School book histories of the American Revolution lay great stress upon such striking items as the sparks struck out by Paul Revere's horse or the Bunker Hill order about not firing until the whites of the enemy's eyes were visible. Financial affairs, being less emotional, are less noticed, but still there is usually some mention of Robert Morris, who is described as having lent large sums of money to the Continental Government and later spending many years in a debtor's jail. Last week in Manhattan the Morris story was gone into in some detail, owing to its connection with an even more neglected Revolutionary figure, one Haym Salomon. Mr. Salomon was a Jewish banker in Philadelphia. To him Jews wished to erect a statue in Madison Square, Manhattan. When the Municipal Art Commission refused to approve the statue, the cry of race prejudice was raised and Revolutionary history was retold to demonstrate Mr. Salomon's right to a monument. It was the Jewish "contention that Mr. Salomon had loaned to Robert Morris much of the money which Mr. Morris later contributed to the Continental Government; it was the Commission's contention that Mr. Salomon's exploits were largely legendary.
Morris. Robert Morris (1734-1806) was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and a member of the Continental Congress from 1775 to 1778, during which period he virtually controlled the financial operations which supplied money for Washington's army. From 1781 to 1784 he was superintendent of finance. In 1781 he personally advanced to Washington large sums of money and during most of his Revolutionary service he raised money as much or more by the strength of his own personal credit than by the credit of the Continental Congress. During a time when Colonial money was of so little value that "not worth a Continental