Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1884-12-31
'rrespondence Lynchburg News.

4 AASo1'A ALLS, A.3 A|cCtHD6r 4LQs
Some years ago a letter, claiming on Il
face TO have been written in 1852 by Gene
al Robert e. Lee to his son G. W. C, LIE,
went the rounds of the Southern newsp,
pers. In it occurs the memorable expre
sion, now become proverbial and almos
universally quoted as General Lees :
"Duty is the sublimest ,cord in our Ia,
gaagj aShortly after its publication thi
lette| wu denounced by some Of the new,
papef a forgery, and it is now so re
gard1 by many intelligent persoh hs. It ha
|reSsnhy y-heen resurrected and started on
new journey through the newspapers. Hap
pening to see it few days ago in the Nor
NAL Institute, a monthly educational joul
nal published at Iuka, Mississippi, thi
writer cut it out and sent it to General G
W. c. Lee, president of Washington ant
Lee University, to whom it is addressed
with request that he would state whethe
it is genuine OF a.forgery. To that reques
General Lee promptly responded, through
his private Secretary; as follows -
LEXINGTON, Va, November 90, 1884.
C. c. Batdwin, Esq, Balcony Falls, Va.
Dear Sir: In reply to your letter Of ths
26th inst, General Lee desires me to say
that that part Of the letter accredited tt
his father from the beginning to the words
properly taken care Of" is unquestiona
bly, forgery. In 1859 his father was sta.
toned in Baltimore as the colonel of a
corps of engineers, and even had he writ.
ten from Arlington he would never have
used the term darlington Heights" More.
over, he was made colonel of company oil
cavalry in 1856, and would certainly not
have spoken of it as his "fne old regi-
ment," when it had just been formed by
act of Congress.
In rsga-d to the rest of the letter, Gen
eral Lee cannot Icy whether OF not it is
genuine It is written in style very sim
liar to that of his father, but he was not
much given to moralizing in his private let
ters. General Lee thinks that the whole
letter is probably an altered copy Of some
other letter Of bis father.
Very truly yours,
J: N. ALLEN, Private Secretary.
1t will be observed that Gen. Custis Lee
after denouncing the first two sentences of
the letter as "unquestionably forgery"
declines to express any positive opinion
with regard to the rest of the letter. 1t
may or it may not be Gen. R. E. Lees. It
looks something like his composition. The
internal evidence is not decisive. The ex-
ternal is defective. We have not the origi-
nal, nor do we know who furnished the
COPY foT publication. nor when or where 1t
was first published. We cannot trace the
stream to its fountain head. The forgery
at the beginning of the letter is a strong
circumstance against it, and the reader will
be apt to apply. to it the legal maxim
"F'alse an one thing, false in ALL" We
want more light. Why forge such letter !?
But whether Gen. Lee ever formally
said in so many words, ''duty is the sub
limest word in our language" we all know
that was the profoundest sentiment of his
heart and the supreme rule of his life.
The striking anecdote of that old Puritan
Davenport is well told in the letter and de-
serves to be banded down to posterity.
From the Normal Institute of November Z,
1884, a monthly Educational Journal,
published at Iuka, Mississippi.
A FINE LETTER WRITTEN BY GENERAL
LEE THIRTY-Two YEARS AGO.
DR.. NJ. J. McNeiil, of Olive Branch,
Miss, sends to the Memphis Ledger the
following from his scrap-5ook, with the re-
quest that it be published. General Lees
letter has been published before, but has
passed out of the public mind. It is
worthy of place in every scrap-book and
household. It reveals the beautiful inner
character of truly good and great man.
1t should be placed in the hands of every
boy as gem of truth and good advice, and
second only to that found in the Scriptures.
Hear it is and we commend it to the atten-
tion of all Southern mothers and through
them to the rising generati n
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, April 5, 81.
My Dear Son:-I am just in the act of
leaving home for New Mexico. My fine old
regiment has been ordered to that distant
region. and I must hasten to see that they
are properly taken care of. have but lit
tie to add in reply to your letters of March
26, 81, and 20. Your letters breathe true
spirit Of frankness; they have given myself
and your mother great pleasure. You must
study to be frank with the world; frank.
ness is,,the child of honesty and courage. Say
what you mean to do on every occasion,
and take il for granted you mean to dc
right. If a friend asks favor, you should
grant it if it is reasonable; if not, tell him
plainly why you can not; you will wrong
him aud yourself by equivooation of any
kind. Never do a wrong thing to make a
friend CT keep one; the man who requires you
to do so is dearly purchased at such sacri-
fee. Deal kindly bu. firmly with all your
classmates; you will find it the policy which
wears best. Above all, do not appear to
others what you are not. Ifyou have any
fault to find with any one, tell him, not
others, of what You complain; there is no
more dangerous experiment than that of
undertaking to be one thing before mans
face and another behind his back. We
should live, act and say nothing to the in
jury of any one. 1t is not only best as a
matter of principle, but it is the path to
peace and honor.
! In regard to duty, let me, in conclusion
of this hasty letter, inform you that nearly
a hundred years ago there was day of re-
markable gloom and darkness-still known
as the dark iay-a day when the light Of
the sun was slowly extinguished as if by an
eclipse. The Legislature Of Connecticut
was in session, and as the members saw the
unexpected and unaccountable darkness
coming on, they shared in the general awe
and terror. 1t was supposed by many that
the last day-the day of judgment-hac