The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1912-06-23

IhIs FL w Ell II OtA LIE DUN
BY DIR. CHLYES CLIFTON FER
RELL.
What 1 have aimed at in this book
is the portrayal of a soul" says the
author. The mariner who not only is
aware that there are shoals, but knows
eXactly where they are to be found. is
most likely to steer clear of them. Mr.
Bradford realizes and sets forth In the
APPENDIX the almost insuperable diff
fculties that beset the PHOTOGRAPHER.
He considers Sainte- Beuve the master
naturalist of souls" LEE, THE AMER
ICAN is intensely interesting. which Is
In the reviewers opinion more than can
be said Of any of the distinguished
Frenchman's writings.
Bradford considers few sources Of
Information about Lee so sotil-revealing
as the great captains reputed words
at Is we'll that war is so terrible, or
else we might grow too fond of itsrsand
the sentence written by him. She (his
daughterD IS like fher papa-always
wanting something
1.-THE main advantage of / studying
great men," says the author of this
book, comes not because they are great
but because they are not great. Carlyle
wished to exalt a few heroes and let the
rest of humanity bow down to them
The opposite seems to me the true
course, to insist that all men may be
heroes If they will. What strikes me
most in men who have achieved greatly
Is not their difference from others but
their resemblance to them They are in
all points tempted as we are. laugh as
we, weep as we, suffer as we, fail as
We and for the most part are aston
ished at triumphing as much as we should
be. And do not urge that this Is the old
theory of mo man a hero to his valet,
and that in. applying 1t generally I am
only displaying most valet-like spir-
It, I hope not. For 1t Is not my aim to
debase them, but to sexalt us. When 1t
is shown that great personages. who
left name behind them, had only quail
tiles like ours. often defects like ours,
and that they made their greatness per-
haps by happy balance of qualities or
by an extreme development of some
particular quality perhaps even little
by the kindness of fortune, II seems to
me that we should be led to emphasize
rather what we may be than what they
were not. If Lee had something of my
weakness, may l not have better hope
of attaining something of Lees noble-
ness?"
1.-THE art of photography" Mr.. Brad
ford goes on, Ito have its richest use
fulness, should be based on love. 1t is
an advantage to have subject like Lee
lHdl one cdIuOl ltlp lONlnBs say Call
not help. The language of some of his
adorers tends to breed a feeling contra
ry to love. Persist and make your way
through this and you Will find a human
being as loyable as any that ever lived.
AT least j have. | have loved him, and
| may say that his influence upon my
own life, though came to him late, has
been as deep and inspiring as any I have
ever known. If / convey but little of
10 IN tn oil or xxrk,a xxrfn .
as | have, l shall be more than salts
fed"
A few brief passages will give fur
Their idea of the interest of the book.
The reviewer has marked SO many that
there is an embarrassment of riches.
from the study of photographs | get
a more charming Impression of his later
years than of his earlier. The face and
figure of the cap tain are eminently no
BILE, high-bred, dignifed; but with the
dignity there is just a suggestion of
haughtiness. of remoteness Or do !
only see in the picture what I imag CINE
of the man? But in the bearded photo
graphs of later years all trace of such
remoteness has vanished. The dignity is
more marked than ever. but all sweet.
The ample, lordly carriage the broad
brow the deep, significant. intelligent
eyes convey nothing but the largest
tenderness, the profoundest human
sympathy, the most perfect love. And
again perhaps l only see what | mag
Inc"
Throughout his whole student life
he performed no act which his pious.
mother could not have fully approved
says Long. I do not believe this is true.
1 hope II is not true. If 1t Is true, it
ought to be concealed not boosted Of.
This is the sort of thing that made
Washington odious to the young and
remote from nature for generations. In
all essential characteristics Lee resem-
bled Washington says Mr. Rhodes.
with much Justice. But we know that,
In spite of ill-judged idolatry. Wash
ington was not prig. Neither was Lee,
but man, of warm flesh and blood.
like the rest of us. No one could have
had his large and tender sympathy for
human weakness who had not known
human weakness himself Above all,
from the common soldier to the presi-.
dent OF the Confectionery comes general
testimony that Lee had charm. Now, no
prig ever had charm. Therefore / re-
fuse to believe that he said---at any rate
in these words--to Magruder In Mex
leo. I am but doing my duty. and with
me, in small matters as we'll as large
ones duty must come before pleasure
In any case II cannot be disputed
that Lee and those who took the same
course he did were Influenced by an i'm
perious conception of duty as much as
Scott. Thomas, and the many others
whose action was most honorably diff
ferent 1t is true that the north then
felt. and probably for the most part
feels now, that the south was not OPP
pressed. The south felt that 1t was OPP
pressed and did exactly what the north
would have done under the same cir
cumstances.
abandon all these local animosities
and make your sons Americans.
What finer sentence could be in
scribed on the pedestal of Lees statue
than that? Americans, All the local ami
mosities forgiven and forgotten. can we
not say that too, though dying only
five years after the terrible struggle,
died a loyal, confident. a hopeful
American, and one of the very great
est?" q
THAT Lee was beloved by his army
IT is hardly necessary to say. immense
ly beloved, beloved as few generals
have ever been. An army may trust
their general without loving him. This
army loved him. l think the general
explanation of the soldiers love, for Lee
Is simple, elementary, in fact, and is
contained in the nursery rhyme record
ing the adventures of Mary and her lit
tie lamb M SIT
Comparing Lee and jackson, Il think
that Lee had the advantage in breadth.
nousness. He could draw all men unto
him. What a splendid mastery it must
have been that kept, on the one hand.
the perfect friendship and confidence
of the high-strung. sensitive and jeal-
Gus Davis and on the other the unques-