The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-03-01
THE LATE JABEZ LAMAR
MONROE CURRY.

Some of the encyclobedias published
in these United Stats must be very
faulty indeed to mar the name of such
distinguished ex-mihister, congress-
man, preacher, authf, educator and
patriot as the late d Curry. Every
school boy in Georgia. knows that his
name was Jabez LauAr Monroe Cur
ry. yet no less a per8n than our es-
teemed friend, in the land of alliga-
tors. Col. Sidney Hell bert, calls him
Lafayette"
DR.. Curry's materna llancestry traced
back to Richard Wyn4e of Wales and
the Hugenot John Id nar of France.
While the paternal descent was from
one Capt. Curry of thk British navy.
A life so varied andl beneficent de-
serves more than a Wbrd in passing.
Graduating from the University of
Georgia at the age Of II, two years
later, DR.. Curry indicted his law
course at Harvard, where his room
mate was the late President Hayes.
From 1S47 to 1856 he WAS a member
OF the Alabama Legislature; during the
Mexican War he was Il private in the
Texas Rangers" in 1856 he was
presidential elector fSom Alabama:
from 1857 to 1851 he represented mis-
adopted state in the bwer house of
Congress, and was an able advocate of
the doctrine of States lights i" during
the Civil War he was a member of both
the provisional and regular Confederate
Congress; during the last year of the
war he was a staff OTHER under Gen.
j. e. Johnson and Gen. Uoseph Wheel
er, and also an independent lieutenant
colonel of cavalry
After the surrender, DR. Curry be
came permanently identified with edu-
cational work in the South, and it was
along this line that he lad the founda-
tons to his claims to greatness. First,
he became president of Howard Col
lege, Alabama; but in ISIS he was call
ed to Richmond CollegA Virginia, as
professor of English philosophy and
constitutional law; in lSA he was an
pointed the general agent of the Pea
body educational fund and a little
later trustee of the Slater fund.
IN 1882 Or. Curry WIS appointed
minister to Spain, whe!e he served
three years-ill health cbmpeIling his
return to his native country. Upon the
occasion of the recent cremation of
King Alfonso XIII, DR.. 0lrry was the
representative of the United States at
the ceremony.
At the time of his death DR.. Curry
vas on the new general education
board and the Southern education
board, from which we Of the South
land have every reason 70 hope for
great results.
AS an author, he bequeathed poster
ity as the product of his pen, "Consti-
tutional Government of SPAIN" Life
of VIM. Ewart Gladstone "The
Southern States of the American I'm
ion in Their Relation to the Constftu-
ton and the Resulting Union" and a
History of the Peabody Educational
Fund.-" besides The Civil History of
the Confederate Government"
After reading The Southern States"
his must indeed be a dead soul which
does not thrill with just pride that he
Is a Southerner. No apology is made in
this volume for the existence of the
South, but the part she played in ma
ton building, her gifts of land, her
heroic soldiers, her gifted statesmen
her sacrifices of blood and treasure,
her sufferings at the hand of an inso-
lent invader-all are portrayed by a
powerful pen.
So accustomed had we of the South
become to reading of ourselves as
"Pthers see u.s." that this volume will
prove a veritable revelation to the ay-
erage citizen who reads it.
Some good man may occupy the
place made vacant by DR.. Curry's
death, but as to filling it, we'll that is
another matter. T. S. Lucas.