The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-03-10
A Shop-WOrn Crusade

American teachers Of European history remain
strangely Indifferent to the universal revolution IN
ideas about the origins Of the World war The re-
vsionists have uncovered series Of facts sufficiently
weehty to cause doubt in the minds OF all European
historians Of any dignity but neither new facts nor
new opinions have had much effect in mis- country
ont of ten American historians, nine still are ran
corously anti German. and only one shows anything
resembling a fair and impartial spirit.
Thus writes Charles Mason Babcock," a distin-
auisbed American historian Of the most unbiemlSheo
and esoteric Harvard training in the American Mer
curry In the same magazine for August, 1927, Hartley
crattan had indicated with magnificent display OF
descriptive material the manner in which the most
reputable American historians captulaVeo 70 'i'e
hysteria of the period
He showed how they retailed the propaganda OF
the British about war guilt which Professor Charles
a BEARD well has described as the story for babes
Now Professor "Babcock" comes along and shows
how more than ten years later the most respectable
historical writer's still cling to these fancfu fairy
tales.
This is true even Of the grand keagles OF the
profession Take Bernadotte Schmtt OF the UNI
verstv of Chicago for example. Mr.. Babcock speaks
thus of Professor Schmtt and his Journal OF Modern
History. From behind this barrier he snipes away
at Fay, Beazley and other revisionsts" Mr. Babcock
nuts the issue in a nutshell as folo"S'
"Wm American historians recognize that there
are two sides to the case? No one asks them to
embrace the German argument; no one demands
even that they become revsioniss 1t is not queS-
ton of believing one side or the other.
"But it is a matter of common decency that they
should present both sides of the dispute-that they
should drop their dogmatism in reaying entente
fables and their pussyfOotng in the face OF revision
ist facts"
Bv great good luck the historians seem bent upon
adding further confirmation to Professor BaococKs
thesis No sooner had his article appeared than Cur
rent History came forth the present issue March)
with an apology for the entente fables by Pro
lessor Preston Slosson of the University Of Michigan
Those who doubt the accuracy Of Professor Bah
cocks" attack on the historians will do well to read
The sef-convction which Professor Slossen offers to
the public.
The matter might be humorous were it not that
it. has indeed a serious bearing upon the future Oh
world peace Europe and America still are disrupted
by preiudices which have hung over from the war
period. The great scholars everywhere have blasted
awav the foundations of these bases and hatreds
But the children are the mercy of their pedagogs
who as Professor "Babcock" well says, still stand
pat on the STORY for babes"
How can we give the students of history through
out the country the light which will enable them to
find their way to a clear understanding OF world
notifies in the twentieth century if their leaders are
determined to remain blind to the facts?
Nothing could be more symptomatc of the situa-
tio than the fact that the noble author of the Mer-
r, article felt it quite unsafe to write under his
o,Un nane-and he was Iamentably correct in this
conviction.