The semi-weekly messenger., 1906-01-23
Friends, Fellow Citizens, Honored
Veterans of orr Great Civil War.


on this the 10Th day of January, and
yet grateful that you should call me
to such a loving task. You say to me
i seem to hear the words-we do
not send away TO some far-away
stranger, renowned for his learning and
his eloquence to paint for us some
wondrous word picture Of Lee and his
labors, to tell us how others look on
that life and work, but come, we want
you as one of us, though your fame
and abilities be humber, to speak to
us from our own standpoint, TO voice
for US our own thoughts. and to show
US how the best and wisest of Us think
on this great theme. For ye know
and / know that | am one with you
in this great cause of ours, dead in
one sense and yet in another ever liv-
ing. My father and my uncles all
We're actors in the great scenes we
commemorate, two of my mothers
brothers gave their lives for their
people in the wild embrace Of furious
war, and you are satisfied that |
make no idle boast, when / say that
had | been of age in those trying
times | would have been found fighting
by your side with musket and sword.
or like my hOnOred predecessor in the
high office / hold, ministering as
chaplain to the wounded and dying Oh
the stricken field. 1t is most fitting,
| think, my friends, that we should
celebrate in this fashion the birthday
Of Robert Edward Lee, that we should
entwine our sacred cause about his
majestice figure, and should set him
forth to the world and to ourselves as
our representative. He was our chief,
he is our chief: he Will ever be our
chief. He was. in fact, our cOnmman-
der-in-chief. He stands before the
world today as the great American sol
der; he will always be the first ex-
| ample Of the Christian civilization of
the south, noble and inspiring exam
pie for our growing youth. AS we
think of General Lee and the southern
people today, | will not turn your
thoughts to him as the soldier. |
| could not draw that picture, if would,
and l would not if I could. Some
gifted soldier may stand before you
and portray with exact knowledge and
graphic words the Titant1c struggle of
the Seven Days" when Lee hurled
back the broken fragments Of McClel-
lan's mighty army from the gates of
Richmond. He may show you how
our great commander advanced to the
| north and stood on guard for the Con-
federacy closer to Washington than to
Richmond, meeting and defeating far
Outnumbering foes at Fredericksburg,
Second Manassas and at ChancellOrs-
| vile. He may tell you of the gallant
invasion of the enemy's country, of
the terrible conflicts on the banks OF
| burg, of grim retreat of the southern
army, baff1ed but noa beaten. He may
relate the thrilling incidents of that
| thirty days fight through the wilder
ness, eliminating in the slaughter Of
Cold Harbor, when the army of the
invader sulleniy refused all further
| orders to advance. realizing how vain
! and deadly it would be TO dash them
| selves upon that superb army which
| had in thirty days killed and captured
more men than the number standing
| in their own ranks. He may paint the
| pathetic picture of that thin grey line,
| standing stelnly IN the trenches be-
| fore Petersburg, holding at bay for
| months the steadily increasing forces
Of the men in blue. He may finally
| telt yGd how it was and why it was
| l1dl lllo ATUly VI IISllld
was not SO much defeated as starved,
| not so much conquered as annihilated,
| and that, at the last, that remnant Of
eight thousand men made terms with
| and surrendered to an army of one
hundred and fifty Thousand. In SUM-
| ming up the tribute to the military
genius of Lee. We may quote Cen
| eral Scott, who declared of him before
| the war: HE is the very best soldier
| l ever saw in the field,' Or he may re-
! mind you that Lord WoOsley of the
| English army and President Roose-
| welt of the United States have written
that Lee is the greatest soldier pro-
duced by the Ang1e-Saxon people.
Such would be fitting discussion by
soldir to soldiers. My work is diff
ferent. | would ask you to think with
me a little while this afternoon of
General Lee as peacemaker, and
draw some lessons for our benefit from
| that side of his splend1dly rounded
character.
Strange it may seem to you at first
that | should ask you to think Of our
great soldier as our great peacemaker-
But yet l think it is true that Robert
f. Lee has a right to claim the Mas
ter'S promise: blessed are the Peace
makers, for they shall be called the
children of God What is the ideal
of the true soldier; the soldier who
iustifies to mankind the use for his
profession? Not an Alexander or Il
Napoleon. rushing out beyond their
own country to conquer other people,
to add new territory to their sway.
No. 1t is Cincinnattus. the Roman
dictator, leaving the plow handle fer
the sword, to drive away the invaders
of his country. bringing back peace to
his suffering people. 1t is Juras Mae
cabeus. the JEWS hero, turning even
away from his priestly office, to lead
the armies of his people against their
OppresSOrs, to restore prosperity to
his bleeding country. Wars only eX-
euse, wars true reason for it's use is