The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1902-05-31
JUDGE JONES PAYS BEAUTIFUL
TRIBUTE TO THE BLUE AND GRAY
CONTINUED from First Page)

through Richmond, the prize for which
armies had so long contended, but hur-
ried direct to Washington to begin the
disarmament of the army. He was called
to the highest civic rank on earth. The
gaze of the world beat in upon him there
and found no STAIN None of the sons of
men have walked more unfalteringly and
sublimely the pathway to death. In re-
calling these things 1 am forciDIy re-
minded of the faltering words with which
Bossuet began his splendid eulogy of the
Prince of Condo: 'At the moment 1 open
my lips to celebrate the immortal glory
of the Prince Of Condo, L find myself
equally overwhelmed by the greatness Of
the theme and the needlessness of the
task. What part of the habitable world
has not heard of his victories and the
wonders of his life? Everywhere they
are rehearsed. His own countrymen in
telling them can give no information,
even to the stranger, and although l may
remind you of them, yet everything l
could say would be anticipated by your
thoughts and I should suffer the reproach
of falling far below them" There Is
one phase Of his life upon which 1 VEN
ture to enlarge, because 1t appeals even
more strongly to the men who stacked
arms at Appomattox than to those who
followed to victory there and future gen.
erations will dwell upon it with ever
increasing admiration.
His Soul Broadened.
His soul broadened with the intensity
of that awful conflict and in it's closing
days he regarded his former foes, not
as enemies to be destroyed, but as coun-
trymen to be reconciled When he saw
lne Inevitable end approaching. no
thought came to him of unconditional
surrender" then. He did not uesire it.
The proud army OF Northern Virginia
had not thought or resolved then, but of
how to die with honor" He felt the Bit
terness of the hour for the great COM
mander whose bearing amid the wreck Of
fortune assembled to the dignity of the
gods, and determined to spare him even
the pain of the initiative In the approach
ing capitulation No useless ceremonies Of
surrender Knocked his countrymen there,
and all his acts displayed the "delicacy
Of great soul" When the arms were
stacked he became the sympathizing
friend of those about to return to desc
late land to begin anew the struggle o.
life. The sting of defeat was half wiped
out ere these men, themselves the victor
on many stricken field, had left the lit
tie village and begun their homeward
journey.
Tie SOOu Oiu.
The good the victorious older did there
was imperilled for time when a south
ern born president newly succeeded to
authority, proclaimed the terms of peace
In acknowledgements, confiscation of
property and prosecutions for treason,
and dashed into renewed fury the pas
sions which swept the country after the
death Of the kindly Lincoln, who was ia
ken from us when the south needed him
moot. For a time, though the unthinl1-
ing little conceived it. the country was
on the verge of a second stage of the
conflict in arms. The leader of the de-
feated Confederacy had been immured
in a cell and shackled with irons. The
great soldier who leo it's armies was
threatened with arrest and punishment in
violation OF the terms of his parole. The
magnificent armies which so nearly
made a nation" thinned by disease and
slaughter, had been disbanded in defeat,
but the survivors returned home among
tho sullen and despeiring people who
waited without hope. The element at
the south which had long insisted that
different results would follow a return
to the union either protested or half
heartedly supported the war; was awed
by the apparent failure of their proph-
ecy ard felt that it would be better to
fight than await the outlawry which the
president proclaimed. For the first time
since the struggle began they became the
upholders of the policy of resistance. If
the paroles di not bind the conqueror,
neither could they bind the conquered
There came an instructive purpose not
withstandng the terrible sacrifices and
depletion of the struggle, to war "ln the
hedges and swamps until death should
better them" rather than tamely sub
init to the infection of the vengeance
which the President demanded. The
thoughts of thousands of despairing men
turned to the conditions Of Marion and
Sumter. 1t was Lee who deprecated re-
Stance after hope of success was hope
less, and insisted, under the conditions
which surrounded him, that 1t was high
err and nobler to live for country than
to seek death to avoid the trials which
followed defeat
Grant and Lee.
The terms at Appomattox alone ena-
bled Lee, great as was his moral grand
eur and power, to enforce these counsels
upon his anxious and desperate followers