The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-10-11

tense and bitter opposition. The per-
sistent people persevere. The oppo-
nents gradually disappear.
One of the very best extant portraits
of Gen. R. E. Lee was painted in Paris
some sixteen or eighteen years ago for
a former resident Of st. Louis, by q
French artist who never saw the orig
inal. In this painting, which now
hangs among other portraits Of dis
tinguished Virginia soldiers in the mess
hall of the Virginia military institute
the artist has given a wonderfully life
like picture of Lee as he appeared to
his officers and men in the heat Of
battle. 1t is a view Of Lee that no
other painting does give, and that no
photograph could give, of the self-po1s-
ed commander under strong emotion
yielding to the impulse Of the soldier.
Equally interesting as historical
paintings are three portraits of Lee
by John Elder, Virginia artist, who
gained much fame for his war scenes,
of which he made a speciality for sew
eral years after the close of hostillties.
Many of the best compositions were
sold out of the state, but his Battle
of the Crater" a spirited picture of
the desperate fight which followed the
explosion of the historic mine at
Petersburg, was purchased by Senator
Malone. His first, which hangs in the
state library in the capitol at Rich
mond was made from actual sittings
while Lee was in retirement at Lex
ington.
The university picture, in some re-
sDects a better port1 ait thar the last
mentioned. is one which. L der PAINTED
on an order from the students of the
Univer.Ity of Virginia in the spring of
1871 It is a large canvas. three-quar-
ters full length, representing Lee in the
uniform of a Confederate general.
Elders third portrait was made in 1881
for the city of Savannah. It is full
length figure and represents Lee stand
ing in soldierly attitude in complete,
uniform and accoutrements. Artistical-
ly, it is the best of the series.
At the request of citizens of Savan-
nah, Robert E. Lee Jr., the generals
youngest son, came to Richmond and
posed to Elder for the figure. But there
is one other likeness of Lee, still in the
possession of his family, that always
Possessed a greater interest than any
portrait of the world-famous general.
It is the picture of a young lieutenant
Of engineers in the full bloom of man
ly strength and beauty.
There is a story current among Vir-
ginians, that when Lieut.. Lee proposed
for the hand of Mary Gusts, her family
urged that the heiress of Arlington"
and of the white house on the Pa
munky should look higher than to an
alliance with a young officer who yet
had his spurs to win. When one looks
upon this picture of Lee, as he was at
twenty-five, it is no wonder that the
fair kinswoman of Martha Washing
ton chose as she did. That full, dark,
silken moustache of his was alone
enough to make her envfed of half the
bellies of the Potomac country.
cat the beginning of the civil war;"
saws Erastus Turner, of Kansas, there
was no man more prominent in national
affairs than Senator Pomeroy, Of my
state. He was an intimate friend of
Abraham Lincoln, and was very influen-
tial with that great and good man. He
was the first loyal man to know that
Robert E. Lee was to enter the Con-
federate service Senator Pomeroy
often told the story to his friends AS
[ remember it, he said:
Nobody knew who J. was, but any
of the Virginians who We're present
will remember a stranger who stood
leaning against one of those big pillars