The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-12-17

preamble. and for tho establishment OF
u government, not n compact, which
ean nc dissolved ONLY by revolution or
tho consent of oil the people In con-
| rGnt'on assembled. 1t Is idle to talk
of secession" Such is the view of Lee.
In IL letter to his son, on January 49,
J 1861.
| At the moment, moreover, when he
was balancing his duty to the Union
and his duty to. his homo, State, and
kindred. there camo to Lee tho offer
of the command OF the Federal armies.
| Thus the encounter was Joined. The
tempests swept his mighty soul. He
stood upon tho mount. before Jeho-
yah, like Elijah of old He witnessed
the strong wind rending tho noun
tains and rocks; but tho Lord was not
| in tho wind: and after tho wind and
! earthquake; but tho Lord was not in
| the fire: and after the fro still small
voice My husband has wep. tears
| of blood" were the words of hfrs Lee
to his old commander. Scott.
| In 1855 Lee. In retrospect, said: my
conduct during the last 'tivo years mas
been governed By my sense of duty.
l had no other guide AZ late as
June, 1869. he said to General Wade
Hampton: Il could have taken no
other course, save in dishonor, and II
! If 1t were all TO be gone over again, |
|
lio felt that even his own son had TO
| fight his way singlo-handed TO a de-
| ciSion Nearly month after he had
reached his lnomentous decision, he
! wrote his wife: 81 ell GUSTS he must
consult his own judgment. reason, and
| conscience as to the course he may
! take. l do not wish him to be guild
ed by my wish or example If have
| dong wrong. let him do better. The
present is a momentous question, which
! ercry man must settle for himself, and
| upon principle"
Something Deeper Thnn Duty.
How shall we interpret tho spirit OF
! his decision? Tho word by which he
| characterized 1t was duty. But does
! duty fathom the depths of his soul In
that supreme act of his will? 1 think
| not.
| To him duty was the sublimest word
In the English language, but the ulti-
mate principle upon which his will
turned disclosos j diviner motive than
even duty
1t Is tho Same motive in kind that
animated the breast OF Him who said:
He that lo,eth his life loseth It"
Seh-sacrifce Is deeper than duty,
divincr than duty. It was this Christ
| iy principle reappearinE In the con-
| crete experience of Lee that has for.
ever made the core of his character a
perennial study for mankind
| IL Is a mistake to think that men
arc tempted at their weakest point
] They are often tempted at their strong
| est point. II was so with Lee The
assault was directed against his sense
OF duty. his strongest point. All OF his
| Soldicrly Instincts as we'll as his life
up TO the age OF Rfty-four. tended to
mako him loyal to the Union In his
case the sacrifice OF self would have
bncn easy. The tug of-war was the
sacrifice OF his higher self OF loyalty
through love. The deep tragedy of his
decision involved tho sacrifice OF his
loyalty through sympathy with his
brethren in the South marked out for
suffering.
1t is hard to portray the poignancy
of Lees experience in reaching this
resolve. An incident In the annals Of
Neupolitan despotism may help us a
little. In ono OF tho political upris-
ings in Southern Italy in 1925, wo-
man went to Naples to beg for the
pardon Of her two grandsons. by name.
DieEo and Emilio. King Francis T..
| with flendish clcmency. told her to
choose one of the two to he saved In
vain She implored that some other
,. make the choice. but no; unless she
chose. both Would bn shot. AT last she
chose Diego. Afterwards she went
mad. and was constantly heard wailins:
Il have killed my grandson Emilio"
Msrye's Heights.
There is one incident In the life of
General Lee which l have from the
lips of the lady to whom he smoke.
You will recall that about midway on
The Heights of Falmouth, on which
Burnside had his lcsions in the battle
OF Fredericksburg. stands an old Eir-
Sinia homo, known as Chatham. Along
the opposite ridge were ranged the
confederatss, General Lee having his
headquarters on Maryo's Heights. AZ
ter tho war. Lee visited Fredericks-
burg. and was given a public reception.
At ono point that evening no found
himself near n bevy of young ladies',
and not knowing their names. he cas-
ually asked one OF them: Where do
YOU live?" She replied: ~ live at
Chatham" what" no said "at
Chatham? IL the old oak SUI
standing in the corner OF the yard ?"
Yes" she said. II have played under
1T from childhood" We'll" said Cen
| eral Lee, st was under that oak that
courted my wife. and during the
herccst part of the battle Of Fred
ericksburg. as stood on Maryc':
Heights, it occurred to ME that l
| might, with my field glass. get a
glimpse of that old oak. raised the
SioHS' ""iiSu LOT moment TIL the
smoke cleared, and l caught sight OF
It. Then turning away. and hi;
: voice breaking with tears, he added
The sight strengthened me for the
days work" Tho world looked az
him and said that he was warrior
In the bottom Of his heart he was a
lover, lover of tho woman. to whom
he had pliShted his faith at that spot
= lover of his whole country, lover
Z. OF truth and heroic sacrifice.
ApPomattox.
: Tho same trait In Lees character
comes ont in his words. which nc kent
on saving TO the mangled and exhaust,
8 cd men OF Plckett's charge. as they
reeled back from the heights which
4 their heroism had captured for the
moment: It's III my fault Good n,er