Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1893-09-04
Whom tue Story Il Told.

Not Be Characteristic of the Nan About
Whom tPe Story II Told. - J
There is'a story going the, rounds of.
ihe newspapers to the effect that during
the siege of Petersburg General Lee
turned aside from he grave duties and
dangers of his position to pick up and
replace on the limb of tree a nest full
Of young birds that had been knocked
Down by a Federal shell. A similar
Btory has been told of Lincoln to illus-
trate his tenderness of heart, and the
probability is that the fable originated
away back in the early dawn of civiliza-
ton. 1t is mostly so with the anecdotes
which figure in the history of great men
and events. When they are not Dor
rowed from the ancients and handed
down through successive generations.
they are manufactured by skillful writ
ers TO suit particular characters and oc-
caslons. We may be quite sure that
General Lee never paused in the course
OF battle to look after distressed birds.
He was a man of fine feeling ;undoAbt
edly, but it does not follow that he was
In the habit of malting himself sehti-
mentally absurd.
The story, IN short, is not characters
tic, and so IL has no historical value. A
distinguished mars fame is harmed
rather than helped when he is thus rep
resented as manifesting himself in an il
logical and improbable manner. 1t
would be easy to believe of Lee that he
stopped to ease the pain of a wounded
soldier or that he gave his rations to a
hungry prisoher, bat it is not reasonable
to suppose that his instinct of sympathy
betrayed him into the girlish act which
this story attributes to him. And thus
1t IS with hundreds of other anecdotes
that are used to lmpart an enlivening
flavor TO the drear ness of history.
The anecdote is desirable thing in
works which are intended to convey a
vivid impression of historical occur
rences or celebrated personalities, but it
needs to be employed judiciously and
| with rational sense of fitness. There
is no advantage gained when such mat
! ter is introduced FIR the mere purpose of
giving variety whore there would other
wise be nonotOny. The anecdotes pros
perity lies IL its adGptahility 10 ~, -.
! acter that is hcia@ portrayed
service as 81 striking Illustration. - -. ...-
| dividHal trait or tendency. We a.-sa
get . better -i.tea IF a man from SOME
simple story OF It's deno;ing tastes or
c,,prices thi.H from the lab0rad accorrts
Of his more llAIo. AIT proceedings, lat
the story must be carefully adjusted to
the logic OF the IL, rs life and the salient
facts of his career. or its intention Will
be defeated.
The best historians and biographers
understand this and accordingly as
painstaldng and sulicitous IN the case of
an anecdote as in that Of problem of
serious interest. They do not tell stories
of that sort for superficial effect or to
quicken the readers tagging attention,
bit to emphasize given characteristic
and to I'LL practical want III the wa
of description or analysis. The anecdote
supplements and Eliminates the heavier
features of the narrative 1t is used
with discrimination and not in a light
and promiscuOus manner. The picture
would not be com Dlete without it. The
character would De dim and distant IN
the absence of such aid to the apprecia-
ton of governing motives and pecuhari-
ties.
1t is not really essential that anecdotes
thus employed shall be literally true.
Some of the best of them are pure inven-
tons, which have the rare merit of being
well imagined. A story that has rea-
sonable degree of probability and that
can be credited consistently with what
is known of the general qualities of
character is useful even when it is not
positively accurate. There are some fic-
tons of that kind which are worth more
in their way than many ponderous and
tiresome facts, All of the great figures
In history owe something to these con-
venient fables. They are identified with
certain anecdotes that keep them in easy
remembrance and that enable us to make
close acquaintance with them. But the
anecdotes must have the virtue of plau-
sibility, or they VIII not answer the pur-
pose.
Unless they represent things which
might haye happened without contra
diction of the character to which they
relate there is no justification flor them,
and they are a reproach to the writer
who uses them as well as damage to
the man whom they are designed to
benefit. The philosophy of the matter is
all contained in the statement that great
men, like small orss, are expected TO be
true to the laws Of their Hives. Anec-
dotes which come within this rule are
historically valua BILE, whether strictly
trueor only products of fancy, and those
which fall outside of it are silly and mis-
chievous, regardless of the reputation of
the author or the purpose Of the decep-
tion.-St. Louis Globe-Denipcrat
Force of Habit Was Strong.
A Birmingham Indy received proposal