The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1898-01-01

BEA UZIFtL, Just AND
TX tE.
Baton Rouge Advocate.
1t has been but seldom In the
recent past that the Advocate could
unreservedly endorse the public
uttefaaces of President Andrews of
Brown University. and for this rea-
son it gives US all the greater pleas
ure to reproduce the following efo-
quent, patriotic aud truthful tribute
to one of the most superb characters
in all history
"Gen. Lee )oined the Confectionery be-
cause Virginia asked him to- said the doc
tor. s'He was in Virginia. The call of
Virginia to any of her sons is the voice of
law and duty. He had the faith of the Cru
sader, his letters would make a guide to
holiness. He was always soldier. never
impure in thought or act, never profane or
obscene. He did not touch the cup, as did
Grant, Hooker or Phil Sheridan, and when
he lost a fight it was never said of him that
the defeat was due to a habit which makes
mems heads into muddles. He was never
outgeneraled by Grant in all the campaign
from RaPpahannock to James River, never
trapped and never caught mapping. 1t usu-
side ordered a march at 5 in the morning
they never made more than half the distance
between the two armies. Lee had ordered
An advance at $500.
terful generalship as this hero showed,
holding that slim, gray line, half starved.
with no prospect of addition ard fighting
when his army was too hungry to stand and
courage was sublime. He was great as
Gustavus Adolphus, or Napoleon, or Well
ington, Or Won Moltke. His cause was not
the lost cause so much as is suspected. All
into our laws and our Constitution. The
doctrine of States rights as now interpreted
by the Supreme Court is in exact accordance
with his claims on the point. Gen. Lee lost
at Gettysburg because the Federal troops
had received a new motor of tremendous
strength, whose power no one knew-Gen.
Hancock. He also lost because Meade's
men were fighting on Union soil
almost within hearing distance of the
prayers of their wives and children tor
victory. They were at their hearthstones.
Men are tigers when wives and families are
the inspiration in war"
To Southern people who have
known and loved the name and
character of the great Southern
Chieftain, praise such as this is su-
perfluous, but coming as it does
from one who, by the accident has
been trained to regard Lee as an
enemy of constitutional liberty and
a foe to humanity, there is much
that is significant in this beautiful
tribute. The memories of the late
war are fast growing DINNER as
time moves on. unpleasant details
are forgotten in the rush of events
and only the great incidents and
majestic characters are seen as
they tower grandly above the dead
level of the shadowy field and
stand Out clear cut athwart the
horizon of our vision. Time and
distance have lent their mellowing
over the unsiehtly places that mar
the beauty of the scene, the mists of
error and prejudice have been
lifted and the golden sunlight of
charity and fraternai union chase
the shadows away and battle the
whole prospective in a food of
radiant glory. On this enchanted
field the superb character of the
courtly Lee rises in silent majesty
above the great names of history
like the Chlmborazo towers above
the peaks of the Andes, and withal
Symmetrical, polished and strangely
beautiful. President Andrews was
never more sensible nor just than
when he gave utterance to his can
did tribute to the character and
genius of the great Southern cap
tain,