The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1890-06-05

war had been finally answered. He recog.
nized that the unity of the American people
had been irrevocably established. He felt
that it would be impietv and crime to dis.
honor by petty strife of factions that pure and
unselfish struggle for constitutional rights
which, while a single hope remained. had
been loyalty fought out by great armies, lee
by heroic captains and sustained by the
patriotic sacrifices of a noble and resoluts
people.
The Reunited Country.
He therefore promptly counselled his olo
soldiers to look upon the great country thus
reunited by blood and iron as their own, and
to live and labor for its honor and welfare.
His own conduct was in accord with these
teachings Day by day his example illustrated
what his manly words declared. that "Hu.
man virtue should be equal to human ca.
lamity." After a brief reference to the re.
mainder of Lees life. passed in the dis
charge of his duties as president of Washing.
ton college, the orator ended his address as
follows
As tn people saw him fulfilling these mod.
est, but noble. functions; as they saw him
with antique simplicity putting aside every
temptation to use his great fame for vulgar
gain: as they saw him in self respecting con
tcntment with the frugal earnings of his per.
sonal labor refusing every offer Of pecuniary
assistance; as they realized his unselfish de-
votion of all that remained of strength anc
life to the nurture Of the southern youth IL
knowledge and morals. a new conviction oi
his wisdom and virtue gathered force and
spread abroad into all lands.
The failure of the righteous cause fol
which he fought denied him that eminence Of
civil station in which his great qualities II
their happy mixture might we'll have afforded
a parallel to the strength and the modera
tion of Washington. But what failure could
obscure that moral perfection which place:
him as easily by the side of the best men thal
have ever lived, as his heroic actions make
him the peer of the greatest.
There are men whose influence on mankind
neither worldly success nor worldly failur
can affect. The greatest gift the hero leaves
his his race is to have been a hero" Thi
moral perfection, breath hing the very spirit OF
his Christian faith, is no Elusive legend of g
succeeding generation, exaggerating tn,
worth of the past.
The Lessons of His Life.
There is about this exhibition of moral ex
cellence the same quality of power IN reserve
that marks him as a soldier. He never failed
to come up to the full requirements Of any
situation; his conduct communicated the i'm
preston that nothing could arise to which hs
would be found unequal His every actor
went straight to the mark without afecta
tion or display. 1t cost him no visible effor
to be good or great. He was not consciou.
that he was exceptional either way. and HI
died in the belief that, as he had been some
times unjustly blamed. SO he had as often
been too highly praised. Such is the holy
simplicity of the noblest minds. Such wa!
the pure and lofty man in whom see the
perfection of Christian virtue and old Roman
manhood. His goodness makes us love hi
greatness. And the fascination which thil