The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1923-06-21


Edwin Greenlaw, William Backus
Guitteay, Mclaughlin and Van Tyne,
Willis Mason West and Everett
Barnes. who now is under the old
and honored name of A S. Barnes &
Co., who for fifty years have pub
lished a brief hisotry of the United
States which has stood as a sound
! authority as to the facts and spirit
Of our National ideals and progress.
To prove that the patriotic organiza-
tons 1 have previously mentioned
have a just complaint against the
above named revisionists and the
| school histories, published under their
name I submit the following:
Hart teaches that patriots were
drawn into the continental army by
/ money, bounties and promises of
land" and that "the colonists liked
! u think of themselves as part of the
| British empire. They were proud Of
| being Britons. They were as well
/ of as any other people in the world"
Ohara denounces the Boston tea
party as wholly lawless obstruction
| Of property" OF Washington, this
| so-called author says:
| IF you had called him an 'Ameri-
can he would have thought you
were using a kind Of nickname He
/ and his fellow colonists were proud
/ that they were Englishmen; they
/ gladly and Loyalty served an Eng
lish king because he represented the
/ freedom without which they thought
| life not worth living"
! Among the advocates of American
! freedom more than a score Of Eng.
! lishmen are copiously quoted, but
the name of Jefferson does not ap-
/ pear, nor that Of Hancock, Adams.
/ Otis or Paine. Henrys are listed
among the forces for liberty-Henry
/ III and Henry VIII repeatedly, but
/ never Patrick Henry.
No Mention of Patriots
Ward declares 1.-The American Revo-
luton was a contest between Ger
man tyranny and English freedom"
| Muzzy teaches that wisdom of a
break with England was "a debatabls
question. Muzzey entirely onnits men
tlcn of Nathan Hale. Anthony Wayne.
Putnam. Sumter, Pickens, Marion,
+ Stark, Sullivan, Knox, Commodore
| Barry. Sergeant Jasper, Light Horse
| Harry Lee. Molly Pitcher. Betsy
/ Ross and the birth of the flag. the
Battle of Bennington and Stony Point
and many other heroic names and
/ events that have thrilled and in
/ spired the schoolboys and girls Of
our land in the past
J Pre- n divine Germ a rtovrr and Val
/ ley Forge are grouped in two SEN
/ fences. Paul Jones is put in one
/ sentence. The story of Bunker Hill
words.
Guitteay denies the revolution was
/ ar event resulting from British IN
/ justice.
/ Mclaughlin and Van Tyne teach
/ that there r. little use trying to
/ learn whose fault it was that the
| revolution began; that the Declare
/ ton Of independence was largely pla-
/ CARRIED from an Engnshman and
that the United States Constitution
/ is copied after the British constitu-
/ ton.
/ West teaches that the English
/ Colonial System was not tyrannical;
that the war of 1912 was organized
in blunder and was conducted dis
| creditably.
As to Nathan Hale
Everett Barnes teaches that the
first signer of the Declaration Of In
| dependence was a smuggler'; that
the Continental Congress was made
| up Of scoundrels; that the revolution
was a party contest between neigh
bors and that the war Of 1912 was
a mistake. Nathan Hale. whose only
/ regret on the British scaffold was
that he had but one life to give to his
country, is ignored in this American"
history, as are Ethan Allen, Mad An
thony Wayne and the Battle of Stony
Point. There is a full pags Of praise
for the traitor, Benedict Arnold.
Now I confidently submit to any
faiI~minded American-yes, to any
fair-minded person-whether American
or British in sympathies, the simple.
candid proposition that such repre-
sentation of national heroes does not
constitute honest history; that It IS
not designed to be accurate presenta-
ton Of the truth; and that taught in
the public schools. this sort of stuff
must inevitably result in deadening
of pride and confidence IN the char
acters and principles of our Nations
founders; the poisoning of the springs
of patriotism and the denaturing OF
national spirit and morale in the
next generation.
In Its Place
There is no complaint against Brit
ish history-even British history Of
the American Revolution in its place
but it's place is not in the public
schools of the United States. The
right version for American youth is
that OF our fathers, not that OF their
foes.
Friendship between the two greatest
nations in the world, to be honest and
secure, can be based only upon facts,
past as we'll as present. Let us ad-
vance together up the road of peace
and progress, hand in hand, If we will;
but not allow alien-hearted revision
lists to set up lying historical guide
posts to freedom.
National headquarters Of the Veter-
ans Of Foreign Wars, 80 Union
Square. New York City. has caused
to be printed little booklet entitled
Treason to American Tradition"
which gives a complete report on
American school histories, and 1t will
be mailed to any address for six
CT n COxyar OOSt ~ Int.