The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-01-20

OF the birth Of General Lee would be
observed In al sections of the country.
| he would have beeen regarded as an UNI
/ patriotic lunauc. II IS only a generation
since the passion that famed into desc
Sattng war died down into glowing Goals.
l and these I'm turn have grown cold and
/ gray. Hatred and bitterness have gone
because knowledge and sympathy have
made them incredible and impossible.
/ II Is not strange that men who once
/ Fought one another have become friends;
| that has happened many times In the
hss-c-y GO thS world. The strange thing
/ IL that Il should havo happened In 50
| short time Indeed. the time in which
this revolution OF feeling has been accom-
pushed has been 80 brief that Or. Glad
/ den was well within bounds whom he
! called 70 a moral miracle.
Love always works miracles: Is. in
| deed, the only power that works mira
| eles, because Il Il the one supreme
manifestation OF the Infinite. II - also
| the only interpreter OF man 70 man.
bate tnrtves on Ignorance and bears its
! hiceous fruitags in the air OF misunder-
! standing: when the light OF love breaks
through the murSy clouds. the evil thing
| dies at the roots. General Lee mas long
been the Idol OF a section. he Was never
hated IN the North some OF his con-
temporaries we're hated: his spirit. his
bearing, the evident chivalry OF his
nature. made hatred impossible: but he
was a leader OF an attack on the Govern
ment. and he was far and away the ablest
servant of thu ConfedeTacy. There could
be little hatred OF such a man. but there
we're deeep ana widespread luminosity and
| bitterness Of feeling
There has come q great and benefi-
cent change Of attitude toward the South
ern leader because the North has come
to understand both the cause and the
man The nists Of ignorance and mis-
understanding have dissolved In ar. and
the fundamental issue has become clear
Intelligent mon no longer speak OF the
rebellion; they speak OF the Civil War.
II they wish 20 be exact, they speak %
the War between the States From the
very beginning there were two versions
or interpretations 81 the ideal Of liberty
held IN common by the North and the
SOUTH one accepted the Federal Union
and the other the State tho unit OF
govern nfent- A strong feeling OF LOYALTY
70 the state had been developed before
the Union was called into being. There
Is very little doubt that the majority %
the men who drew up the Declaration OF
Independence. % the men who framed
the Articles o. Confedera ton. and cf the
men who adopted the Constitution held
more or less strongly the view that they
were organizing a confedereacy Of States
rather than a Nation. The formal logic
81 this position f. uuanswerable: u was
the logic OF national development. Of
irresistible historical tendencies. that
liberty was alike in all parts % the coun-
Try: IN the North that passion found
expression in devotion 20 the Union. in
tho South IN devotion 20 the State The
War between the States was a CONFLICT
Between these opposing ideas OF the
nature OF the government: 81 was fought
BY men who were equally sincere. de-
voted. ef-sscrificing. pa sslonateiy loyal
10 their ideals OF State and OF liberty.
The great conflict was not fundamen-
tally economic. though economic con
ditiOrs made the Issue more definite: -
was not primarily a difference OF convic-
ton about slavery. though slavery
brought IL on and generated its bitteress
passions: IL was one OF those tragedies
q which history IL full. OF conflicting
ideas which cannot be solved except by
appeal 70 force. And. az in the case
OF ell great tragedies. after the storm CT
passion there came great peace; the
beV1idering clouds dissolved IN clear
air through which the field. lately hidden
by smoke. lay IN full view and the sequel
is not the obIiteratlon % one or other
Of the two forces. but the readjustment
OF what was true and enduring IN both
forces, the birth Of a new era OF larger
Eympathies and OF a broader movement
OF life. after Shakespeare had written
Hamlet" ''Othelo." Macbeth" King
Lear''-thoss great tragedies in which
the plummet IS dropped into the deeps
OF human experience-he wrote "Cymbe-
line" the Winters Tale The Tenn
pest''-thoss beautiful Romances %
Reconciliation. IN which compassion.
sympathy. sacrifice. and the divine
insight OF love bridge the chasms that
hate has opened and heal the wounds OF
war To the great Tragedy Of the Civil
War has succeeded the greater drama of
Reconciliation and Reunion. the heroes
begin TO change places. the Victories
cease 10 be the triumphs Of sections. the
Nation opens its eyes and finds itself
enriched for all time by e chapter IN Its
history which II may call in the future
THE War OF Ideas and the Birth %
Heroes"
IN this Transformation. this acceptance
by all. Of the men who We're once heroes
OF sections. there is nothing strange;
what Is strange Is that the heroic on
each side should - SsAn find recognition
by the other side - hundred and
sixty years ago England was rent asunder
BY devastating civil strife and the coun-
try was abaze with hatred and anger
The Puritan thought Prince Rupert
goddess Rcyalist enlisted IN an unholy
war against the children o. light. the
RoyaHst could find no words with which
to express MS adherence Of Cromwell.
the fanatic and traitor who had betrayed
hts church. his king. and his country;
and Puritan and ROyalist united in their
condemnation OF Lord Falkland whose
heart was divided between his love OF
order. dignity. the splendid traditions OF
loyalty. and his English love Of liberty.
hatred Of tyranny. and passion for the
rights OF the individual To-day. when
the King goes to Westminster 10 open
Parliament. he passes the statue OF the
great Protector set like a king among
kings; every Englishman knows the
story Of Prince Rupert's dashing f0rav
out Of Oxford on a night in June. 1913.
the furious ride through Oxfordshire. and
the fiery charge on Chalgrove Fleld where
Hampden fell; men OF all parties honor
the memory Of Lord Falkland, whose
heart broke under the weight OF calami-
ties which he could not avert. This
change that took many decades 70 ac-
complish I'm England has been wrought
here in a generation.
Out Of the clouds and darkness Cen
eral Lee energies victorious; as Marcus