St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1898-03-12
ARP WRITES OF GEN. LEE.
Eliminates About the Gallant Con-
federate Chieftain.
Recalls IncIdents In Llfe-l;cn. Lee
Requested ON HIS Deathbed That
No Funeral Grafton he
Spoken.

i was rum1natlng ABOUT zen. Lee,
whose birthday anniversary we have
been commemorating all over the south.
When we old men were schoolboys we
used to speak speeches about Wash
ington and Patrick Henry, and I re-
member one from Van Writ beginning:
'Who was Blennerhassett?" that was
very popular. 1t is time this younger
generation were speaking a speech be-
ginning: "Who was Robert E. Lee?"
But if they don't speak it these annual
reminders will cause them to talk it
and think about 1t. We celebrate the
Fourth of July because it was the
birthday of a nation, and the twenty
second day of February because it was
the birthday of Washington, the father
of that nation-a man of whom Gen.
Lees father said: "First in war, first
in peace, and first in the hearts Of his
countrymen." What wonderful state
was the .'Old Dominion!" What was in
the air that caused it to produce such a
galaxy of great men as Washington
and the Lees and Jefferson, Madison,
Monroe, Randolph, Patrick Henry and
others in the revolutionary days. and
in later days such great generals as
Lee. Johnston, Longstreet. Jackson,
Stuart. Ashby and Thomas?
There have been many great men.
There have been many more good men,
but the men who have been both great
and good are few. Greatness and
goodness are not twins. Indeed, they
are seldom of any kin. When Abb
ner was slain David said: ~ great
man has this day fallen in Israel" and
SO might be said of David and Solo
mon and Constantine and Caesar and
Cromwell and Napoleon and many 9th
ers who were great, but not altogether
good. There was some dark blot upon
their name and their fame that marred
Its brightness. Lord Bacon was one
of the greatest of men, but he was far
from being good.
War is perhaps the severest test of
. great mans goodness. 1t tries his
heart as well as his mind and makes
protest Of all his emotions. No man
IN the annals of history has stood this
wall jackson was no doubt good man.
but he was not so great, so brave, SO
commanding. Albert Sidney Johnston
was probably as good and as great as
Lee, but his opportunities to prove
it were suddenly arrested by his un-
timely death. Even Washington was
not so great general as Lee, for he
had but little military training. while
Lee was educated carefully in the ar:
of war-was the ranking graduate in
a class OF 42 at West Point, was for
three years in charge of that institu-
tion. and had large and varied expert
ence in the war with Mexico. In ad-
dition to all these advantages, he in
herited q talent for commanding men,
for he was the son of Henry Lightfoot
Lee Uighthorse Harry, who was
Washington's favored friend and mill
tary advisor, and whose bones have
honored Georgia soil on Cumberland
island. 1t is worthy to mention that
our Gen. Lees grandmother was Lucy
Grymes. the first love of Gen. Washing
ton. She was known as the 'lowland
beauty" II grieved her to reject his
addresses. but he comforted himself
room after by marrying the Widow
Gusts. This Widow Custis was the
grandmother of Gen. Lees wife, Mary
Randolph Custis. And SO the Lees and
the Washingtons got as close together
as they could.
Ninety-one years ago 100000 people
were born on the same day with Gen.
lee, but not one Of them stands out
in such bold and beautiful relief. He
gets greater and grander as the years
roll on. More biographies have been
written and published Of him than Of
any other man. Nine are already be-
fore the people. and another now in
press. His noble life and public serv-
ice have commanded the admiration of
the observing world. and all the COM
mendation that the English language
could give to man has been given to
him. There are no more nouns OF
praise-no more comparatives or su-
per,atives left in our vocabulary. Thus
Il does not become me to add anything
to these tributes 1t is enough to say
that after all these years since his
death in 1870, the climax has been
reached when a northern man, the
president of a northern college, has
at last voluntarily placed him at the
head Of the column and pronounced
him peerless-that greatest general OF
modern times and the best of men.
Furthermore. this DR.. Andrews. who
was himself soldier in the northern
army, makes bold to say: Ills cause
was not the lost cause 50 much as is
suspected. The doctrine of states
rights, for which he fought, as now
interpreted by our supreme court, is
in exact accordance with his Claims
upon this point"
When Robert Emmett, the illustrious
Irish patriot, was condemned to death
for treason, he made memorable ad-
dress to his judges and said: Until
ireland 10 free. let no man write my
epitaph." And so when Gen. Lee was
on his last bed and realized that death
was near, he requested that no funeral
Grafton should be pronounced. His re-
quest was observed, but since then the
southern people could not be restrained
from giving vent to their love and ad-
miration. Monuments and statues
have been erected. orations have been
pronounced and biographies written
tco numerous to be recited. Notable
men of all countries have Joined in the
tributes and said Of him as Virgil said
Of Aeneas: "Cano arma ct virum." II
has only remained for one man to write
anything that sought to sully his fair
escutcheon. I remember well the sec
ord time / ever saw him. The Seven
Days. fight was over. The last shot and
shell had been fired. ! was sent witt
dispatches to Gen. Lee. who was rest
ing near the white house. on York
river. His headquarters were in large
officers tent. and as ] approached .
strange spectacle was presented. for
Gen. Lee and four or five Of his staf1
were partaking Of . scanty MONDAY
meal. that was served on two camp
tables inside the tent, and stretched
upon the straw and partly underneath
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