The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-01-07

the field of battle he was as energetic
 in attack as he was constant in defense,
 and his personal influence over the men whom he led was extraordinary. No stu
 dent of the American Civil War can fan
 to notice how the influence of Lee dom-
 hated the course of the struggle and his
 surpassng ability was never more con-
 spicuously shown than in the last hope
 less stages of the contest" Highest of all
 ranks the opinion of Field Marshal Wis count Wolseley: 'IIe the ablest gen. eral and to me seemed the greatest man
 ever oonversed with. and yet I have had
 the privilege of meeting von Moltke and Prince Bismarck"
 When he carried the war into Africa, how did he conduct himself? He was
 as humane as possible. In his general order number 72 he said: 'The command ing general considers that no greater dis
 grace would befall the army and througis
 It our whole people, than the perpetraton of the barbarous outrages upon the in-
 noceent and defenseess. and the wanton destruction of private property, that have
 marked the course of the enemy in our
 own country Such proceedings not only disgrace the perpetrators and all con nected with them, but are subversive of
 the discipline and efficiency of the army In the same connection may be quoted the words of Colonel Freemantle, d Brit ish officer, who accompanied Lees army to Pennsylvania: 'I saw no. struggling 1 into the houses; nor were any of the inhabitants disturbed or annoyed by the soldiers. went into Chambersburg and witnessed the singular good behavior of the troops toward the citizens. To one who has seen the ravages of the northern troops in southern towns this forbearance
 seems most commendable and surpris- ing"
 This man could give orders that wound
 ed foes found on the battle field should
 be treated as well as his own men: he
 could overlook errors of judgment in his lieutenants and say magnanimously. It IS all my fault when himself exposed to the direct fire of the enemy, he could stoop and pick up young bird and place il on limb; but he was as inexorable as fate when 1t was a matter of punish ing a breach of discipline
 Lee was at his greatest in defeat. He had not-been concerned with results It had been his aim to do his duty, leaving the rest with God. To his noble piety he owed his wonderful poise. He accepted iwithout bitterness the outcome of the war. Applying for restoration to all the
 rights of citizenship, he resolved to settle down and do what he could to repair the ! ravages of the war. Applying for restora- ton to all the rights of citizenship he re- solved 10 settle down and do what he could to repair the ravages of war. The advice and example of man of his ni- fluence was of incalcuable value for the rc-establishment of the union.
 on the title page of this book are two verses in the Greek language. They will
 be recognized as the couplet which, ae- i cording to Herodotus, formed the epitaph o1 Inc 300 Spartans who fell at Thermo- piae: On stranger, go tell the Lacedae- monian that we lie here in obedience to their commands"
 How well these words applied to the nopIe army of northern Virginia. which was worn away to a shadow by the n,er- ciless persistence of Grant, General Lee
 was obedient to law always There is no lesson that we Americans, particularly
 we of the south. need more to learn.
 With human life round about us 'heic
 cheaper than horse flesh, with so many
 'shyster' lawyers. with stupid or cor
 fupt jurors. with inefficient officers. with
 recent swindling on gigantic scale thai
 has as yet gone unwhipped of justice
 southern manhood needs to blush. How much longer shall we tolerate such a stsfo
 of things?
 It is refreshing to turn to this ideal character What does this absolutely commercial age think of a man who declined the presidency of an insiIr- dlitS tpitpth9 et d salary or S1U,UOU a year in order to become the head of q small college, where he received only S1500? His reason was that he wished
 to train young men to do their duty in life.
 Tine greatest thing about Robert E.
 Lee was his character, and the greatest asset Of the south--of the nation-is it's men of character. The author of the book under discussion comes of a dis
 tinguishcd Nirginiaui family and is son of d Confederate veteran. He is one of the south's most gifted writers, and was a student at Washington col -lege when Lee was its president. He certainly should know whereof he speaks. He is also an American in the fullest sense of the word. As an author he feels that he owes something to himself and to his countrymen which he should endeavor to pay. though 1t may be but mite cast into the treas ury of abundance."
 Lees, eharacters says Page in his