Charles A. Beard is pictured as he appeared on the cover of Life Magazine, Jan. 17, 1944. Photo provided.

By DARREL RADFORD
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“All the lessons of history in four sentences:

Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad with power.

“The mills of God grind slowly, but they grind exceedingly fine.

The bee fertilizes the flower it robs.

When it is dark enough, you can see the stars.”

– Charles A. Beard

In 1963, the Charles A. Beard School Corp. was formed in Henry County. Today, some 50 years later, it is one of the few school corporations in the state that includes the full name of an individual. It’s interesting to reflect on just who Charles A. Beard was and why he is worthy to have a school district honoring his memory.

Insightful, controversial and “a born hell-raiser,” Charles A. Beard was born near Grant City in 1874, attended the Spiceland Academy and graduated from Knightstown High School in 1891.

From these small places grew a man that ultimately was regarded by some as the “dean of American historians.”

Thoughtful but combative, Beard’s reputation for confrontation apparently was formed at a young age.

Ed Ogborne, a brilliant columnist for The Courier-Times from 1953 to 1960, wrote about Beard in his book “Fancy Free.”

“Old men who remember Charlie as a boy and his brother Clarence, will tell you today that Charlie always had a chip on his shoulder, that he almost always had just been in a fight or about to get in one.”

From an educational standpoint, this son of a prosperous farmer grew up in a fertile field of intellectual engagement that gave him a powerful academic punch as he grew older. Consider that Beard:

n Was given a Knightstown newspaper his father had purchased to begin writing his free-spirited thoughts with his brother at a young age.

n Studied at the University of Oxford in England.

n Taught political science at Columbia University in New York until some colleagues of his were fired for voicing opposition to the U.S. involvement in World War I. Beard promptly resigned in protest.

n Wrote “An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution of the United States,” claiming the revered document had been formulated by interest groups whose motivations were just as much financially motivated as they were political.

n Wrote highly acclaimed “Rise of the American Civilization” and “America in Mid-Passage” with his wife.

n Wrote the controversial “President Roosevelt and the Coming of the War,” charging that FDR teamed with Winston Churchill to get both countries into the war for financial reasons.

n Was regarded as “one of the most influential historians of the 20th century.”

Beard was once featured on the cover of LIFE magazine with the headline “Charles Beard And The Republic” in the 1940s. A national writer said Beard actually looked like the American bald eagle.

His views were often considered radical, but one source on his materials said that former Republican presidential candidate Pat Buchanan agreed with some of Beard’s writings. It could be argued that Beard’s isolationist rhetoric has followers today, given America’s war fatigue over long military engagements in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Years before the Charles A. Beard School District was formed, the great historian’s name was considered for an elementary school here in New Castle. It was not long after Beard died in 1948. Ogborne may have been writing about Sunnyside Elementary School when he penned this:

“Several years ago, our school board was asked to consider naming a new school after him. The board didn’t think much of the idea. They named the school after a real estate development. It seemed safer.”

But in spite of his controversial writings and combative nature, perhaps the lasting legacy of Beard is the importance of critical thinking, even if it leads to questioning time-honored and revered institutions. Those who will turn their tassels at the upcoming Knightstown High School graduation ceremony could be well-served as they head into the future with that kind of attitude.

Darrel Radford is a staff writer for The Courier-Times. Follow him on Twitter @DKRadford. More information on local history is available at the Henry County Historical Society website, www.henrycountyhs.org.