Evening star., 1925-06-18
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL y. COLLINS.

Schools out! Hurrah! It's vaca-
tom" The thousands of boys and girls
Of Washington who are shouting
these wc:ds OF Joy are in no doubt
whatever that the shouts express the
acme of human hallelujahs. The hun
dreds of weary teachers are ready to
cry "Hurrah" with almost as much
Joy, though expressed with more ma
ture dignity and deliberation.
1t is generally agreed that the
schools are the factories of citizen
ship, yet when a factory closes down
few. hurrahs usually are heard. The
product of the school is trained facul-
ties of the pupils, and upon the cor
rectness of that training depends the
efficiency, the intelligence and the
patriotism of the finished product.
For eight years the schools Of Wash
ington have been using biographies
which showed the map OF Europe as
it existed prior to the World War.
The Biographies told the boundaries
of the German Empire, over which
reigned the Kaiser Wilhelm. They
showed AlSace and Lorraine as be-
longing to the German Empire and
told nothing Of Poland. for had not
Poland been partitioned when kosci-
usko fell and Freedom shrieked?
There are several nations which have
been carved out Of Russia and Aus
tria and set upon their own feet
since the Biographies were printed,
but Congress had no official or scho-
lastic knowledge of what that had to
do with text books in the Washington
schools. so the old text books were
continued in use. Economy did not
originate with the present gentleman
of the White House, for did not Con-
greSS impress 1t upon the schools year
after year?
The teachers knew that the text
books were misleading, and so they
told their pupils not TO trust them as
to details, but to recognize their au-
thority where they printed the state
ment that the world is round and
that there is more water than land
For details as to political boundaries
look at the map chalked upon the
blackboard or printed in some maga-
zine.
Next year things will be different
New Biographies are to be supplied
and no longer will pupils hesitate be-
tween accepting the verbal teaching
of the school in contradicting the
text books. Confusion of the minds
of pupils will cease-at least as to
SoOSIdpIiy even lIl0 CIlllQT6n OF
returned veterans who helped to
change the boundaries of Europe will
no longer be in conflict with the text
books.
So much for modern geography.
But
When the history classes line up to
recite the thrilling story of the battle
of Bunker Hill they may be tempted
to commit to memory the entire ac-
count literally and tell all recorded
details by rote-a lazy mentality-for
from Muzzey's official text book of
American history all that chapter may
be quoted here without overrunning
space limits:
I'm June, Cages army stor1ned the
American breaStworkS on Bunker Hill
in three desperate and bloody as
saults."
battle which marked the founding of
the Nation No story Of heroism, no
account of the outcome, no reference
to the fact that the Americans were
led by a doctor, without military expe-
rience, against the British troops who
had turned the French battalions to
flight. There is no mention Of the pa
tient bravery of men who could hold
their fire until they could detect the
Wnlt0 OK inc enemy . eyes. WARREN =
fall Is unrecorded. What is heroism
or patriotism?
What was all the Revolution about?
The text says it was a "causeless,
wanton, wicked rebellion" and the
'.acts of the people of New England
ancestors of President Coolidge and
Vice President Dawes, the latter of
whom rode with Paul Revere to excite
the people around Lexington and Con-
cord-these acts were Irritating and
insulting to King George"-even "out-
ragged the King"
Patrick Henry and the Adamses
were ''irreconcilable spirits" sounding
forth rhetorical warnings"
Tka- -Mu4eX text book excuses the