José Clemente Sarmiento, Paladín de mayo en San Juan, was presented to the second historical congress in Cuyo during 1960 and was to have been published in the Anales of that body. The six-year delay before publication by Editorial Sanjuanina may offer some indication as to the merit of the book. The work is not a scholarly one, although several documents such as birth and death certificates are reproduced in the appendix, and some reference is made to material available in the archives of San Juan and Mendoza. Documentation within the body of the work is extremely sparse, and one notes typographical errors which might have been corrected.
The Paladin de mayo, José Clemente, is, of course, none other than the progenitor of that illustrious Argentine educator and statesman, Domingo Faustino Sarmiento. The author of the book confesses that the source of much inspiration for his work was Sarmiento’s own Recuerdos de Provincia in which Don Domingo related much data pertinent to his boyhood in San Juan. There can be no doubt as to Guerrero’s sincere admiration for Sarmiento. His first chapter, “San Juan a mediados del siglo XVIII,” is strongly reminiscent of Facundo, both as to style and as to descriptions of daily life, customs, and pastimes.
Guerrero has striven to enlighten his reader concerning his protagonist and to counteract the adverse publicity called down upon Don José Clemente by the adversaries of the son, especially the Argentine novelist, Manuel Galvez. The elder Sarmiento, an “uneducated father who was deeply concerned that his children not be [uneducated]” (p. 44), is painted in strong colors. It was he who forced his young son to read so prodigiously and thus started him on the path to future greatness. That the father himself was a great patriot is evidenced by his appellation of Madre Patria. Thanks to his experience as muleteer through the Andes, he was able to aid San Martín in the long trek across the cordillera to Chile ; and it appears certain that the elder Sarmiento participated in the Battle of Chacabuco.
The book is readable and for the most part flows smoothly. No new material is presented, and the author is content to emphasize positive aspects of Don José Clemente’s character. One of the more interesting chapters is “La familia,” in which thumbnail sketches are presented of assorted Sarmientos. Many of these are accompanied by pictures.
