The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1894-03-15
Here, where Virtue, is feeble and Villainy
strong
lis the CaKse, not the fate Of the Cause
that is glorious"

strong
lis the Cakse. not the faVe of the Cause
that is glorious"
II We wrote anything unworthy e f
patriotism or truth or Candor in The
brief article on Gen. Early we would
recall it willingly if made sensible of
it. We know he had faults and i'm
perfeCtions as most eminent soldiers
and statesmen have had, but As we
said, he had many virtues and qualities
that commended him to the admira-
tion OF his fellow men who knew him
best. 1t may be said Of him, we
believe, with truth, that he was a good
lawyer, man of fine intellect, a strong
writer, man Of the utmos, veracity.
with kind and noble soul, hating the
mean and the false, of strong CON
vlCtions, always reliable and firm and
faithful so You could tell where he
stood in peace as in war, wearing on
his sleeve his honor, who was loyal to
his country, TO himself to his promises
always, who was fast, sincere friend
and an open, decided enemy, without
guile and without hypocricy, not pre-
tending to anything he was not, brave
as the bravest, faithful in the midst of
the faithless, and dying wept over and
loved and praised and honored. With
these, and other virtues not named he
had the great fault of being connected
with the Lottery in New Orleans. That
had been legalized, as whiskey shops
are in North Carolina, by the legisla-
ture Of Louisiana. That marred the
symmetry of his character, just as
swearing under passion disfgured the
noble character of George Washing
ton. Sins are common to men and
are neither to be emulated nor con-
doned. The Messenger urges and
warns its readers among the young
men to copy whatever was good and
pure and noble and just and COM
mendable in Gen Early, and to shun
whatever was sinful and immoral and
wrong.
There was time, and no. century
ago, when the Christian churches held
otteries to carry on their work and
build edihces, etc. In this very city,
if our memory is not at fault, such
lotteries were held. Gen. Early, we
think, was not believer in Christ as
his personal Saviour, was peccable
enough to do in $4,000 what only a
little while ago Christian churches did
and some are doing still perhaps.
While in no sense winking at, jusli-
flying in the least the lottery business,
whether conducted by States or
churches, the Messenger respectfully
sugge> that the good in Gen. Eal;y
greatly preponderated over the bad,
and that if we measure him as we
measure the worlds heroes generally,
we should have to accord him the title
of " Hero" Reading over again our
hastily prepared editorial on him of
Sunday last, we are something gratiied
at what was said, and are glad we saw
the right path as we think we did and
wrote in such strain of appreciation.
Following is the editorial above
referred to:
The South will regret to learn Of
the death of the brave and true old
General Jubal A. Early. He was
about IS years of age. He was very
gallant and efficient soldier, not of the
greatest, but among the ruest of the
true. He was faithful to his highest
convictions, and he would have stood
by what he held to be right and honest
and patriotic if every other man had
proved a Benedict Arnold. The Con-
federacy never had more loyal soldier
or a more devoted citizen. He was
Southern to the core. There was no
variableness nor shadow OF turning"
in him. His affections were all cen
tired upon Virginia and the "lost
cause" Others might waver and gush
and offer incense to the victors, but
he remained immutable, unbending,
faithful in the midst of the taithless,
" unseduced, unawed, unterrifed.
We honor his memory because Of his
patriotism and high devotion to the
South-for his fidelity to duty, his un-
swerving loyalty to conscience, his
MANY virtues. He was an able man
"a strong writer, dexterous dspu-
tant, true friend. There was moth
ing mean or false about the brave old
hero. We do not think he was
Christian, and in that was the great
defect of his life. The South knows
as yet how TO cherish the memories Of
the noble men who served her we'll
in tented fields and amid the fiery
storms of battle. The " breed Of
noble bloods'' is not yet SO extinct
that the South does not remember
with gratitude the men Of backbone
and political virtue who stood true
and unbending after the war, when
the cotton string backbone" fellows
went over to the enemy "horse, foot
and dragons" and obtained their
reward.