Evening star., 1927-10-27
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL y. COLLINS.

One historian condemned in Chi
cagO Is Arthur Meier Schlesinger,
who, in an article published in a
lgazine, wrote of the Boston tea
party and its aftermath;
THE sun of the radicals had suf
fered an eclipse.
I'm the commercial colonies Sam
Adams-that Machiavelli of Chaos
sought, through the establishment of
town committees of correspondence, to
unite the workingmen of the port
towns with the farmers of the rural
districts in political action, and the
burgesses of Virginia launched their
plan Of a provincial committee of cor
respondence that might give uncen-
sored expression to the political griev-
ances Of the Southern planters"
So our schools are representing our
Revolutionary forefathers as "radi
Gals" and Machiavellis Of Chaos
Sam Adams, Patrick Henry, George
Washington, Thomas Jefferson ct al
~ II *
In the New York investigation, it
was found that Prof. MuZZey (whose
history is the special point of attack
now in Chicagop thus speaks, on page
80 of the 1920 revision:
IUlS great GFclI \luc AHlCIlCdH
Revolution) has too often been rep
resented as the unanimous uprising
of a downtrodden people to repel the
deliberate. unprovoked attack of a
tyrant upon their liberties.
1t is evident that, at the time at least,
there were two opinions as to colo
nial rights and British oppression"
The Muzzey and Schlesinger his.
tories are not alone in their pro-
British tone since the "moderniZing"
Of American history. following the
period of the World War. Others
included in the New York report are
Hart's, Guitteau's and Barnes. What
will transpire in the Chicago fiare-up
remains to be seen.
Whether one sides with one party
or the other in such a controversy,
it Is notable that Mayor Thompson
has introduced no innovation when
he or his supporters advocate burn
ing of the obnoxious literature. That
was a pagan practice even before it
was adopted in the Christian era, in
Rome. Often they burned not only
the books but also the author, by
decree Of the Roman Senate. Per-
haps the historical precedence makes
it easier for the Duce. Mussolini, now
to enforce his muzZle on the freedom
Of the press.
All the books Of the famous Abelard
the great priestly lover of Heloise
were burned by order Of Pope In
nocent II. Later the protesting works
Of John Huss met a similar fate in
Geneva, and, in England, the works of
Martin Luther, Firth, Tyndale, Wi
n1i ND nfh lao nfp
were publicly burned before Old st.
Paul's.
In his ''Defensio." John Milton based
an exhortation to virtue upon the
righteous act Of regicide, while he
argued against the "divine right of
kings" For this. the House of Com
mons petitioned the King, June. 1860,
to order the book burned by the COM
mon hangman. Many copies escaped
destruction, however, and subsequent
ly the act Of oblivion was conferred
| on Milton--though not wiping out his
fame through the centuries.
In an interesting book by James
Anson Farrer, Books Condemned to
Be Burnt" published 35 years ago,
appears this bit of history, which may
enlighten Chicago:
1.-THE next work which the Lower
House concurred with the Upper in
consigning to the hangman was 1.-THE
Present Crisis with regard to America
| Considered February oath, 1775), but
of this book, the fate 1t met with
seems now the only ascertainable fact
about it. 1t appears to enjoy the real
distinction of having been the last
book condemned by Parliament in
+, England to the flames; although that
honor has sometimes been claimed for
| the Commercial Restraints of Ire
land by Provost Hely Hutchinson. "
| 1t Is noteworthy that the burning of
books. the suppression by force OF free
speech and free literature, has not
| added one thought to the worlds
! knowledge. The deyout priests who
.eccop1ra nied CortAz innhis conquest o.