The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1907-02-21
LEE AT LEXINGTON
GREAT CONFEDERATE LEADER
AS COLLEGE PRESIDENT.
Former Student Gives His Impressions
Of the cs..ersi--His Popularity
with the Ladies--Que,I.
Ing lnsubord ination.


Having been q student at Washing
ton college, Lexington. Va, from Sep.
tember, 1866. to June, 1869, while Gen
X. E. Lee was president of that insii
tuition, have been asked to describe
the Impression the great Confederate
leader. IN his role of private gentle
man and educator, produced in the
college, writes DR.. s. Y. Ammen, In
the Baltimore Sun.
The task of describing Gen. Lees
work at Lexington Is difficult, because
his successes there were due chiefly
to his personal influence. He did not
teach, and thus did not often come
Into close relations with individual
students. Nor did no lecture or make
addresses on any subject for the edifi.
cation of the student, as a modern col
lege president would do. do not re.
member ever seeing him in a recita.
tion room except on examination day.
when he sometimes dropped In to lend
the weight Of his presence to the i'm.
portancc of the occasion. He did not,
believe, attend tho alumni banquets
during commencement week, and IL is
impossible to imagine Gen. Lee re.
spending TO toast. He was not in
the least convivial-was, In fact,
total abstainer." He looked after
the general administration Of the col.
lege, enforced discipline and supcrn.
tended, In a large way, the initiation
Of improvements on the college cam.
pus. He directed. for example, the
construction of the stone chapel in
which he now lies, and Baltimoreans
have noted that the foundation walls
OF the chapel arc of the same massive
construction as Fort Carroll, the build.
ing Of which Gen. Lee superintended
before the civil war.
The college boys seldom met tho
president face to face. They some.
times encountered him on the campus
In the morning when he came to his
ofiice for the days work and were
gratified to receive his salutation.
Many Of the students were sons of
officers whom Gen. Lee had known
In the army. These he might stop
and question. asking after the health
of his old comrades. Rarely there was
bit OF pleasantly, as, for example,
his remark one rainy day to r. A.
Ashby: "A good day for ducks" The
general was not witty, but had
slender vein of humor, which found
expression in brief phrases.
II may not be amiss to say that Gen
u,tf ha I,. .lt
of Lexington excited no little envy
among the students. The girls had an
ambition to have 1t to say" that Gen
Lee had kissed them. AS the general
was gallant enough to avail himself OF
this weakness, there were instances
that were narrowing enough TO the
feelings OF students who happened to
be in love with some one of Lexing.
tons pretty girls. Tho dears not only
did not conceal their partiality to the
general, but boasted of It to lovers TO
whom they denied like favors! re.
call an Instance of this dgnified Oscu.
lation on the highway in tho suburbs
whore boarded. hasten to say tha,
| was not acquainted with the young
lady. She was awfully pretty, and
the student agreed that in this case
they would have done the same, had
they enjoyed he generals opportunity.
Tho incident, seems, however, to
prove that however stern he might
be with men. the general could, on
occasion, conccdc something to the
ladies'.
mt
The respect in which the students
held Gen. Lee Is illustrated by his |
success In quelling revolt at Christ. |
mas, 1SG6'67, when the faculty had re. |
fused to grant weeks holiday. A |
paper was signed by the boys plcdg. !
ing the signcrs not to attend lectures
during the week between, Christmas
and New Years, The feeling wa
shown in rhyme circulated amons
the students at this time, describing
alleged incidents OF the faculty meet
ing.
Affairs looked threatening In the
college world for a time, but Gen. Lee
ended the trouble as soon as he heard
OF IL by announcing that all who
signed tho paper about cutting all
lectures for week should be at once
dismissed. III all sign IT," he said
III lock up the college and put the
Keys In my pocket" Signatures were
erased and the rebellion at once col
lapsed. Such was tho feeling Gen
Lee inspired that opposition to his ex.
pressed wishes was not to be thought
of for an instant. @
-. A.AaaA 49, -s----:.,