The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-11-30

Richmond voted him a house for ms
family, but he declined it. suggesting
that whatever means the city cOuncll
may have to spare for TINS
may be evOted to the relief OF the
families of our soldiers in the field
But this was not all in unSelflSh de-
votion for after the war an English
nobleman offered him a country estate
with an annuity of $4,000 ($15,OOO)
but he declined, saying: I must abide
the fortunes and share the fate OF my
%ptople." How magnanimous and
lofty his conduct. Read again: In
1865, he accepted the presidency Of
Washington College at a salary Of ST.
500 a year; but when General Ewell.
in 1868, gave $500 to the college on
condition that it be added to General
Lees salary, the latter declined 1t,
writing General EWell, Il already re-
ceive from the college an amount
more than my poor services are
WORTH But this is not all bearing
upon his g~entleness Of soul and thor
ough unselfishness. DR.. Smith says he
declined the offer of a New York
firm ''to represent Southern
with a salary Of $4,000, but he de-
clined, saying Il am grateful, but [
have a Self-impOSed task, which L
must accomplish; l have led the young
men OF the South in battle, | have
seen many Of them die on the field; /
shall devote my remaining energies to
training young men to do their duty
in life How grand that is! He was
offered the presidency Of a Southern
insurance company in which several
famous Confederate generals were di-
r%ectors, but he declined the offer or
$40, 600 annual salary. saying to the
Confederate officer who was sent to
make the offer. General Lee flushed
in face as he said to the officer: Il
am sorry, sir, that you are so little ac-
Quainted with me as to ppO that
my name is for sale at any price The
distinguished Baptist minister, DR.. J.
William Jones, of such fine repute as
Il chaplain in the great war, say that
Il found his letter-boOk filled with
replies to offers Of this character /
nud other Illustrations Of the utterly
unselfish devotion and conservation to
honor and fidelity to duty that are
creditable in the article l have SO free
ly used. DR.. Smith says that he has
read several thousand pages in search
Of information bearing on General
Lees character, SO fascinating and
grand and unique, as I choose to de-
! scribe it, in order to test whether the
hero of his youth and early manhood
could stand the surest test, and the re-
suit is, He is greater than l ever
dreamed. There is absolutely no lit
tleness in that majestic man.
To see the figures regarding the
barren or empty acres in the South
is no pleasant reading if informing.
This blessed Southland has done
wonders since the Northern enemy
%envaded, dispoiled, robbed, devastated
it with it's armies bent on destruction,
p~lundering and ravaging it's homes.
But the point Of appealing interests
now is, that there is SO very much in
the lands Of our great section that
4 ~ny - a !, no1rlfiyof tod ona onnOcn11nntlN
Improbable. Some recent figures
that have been published are abso-
lutely astonishing. They show after
all how much remains for the South
to do in the matter of improving OPP
portunities and charging incomes and
insuring great results. The empty
acres in the South will really as
tonish the natives. When we learn
that in the South there are really
l 2,O96.92 acres Of Ian that are SIM
ply empty, no one pretending to make
them profitable in the least, it is
enough to strike with profound regret
and Amusement. Then by way OF
contrast read that in all Of our Well
blessed South there are but 145,1S5.-
999 acres that are imprOved-leaving
612, 096,9 $40 acres without any at
tempt at imrovement-and before us
stand facts that will surprise all in
telligent people. How is it with North
Carolina, our own State, Of which we
are naturally proud? There are but
8,327,1O6 acres partially improved by
cultivation, while 31,192,6O0 acres re-
nail barren and unproductive, or
nearly one-fourth Of the whole. Most
Of the other Southern States are in a
similar condition Of neglect and un-
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES worse and
others but a little better. The great
State of Texa has 167,O34,72O total
acres with but 19,576,076 under cul-
tiyation. Alabama is quite like our
w State in the showing. Mississippi
is also quite like our State. Arkansas
is worse off, having 33,6e6,OO0 acres
n but 6,933,736 improved. The fg-
ures shock one, when they reveal the
true story that less than o~ne-quarter
of our land is used beneficially for
production.