New-York tribune., 1902-06-18
TWO GREAT AMERICANS.

the commander of the army of Northern Virginia
at once the buckler and the sword of the ConleH-
eracy-I shall say few words. l was in the ranks
of those opposed to him. For years was ltce "
face with some fragment of the Army of Northern
Virginia. and intent to do it harm. and during those
wears there was not a day when ! would not nave
drawn deep breath of relief and satisfaction at
hearing of the death of Lee. even as dld ara" II l
hearing of the death of jackson. But now looking
back through perspective of nearly forty years.
glory in it, and them foes-they were worthy
of the best of steel. l proud now to say that
l was their countryman. Whatever differences Oh
opinion may exist to the course OF Lee WItn
his choice was made OF Lee as 1Ge ana nan be
entertained Every inch a soldier he was as t an
midable type of highest martial characteE-c,ag..
tous. magnanmoEs and bold ] TefT bit reat
est in defeat. To that escutcheon attaches 10
/ now come to what I have always regaTdeddn gSda
shall eyer regardas the most cTedabe bie
ish-imposing, dignifed simple. heroic. refer to
tive OF American civilization the whole world look
ing on. The two were Grant and Lee.types s each f
Both rose, and unconsciously, to the lu
height of the occasionand than that occasion fhaG
there was no theatrcsl display selfconscoqns 10 IS
no no effort at & s great a crisis Ess ~e5 eounrg S
men men Should @ consideT the possibt5es: think for
viii fen see ee cause fS to thank Cod for much
9n II of APg 5aT % the sfs s2e Gf Which hs
whole civilized world had been watching intentiy
stage of deveiopment for self government be
LIVED to he be on de @ TIE IF evil sh had fhG bfe liberal n
prediction It so chances that my attention mas mas
et Of that time. and read in clear light of subse7
gmsnt use words db Of Hnd m
dicrous Staid journals. grave public men, seemed
nouncing that Impossible Of occurrence which was
Hd9 ID Tsa6e TO of the book IN of e in op
position what the muse of history was wetting citing
and false vatieination-and volumes hardly less less
amusing 5 az. nov o0n 1han IN 6e foG9on Tes Vol
umes in which the spirit of contemPtuous and
fonndest ignorance of facts. set down in bitteres,
words mot 9n @ were on trai but
the severest Of sentences was imposed in Advance
Then suddenly came the dramatic climax of Ap-
% m Simple gobef mater Of ft fact maes
world. again assert has seen nothing ilke H. anu
/ like TO dwell the familiar circumstances of the
day on its It 6fds one OF the on ls ca
tional object lessons to be found IN tIstoryi ana
A mighty tragedy was drawing TO n close. Tho
breathless world the audience. 1t was bright
balmy April Sunday in a quiet virginia lahdScape
one game to the death completely in the Tas gTasP
g f the 0he Wbs rhf nS wfs ensue a Would e
strife end then and there? Would it die in deatI
a vanquished but indomtable people .writhing and
o5a T@EgnE Ec6r IN ?he sg6h gFs etre an M all Eropean
authorities united IN confidently predicting? TIM.
The eonedq Grant d! that ID day .nG had SS es
at he a5 onnonsn was rshed u' TRnk What then might
have resulted had those two men been other than
fnr fnr m 1sfF bev We're What and Who they wereCrant
and Lee More I need not. could not say; this only
let me add-a people has good right to be PROUD
great an occasion % @ It 3hs4 hass td S5
met hs e9oh tf other vino thsn or Se not
wh1s to thew ward aa h not Zach With
the other g m dignity a Sa4G3 Grbig snp'iy
Impavidum ferient runa.'
With home no longer his Lee 5Hf9 & sae9thS9 ms
life after he thus accepted defeat; all are "a
aT m S5 a6a Rm mo-
risS 9p hm sST m own might 4srdc sHp"
LOOK AHEAD
Time is the great magician. 1t both meliows and
transforms. The Engshman Of to-day does not
apply Cromwell the standard of loyalty or trea-
son, right and wrong. applied after the Restora-
ton; again does the twentieth century confirm
the nineteenths verdicts Even slavery we may
come regard a phase. pardonahle as passing,
in the evolution OF
l hold IT will certainly be so with Civil War.
The year 1865 will look upon It's causes its in
cdents and it's men with different eyes from those
with which them now-eyes wholly DIFF
ferent from those with which we saw forty years
ago. They-for by that time will have re-
Joined the generation to which we belonged-will
recognize the somewhat essential fact, indubitaby
true that all the honest conviction all the loyalty
all the patriotic devotion and self-sacrttice were
not then any than all the courage. on the
victors side. True! the moral right the spirit OF
nationality. the sacred cause of humanity even.
who in the end went down. were men not less sin
eording to to their heir lights than he & who 40 among US was
and Is of pride and confidence to say,
They. too. were countrynen!"
He Srepresented indivduazed ali that was high
est and best in the Southern mind and the Con
Of honor and personal obligation, the slightly ar
chaic. the almost patriarchal, love of dependent,
he was Virginian of the virginans He repre-
ssnts type @ Which bis is ] less extinct * net
feudal times or the ideal head of the Scotch clan
courage. devotion; patriotism, the high sense of
duty and personal honor-all in a word which go
long will that type Of be held in affectionae.
reverentia memory. EN- ~ They haye in them all the
than half a century ago. 50 row: Whom do you
Who is have statue? means. Whom shall we
consecrate and set apart one of our sacred men?
him. and, by new example added to old perpetual
Show me the man you honor; 1 know by that symp-
tom better than by any other. what kind of man
your ideal OF manhood is: what kind of man you
long inexpressiby to be- and would thank the gods,
i is all question Of time and the time is. prob
are not altogether healed it's personal memories
are still fresh. its passions not wholly allayed 1t
am as convinced as an unillumned man can be of
anything future that when such time does come
scendants Of Washington. jefferson, Of Rufiedge
preme and the nation cemented l hold TO be un-
from the civilized world is due to Civil War.
The two f,t are worth the great prize then paid for
was proved by events in these respects. the Con-
he also was brave. cRiVairous seIf-sacricng. Sin
cere and patriotic, SO l look forward with CON
sented in national pantheon. Then the query