The Washington herald., 1914-09-09
HISTORY BUILDERS.
How the Daughters Of Grant and Lee
Became Friends.
written Expressly for Ths HsraldJ
Nv nm, e. J. EDWARDS.

BY DR. Z. }. EDWARDS.
Col Richard Lathers, who died in 1902
at the age OF eighty-six, gained, in the
course Of his long and active career. a
very wide circle Of friends, both in the
United States and in Great Britain. He
owed these friendly relations to his own
personal charm. He was conspicuous in
the commercial and mercantile life Of the
South for some years before the outbreak
of the civil war. He was a native Of
wealth, and maintained a home in
Charleston. where he entertained with a
sort OF lavish hospitality, which. never
theIess, was not ostentatious- At his
home at one time or another. all OF the
leading men Of the South were wont 10
assemble before the civil war. He es-
tabIished on the shores of Long Island
Sound a beautiful country home, includ-
ing an extensive park. which he named
Winyah Park. selecting that name be-
cause IL was the name OF a county OF
South Carolina with which in his younger
days he was intimately associated.
Three or four years before Col. Lathers'
death he said to me:
"I deem Il very fortunate, and some
thing that l have reason to be profound
ly grateful for, that l have lived Ions
enough to witness all OF the great mate
rial advances which have been made by
the United States. can recall well when
the first of American railways was built
in South Carolina. l had good oppor-
tunity TO learn from John G. Calhoun
himself what We're his views respecting
the means by which the material pros
oF ha Init rnVf1A he a q
sured. Calhoun earnestly counseled the
building of a coast-line canal stretching
from Massachusetts Bay. paralleling the
coast TO the Gulf Of Mexico. and utilizing
some OF the navigahle waters, like Ions
Island Sound. Chesapeake Bay. and the
sounds Of North Carolina.
Now | have lived long enough to par
ticipate in conferences which will be fol
lowed, l am sure, by the construction oi
just such a canal as Calhoun advocated
eighty years ago / witnessed one OF the
first commercial utilizations Of the tele'
graph. I had some part in the Construc'
ton OF the Panama Railroad. have
seen the telephone developed from a toy
TO one of the most important of CONNER
cIal agencies / have had some associa'
ton with the expansion Of our railway
system and took part in negotiations by
which the financial needs Of the Erie
Railroad were met just after the civil
war.
But, after all, / retain the livelies;
sense of gratitude as l reflect that wal
able. through private hospitality. tC
bring into friendly, relations many Oi
those who fought during the civil war
have entertained at my homes II
Charleston and in New York all the lead
ing generals of the South and almost al
of the leading generals of the North.
There was one incident which occurred
in my home which. / think, symbOlizeC
the complete restoration Of good feeling
between those OF the North and tht
South. The incident occurred when. un
der my roof the daughter of Gen. lie,
and the daughter OF Gen. Grant met onlN
a few years after the close of the cIvi
war Within a few minutes after thei
meeting these two young women. botl
of whom were Of charming personality
were seated side by side chatting as IA
miliarly as II they had been schoolmate
when they were girls. When l and SOM
| Of my friends saw this cordial relation
| established. we said to one another: Thi
| symbolizes the ultimate restoration o
good feeling between the two section
which were so recently at war
| Copyright, 1914. BY Ir. L J. EdWards All night
| TeserTedJ
Tomorrow DR.. Edwards will tell Of 81
! Panic that Halted Improvement in Navi
/ CATION