The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-01-25
Ghf Messerger.
ssAPPLEs OF GOLD IN PICTURES
OF SILvER.o


What a chaste. tasteful, felicitous ad-
dress was that OF Mrs. CASTOR Meares
TN b celebration of General Robert.
z. Lees birthday. It was indeed in
style so neat. smooth and pleasing. AID
vas exactly described by the reporter
OF The Messenger as "a gem Of pethos
and narrative" And then. too. how
appropriate and excellent In seotiIuent,
in reverence. and in expression was the
prayer offered by the venerable and
greatly esteemed Bishcp Watson. His
lofty and Just estimate Of the il.ustrious
and Ieerless Lee IS IN most striking
ccp.Isst with that OF another Episcopal
prelate, the late Bishop Phillips
Rrccss, of Massachusetts,. who hal the
bitterness and the Ineanness to cGar-
sc.rIize in his own pulpit bei5ce I
great congregation the immo tai and
r13st roble s%outhro1. as that traI..r
Rohert E. Lee" In connec- ioE with
this let us copy u Few fine words from
the distinguished and rCvered President
jefferson Davis. Speaking of Lee he
sail IN Richmond. Va. at a me- 'or.ul
fIctIlHB. bIIC ~
build shall have crumtled nj dust mis-
virtues will still Iva high m7Gsal fer
the imitation Of generations yet un-
bc..a
Erglshmen Of distinction and fame
hav. passed upon Lee warm ard iEn-
passioned eulogy. The most impre-
give enc eloquent of tributes has per
o,no f~Ona +ha 1ata GanaSN- IscH
H. Hill, Of Georgia. 1t is unusually
well kl.own in the south because OF It's
frequent publication. But it Is roc
and commanding to be over
looked now and here:
No people, ancient or mo1ern. can
l0aE with more pride to the verdict
N Mich history will be compelled To rem
de- upon the merits and characters OF
or two chief lead s--the Ole In the
military and the other in the civil SER
vice. Most other leaders are great be-
cause of fortunate results II heroes
because success. Davis and Lee,
because of qualities In themselves,
are great in the face of fortune and he
roes in spite of defeat.
when the future historian shall
come to survey the character OF Lee,
he will find i. rising like a huge noun
tain ABOVE the uIluIIdGluS pam "
humanity, and he must lift his eyes
nigh toward heaven 10 catch its sum-
nit. He possessed every virtue OF other
great commanders without their vices.
He was a foe without hate; g friend
without t~reachery; 2 soldier without
cruelty; a victor without oppression,
and a victim without murmuring. He
was a public officer withou: vices, A
private citizen without wrong; a neigh
Dor without reproach; a Christian with
out hypocrisy, n a man without
guile. He was Caesar. without his
ambition; Frederick, without his tyran-
ny; Napoleon. without his selfishness,
and Washington. without his reward.
He was obedient to authority as a ser
want, and royal in authority as a
true king. He was gentle as a woman
in life, modest and pure as a virgin In
thought; watchful as a Roman vestal
in duty; submissive o law as Socrates,
and grand in battle as Achilles!"
After writing the above we saw a
reference to the late COMMANDMENT
Chief, General Lord Wolseley. of the
army, which is too important
to be overlooked. Many times the Mes
senger has old of Colonel Chesneys
am Lord Wolseley's opinion OF Lee.
The former placed him in his famous
paper with Marlborough
and Wellington. Lord Wolseley not
very long ago wrote that he was even
greater than Wellington. But to the
that detains us. A dispatch
from Norfolk, Va, dated 18th inst: !
A the eleventh annual banquet of
he Pickett-Buchanan camp, Confeder-
ate Veterans in honor of the birth OF
Robert E. Lee, held tonight, at the
Atlantic Hotel, a letter was read that
vas written by Lord Wolseley, COM
nander of the British army. In 1T he
,lassed Lee with Washington; as a
patriot, and with the greatest soldiers
IF history as a soldier. The letter was
!, high tribute to General Lee as a
nan, a soldier and a patriot
We mentioned but a few days ago
hat Vice President-elect Roosevelt, of
New York state said that III the future
Lee would be placed, not only as a
soldier above all Americans but above
Ill of the soldiers of the English race,
,r words to that effect.