The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-01-20
Nearer to Lee the
Greater Became the Man.

Greater Became the Man.
Among the Essays of Emerson is one
entitled Character. In the course of that
essay, Emerson. without attempting to
enter into definition of character, thus
speaks concerning 1t: Character denotes
habitual self-possession, habitual regard
to interior and constitutional motives.
a balance not to be overset or easily dis
turbed by outward events and opin-
ion."
To my knowledge never saw
General Lee: I certainly never stood In
his presence, nor exchanged word
with him. On the few occasions when
I was guest in his house. he Glanced
to be absent. Even that was long ago;
while he and his family still lived at
Arlington. Thus ! know him only by
report, and through his letters But. IL
the report OF those who did know him
WELL and the evidence of what he
wrote. may be relied on. ''habitual self
possession, habitual regard to Interior
and constitutional motives. balance
not to be overset or easily disturbed
by outward events and opinion" were
his to an eminent degree-a degree
which his harshest and most preju-
diced critic could not ignore. That,
himself devout man and by convic-
ton sincerely religious, he was neither
ashamed nor afraid SO publicly to pro-
fess himself. may be read in his repeated
army orders: or, to such as prefer there
to look for it. in his family LETT
tiers. What more expressive OF pro-
found religious faith could be imagined
than these words. written In the very
shadow of Gettysburgs disaster to the
dying wife of his wounded and captured
son: In his own good time He will re-
leve u.s. and make all things work to-
gether for our good. If we give Him our
love and place In Him our trust
That his Immediate family circle re.
Earded him with the affectionate deyoa
ton founded on respect which is the sur.
est indication of those sterling and fun-
damental qualities which alone can causs
man to seem hero to those near
to him-the confldants of his privacy
appears from those family letters and
recollectlons ,shich have been so freely
published. That he impressed himself
on those about him in his professional
and public life to an uncommon extent
that the soldiers of the Army Of North.
ern Virginia as we'll as those of his
staff and in high command felt not only
implicit and unquestlonlng confidence in
him but to him a strong personal affec.
tion-is established by their concurrent
testimony. He, too might well have said
with Brutus:
MY heart doth Joy that yet in all my
life IN
I found no man but he was true to me.
shall have glory by this losing day"
Finally. one who knew him we'll has
written of him-"He had the quiet bear
ing of q powerful yet harmonious ma
ture. An unruffled calm upon his coun-
tenance betokened the concentration and
control of the whole being within, He
was kingly man whom all men who
came into his presence expected to obey
That he was gifted in prominent degrees
with the mems aenua in ardius of tho
Roman, poet. none deny.
And now. yirginians, a word with YOU
in closing: "Show ME the man You
honor. know by that symptom, better
than by any other, what kind OF man
you yourself are For you show ina
then what your ideal or manhood Is,
what kind of man you long possibly I'd
be, and would thank the gods, With your
whole soal. for being II YOU could Whom
shall we consecrate and set apart as ona
OF our sacred men? Sacred; that all
men may see him. be reminded OF him,
and by nsw example added 10 old per.
petual precept, be taught what IL real.
worth In man. Whom do you wish I'd
resemble? Him you set on him column,
that all men looking at it. may DO con-
tinually appraised Of the duty you expect y
from them
1.-The virtues OF a superior man are HAS =
the wind the virtues OF a common niaA
are like the grass the grass. when thA
wind passes over II, bends
4 ID . d y z