The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1912-06-23
TnEBO0K SHELF
By THE BIBIIopHrLE

sweet, spontaneous courtesy about him,
n ready tact, a kindly interestiand SYM
pathy. which won the affection of every
one. Gould anybody know him?' asks
Mrs Chestnut Perhaps not But peo-
pie could and did love MIN.
In short, the bent of Lees character
was absolutely moral and practical
THE more widely one reads'in the lit
erature of the war, the more one appre-
clates the greatness of Lees indiffer-
ence to glory, his absolute freedom
from jealousy and classification
That humility is the key to this as
to many other problems in Lees charac-
ter is indisputable, a genuine humility
think it is this entire and unconscious
humility OF Lees that saves him more
than anything else from the wild dongs
of some of his biographers.
- All that | have written Of Lee has
indeed been written in vain. If 1T Is nee
essary to point out that his religion
was practical not only in form and OBJ
servance but in the deeper touching and
moulding of the heart
THE belief that the real pleasures of
life areincreased by sharing them, cer-.
tainly finds application more complete
ly in religion than in anything else. No
missionary ever had more ardent zeal
than Lee for bringing the knowledge
of God to all about him One almost
feels as if he cared more for winning
souls than battles and for supplying
his army with bibles than with bullets
and powder.
so l think we may conclude that the
cardinal fact of Lees life was God.
Schleiermacher said that Spinoza was
God-intoXicated. 1t would be indecor-
GUS to speak of Lee as intoxicated with
anything. BUT everywhere and always
he had God in his heart, not so much
the God of power or the God OF justice,
or even the God. of beauty, but the God
of love. tempering the austerity of vir-
tue, sweetening the bitterness of fail
ure, above all, breathing loving kind
ness into the intolerable hell of war
There have been fierce saints who were
fighters. There have been gentle saints
who were martyrs 1t is rare to find
soldier making war-stern WARMTH
the pity, the tenderness, the sympathy
of true follower of Christ.
AS we have seen this greatness in
war came from his wide knowledge of
all rules and his perfect willingness to
fling them aside at the right moment. so
we find that in peace he thought moth
ing of tradition or system when II tram
meled the progress of the soul.
And again, as with the officers and
soldiers, back of Lees discipline there
was love. He was not thinking of his
of the college. He was thinking first of
the boy and of what could be done to
save him. And the boy knew 1t. 1t is
sai Id that often in the faculty meetings,
when case seemed hopeless and expul-
sion the only remedy, Lee would plead,
Don't you think it would be better to
bear with him little longer? Perhaps
we may do him some good
What counted with all these young
bfG ipf1nanPa ba
knew 1t. In point of fact, he was ere
ating, or re-creating, great nation
STILL His patience, his courage, his at
titude toward the past, his attitude to-
wards the future his perfect forgive
ness, his large magnanimity, above all,
his hope, were reelected in the eager
hearts about him and from them spread
wide over the beaten and bruised south.
which stood sorely in need of all these
things. | have referred in an earlier
chapter to the immense Importance of his
general influence in bringing about recon-
ciliation and peace. 1t is almost impos-
sible to overestimate this.
yet in spite of all this. it must be ad-
mitted that Lees life will always be re-
garded as a record of failure. And 1t is
precisely because he failed that | have
been interested to make this study of
him. Success is the idol of the world and
the worlds idols have been successful
Washington, Lincoln, Grant were doubt
less great But they were successful.
Who shall say just how far the element
of success enters into their greatness.
Here was a man who remains great al
though he failed. America In the twen-
tieth century worships success, is too
ready to test character by it. to be blind
to those faults success hides, to those
qualities that can do without it, Here
was a man who failed grandly a man
who said that human virtue should be
equal to human calamity and showed
that 1t could be equal TO 1T, and so, with
out pretence, without display, without
self-consciouspess, left an example that
future Americans may study with profit
as long as there is an America"
Very fittingly the book is dedicated TO
THE YOUNG MEN BOTH OF THE
NORTH AND OF THE SOUTH, WHO
CAN MAKE OR UNMAKE THE FU-
TURE OF THE AMERICA OF WASH
INGTON, OF LINCOLN, AND OF LEE.
THE ROMANTIC STORY OF THE
MAYFLOWER PILGRIMS
AND ITS PLACE IN THE LIFE OF
TODAY."-By Albert c. Addison. H.
Illustrated With Very Many Illustrations.
Photographs and Rare Prints. Many