The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1901-01-17

This is fitting rebuke to the New
York San and others Of its ilk. Moth
ing is more secure than the fame of
Robert +. Lee. Great as he was in
military genius, he was man equally
great in chivalrou. Christian character
the flower Of Southern manhood,
man without fear and without re-
proach, who wore the white flower OF
a blameless life. We know of no man
in American history so worthy OF
standing as model of Southern
youth He was a well-rounded man.
As the eloquent Ben Hill once said:
''He was a foe without hate, friend
without treachery, soldier without
cruelty, and victim without muir
muring. He was as gentle as woman
in life, pure and modest as a virgin
in thought, watchful as a Roman
vestal, submissive to law as Socrates.
as grand in battle as Achilles. He
was Caesar without his ambition,
Frederick without his tyranny,
Napoleon without his seltishness, and
Washington without his reward"
And what a contrast between the
actions and characters of the little
narrow creatures that are protesting
against this decision of the managers
of the Hall of Fame and the character
of Lee mself-.'the heart, which
after the failure of its great endeavor
could break in silence and die with
out the utterance of one word of
bitterness" The impartial verdict
of history will likely accord quite
nearly with that of Col. Theodore
Roosevelt, who says:
stThe world has never seen better
soldiers than those who followed Lee,
and their leader will undoubtedly
rank, without exception, as the very
greatest of all the captains that the
English speaking people have brought
forth; and this, although the last and
chief of his antagonists, may himself
claim to stand as the full equal Of
Marlborough or Wellington.
But sectional feeling is steadily dy-
ing out. Once we had Civil War, It's
true, but we should 'sbrithers be for
a that" The time will come-is now
here with the thinking masses-when
the North will delight to honor the
memory of the peerless Lee, and the
South will recognize the magnanim-
ity and greatness of Grant-when the
entire country will cherish the mem
ory of Farragut and Sheridan, Jackson
| and Johnston, knowing the former not
as Northerners, nor the latter as
| Southerners, but all as Americans.
wIsEs' TRIBUTE To LEE.
Accompanying his communication
with a tribute to Lee from the pen OF
Hon. John 5. Wise, correspondent
Of the Charlotte ObSerrer writes that
paper as follows:
You will, am sure. gladly repro
dnce the following exquisite tribute
to Gen. Lee from John 5. Wise's
recent book. The End Of An Era.
AS our beloved Lee recedes into the
realm of history, his wonderful char
acteri.tics shine out with increasing
lustre. A very lord of battle be
vet showed the world that he could
be humane. gentle, forgiving anc
reverent
lew weeks ago stood for the mrs
time upon the steps. OF his beautiful
Arlington. The Potomac of history
and song rolled at my feet and JUS
across the river glittered world cit,
in its magniticence. AS gazed upor
the panorama. with its cloud capped
shaft in honor of another. but NJ
greater patriot, in the foreground.
saw not the enemy's graves scattered
thick around me, thought only o
him whose matchless and immorta
spirit so dominated the scene as tC
eclipse all else. Beyond the massive
columns of the portico l looked up a
the windows and wondered from