Evening star., 1946-06-24

1t is my guess that If a man had
the time and the money he could
find men and women who object to
pictures that are hung straight, who
would like the sun to rise in the
west, who think it would be better
| if cats barked and dogs meowed
who would prefer the sky to be
green and the grass blue, and, who
| If given the chance, would build sub
ways on the surface and put street
cars underground, switch the dates
of Christmas and the Fourth of
July, and generally turn the earth
inside out.
Marshall Testimony Cited.
The two paragraphs above were
prompted by recent appearance of
James Marshall, a member of the
New York City Board of Education,
before Senate committee Mr.
Marshall told the Senators-and
trust none Of them had to be kept
after school to dust the erasers or
wash the blackboards for squirming
fidgeting and general inattentive-
ness-that the schoolbooks Of the
world should be rewritten. Mr..
Marshall pointed out, among other
things. that much Is to be desired
in the treatment of the American
Revolution, in both American and
British textbooks. 1t Is obvious. Mr..
Marshall feels that the American
history books give the British none
the best of it, and vice versa.
So what? What's wrong with that?
I say, let American kids believe that
CORVALLIS couldn't carry Washing
toms shoes, and that one Minute
Man could lick the best six Red
coats ever to squint down a musket.
I hope that II Mr.. Marshall has
his way American youngsters won't
be taught that the Boston Tea
Party was staged by a bunch OF
rowdy badly behaved Americans
out on binge, or that it really
wasn't cold at Valley Forge, and
that the men didn't actually suffer
but had truf1les and caviar for
breakfast.
Is Patriotism Narrow?
Honestly it's getting so that to
admit ones patriotism is to get one
branded as narrow cuss who
can't see beyond the 48 States. One
must not think of America in terms
of power. richness, industry, and
inherent decency lest he be put
down as one who thinks all the
other peoples of the earth are un-
fit to save. To cheer for the flag is
jingoistic One must save ones
cheers. not for the red, white and
blue, but the multicolored flag of
all nations. It'll be sorry day for
this country when its citizens feel
that another flag, no matter what
it represents. deserves a dearer place
in their hearts than the one their
forefathers, no matter what the
schoolbooks say or don't say about
them. held aloft while building this
country.
That sermon over. I'll continue
with the changing of schoolbooks.
Being from the South, my history
practically abandoned the Civil War
after the first Battle of Bull Run.
Seventeen pages devoted to that,
and only line or two about Vicks-
burg, Gettysburg, and Appomattox
But it didn't do any great damage.
Quite a few Southern boys wore
khaki in the last war, and the one
before that.
What is wrong with the other
textbooks? Take that little brown
jacketed book on hygiene. All l
know about my insides I learned
from that, and my insides, as Of
right now, are ticking along beauti-
fully.
Don't tell me Mr.. Marshall would
change the teaching Of geography.
One of the great American institu-
tions is the radio quiz program, and
the basic knowledge of the men who
have reached fame and fortune
through an ability to answer any
and all questions was gained in
learning the capitals of the world,
their principal rivers, their chief
products, ETC. I still can tell you
where the Euphrates River starts,
the principal products Of Bangor,
Me, and the average rainfall in
Tibet. Good stuff to know, that.
I'll weaken on only one textbook,
and that is mathematics. It should
be eliminated entirely. To this day
don't know the difference be-
tween an improper fraction and long
division. Mathematics and deport-
ment-they ruined my report card.
Had it not been for these two items
wouldn't have ever had to learn
to forge my parents signatures.
Distributed by McNausht Syndicate, Inc. ,