We have taken the political correctness of today to modify the history of yesterday and in so doing are participating in a cover up of historical significance in modifying the classic work of Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn.

Huckleberry Finn, first published in 1884, had more than 200 offensive, by today’s political correctness standards, race references.  Today the publisher, New South Books has substituted 200 plus uses of the word “Nigger” with the word “Slave”.

New South Books says its new edition is an, “alternative for teachers who want to use the books in their class rooms, but are unable to present them in their original form because of pressure from parents or administrators to exclude the books.”

What we are doing is forcing the political correctness of today on the history of yesterday thus not telling or teaching the truth.  There is a lesson in the word and it should be taught.

Mark Twain wrote during a period of time and his writings historically and accurately reflected that period.  The words of that day should not be changed for the political correctness of today.

I served in the United States Navy in the 50′s and was stationed at a naval base called Dam Neck in Virginia Beach.  For an up to date reference of the base, it still exists and is the home of the Navy Seals Team 6.

I was assigned to a guided Missile School and played for the main base baseball team. The base at that time was known as the Fleet Air Defense Training Center.

On Virginia Beach, a resort community, there was a bus station with two doors of entry, one for “Coloreds” another for “Whites”, they were so labeled and had a drinking fountain for each.  I came out of the East and our bus stations had one entrance for all.

Our baseball team came in first place in the Hampton Roads League in 1956 and qualified for the 5th Naval District Tournament in Bainbridge Maryland.  We traveled on a Navy bus to the tournament.  There were four blacks, or coloreds, on our team.  We stopped for lunch on our way North, I don’t remember the State, but we were still in the South.

After sitting down at our table I looked around and noticed our four black teammates were not at the table.

“Coach”, I said, “where are . . .” and mentioned their names, which I don’t remember today.

He said, “they’re eating in the kitchen Storch, and don’t make an issue out of it.”

“I’m not”, I said, “but can I eat in the kitchen?”

He said yes.  So, I did.  It made me feel good.  I don’t know if the Coloreds cared, but they didn’t send me away.

I can’t change what happened that day, nor could I change the word colored on the bus stations in those days in the South. Oh, they have disappeared today, but you can’t say they didn’t exist in the 50′s anymore than you can say blacks weren’t called Niggers in the 1800′s and 1900′s.  If you think about how the name for blacks has evolved in history over time you will remember the following: Nigger, Coloreds, Negro’s, Afro-Americans and Blacks.

Political correctness of today can change Mark Twain’s words of yesterday, but it doesn’t make it historically correct.  Perhaps it’s an attempt to cover it up, soften the crassness and cruelness of the word, or make right a wrong; but it’s still what it was yesterday, not what we would like it to be today.

In order to not use the word Nigger today and avoid modern sensibilities we make reference to it as the “N-word”, as though we don’t know what that means.  Does this make it more palatable?

It is interesting to note that a Harris poll was conducted of some 2,379 American adults on this issue and found 77 percent opposed the change, with 59 percent strongly opposing it.

Conservatives, moderates and liberals were all equally likely to disagree with the change, while 80 percent of white adults were against it, as opposed to 71 percent of Hispanic adults and 63 percent of black people polled.

History should not be modified with politically correct words of the day unless what’s being corrected is proven to be inaccurate.