The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-09-04

An angels heart. an angels mouth.
Not Homer's. could alone for me
Hymn well the great Confederate
South
Virginia first, and Lee.
The browning virtue In General
Lees character was wonderful gentIe-
ness. His letters to his friends and
family show this, as we'll as many of
his general orders and his reports of
engagements. Tho students looking
for an example;s the young man or
woman seeking to Improve their char
acters. and bearing in mind that gen
tic minds by gentle deeds are known,
and man by nothlngais SO well boz
trayed 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 character when he sung.
His life was gentle, and the elements
So mixed in him that nature
Might stand UP and say to all the
world
This was man"
man whose strength was the
might OF gentleness and self-cor11mand.
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:
The hravest are the tenderest,
The loving are the daring"
The poet laureate voices the senti-
nents that fill our hearts as we re-
view this strong, brave. tender loving
character:
My good sword carves the casque
| of men,
My short lance thrusteth sure,
My strength is as the strength OF ton
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 responsible
| for the action of the Southern States
than any other public man. His perse-
cutors were unable to bring him to
trial. The text book on the constitu-
ton 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 so
free of crime, the Commonwealth OF
Mississippi gave Jefferson Davis, SOL
der, statesman and vicarious suffer-
err for people who will cherish his
memory so long as valor has votary
or virtue a shrine
| Our Heroes WHO Fell In the Struggle.
| We pause to pay tribute to the
mighty host of brave officers, soldiers,
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 furl-
| ed. A large number of these did not
return from the fated field of Gettys-
burg. as did some here Will, the burn
| ing thought that some one had blund-
cred" The tragic scenes at Appomat-
tox could leave no regretful and sor-
rowful memories in their hearts and
lives.
GAS the mist of the past is rolled away.
Our HEROES who died In their tattered
gray
Grow taller and greater in all their
parts,
TIL they fill our minds as they hll our
hearts,
AnC Tor those VINO lament, tNern mere
is this relief.
That glory sits by the side OF grief
And they grow taller as this years pass
by
And the world learns how thGy could
do and die" o
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 children of their
undying fame and imperishable valor,
but we do not emphasize on every, oc-
casion as we should. the self-sacrifice
and noble devotion to duty Of the prl-
yate soldier. and sailor, who made pos
sible the fame and glory az their Of
ncers.
The Confederate private soldier was
far above the average Of the armies
| OF the world. No country ever had
a larger percentage Of thinking and
Intelligent men In the ranks; men
more thoroughly imhued with moral
principle.
TO their everlasting honor stands
the fact that in their march through
| the enemy's country they left behind
Thorn no wasted fields no families
i
An English writer contemporaneous-
~ says:
IN no case have the Pennsylvania
Ncause to complain Of personal injury
kor even discourtesy, at the hands OF
| those whose homes they had burned
those families they had insulted, robbed
and tormented. Even the tardy de-
struction OF Chambersburg was an
act of regular. limited and righteous
reprisal."
II must say that they acted like
gentlemen and, their cause aside,
] would rather have 100000 rebels quar-.
4 tered on my premises than 1000 Union
4 troops.' was said by a Pennsylvania
farmer during that Invasion.
None who participated in that strug-
i gle could ,haye failed TO observe the
i unseliish devotion of the private SOL
4 der. The generals and line officers
4 charged with responsibility and nerYet
d with ambition, had stimulus ane
4 hope of reward that did not otter
|Jstir the private soldier, n &
His breast was Aired and his arm
|nerved by devotion to duty. He was
lin many cases better born and more
Iintelligent'than his officers, yet he wa.