MAY BAR HART'S HISTORY FROM NEW YORK SCHOOLS

"A School History of the United States" by Professor A. B. Hart '80 was among the books condemned by David Hirshfield, Commissioner of Accounts of New York City, yesterday in the report he made to Mayor Hylan. The objection was made on the ground that the history was anti-American and pro-British propaganda and should therefore be barred from the public schools of New York.

Professor Hart's book was among more than a dozen histories which were mentioned by Hirshfield, who charges that these text-books were written or revised by their authors during or after the war with a view toward destroying the traditional American patriotic views of the wars between this country and Great Britain. He sees the real purpose of the writers to be aiming at an Anglo-American union based on British rather than American superiority.

Declares Book Has Baleful Influence

In commenting specifically he declares that Professor Hart's text-book can only have a most baleful influence upon school children for it is destructive of patriotic pride and tends to deaden patriotic spirit. In reviewing the book, he quotes the following "objectionable" passages:

"The colonists were not desperately oppressed. They enjoyed more freedom and self government than the people in England".

"The real reason for the Revolution was that, since the people were more used to free government than the English at home, they looked upon every effort of Parliament to tax them as an effort to deprive them of their freedom".

Of Samuel Adams: "He was a shrewd, hard-headed politician".

Of Alexander Hamilton: "Is once said to have exclaimed, 'your people, Sir, is a great beast' ".

Thomas Jefferson a Demagogue

Of Thomas Jefferson: . . . "looked upon (by his enemies) as an atheist, a liar, and a demagogue".

"Not until after Burgoyne's army was captured did congress pluck up courage to complete the form of union".

Besides Professor Hart's book, the following histories were condemned: "An American History" by David Saville Muzzey of Columbia University: "History of the American People" by Willis Mason West, former head of the department of history of the University of Minnesota; "A History of the United States for Schools" by Andrew C. McLaughlin, of the University of Chicago and Claude H. Van Tyne, of the University of Michigan: "Our United States" by William B. Guitteau, director of schools at Toledo; "Burke's Speech on Conciliation", edited by O. H. Ward, of the Taft School: "Short American History by Grades" by Everett Barnes of Brooklyn: and "American History for Grammar Grades", also by Mr. Barnes