The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-02-02

lave been cOmmcmoratiUg all over the
c,,th. When we old men were school
boys wc used to speak speeches about
Washington aud Patrick Henry, and I
,sneuber one from Van Writ begin
n;oc "Who was Blcnuerhassett?"
hat was very popular. ]. ;s s;;as
,h;s Younger generation were .speak-
ing a speech beginning, "Who was
Rebert T.. Lee?" But If they don t
sneak il these annual reminders will
cause them to talk aboutit. We cele-
hrate the Fourth of July because it
,r,. the birthday Of nation and the
I'D day OF February because it was
the birthday of Washington, the
father Of that nation--a man OF whom
General Lees father said: "First in
war, first in peace, and first in the
hearts Of his countrymen." What a
wonderful State was the "Old Domin-
op!" What was in the air that
caused it to produce such galaxy of
great men as Washington and the
Lees and Jefferson, Madison, Monroe,
Randolph, Patrick Henry and others
in revolutionary days, and in later
DAYS such great generals as Lee, John-
4ton, Longstreet, Jackson, Stuart,
Ashby and Thomas?
There have been many great men.
There have been many more good men,
hut the men who have been both
great and good are few. Greatness
aud goodness arc not twins. Indeed,
they are seldom of any kin. When
Abncr was slain David said: GA great
man has this day fallen ~ Israeli"
and so might be said of David and
1 Solomon and Constantine and Caesar
4 and Cromwell and Napoleon and many
! others who were great, but not alto
4 pthcr good. There was some dark
Blot upon their name and their fame
! that marred iAs Brightness. Lord Ba-
con was one of the greatest Of men,
] but he was far from being good.
War is perhaps the severest test Of
j great man 8 goodness. It tries his
j heart as well as his mind and makes
q ustest Of all his emotions. No man
! i, the annals Of history he's stoc4 :h;s
l test better than Robert Il. Lee.
i S!oncwall jackson was no doubt as
good man, but he was not so great,
4 50 brave, so commanding. Albert
Sidney Johnston was probably as good
and as great as Lee, but his oppor-.
tuni.es to prove it were suddenly ar
rested by his untimcly death. Even
4 Washington was not SO great general
q as Lee, for he had BIZ. little military
i .saiaing, while Lee was educated care
4 fully in the art Of war-was the rank
q Ing gradu &c in class of forty two at
. Vest Point, vas for three years iu
Il charge Of that institution and had
large and varied experience in the war
with Mexico. In addition to all these
advantages, he inherited talent for
Anmanding men, for he was the son
Henry Lightfoot Lee Uighthorse
a,ry), who was Washington favored
#ah.nd aud military adviser, aud
aose bones have honored Georgia
~ on Cumberland Island. It is
81 eihy Of. mention that our General
ks grandmother was Lucy Grymes,
asGrst love Of General Washington,
Is SaSas known as the .'lowland beau
W 1t grieyed her to reject his ad-
tesses, but he comforted himself
s'n after by marrying the widow Gus
3 This widow Custis was the.
lnadmother of General Lee wife,
airy Randolph Cnstis. And so the
# LEES and the Washingtons got as
- 7zs'ese together as they could.
Amety-one years ago 166, 900 peo-
pie we're born on the same day as Gen-
!.ial Lee, hnt nc: oHo of off them stands
5S=sat III such bold and heaaaifu! rsiisff.
|Rs she gets greater and grandcr as the
|ssars roll on. More Biographies have
zen written and published Of him
ian of any other man Nine are al.
sady before the people and another
1's5slSE IN press. His Doble life and pub