True stories of old Houston and Houstonians: historical and personal sketches / by S. O. Young. Page: 167
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HOUSTON AND HOUSTANIANS 167
educated in everything except Texas history. We took a walk
and when we reached the plaza I pointed out the Alamo to him.
"Really, I am ashamed to ask the question, but what is the
Alamo and what does it stand for?" he said.
I thought he was trying to make fun of me at first, but a
glance at his face showed me that he was seriously seeking information.
With such a text; with the Alamo itself in front of
me, I was able to make rather a good talk and when I finished
up with San Jacinto, my young preacher was about as enthusiastic
over Texas history as I was. We returned to the hotel and
after lunch he asked me to go with him to the smoking room.
When we got there I found that he had gathered about a dozen
of his traveling companions and after making a short talk himself
he begged me to repeat what I had told him about the Alamo
and San Jacinto for the benefit of his friends.
For the first time in my life I found myself lecturing on history.
I began with Bradburn's misdeeds at Anahuac in 1831,
which really started the Texas Revolution and ended with San
Jacinto. They were all greatly interested in what Itold them and
I was intensely proud of being a native of a state which has
such a history. The preacher became enthusiastic again -and
before he left the city he purchased every book he could find
that had any Texas history in it.
It seems strange to us that there should be anybody ignorant
about our state's history, and yet the average Texan is about
as ignorant of the history of most of the other states of the
Union. It is true that no other state has a history so striking
and so worthy of being known, yet some of them do have worthy
histories and the average Texan knows no more about them than
those northern gentlemen knew about Texas.
I suppose the self confessed ignorance of the Massachusetts
gentlemen is more general and widespread than is supposed, for
those who do not know what the Alamo is are wise enough not
to admit the fact, but keep their mouths closed until they inform
themselves. That is the way, I know I would do If I visited Massachusetts
and any point or incident in the state's history came
up for discussion about which I knew nothing.
The Alamo has always been an incentive to Texans urging
them to the performance of deeds of patriotism and valor, and
at times it has been something of a heavy handicap. Everybody
remembers the speech made by President Davis at the breaking
out of our great war to the Texas troops in the Army of Northern
Virginia. "The troops from other states," he said, "have
reputations to make; you Texans have one to sustain."
EARLY NEWSPAPER MEN.
xW x JHO among the oldtime newspaper men does not remember
Dr. McBride? There was a yellow jouralist tlat
would make some of the yellow of today look like
pure white. The doctor simply lived thirty years too son. Had
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Young, Samuel Oliver. True stories of old Houston and Houstonians: historical and personal sketches / by S. O. Young., book, 1913; Galveston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth24646/m1/167/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.