The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1913-06-14
GENERAL LEE ON DUTY
LETTER WRITTEN 70 SON AR
WEST POINT IN 1852.
Characteristic uttsrance Of the Fam
Gus Civil War General ID Mastsr
piece Of Parental Character
Building Advice.

The death OF Gen. G. w. {. Lee, eld-
ert son Of Gen. r. e. Lee, recalled
to mind private letter Of the famous
general written to THE son, under
date Of April 5. 1852. when Custis Lee
was cadet at the United States milf
tayy academy at West Point, and
which was found at Arlington house
during the Civil war, says the New
1 York Sun. The letter throughout is
characterized by conciseness concin.
nifty and clarity, and on this account
should find place in any anthology
as masterpiece OF correct English
and model OF parental character
building advice;
Arlington House, April 5, 1869.
My Dear son--I am just in the act
OF leaving home for New Mexico. My
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
to your letters of March 26, 27 and 2S.
Your letters breathe a true spirit Of
frankness. They have given myself
and your mother great pleasure. You
must study to be frank. with the world,
frankness is the child OF honesty and
courage. Say what you mean to do
on every occasion, and take it for
granted you mean to do right, II a
friend asks favor you should grant
1t, If It is reasonable; II not, tell him
plainly why you canSot You will
wrong him and wrong yourself by
equivocation Of any kind Never do
a wrong thing to make a friend or
keep one; the man who requires you
to do so Is dearly purchased at sac
rifce
Deal kindly, but firmly, with your
classmates, You win find II the pol
Icy which wears best. Above all do
not appear to others what you are not
If you have any fault to find with any
one, tell him, not others, Of what you
complain: there is no more dangerous
experiment than that Of undertaking
to be one thing before a mans face
and another behind his back We
should live, act and say nothing to
the injury Of any one. It is not only
best as matter Of principle, but il
is the path Of peace and honor In
regard to duty, let me, in conclusion
OF this hasty letter, inform you that
nearly a hundred years ago there was
dav Of remarkable gloom and dark
ness-stlll known as the dark day, a
day when the light OF the sun was
slowly extlnguished, as II by an
eclipse The legislature OF Copnecti-
cut was in session, and as the mem
bers saw the unexpected and unac-
.countable darkness coming on they
shared in the general awe and terror
1t was supposed by many that the
last day, the day Of judgment, had
come. Some one, in the consterna-
ton Of the hour, moved an adjourn
ment Then there arose an old puri- /
tan legislator, Davenport. Of STAN
ford. ard said that II the last day had
conc ne desired to be found at his
place icing his duty, and therefore
moved that candles be brought In 80
that the house could proceed with its
duty.
There was quietness in that mans |
soul the quietness Of heavenly wis I
dom and inhsxible willingness to obey
present duty.
DUTY. then. is the sublimest word
in our language. Do your duty in all
things like the old puritan. You can
not do more. You should never wish
to do less. Never let me and your
mother wear one gray hair for any
lack Of duty on your part Your af-
fectionate father R. z. LEE.
C. W. Gusts Lee"
How simple. true and honest R. p.
Lee appears in this letter; what
noble and conscientious character
stands revealed in the tenderness Of
his devoted paternal solicitude and
the grandeur Of his terse maxims.