The Seward gateway., 1922-04-04
AMERICAN BOOKS FOR AMERICAN
 SCHOOLS

The histories heretOf0re used III tle American schools have always tended to create in the mind of the youth the idea that the British were our heredi- tary enemies. The new histories, thru English influence, have swung to the other extreme. Those who desire toI contribute to the friendly feeling be- tween the United States and Great Britain do their cause no good when they attempt to belittle the exploits of our revolutionary heroes, seek to mln' imize that struggle and the War ol 1S12 in the public minds or hold out hopes that this country will be reunl- ted to Great Britain. The American neople are susceptible to propagahaa' h,,+ we had one lesson with Germany and the effect of her skilltul propasah- do and the English might just as well not try to influence the American mind in any such manner as mas oeen attempted in recent American hls'o- ries published for use in the American soboo1s fo:, the United States has well learned her lesson.
 The attempt to introduce pro-Ens- ,;sb toxt hooks into American schools is only a part of the great efort Deihs made to bring the United States ana Great Britain in closer union. AS ear- ,u as the day of the great scholar, Ce- cil Rhodes, this idea was dominant Ill the minds of many Englishmen. The first draft of the last will and tasta- ment of Cecil Rhodes directed the ell dowment of a secret society having for it's object, among other things, the ultimate recovery of the United States of America as an integral patr of the British Empire" This original idea of Rhodes was never carried out but in stead the Rhodes Scholarship Fund was created under which American ty to study fr iH o9feSrddf tRs Ta influence of the four years spent by an American youth in Oxford is not such as ot increase the fervor of his American patriotism.
 Lord Northcliffe, the great English newspaperman, through his powerful chain of papers, breaches line of ac- tion to influence America in favor of England He suggests the use of the press, the church, the stage and the cinema, and the whole educational system with the end in view that the public mind of the United States may subconsciously absorb the fundamen- tals of a complete mutual understand ing.
 Powerful influences of this sort have resulted in well defined movement in the United States to introduce text books, especially histories, into our schools that will give the rising gen eration an entirely new idea of the cir cumstances surrounding the birth of the Republic. It is openly asserted by the authors of some present day American histories that the stirring incidents of the Revolution which we have been accustomed to read would better be omitted, and the whole story Of that period has been so changed as to be hardly recognizable. Fortunately school officials are awakening to the dangers that threaten and are taking measures to expunge such books from their curriculums.
 A big danger lies in small isolated communities where there is no one paying much attention to the text books and books tending toward prop aganda which are often sold at lowe, prices and get into the poor school dis tricts by reason of this latter fact. It is danger that every American citizer must be aware of. We do not wan propaganda in any form We 1at otb