The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-01-20
THE INFLUENCE OF LEE.
His Life and Character Discussed by
Rev. A. VI. Williams.

AeE. a. VI. Williams.
A large congregation greeted Rev. A NJ.
Williams at Wesley Monumental church
last night. when he took up for discussion
the influence Of the character OF Robert
L. Lee. There was quite a number Of
confederate veterans present. His text
was from John l.. 8: There was a man
sent from God" Among other things. he
said:
God reveals his will to US through
men. Sometimes he speaks through their
lips in precepts. and oftentimes through
their lives In example. No greater Illus
tration can be found than in him who
was born in Virginia this day So years
ago.
Robert f. Lee, when compared with
men. may be said TO luxuriate in virtue
and the true nobility Of soul. He is one
man that can be commended TO the young
as safe model in everything that con-
stitutes real manhood. We can study
him in those qualities which are within
the reach OF the average man, and which
an IN every station should cultivate and
those gifts and that career that have
nfted him above his fellow men and made
him conspicuous in this old world of ours.
The old adage that every man must
SOW his wild oats is not true in the case
Of Lee. He went through his course at
Z
merit and stood second IN his class. Lee
was weak enough TO be a mothers boy.
he found the chief pleasure of his youth
in attention TO her.
THAT a man can be noble and mill
tary success without devotion to the
flowing bowl is shown in his career Dur
ing two wars he carried the alcoholic
stimulants given him by friends untouch-
ed. As college president he heartily en-
couraged a temperance society, and eX
pressed wish that the military govern
WOULD SUPPRESS saloons X
ington.
Il am sure if he were alive in his dig
nified, but earnest manner he would dis
approve the too great tendency in some
quarters to encourage the use of stimu-
lants in connection with our volunteer
soldiery.
Gen. Lee was a true Christian. No
biography ever read by me affords finer
type Of religion than his.
when occasion required he was willing
to take part in public services and on
several occasions read the burial service
of his church in the absence of the min
istry. On one of these occasions he tells
the value of bereavement in these words:
The father has been given a touching and
powerful inducement to prepare for the
There was emotion in the religion of
Lee, and he was not ashamed to write of
the semi-centennial sermon of Bishop
Meade: 1t was most impressive, and more
than once / felt the tears running down
my cheeks In all his public documents
he made distinct recognition of God and
] MS providence. Inc sustaining feature
IN all his life was this deep, abiding and
child-ltke faith. And with all his relig-
ION was not merely sentimental.
"A recent lecture in our city held be-
fore US as the greatest danger of our day
the high estimate put on money and the
low standard OF morals" The south has
reason TO be proud of this hero that all
the force of his life was put forth against
this evil. Our purely will be the crown of
our glory if 1t be of the type Of this great
character.
He repeatedly refused large salaries for
the use of his name for the reason he
would not accept pay for services he did
nor render. lie refused home and an an
nulty for his wife from the college his
reputation had rehabilitated saying am
unwilling that any of the funds of this
institution should be spent for anything
else than the education of our young
men,
Il will not undertake TO speak of his
| campaigns and genius as a general His
| name is carved in letters that will never
| be obliterated high up in the roll of the
worlds great captains. l will merely
| touch three great scenes in his life that
! are unique in human history and appeal
to the love of the great in all our souls.
THE first is located in the swiftly NOV
| OF the union, not believing in the doc
| trine of secession, measuring the fun
eftects OF me war, pressed by old asso-
out doubt would have made him the fore
most man among Americans, turning to
his native state, his kindred and his peo-
| PIE anu aging IOuT cause Sndll De my
| cause, with you l survive or perish, .
| the hour of such self-sacrifice and dedi-
| cation marks one of the highest points
| in the sublimity of human decision
again we see him in sublime picture
when on the disastrous field of Gettys-
| burg he declares 1t is all my fault I
| believe that it required a greater soul
! to utter those words in a spirit free from
| cant than to have won the great vcto-
| ries of this great genius.
The other scene is the surrender at
| AppomattoX. There are there collected
more features to impress a noble nature
| than in nearly any other in human his
| tory. 1t is a moment that moves the
| hardest heart with it's pathos.
Lees greatest work was in making
| the army he had and the spirit it mani
| Tested. This army may be said to be a
| part of himself The understanding, the
! harmony of action, the unity of spirit has
| never been equaled in human history
| This army was due to two things the kim
| dred nature of Lee and his men. They
| were of the same race, mold, interest SEN
timent. The other is in the fact that Lee
| impressed himself on them so perfectly
| Now his pure boy life, his tender mother
| love, his unselfish, self-denying character
his faith in Christ and reliance on Provi-
| dence, made the nature in whom these
| men could confide. This confidence made
| him able to impress them as he did