Show SECTIONAL FOOLISHNESS A very singular question of prejudice is just now disturbing war veterans of Newark New Jersey being the question of admitting into their public schools a school compendium of the history of the civil war in which in order to give I the scholar an idea of the war and its I lOIHluct the author has giver pictmes and short sketches of both 11 ion and Confederate officers of the armies and navies and Home chapters giving the history his-tory of the causes of the war and its effects on the country New Jersey through her brave troops did as much for the Union us any State in it but it looks in the light of this squabble as if the men who followed and deified Phil Kearney through the hellonearth of the peninsular campaign have now succumbed suc-cumbed to old age and become garrulous without a cause therefor The New York Sun puts the case in the following fashion There is nn unfortunate opening sentence in the account of the civil war Humors of a plan to assassinate Lincoln impelled him to come to Washington in dis guise He was inaugurated March 4th 1861 surrounded by troops under General Scott The lad who reads this will hardly Rot a correct idea of Mr Lincolns famous lUau gural journey to Washington He left his home on the 11th of February 1861 a great concourse of his neighbors and friends ac companying him At scores of places on the railroad route eastward ho greeted the peo I ple Atlndinnapolis Cincinnati Columbus Pittsbnrty Cleveland Buffalo Albany Now York Philadelphia Trenton and Harrisburg he made addresses and was received with re markable public demonstrations In some pmces uiuuKiij business was practically suspended during his visit It is true that from Harrisburg he proceeded by a change of plan to Washington several hours in ad vanop of the time appointed with great pre cautions not to disclose this change of plan which was wholly due to news of a plot of assassination in Baltimore but it would puzzle this author were he living to whether Mr Lincoln was disguised as say a policeman or as a farmer or a laborer or to show that he was in any disguise at all Still the thoroughly respectful and appreciative description of the President shows that no I slur was intended by the statement in the text apparently founded on a newspaper yarn of the period j In the group of portraits of military lead era We find Grant and Lee in the centre the formor the more prominent with Sheridan and Jackson in the upper corners and Sher man and Johnston in the lower In the group of naval commanders Farragut is in the centre with Buchanan under him and Semmes Footo Mitchell and Porter in the I corners The four personal battle pictures are Stonewall Jackson Bull Bun Grant j writing to Sheridan on the road to the Wilt j dorness Sheridans rule from Winchester j and the death of J E B Stuart The I ii wuva vri buu I KCCIP and AiiillLUlV traits qf Leo and Grant in footnotes are alike ap preciative Leo was handsome in face and figure a graceful rider grave and silent in deportment jubt the benrmR to captivate asoldier while his deep piety truth sin cerity and honesty won the hearts of all In Grant there was an inflexible resolution lortility of resource power of handling great masses of men unrullled calmness quick decision prompt action and sublime faith in ultimate success There is a noticeable statement in the text that in the surrender Appomattox only 8000 men were left of Lees army but a note that the Federal authorities state that 27f lG officers and men I were paroled at Appomattox gives the student n choice of other figures This little book is intended to give the youth of New Jersey an idea of what the soldiers of the war had to contend with and it strikes the DBMOCRAT as eminently proper to describe the leaders on the I rebel side as being brave men of gentle manlyimpulses which therwere rather than to picture them prototypes s of Captain KicKl or Benedict JCrnold j neither of whom tftey iri any feature resembled The great lesson taught by the war was the necessity of obliterating sectional lines and feelings and no surer method could be desired for this purpose than to holdupthe error of the Southern leaders and thus teach the youth how men of the highest attainments in learning and law can err when blinded by prejudice There is not a true soldier of the war living today who does not find his heart softened toward the men who wore the gray and no friendship on earth is I stronger or closer than that formed between be-tween the men of the contending armies when they parted at Appomattox for their homes It is just possible that some cantakerous opposition publisher has stirred up thi whole mess who I never knew any of the sufferings or friendships of war and the men of Jersey who knew both being old are easily led I into the < trap and doubtless used as tools for the publishers benefit In any case the DEMOCRAT agrees with the Sun in the following HOn the whole the Grand Army veterans need not feel alarmed If this book does not exhaustively analyze the varying motives mo-tives which led millions to face death in the war it yet nnntnintj RO far na we have seen no political heresy If it fully sets forth the resisting powers of the vanquished so much the better for the victors If it proves that the road to Richmond and Appomattox was a hard road it also shows that the Union soldiers got there just the same |