The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-07-27

and officers in the army, to swear But no one
ever heard him in a moment of excitement, or IN
a moment of hlarity, utter a word even border
ing on profanity oryuigarity De was too much
| of gentleman in soul TO use foul language.
While at West Point he learned to take social
glass, but, when years after he IS evil effects
| not only on others but also on himself, he at
once became n total abstinence man, and the
most distinguished example of that mode of life
| that the world has ever seen. He went around
| the world and visited all the nations of any
celebrity. He was received with the highest
honors; kings and queens. and princes, and
statesmen banquetted him at every step of his
way. They all drank on such occasions, and he
knew that he was expected to do so too. and that
it was considered great breach of etiquette to
refuse to do so. and especially on such an occa-
| sion as this. But he man who dared to
| live up to his own convictions and principles;
and hence he uniformly refused to taste any kind
of liquor. He has thus furnished an example
! that others might well initiate.
He was man OF warm affections and of pure
domestic life. An illustration will make this
clear. When making arrangements for his
| funeral he seemed TO recognize the right of the
Nation to have some choice in selecting his
burial place, and while expressing some prefer
ences, his only positive direction was that he
should be buried where his wife could be laid by
his side He preferred any burying place. how
ever humble, where her grave could be beside
his, to any, however grand where his body
would lie alone. How different from the con
duet of many who have sought burying place
in Westminster Abby. He has always been
true to the vow he made at the marriage altar
While he was man of war when principle de
manded It, he was man ofpeace atheart. The
South has always recognized this trait
of his character. No successful gen
| conquered enemy so magnanimously as he did
Genera Lee and the soldiers under him. And
in his tour around the world he refused to be
introduced to but one person, and that was n
+l,,N 60, fla
reason he gave was that while Napo-
leon the First was military genius
he violated principles and his own
solemn oath, and slaughtered thousands of
men merely for his own honor. And he refused
to recognize any one who stood as the
representative Of such idea. General Grant
was man of independent thought and convic
ton He here furnishes a worthy example.
tie was man Of reserved power, and hence a
person who was much greater than he ever
appeared to be, was ever thought to be.
He did a greater work while at the head of our
! army than most people imagine. He controlled
the largest body of men ever handled by any
one man, and really governed larger territory
than any other military man ever tried 10 occupy
and cover. The little nations of the earth were
more deeply impressed by this than We're;
and hence they honored him more highly than
his own countrymen did. But while we We're
ready to acknowledge that he was our greatest
general, we thought that because he usually
SO silent he could not talk But some of
his addresses when making this tour and on his
arrival home, astonshed But still we
| thought that while he could put great
deal in little speech that that was
the limit of his power. But when misfortune
came upon him. not only bankrupting him, but
threatening TO dishonor his fair fame, and after
a disease attacked him with such viruience as
would have laid ordinary man aside from all
work, he began writing history OF the war.
And yet under all these very unfavOrabe cir
cumstances he is as great with the pen as with
the sword
He pre- eminently man of provi-
dence He was not q self made man." for it
was God that raised him up and made him what
he WAS 1t was matter Of providence
that he entered that neighbours house
lust in time to hear that one
sentence read telling about the failure of play
mate to pass the examination at West Point
His selection as the commanding general of our
army, and his continuation in a position where
so many others had failed, were all str?kingy
providental.
But while all this may be honestly and truly
SAID in his honor, yet 1t must be confessed that
his life has its human imperfections. While it
cannot be doubted from his conduct during his
| long sickness, and from his conversations with
his pastor and his requests for his prayers. that
! he true Christian in heart, get it must be
| confessed that it would have been better if be
| had. like an old soldier, out IN the clearest
| possible manner on the side of the Great Cap
| tain of his salvation While this would not of
itself have added thing to his salvation, yet it
would have completed and rounded out his
Christian character, and made it model indeed
for all men,