The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-02-03

tha birth of-the peerless Virginia-ths rltizen. thA soldier, the Chrtstian- robert E Lee, was celebrated py so many of different political faith that | am sure the readers of the U. D. .. columus will enjoy q description Of the ceremony in washington, D. c.
 One year ago, before a southern so- efetv In New York, General Freoerick D. Grant, commander of the depaTtment of New York. and son of the masnani- nous General Ulysses Grant 70 whom c.ersraI T,ea surrendered his little army of Northern Virginia, at Appomattox. pronosed that general Lees birthday pc \ made a legal natiopal holiday. Little AIass than such a day. in spirit, m washinwton was Saturday, January 1s' tha one hundredth anniversary of the dav on which at ''Sratford" in Vir- qInta. the great man first saw the light of life, and Robert Edward Lee was born.
 As prSphesied by 8 Washington paper: Men and women of all sections and of all political beliefs joined in doing honor to the memory of Robert ID. Lee Men who followed his inspiring ieao- ership to the cann9n's mouth ana men who faced his indomitable legions and
  l of blood, met on common ground or respect for Lee and respect for, one another. The great assemblage at the New | Willard Hotel, the great company Of more than a thousand of the men and women, representatives of the country was presided over by Col Hilary A. | Herbert, of Alabama, e gallant Con- | federate soldier and Secretary of the | Navy in Mir. Cleveland's administration; ; | the exercises were opeAed with prayer by the Rev. Roland Cotton Smith. Northern man. and rector of St. John's s | Church, Washington, general church | home when in Washington; and the | grand demonstration was closed with | prayer by pr. Henry Yates Satterlee. l Bishop of Washington, Northern man. | And between the brief but eloquent address of the Confederate Veteran. Senator Berry of Arkansas, and John | Sharp williams, the Southern Demo- | cratic leader of the House of Repre- sentatives, who made long to be re- | membered oration, came MT. Justice | Brewer of the United States Supreme 1 Court, @ Northern man of pronounced type, yet paying warm tribute N the | great soldier, describing him as "A 1 profoundly, earnest serious and l thoughtful man." who brushing aside many places of salaries and luxurious ease, after Appomattox, brought forth the ever sterner duties of peace"
 Chairman Herbert said in his open ing address man memorable things Of his beloved chief, closing with this sem tence: History has recorded that there was but one Washington; and be was an American. History, when final ly written will also record thst there was but one Lee, and he. too, was an | American"
 As introductory to the very won derful letter of the President of the ! United States, Colonel Herbert stated
 that. having an invitation from the University of Virginia to attend the great anniversary there the President had sent the same letter to the Unl- versity. Closing. Colonel Herbert said;
 When Theodore Roosevelt was a young man, twenty years ago. writ
 ing a life of Thomas H. Benton. the famous Missouri United States senator.
 writing at a time when politicians
 were still appealing to the passion of
 the war-writing when it took cour-
 age to publish such words-he said in
 that book: The world has never seen
 better soldiers than those who fol-
 lowed Lee: and their great leader will
 undoubtedly rank as without any ex-
 ception, the very greatest of all great
 captains that the English speaking peoples have brought forth and this
 although the last and chief of his an
 tagonists (Grant) may himself claim
 to stand as the full equal of Marlbor-
 ough and Wellingten.'"
 The reading of the Presidents let
 ter was assigned to Mrs. Ralph Walsh
 president of the District of Columbia
 Division of United Daughters of thu
 Confederacy, who did much towards
 the great occasion, and was received
 with many outbreaks of applause and
 of approval.
 This letter was printed in full ir 1 The Advertiser the next day after thu