Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-05-17

Most sacred of all to the children OF
abort 3. Lee are the personal letters
Az, no wrote to them or to their moth
They all breathe OF the tenderest
''so the deepest solicitude, the parental
,..,,e 10 see his children live up to his
sn Grand ideals Of Christian manhood
ga womanhood. They also bespeak MS
ndicty of heart, his great respect
~ w., ro,igion and abiding faith In God.
aos ~ n simple country home on the
,,es river that Gen. Lee led his FAM
Nv after the close OK the great struggle
A. all know, he did not long remain IN
mis- retired spot. Some time before
~s thoughts had been carried back TO
~ W. orn birthplace, Stratford, the an
h9 ,, manor house of the Lee family IN
SSi-ainia where he first saw the light
w where he grew up his mother
S S", % her little man." taking his tath-
~ ~ Mace in the home when deprived Oh
tsi Guide and helper at the early age
vi vi and showing even then the splen-
AZ, ,nalitles that were to develop with
eu rsmarkable force in later years,
and make him the idol OF the south ana
,bo admiration Of great men IN an
'itnes The family retain the beautiful
,r'Jitions of the tilial devotion he bore
tis invalid mother the duties and re-
srnosihjlnies that he assumed as tine
IA of The house" for one OF his broth
',s ,ras student at Harvard, ana the
o,her was in the navy. one of his SIS
,srs was in such delicate heelth that
sbs had TO be away from home Tor
,on, time and the other was too young
~ bs If any use in the direction of the
tnyeshold so Robert, "who was always
good" as his father once wrote ana
SUho win be confirmed in his happy
tnrn of mind by his ever watchfui ar
fectionate mother attended to the
boueekeeplng duties, aid the marketing
and managed all the outdoor affairs
with a discretion far beyond his age
srA rare In any boy. IL was said that
/, Was his deep love for his mother that
r,ade him take ~ with such alacrlty
and devotion duties that are generally
Sls,asteful TO boys II was common
yscognition In those days that Robert
Iee was the best housekeeper around
Alexandria. and worthy Of his Virginia
lineage .n ,,ov
andria for the education OF her emil
Sren. his father being In the West IN
Sies for the benefit Of his fast-failing
health OF course his mother directed
,he housekeeping. for she was one OF
me most methodical and beautiful OF
managers. but RoberS was her house
keeper. her nurse, her companion. lac
went IN school I'm Alexandria, and
every day at noon he would come home
10 see how his mother was getting
nlong He mixed every dose OF medi-
cine that she took he looked after her
horses himself, and went out riding
daily with her In the carriage ana
when she grew very III ne nursed her
night and day. II he left the room
moment she kept her eyes upon the
door I'M he returned During those last
DAYS he never left her side. II was the
constant association with this noble,
loving mother that so influenced and
formed hls character. Her memory re-
NAMED with him 10 the end pure.
beautiful, uplifting force.
His mother died and was buried AZ
Rsyensworth Robert. who had just re-
turned from West Point, was with her.
Though he nursed her TO the last he
could not nerve himself TO attend her
funeral. lie said. II can never see the
grave close over my mother" The
funeral took place In the beautiful old
garden Of Ravensworth. where she still
lies.
REGRETS FOR ARLINGTON.
And 80 It was to strattord, hallowed
by so many memories, that his mind
turned when he received the news that
Arlington had fallen into the hands OF
the enemy, and the beautiful white
house on the Pamunky" had been
burned These manors were very dear
10 him, for both were the ancestral
homes OF Mrs Lee and In the former
they had been married. going thence
10 Old Point Comfort. Va. where his
hrS married years were spent, and
where bis eldest son, Gusts was born.
When the news came to him Of the
cesecration OF these homes, he wrote
n follows to his wife:
Among the calamities Of war the
hardest 10 bear perhaps, is the separ-
auon OF families and friends. Yet all
must be endured TO accomplish our in
oependence and maintain our self
government Your old home, Arlington,
u not destroyed by our enemies, has
been so desecrated that / cannot hear
10 'nink OF Il, | should have preferred
~ 10 nave been wiped from the earth
.N beautiful hill sunk, and its sacred
uees buried, rather than to have been
degraded by the presence OF those who