Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 7, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 January 1917 — Histories Used in the Schools Have Covered Up Many Disagreeable Facts [ARTICLE]

Histories Used in the Schools Have Covered Up Many Disagreeable Facts

By JAMES E. CLARK

Our histories, especially the school histories, have misled and misdirected public thought. * They have ignored or . covered up disagreeable facts because it was thought to be unpatriotic to tell these facts. In keeping the child (and in consequence the adult) in ignorance of the proper means and requirements for protection from the danger of national aggression or invasion, the educational system of the nation has been badly at-fault. Therefore, just as the school prepares the pupil to earn his bread, it is held that the school should also show him how to frfntr~f hln *"**»»« of livelihood and doit at least cost. As armies go, we have always been a nation without an army of any considerable size, excepting when war came. It is contended that the public-school pupil should know by the incorruptible facts of history - whether this has been the best policy —whether it has prevented war or brought war; Whether it has saved lives or wasted lives; whether it has saved money or wasted,money. * It is well within the province of schools to give the pupil the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, on ( the history'of his country, egpecially as the lack of that knowledge may easily lead to a national. It is not, however, to be supposed that public-school pupils will be taught the technicalities of military policies—instead they may properly be shown the fundamental reasons for many great events —such, for instance as why the United States was compelled to employ 627,654soldiers during the war of 1812, while the greatest force the British had during any one year of that war was only 16,500; and why, despite 4 this of numbers, the small British repeatedly defeated our troops with little effort. fr*" • 1 • ■ «