The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1907-05-16

Not Homer's. could alone for me
Hymn well the great Confederate
South,
Virginia first, and Lea.''
The browning virtue in Gen. Lees
character was wonderful gentleness.
His letters to his friends and family
show this, as we'll as many of his
gea Ii orders and his reports of
engagements. The students looking
for an example; the young man or
woman seeking to improve their
characters, and bearing in mind that
"Gentle minds by gentle deeds are
known, and man by nothing is so well
betrayed as by his Manners will
find in the life of Lee an inspiration
to noble living and high endeavor
such as is nowhere else found in
profane history.
The poet had in his minds eye just
such a character when he sung:
His life was gentle, and the ele-
nents
So mixed in him that nature
Might stand up and say to all the
world
This was a man."
A man whose strength was the
might of gentleness and self
command. We can not have too
many biographies Of him. We can
not raise too many monuments to
him. We can not see his gentle face
too often. Every time we look on his
form in bronze or marble we exclaim
with the poet:
1.-The bravest are the tenderest,
The loving are the daring
The poet laureate voices the senti-
ments that fill our hearts as we re-
view this strong, brave, tender low
ing character:
MY good sword carves the casque
of men,
My short lance thrusteth sure,
My strength is as the strength of
Because my heart is pure
On occasions like this our hearts
turn to one who was imprisoned,
manacled and treated with many in
dignities, although no more respon-
sible for the action Of the Southern
States than other public men. His
prosecutors were unable to bring
him to trial. The text book on the
Constitution taught at West Point
came in. the way. For the Chief
Magistrate of the young Republic
that arose so full of hope and noble
purposes, and died 50 free of crime,
the Commonwealth of Mississippi
gave Jefferson Davis; soldier, states
man and vicarious sufferer for peo-
pie who will cherish his memory so
long as valor has a votary or virtue
a shrine.
OUR HEROES WHO FELL IN THE
STRUGGLE.
We pause to pay a tribute to the
mighty host of brave officers, SOL
diers and sailors who fell under the
banner of the lost cause. We cannot
call their names-all honor to them.
They were spared from witnessing
the flag furled. A large number of
these did not return from the fated
field of Gettysburg, as did some here
with the burning thought that
Some one had blundered." The
tragic scenes at Appomattox could
leave no regretful and sorrowful
memories in their hearts and lives.
LAS the mist of the past are rolled
away,
Our heroes who died in their tattered
gray
Grow taller and greater in all their
parts,
Till they fill our minds as they fill our
hearts,
And for them who lament them there
is this relief,
That glory sits by the side of grief
And they grow taller as the years
pass by
And the world learns how they could
do and die"
PRIVATE SOLDIERS AND SAILORS.
We sing praises to the officers; we
erect monuments of bronze and
marble to their memories; we hang
portraits on the walls of our camps
that will remind our children's child
rem of their undying fame and i'm
perishable valour, but we do not
emphasize on every occasion as we
should, the self sacrifice and noble
devotion to duty of the private SOL
der and sailor, who made possible
the fame and glory of their officers.
The Confederate private soldier
was far above the average of the
armies of the world. No country
ever had larger percentage OF