Vicksburg weekly herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1868-1883, 1870-10-22

have been Only one OF many
had be gone Down before the fierce
assaults Of artillery or the collision
Of charging battalliOns, his manly
form would have been disfguFed in
death and the lesson Of his life left
incomplete-but he survived the
war and died In the Quietness Of his
own home and amid the family and
friends Of his household, like sOmr
majestic tree Ia the forest, which ha,
resisted the rage Ofthe hurricane un-
der which its companions all went
down, at last, when not q cloud over
cast the sky and not a sound float
cd In the air, suddenly relinquishes
its post Of solitary grandeur and
lOOsing all its holds, with thunder
ing sound 1t falls prone to the earth.
No missile aimed at his life found
it. No missile strayed from its
patch TO quench the light Of his
eye. He did not fall by design Of
an adversary, nor the mistakes Of a
friend, he died after pqssinga fear
full ordeal of peril amidst the hal.
lowed associations of peace and
pursuing the nobler vocation of
forming the young mind to no.
BILE thoughts and aspiring activities
to useful deeds. He died thus that
men might see and say, God hath
done this.
General Lee was widely known ;
no person in America was more
widely and f~avorably known at
home or abroad ; his exalted char
setter, his brilliant service and his
unexampled demeanor under de-
feat, all tend to distinguish him rs
the chief citizen of his country, the
hero of his age, and the model man
of his time. His death, therefore,
will exalt the authority Of God In
the esteem of mankind-they may
shudder at the thought that none
shall escape death since such men
die, yet will they reverence God
when they behold him dealing i'm
partially between the great and the
humble, as il in His sight, all were
equal-as If greatness which distin-
guished man from man possessed no
other significance in the instructions
Of life than TO confirm to men the
solemn truth that God alone is
great. The death of a peoples he
TO makes distinct TO every behold.
CIR the inevitable certainty of death,
and prolongs the impression In pro-
portion to the true greatness of the
dead hero. These moral Observa-
tons are illustrated by phenomena
In the social system. But recently a
great conlagration consumed more
than a quarter of the ancient city OF
ConstantinOple,b but the calamity has
been scarcely noticed. The destruc-
ton of one Westminster Abbey
would produce q deeper sensation
throughout human society. In like
manner although death is rendered
familiar to every community by its
frequent Occurrence-and because
the bereavement fall upon a few
the impression remains confined,
but when such a man ns Gen. Lee
dies the sense Of bereavement is
carried to every home and the i'm
preston of death is deepcned by
the very universally OF grief II pro-
duces. We have touched upon a
few of our hero's claims most es.
teemed among men to our cOnsid'
Grafton. But these are not his
claims to q gracious reception by
our Heavenly Father nor for merci-
full treatment by his and our Judge
the claims Of Men to ian inheri'
lance incorruptible, undefled and
that passetb not away" are adjudi'
Gated upon the merits of faith in the
efficacy of the passion and inter
cession OF the Saviour of Men.
General Lee was Il Christian
he rested his hopes for saliva
lion upon the goodness o.
Almighty God through our Lord
Jesus Christ. lie will take hi'
place in the Heavenly Kingdom
1t may be high in the divine favor
but sill below the post Of somC
greater hero, who among men filled
the humber vocation of q mission.
airy. We may meet our hero again
and certainly it is no idle prayer
to desire to meet him again where
results although irreverslble, rests
their righteousness upon immuta.
BILE foundations, aud men though
disappointed in earthly pursuits
and expectations, are through
riches of grace more abundantly re.
warded with peace, with happiness
and with glOry--fOrever.