Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1902-03-19
The immortal Lee.

coming 10 tbe Athens OF the South.
| have bal the pleasure to listen was
delivered by DR.. Petrie, of the Pres
byterian church, Charlottesville.
The Dae'or was invited bv the
Bowie Strange Camp of Confederate
Veterans to address them on the
anniversary of The birth of Gen.
Robert + Lee.
1t would be impossible to give an
idea of the address bv such meaerr
reference ia II us the limited space
allotted justifeS. Or. Petrie Is not
only a man of ideas, but he possesses
a facility andfelicity of expression
that make him very attractive
speaker But the idea of this com
munication is to refer to- the quail.
ties of Gen. Lee SO strongly portrayed
bs Dr. Pelrie.
Not many months ago it was my
misfortune to hear another minister
IN Rn address which suggested that
the chief object in the Southern
heart should be to keep alive ,he
bitter memories of the past
As the bright light of the morn.
ing Sun exccls n sweetness line
terrific darkness that precedes "thr
storm that iages along the troubled
Bultic," 50 did The beautiful allu
slons. on The evening of the 18th. 10
the sublime character Of Robert 4.
Lee, excel all that has been said.
since 1860, that susgestuu unendius
raking amid the ashes of the past.
The point of greatest attraction ia
the character of be Great Chiefttln
was The manner in which he accepted
the situation after the war. Ire,,ry
man, women aud child i'm the South
had followed the example Of Gen.
Lee 10 deprecatiug expressions calcu
lated TO continue bitterness it would
have have been infinitely better for
the entire country. That was
grand sentiment of Gen. Lee who.
Immediately after the war, said. 1--WE
are one people" Where WAS ever ,he
maniiness IA berating thuSe with
whom We came Ia conflict: \ school
boy does better than that. If
whipped in one of those inevitable
experiences OF school boy days. does
he say the other fellow is base. mean
and cowardly? Far from it.. lie
speaks OF him as "a pluckiy fellow
and the eight is the means of attach
ment which strengthens while life
lasts. Certainly. as for as lighting
qualitie$are concerned, our Northern
brethren know that, with a fair
chance. there is not man from the
Potomac 10 the Rio Grande who is
not equal TO a charge upon Gibraltar
or Sebastupol. II seems that we did
not have a fair chance. There are
various opinions as to why this was
not accorded Some tell us that
Providence never intended that the
Union should be broken. 1t looks
that way. Certainly. Gen. Lee took
that view of il after the dark day~
of IS6l-65. Some have never been
able to realize il, hut if all such
would contemplate the course of Gen.
Lee in che hour when, surrendering
to "overw helming numbers and
resources, he graciouSly accepted
the offer of Gen. Grant to let the
officers retire with their sidearms
aud the brave boys with their horses
to make crop. say, if, like the
noble mau he was. every man in the
South had determined toy the help IF
God to Let the dead past bury its
dead, we would now be in our own
estimation as in the estimation of the
world the graudest people on earth.
Is it not strange, Mr. Editor, that
while England, France, Russia.
Germany and all other first class
powers regard the L. 5 as second to
no power on the globe, there are
pessimists among us who insist that
we are retrograding. They belong to
that class that have not realized the
greatness of the soul of Robert r.
Lee, who ascertaining that under the
Providence of God we were destined
to be one people, discouraged bitter
ness and anlmosity against the
Government.
am going to make AN honest con
/ fcSSlOn \ fter the war closal I dit