The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-01-20
ETERNAL HONOR To
The NAME OF LEE
Anniversary of Confederate
Chiettain's Birthday Observed
CAMP HARDfE CELEBRATES
Citizens of All Parties and All Classes
Unite In Paying Tribute to
NOBLE National Figure.
Business Suspended.

''When the future historian comes to
survey the character of Lee he will find
it rising like a huge mountain above the
undulating plain of humanity, and he will
have to lift his eyes toward heaven to
catch its summit.
"He possessed every virtue of the other
great commanders without their vices.
HE was a foe without hate, friend
without treachery, a soldier without cru
city and a victim without murmuring.
HE was a public officer without Vices,
private citizen without wrong, neighbor
without a reproach. a Christian without
hypocrisy and a man without guile.
He was a Caesar without his ambition,
Frederick without his tyranny, Napoleon
without his selhshness, and Washington
without his reward.
HE was as obedient to authority as
true king. He was as gentle as woman
in life, pure and modest as a Roman vestal
in duty. submissive to law as Socrates,
and grand in battle as Achilles"
Words Spoken 80 Years Ago.
To the people of Alabama. where the
birthday of Robert e. Lee is observed as
legal holiday, the foregoing words,
spoken thirty years ago by the late
United States Senator Benjamin II. Hill
of Georgia, came home yesterday with
refreshing force. Throughout the limits
o. the state-in its cities, towns and VII
l..ges as we'll as in the rural homes of its
pecple-indicatlons were plentiful that the
men and women of A,aBama cherish with
undiminishing admiration and affection
the memory OF one who is thought to
have been the greatest and best man
that has yet lived on this continent.
In Birmingham especially, where large
element of the population is made up of
persons whose kinsmen fronted the ar
mics of Lee In battle two score years ago,
the feelir was strong that the legal OBJ
servance of his birthday erved q high
and useful purpose
Men who wore Grand Army buttons in
the lapels of their coats were unanimous
that the life and character of Lee would
always be an inspiration to the American
people of all sections of the union.
THE more l study the character of Gen
eral Lee said a prominent Grand Army
man, 1.-The more am l convinced that the
London Standard was right when, soon
after Lees death, 1t said "A country
which has given birth to men like him
may look the chivalry of Europe in the
face without shame, for the fatherlands
of Sidney and of Bayard never produced
a nobler soldier, gentleman and Christian
than Robert Edward Lee ! am glad to
unite with the people of Alabama in thus
honoring the memory of the great Con-
| federate commander"
The Old Soldiers.
! 1t goes without saying that the an
| ,,fxt 80 II 1afe 10th .iuhf cd
the eye and quicxened the step of every
one OF his old soldiers in Birmingham.
| Wherever two or three of them came to-
gether yesterday they gripped one an
| other warmly by the hand and their talk
fell upon what is to them now, and will
be to them while life lasts, the brave
days of DID," All of them are passing out
of the green of life, but their hearts are
| unspoiled by hate or revenge, and their
souls are animated with devotion to
the whole country which no power can
| break or rend-as pure and strong as was
| their romantic ardor for the meteor flag
| their courage advanced so far and 80
high forty years ago.
| At 3 o'clock In the afternoon a rem
nant of the old heroic band met in Tom
| linson hall under the auspices of the w.
| j. Hardee Camp of Confederate veterans.
| The camp room was decorated In a way
that suggested impressvely the signifi-
| canoe of the occasion From the walls
| looked down the pictured features Of the
| civil and military leaders of 1.-THE Lost
| Cause Flags of two designs, the STARS
| and Stripes" and the 'Sars and Bars,
crossed and fluttered above the windows.
A delegation of gracious women-the
wives and daughters of confederate sol
diers-was there to remind the men In
gray that what they had done and what
| bod hapn not vet forgot.
| Speeches, brief and appropriate, were
made: one by Capt W. C. Ward and an
! other by Edgar w Jones. Each of the
addresses was tolerant, patriotic, wise
precisely as he In whose memory they
were made would have had them to be.
Judge N b. Feagin of the inferior GRIM
| ina court, a gallant ex-Confederate sol
der in commenting yesterday on the
Significance Of celebrating Lees birthday
as legal holiday. said:
A National Figure.
'The tendency to increase the number
of legal holidays in state or nation
has its peril, but I think we make no
mistake when our people set aside a day
each year to recall the character and
! achievements of Gen. r. e. Lee. Gen
eral Lee has long since ceased to be a
merely sectional figure. His genius and
character have made him one OF the
uLlime figures in our national history,
ard, indeed, in the history of the world.
| The scout ..ern people may in my judg-
ment best honor his memory by cherish
ing the standards that controlled all the
purposes and acts in General Lees life
Frank Deedmeyer, attorney at law, In
! commenting on the subject, said:
Greater in Peace Than In War.
1.-THE memory of General Lee should be