Page:History vs. the Whitman saved Oregon story.djvu/55

imposed upon the children of the nation through their school histories, I decided six years ago, that though I could not afford to publish a book, I could (as my daughter was my tpyewriter) afford to send typewritten criticisms of the amazing errors into which some of the ablest of our historians had fallen through accepting Gray, and Spalding, and C. Eells, and Barrows, and Nixon, and Mowry, and Coffin, and Craighead, and M. Eells as trustworthy authorities, instead of going to original sources, as I had done in all cases. These manuscripts have been read by some three-score historians and historical students, including Professors of History in Universities and Colleges, Teachers of History in Normal, and High, and Elementary Schools, Judges, Clergymen, Editors and Librarians, and except W. A. Mowry, every person—man or woman—who has read even one-quarter part of them has been convinced that they completely overthrow each and every form of the Whitman Saved Oregon story; and nearly all of these persons had been believers in the Whitman Saved Oregon story, and many of them had put it in their books or otherwise publicly advocated it Dr. Mowry was not convinced, not, as Mr. Eells says, "Because he had studied both sides of the subject;" but it is because his "study of the subject" has been controlled by those unique ideas of the limits of historical investigation and publication, stated in his letter of December 9, 1898 (Cf. p. 9 ante for this), that he still asserts that "Whitman Saved Oregon." To all the professional historians, and also the compilers of school histories, to whom I sent my manuscripts, I wrote urging each to subject my statements to the most rigorous examination, to verify for themselves the fairness of any or all summaries, and the accuracy of any or all quotations, and to have the kindness to inform me if they found any erroneous statement of fact, or inaccuracy in quotation or unfairness in summarizing such documents as I could not find space to quote in full, believing that any one who points out an error I have made does me a kindness, by enabling me to be wiser hereafter than I have been heretofore. To help them to arrive at the exact facts about the arguments advanced by the advocates of the Whitman Saved Oregon story, I sent several of them for examination a copy of Rev. M. Eells' pamphlet, "Marcus Whitman, M. D., Proofs of His Work in Saving Oregon to the United States, etc." Portland, 1883, and also a copy of the "Whitman Controversy," Portland, 1885, and only regretted that I had not copies enough of both to have sent a copy of each with each set of my MSS. No one of those who read my MSS. found a single error of fact, or a single inaccurate quotation, or a single unfair summary. Among those who having heard of my MSS. asked the privilege of reading them was the late Professor John Fiske, and when through with them he wrote me a letter which the