On my Kindle e-reader I’m progressing through a complete collection of Sherlock Holmes stories. I also have a book that reproduces all of the stories as they originally appeared in The Strand magazine, with illustrations by Sidney Paget. The first two novels, “A Study in Scarlet” and “The Sign of Four,” were published elsewhere.
Years ago, when I first read “A Study in Scarlet,” I was quite surprised that much of it is not only a Western that takes place in America, it’s a scathing portrayal of the violence associated with the early Mormons. Doyle’s interest in the United States appears again in the story I’m currently reading.
From “The Five Orange Pips,” by Arthur Conan Doyle, published November, 1891:
“Have you never — ” said Sherlock Holmes, bending forward and sinking his voice — “have you never heard of the Ku Klux Klan?”
“I never have.” [Replied Doctor Watson]
Holmes turned over the leaves of the book upon his knee. “Here it is,” said he presently:
“Ku Klux Klan. A name derived from the fanciful resemblance to the sound produced by cocking a rifle. This terrible secret society was formed by some ex-Confederate soldiers in the Southern states after the Civil War, and it rapidly formed local branches in different parts of the country, notably in Tennessee, Louisiana, the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida. Its power was used for political purposes, principally for the terrorizing of the negro voters and the murdering and driving from the country of those who were opposed to its views.”
Would the MAGA hat crowd think that reading this story in a classroom is an example of teaching Critical Race Theory? A clever cartoon adaptation of “The Five Orange Pips” makes no mention of the KKK, but prejudice and social integration remain a theme.
