Tammany changed
the date to February e.
Commissioner Hirshfield did not indi-
cate what value he attached to the testi-
mony of some of the witnesses, but he
said it was an open meeting and he
could not prevent people from coming in
who had "an AK to grind"
HfrshfieId Is Pleased.
The Commissioner was pleased how
ever, with the presence of Judge WAL
lace McCamant OF Portland. Ore, who
IL president-general of the National So
ciety Of the Sons of the American Revo-
luton and who stopped in New York TO
express his views on school histories
after having carried on successful
campaign in his own state against sew
.ral textbooks regarded as tin-American
One OF the books which the Judge had
banned from the Portland schools was
"a United States history by Prof. David
ri. Muzzey of Columbia University lie
believes school children should be told
about heroic exploits of past heroes OF
American history, and that the causes
OF the American Revolution should be
portrayed In their proper light. He par
tculariy protested against the characte-
ization OF the Boston Tea Party as "a
lawless destruction OF property" and the
description of John Hancock as q
''smuggler."
Commissioner Tfirshfield is going to
continue the hearing next Monday and
has issued a public invitation to the
authors OF some Of the books under cen
sure to appear TO explain their side of
the case