The chronicle=news., 1913-05-09
GENERAL LEE ON DUTY
LETTER WRITTEN TO SON At
WEST POINT IN 1852.
Characteristic Uttseanes Of ths Fam.
ows Civil War General 10 Master.
pIses o. Parental Character.
Building Advice.

OotS0su0 NosboSs
The death Of Gen. q. W. C. Lee. cid.
est son Of Gen. X. 8. Lee. recalled
to mind . private letter Of the famous
general written to this son. under
date OF April 6. 1863. when Gusts Lee
was cadet at the United States mill
tary academy at West Point. aud
which was found 1t Arlington house
during the Civil war. says the New
characterized by conciseness. concin.
nifty and clarity. and on this account
should ind place In any anthology
~ 4 masterpiece Of correct English
aud . model Of parental character.
building advice:
Arlington House. April 8. 1859.
MY Dear Son-I am just In the act
Of leaving home for New Mexico. Ny
old regiment has been ordered to that
distant region and must hasten to
see that they are properly taken care
Of. have but little to add In reply
10 your letters OF March 26. 81 and ~.
Your letters breathe . true spirit Of
frankness. They have given myself
aud your mother great pleasure. You
must study to be frank with the world.
franknsss 10 the child Of honesty and
courage. Say what you mean to do
on every occasion. aud take II for
granted you mean to do right. II Q
friend asks . favor you should grant
Il. II II II reasonable: II not. tell him
plainly why you cannot You will
wrong him and wrong yourself BY
cQuivocation Of any kind. Never do
Q wrong thing to make . friend OF
keep one: tho man who requires you
to do 70 II dearly purchased At sac
rifics.
Deal kindly. but firmly. with your
classmates. You will mud Il the pol.
Icy which wears best. Above ALL do
not appear to others what you are not.
II you have any fault TO nnd with any
one. tell him. NOT others. OF what you
complain: there 10 no more dangerous
experiment than that Of undertaking.
10 b. one thing before . mans face
and another behind his back. We
should live. act and say nothing to
tho injury Of any one. Il II not only
best ~ = matter Of principle. but
10 the path Of peaes and honor. In
regard TO duty. Vet me. in conclusion
Of this hasty letter. iaform you that
nearly q hundred years ago there vas
Q day Of remarkable Sloom and dark.
ncss-still known ~ tho dark day. .
day when the light Of the sun wss
slowly cxtinguishcd. - u BY an
eclipse. The lsgislaiurs Of Connect.
cut vas In scssion. and ~ tho mem.
b~rs saw the unsxprcscd and unac-
couniahis darkncss eoming on they
shared In the general a~e and terror.
Il Vas supposed By many that tho
last day. the day Of judgment. had
come. Somc one. In the cousicrna.
tIou Of the hour. moved an adjourn.
mcnt. Then there arose an old puri.
tan legislator. Davenport. Of STAN.
ford. and said that II the last day had
come he desired TO bs found At his
place doing his duty. and therefore
moved that candles bc brought In 20
that the house could proceed with is
duty.
There vas qui.snc.s In that mans
soul. the aaietncss Of hcavcnly Wis
dom and inhcxiblc willingness to obey
present duty.
DUTY. then. il the subaimest word
iu our language. Do your duty In all
things like the old puritan. You can
not do more. You should never wish
10 do less. Never let me aad your
mother wear one gray hair for any
lack Of duty on your part Your af.
fectionatc father. r. =. LEE
20. ". Custis Lee"
How simple. true and honest n. 8.
Leo appears 10 this letter: what =
noblc and considerations character
siauds revealed In the tenderness Of
his devoted patcsusi solicitudc and
the grandeur Of his leeDs 0aximo.
A. to the Unsigned Review.