The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1899-05-31
ROBERT 8. LEE,
The Christian Character Of the
Great Chieftain
APPROPRIATELY EULOGlZED.
An Interesting Discourse Deliver
ed at the Citadel Square Sap-
tist Church on Sunday
Night by Dr.. J. Will.
liam Jones.

The closing moments Of the Reunion,
the very echoes Of its last farewells,
were laden with appropriate and fra
ternal meaning. l. is good to feel that
the Confederate Eeteraa has such a
future to come from such glorious
past. They that once trod the weary
ways Of privation, anguish and desoia-
ton know now that after the wine
press can come again, the grateful sha-
dow of the vine and fig tree, the peace
and rest Of home.
The services at the Citadel Square
Baptist Church Sunday night were a
most fitting close to the various incl
dents and ceremonies Of Reunion week.
In the years Of battling Confederacy
the leaders of the army Of the South,
land were servants of the great God OF
Hosts. From hearthstone, tent, picket
lines, breastworks, forts and churches
prayer was wont to be made for the
cause of the men in grey. This was
done in the nighttime Of sorrow and
care" and it was meet that the last, the
very last, moments of the great Reuni-
on of the Confederate Veterans, while
many of the old soldiers were still pres
ent, should be hallowed by noble tri-
butte to the Christian character Of
Robert Edward Lee, the great chief
tain of the Southern Confederacy. This
was the subject of the sermon by the
Rev. J. William Jones, D. D., at the
Citadel Square Baptist Church Sunday
night. Dr.. Jones had the honor Of
being one Of Lees chaplains in the
Army Of Northern Virginia, and was
with Lee from Barper's Ferry to Apo
matto1; from the beginning Of his ca
reer as president of Washington college
until the sad day of his death. And so
the man and the subject were well met.
Charleston would at any time give a
proper audience to this man and this
subject, but Sunday night Charleston,
South Carolina and many Of the old
States of the Southern Confederacy
contributed to this truly representative
gathering.
The church was absolutely filed, and
this includes extra chairs in the aisle
and around the chancel. Members Of
every denomination in the city were
among the hearers, and the gallery was
comfortably filed. Among the minis
tsrs present were seen the Rev. DR.. c.
S. Vedder, the Rev. H. a. Whitman
and the Rev. John johnson. Mrs.
Stonewall jackson was also present.
She heard again, in the house Of God,
Of Lee and Jackson, as together these
christian heroes bad so often been in
battle. The girls Of the Confederate
Home were out in a body, and the ex-
ercises were most impressiyely interest
ing. For one hour and twenty minutes
DR.. Jones spoke to attentive hearers
and there was not one present whose
heart did not respond to the ennobling
and inspiring thoughts and feelings
which the warmhearted and afectlonatc
words of the speaker so evidently pro.
duced. The Rev. F. 0. S. Curtis, Of
Nlnety-Six, was in the pulpit and read
the lesson for the evening, which was
the wonderful words of the Holy Book
on faith.
Dr.. Jones announced the opening
hymn, .''How Firm Foundation, ye
Saints Of the Lord" He said that this
hymn was favorite with both Lee and
Jackson, and that it had been sung at
their funerals. The text was from the
Acts Of the Apostles, 11th chapter and
24th verse: He vas good man and
full Of the Holy Ghost and of faith.
In the impressive discourse which
followed DR.. Jones quoted at length
from letters, Official orders and writings
of Lee. He attempted no eulogy, and
cenfned himself strictly to his subject.
Many Of the leaders Of the Confederacy
were referred to and so were the pri-
Yates, those men Of the charge, of the
breach, of the musket, powder and bull
let. Jackson was referred to oftener
than any other. ''They were swit;er
than eagles; they were stronger ti:an
lions. = Lovely and beautiful
were they in life, and in death they
are not divided" DR.. Jones had a.
bundant and conclusive evidence Of the
christian character Of Robert Edward
Lee. His authority could not be ques-
toned, for he quoted from what Lee
said and did, and from what the speak
er saw and heard. No secondhand
evidence was introduced. The speaker
showed that Robert Edward Lee was
great and humble. He showed that the
military chieftain, whose genius chal-
lenged the admiration Of the world, had
heart that was as pure as it was no
bic. He showed that the inner life Of
this man was that Of devoted Chris
tian as ever served his Maker, and that
on no location and in no circumstances
did this faith in God or service and
worship of Him in whom he trusted
ever fail to be sacreoly observed. In
his official orders to his army, as in the
privacy Of his own tent, this Christian
character was revealed. DR.. Jones had
seen Lee kneeling on the ground, pray
ingat wayside prayer meeting with
the privates, while Jackson ushered IN
and gave seats to those who came. He
told Of how Lee received him when he
weat to see him in reference to secur-
ing an order for the better observance
Of the Sabbath in camp at the very be-
ginning of the war. Had he been an
ambassador extraordinary from the
Court of St. James, bringing official re-
cognition of the Confederacy from this
Government, no more courteous atten-
ton and interest could have been given
him, he said.
Dr.. Jones said that the words of his
text, HE was good man and full OF
the Holy Ghost and Of faith, were
spoken of Barnabas, the travelling com
panion, friend and co-worker Of Paul.
This was an accurate epitome Of the
Christian character Of Robert Edward
Lee. No text can more accurately sci
forth that character than the one which