The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-07-03

made a common cause against what
they rightly believed was a common
enemy. Let the South have its own
history, written by some man who
loves truth and has the genuine his
toric gift. Let North Carolina have
a history from 1860 to 1870. Let some
faithful man of fine parts grasp the
pen to hand down with truth and fair
ness to generations yet unborn the
story OF our wrongs, our Sufferings, our
endurances, our trials. our deeds. May
he be animated only with the noble
desire to tell the story as it WaS-giv-
ing entire justice to all-Withholding
no praise when deserved, and spurn-
ing every inducement to magnify the
glorious deeds of one State at the cost
Of the character of the soldiers of any
other State. He who will thus write
the true history of our STRUGGLE for a
great Constitutional right, will deserve,
and will receive, the unrepressed gra-
titude of the entire people of the
South.
In contrast let me mention here an
incident told me i'm 1865, by my friend
Of more than forty years, Rev. DR..
Thomas E. Skinner, the venerable and
venerated Baptist minister. He was
in England some twenty months dur
ing our great war, and resided at a
little city not far from London called
bennington. He said that the exag-
gerations of the Federals became SO
well known to the English, that when
they would gather at the bulletin
boards to read the war news that of
the Federals, always coming first, you
would hear men say after reading:
Never mind, wait until we hear from
General Lee and we will know the
truth" What a grand character he
had at home and abroad! Some of
the Northern people are beginning to
appreciate and understand his nobility
and grandeur of soul, and his pure,
simple Christian life. / tried to find
an extract from an address Of one of
the living Adamss. of Massachusetts.
at Chicago, delivered some year or two
ago, in which he pronounced most
becoming and exalted eulogy on Gen
eral Lee, but 1 failed. IT is a splendid
offset to the low fling and false impu-
tation of Bishop Phillips Brooks, of
Boston. when in his own pulpit, he
dared to refer to Robert f. Lee, that
Traitor!' Since I got that fact l have
not read five lines from him. BY that
utterance he measured himself.
Let me reproduce here q part of an
account of the surrender of General
Lee at AppomattOX in 1865. as it was
written by a Northern soldier present,
and have had it since 1866 Or 1867:
"As he stood there he appeared to
be about sixty years Of age, a tall, SOL
diery figure Of a man, with full grey
beard, a new suit of grey clothes,
high grey felt hat with a cord, long
buckskin gauntlets. high riding boots.
and beautiful sword. He was all
that our fancy had painted him, and
he had the sympathy Of all of us as
he rode away.
Just as he gathered up his bride
General Grant went down the steps,
and passing in front of his horse
touched his hat to General Lee, who
made a similar salute, and then left
the yard and returned to his own
lines with his orderly and the single
staff officer who had accompanied
him to the interview, and was saiG
to have been Col. Marshall, his Chief
of Staff, a quiet looking man in spec
tacles. looking more like one of
thought than of action"
The Charleston News and Courier,
paper 1 have long admired had re-
Gently nearly a half-column editorial
on that gifted and distinguished native
Wilmingtonian, DR.. Edwin Anderson
Alderman, now President of Tulane
University. 1t was on his election to
the Presidency of the University of
Virginia, and was in the main crafty
u.
gular to say, one most important fact
in his training and furnishing for the
very responsible office of President of
any notable University. DR.. Alder
man was for several years the Presi-
dent of the University of North Caro-
lima, and under his superior manage
ment it received a very decided inn
petus, enlarging its field of operations,
its advantages and opportunities for
1lu ls1Di NC ifc bnFs Of Cf1 Ika,1t
attending. If l remember correctly he
nearly doubled the attendance. Since
his presidency four years ago-this
Oldest and now perhaps greatest of all
Southern Universities, has increased
nearly $50, / think, and it's last session
just closed showed go pupils and 67
teachers. In schools, facilities. equip
ment, buildings, faculty, etc, ii leads,
| believe, both Tulane and the Univer-
sity of Virginia. IT enters upon its
10th year in September next. 1t Is
now indeed the leading institution OF
learning In all Southland. DR. Alder
iisii * highly 1si,,itg, 81 aid ~ q ~ yist
and orator of considerable gifts as
well as a teacher of wisdom and pro-
gress. If he goes to Virginia / incline
TO think il is more because of the cli-
mate and locality of New Orleans than
from any belief i'm the exaggerated inn
portance OF the University of Virginia
over the Tulane or the University OF
North Carolina.
/ am glad to recall that when l
was editing a daily paper, | was the
first journalist in the State to write an
editorial urging DR.. Alderman for the
Presidency of the University of North
Carolina. l got the suggestion from
Prof Noble. of the present University
Faculty. Under the admirable and
progressive administration OF Presi-
dent Francis IL. Venable, the oldest
and greatest of Southern Universities
is steadily advancing i'm many direc-
tons. Two handsome buildings are
being erected and it is probable that
the next session will see zoo students
in attendance. With its large faculty
of G7 1nachars-wnll enIlinned and m