Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-01-20
The Celebration OF Lees Birthday.


Our local columns and telegraphic re-
ports tell the story Of yesterdays celehra-
tons In Georgia. North Carolina. and
Virginia, where LxE's birthday Is legal
holiday, and in many other States which
were mel lbers Of the Confederacy, rs well
- in New York and Baltimore. there were
observsnces worthy OF the occasion.
In ell times old soldiers have been wont
TO gather together land fight their bat
ties over; but we dare assert that no
veterans of defeated army ever gloried
moro IN their past than the Confederates
in theirs. Tue reason of ID is that they
know that they took up arms from convic-
ton OF duty. and they feel that in the
stubborn warfare which they waged for
four years they made record for courage
and endurance worthy of the admiration
of ell men. To have fought under LEE or
JOHNSTON and to have been always faithful
10 good enough title to knighthood for
them. So the speeches made yesterday
ell testified TO the devotion of our people
TO the memory of LEE, the military head
of the Confederacy; the man above all
other men who In his person typifed the
southern soldier and the southern cause.
paragraph in Virginia paper few
DAYS ago more than intimsted that the
people of Richmond give too much thought
to such matters as these. 1t is better to
give too much than too little. The latter
would be base ineratitude; the former
would be at worst but an error OF Judg-
mant. Better that the head than that the
heart should err. But any other commu-
nitv in the South could be more easily
psrdoned than Richmond for neglect of
such duties as these.
An historical occurrence of colossal pro-
portions will have 60 curtain of the pres
ent from that past in which we glory be-
fore our people can let pass from me-
mory that great war which in large part
was carried on ct their very doors.
The young and the ola soldiers joined
together here Yesterday to observe the
day, and the great feature of the celebra-
ton was the address of Rev. MOSES ID.
Hoar, d. D..-s man who enjoyed the per-
sonal friendship of both LEE and JACKSON.
who took upon himself the dangerous
task of running the Federal blockade TO
90 to England toget religious publications
TO distribute among our soldiers; whose
voice was O well-known and welcome
sound in every Confederate camp near
Eichmond; whose love for the Confederate
soldier did not die with the war. and who
stands to-day. as he has stood for many
years. the equal of any orator in our coun-
try. His address was but incidentally a
eulogy of LEE. II dealt more particularly
with Virginia's deliberate and conscien-
tious action in Withdrawing from the
Union in 1861 and in description of the
unity of our people in prosecuting the war.
DIR. HoGE's discourse, with all of its hal
lowed memories of the uprising of our
people at yirginia's call and all its faith
full portratures of privations endured by
the soldiers in the field aud the people at
their homes, was addressed chiefly to
veterans. But in another part of the pro-
pramme OF the days observance there was
an assemblage Of volunteers addressed by
Captain GEORGE WAYNE ANDERSON.
This was an address to young men by q
young man. and was a creditable eulogium
upon the character of LEE. The two
orations made complete the story Of the
life of our great commander. and were fit
ting testimonials of our peoples venera-
ton for his name.