The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1902-02-20
Bill Arp in Atlanta Constitution.

DUTY is the sublimest word in ou,
language. That is what General Lee
wrote to his son soon after General
Scott offered him the supreme com
mand Of the Northern army. Virgins
had Just seeded and Lee saw on one
side that there were no honors to
which he might not aspire. On the
other side. if he cast his destiny with
that OF his State, he saw, or hs
thought he saw. that miseries and
trials awaited him without numb Der.
But TO seek his duty and, having
found it, do it was ever the principle OF
his actions. These strong and beauti-
ful words about duty were not origi-
nal with General Lee, and in his letter
be has them in quotation marks. The
expression came from Rev. John
Davenport, famous Puritan preacher
of New England-the man who gave
shelter to the three regicides who
condemned Charles the First to death
and after the restoration fled for their
lives to New England and were hid
den by John Davenport in his barn.
When this act Of treason became
known among the people he neither
quailsd nor relented, but preached a
sermon the next Sabbath from that
passage in Isaiah which says: Hide
the outcasts. Betrry not him that
VANDERBILT. Let my outcasts dwell
with thee and DO thou covert unto
them from the spoiler." 1t was in
that sermon that he made use OF this
notable expression: ut is my duty
to shield them, and duty 10 the
sublimest word in onr language"
During the war it was my privilege
to see General Lee right often. but
never did l meet him face to face and
have a brief conversation with hin.
but twice. Even then we did not know
how great a man he was. General
Johnston aad been wounded at Seven
Pines and General Lee came from
West Virginia to take his place. He
was almost stranger to the Army OF
Northern Virginia. He had been in
command but . week or two when
General Black, of Rome, came to see
his boys Of the Eighth Georgia. and
asked me to ride with him to General
Lees headquarters and introduce him
for he was very desirous Of meeting
him before returning to Georgia. or
course | complied, for General Black
was a man Of no small consequence at
home. He was old and gray and OF
commanding presence and military
bearing. Introducing myself first,
presented General Black. and after we
were seated l said nothing, but paid
modest and respectful attention.
was soon impressed with the grandeur
of the man before me, and, Of course.
as he expanded, / very naturally
shrank up to keep equilibrium. Not
long after that the Seven Days battles
began and ended, and ended in Nc
Clsllan's defeat, and our army began
to realize how great = man Lee was.
1t was on the sixth day that l was
sent to his headquarters near Meadow
Bridge to receive orders. and there
met him again. He was standing un-
armed and uncovered in front of his
tent, and "Stonewall" Jackson was
asleep inside upon the straw, and the
servant had set the dinner tables over
him so as not to disturb his rest, for,
as General Lee said, "He needs it, and
nothing but artillery will awake hin,
now"
saw at first that the army did not
know how great man Lee was.
Neither did they know fully at the
last. for he was one OF the few great
characters that develops and grows
brighter and grander n the years roll
on. For some years after the war be
received but little praise at the North
and a great national cyclopedia gave
more space and praise to old John
Brown than to General Lee. who ar
rested and executed him. But now,
in the International, of Is volumes, q
standard work, edited and compiled
by 200 OF the most distinguished
scholars and professors OF the North
ern colleges-the sketches OF Genera
Lee and Stonewall jackson are all
that We could ask for.
That of Lee closes with this para
graph: 'In person he was one OF the
noblest types Of manly beauty. tall.
broadshouldered and erect. with q
dignity rs i'm pressirs as that Of Wash
ington, but more warmly religious
and always maintaining a calm. con-
tident and kindly manner that no dis
aster could disturb or change" The
world knows him now and vsnerates
bis memory. and the people he fought
against have given him place in
-. IL - 11 L~v
Time is a good doctor and Ammo
Domini the softeni.g solvent Of all
malignant passions. 1t was the sub
lime Christian faith of Lee and Jack
son that made their characters COM
plete and added lustre to their mill
tarv fame. They were men of prayer.