Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 28.djvu/162

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THE CASE OF THE SOUTH AGAINST THE NORTH."

BY B. F. GRADY.

A REVIEW BY WILLIAM WALKER.

The importance of the study of history is universally recognized. It is especially obvious when one's own country is concerned. In practical acknowledgment of this fact, the history of the United States has been made a part of the curriculum of the common schools in the several States, which, together, constitute the Federal Union. It is to be regretted, however, that so far as they deal with the po- litical development of this country, the text-books placed in the hands of American boys and girls are not only superficial, but, in too many instances, incorrect and misleading. This is not surprising, when it is remembered that school books are usually mere abridge- ments, and that so many of the larger works dealing professedly with the political history of the United States have been written from a sectional and partisan point of view. Mr. B. F. Grady de- clares in the preface to his book, " The Case of The South Against The North," that his primary object has been the removal from the public mind of some of the wrong impressions which have been made during the last thirty-seven years.

Mr. Grady is a man of mature age, wide reading and practical experience as a public man. He has been a soldier, a college pro- fessor and a member of Congress. No one who reads ' ' The Case of The South "Against The North" will doubt that this work is the result of prolonged research and serious thought. If it be charged that he, too, has written from a sectional and partisan point of view, it may be replied that his statements and arguments are based upon official records and other authentic sources of information. If he is anywhere in error, he can be very easily corrected, because he has been extremely careful in the citation of his authorities. Moreover, his book is an answer. Though the South has submitted to the arbitrament of arms, it has yet a right to be heard before the august tribunal of history. It is true that the South has been defended with great ability by jurists and publicists of the learning, forceful-