The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-01-20
Chap-I Hlll.

taken sae
 At Chapel Hiil.
 Chapel Hill. N. C., Jan. l9.--"Many gratifying changes have taken place since the great struggle between the States. In which General Lee played so conspicuous a part; and one of the happiest thought of a celebration like ttiis is that General Lee long ago ceased to be regarded as a sectional character: that he has been accepted. the country through. as great Amer ican. devoted in the time of his chief distinction to particular cause.
 Thus spoke pr. Woodrow Wilson. President of Princeton University at Lees birthday celebration at the Uni- versity of North Carolina tonight.
 The South does not grudge him to the nation as one of it's great figures" he continued. "but it cherishes as a section apart a particular and ardent affet tion for the gracious gentleman who led it's armies in the great con- test which was fought regarding some of the essential questions of our con- stitutional life.
 We do not come together upon his birthday to praise him. It s not now necessary to assess and value him. It Is rather our privilege and duty to speak of what he means to us in new generation. We rehearse t.1its to quicken our own consciences and guide ourselves in times of stress and diff ficulty. There was no touch of the histrionie about General Lee. His modest demeanor upon every field of
 action seems almost an attempt to withdraw himself from sight. He was. in fact, like every man of supreme force, compact of fire, as Washington was. Fire under control is the very emblem of force; uncontrolled 1t is the emblem of destruction; and this mans perfectly schooled and disciplined pow CT is the model of what men who command should be.
 And so the life of General Lee means for us, first, vision of personal force. expressed not in terms of self interest but in terms of service; and, second, service rendered fin the spirit of the soldier. not only. but in the spirit of the soldier who is also thoughtful citizen--a statesman.
 f We are trying to form a national policy concerning many different mat ters. Each political party seems to ask what win be most acceptable. Some things are sufficiently plain. It Is plain that principle is the best of the coun- try. rather than mere expediency; that the mere maleeshift of the moment or the measure which has no principle at ltS IOunuhltOHf VIII not III Lue IOnB run either command votes or cement parties. Unless am greatly mistaken, the only permanent principle of political liber- ty Is the principle of individual re- sponsibility, and of individual oppor- tunity.
 "In the economic field the old order of work ana enterprise has passed ut- teriy away, We must make use of cir- cumstances and of organizations upon Q great scale. such as past genera tlon had not dreamed of. There must be governmental control, but 1t must take the form rather of a clearing. or- deringi and policing of the field of in- dustry whose object shall be the res toration of quality of opportunity the removal so far as possible of the opportunity for monopoly, and above all. return to the principle of strict individual responsibility.
 "If we heed the example of such men as General Lee" said the speaker in conclusion. 'we shall subordinate our wills to definite principle, serve not a purpose of destruction, not a purpose of vengeance, but a purpose of conservation. only by the conscious pursuit of such Ideals and the con scious compulsiop of such standards shafl we restore an age of liberty. self respect and hope"