The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-08-16
SUNDAY. AUGUST 16. 1914.
GENERAL LEE AND TEMPERANCE,


ysttins somewhat ttresoHae with their painful
uear-hnmor Not long ago the Roanoke Times
~uncovered Joke over which 1t and the Peters
purg In4oa-A ppeaf FASTENED into uproarous laugh
ter only 70 have their sdesplitting mirth
changed 10 dry grins when the actual facts came
out, ard The supposed victims Of the joke them
selves pulled the horse laugh.
or4ly the other day the Roanoke Times pro
seeded TO SHOW in ali soemrtty how certain
statement Of q Western contemporary concern
ing the Town Of Martfnsburg, ". Va. could not
possibly apply to Mardnsviile, Va, and did the
Dussyfoot Burns stunt to Martinsyille, collect
sug evidence to disprove the Martinsbnrg state
naent
New comes the Norfolk vtrgsntan-Pilot In great
glee over what 1t conceves is slip of The Var
psnian concerning letter by General Robert T.
Lee &c gr-up OF Washington college students.
1t chuckles follows:
Once upon "a time General Lee wrote a letter
strongly endorsing movement among the
students Of Washington and Lee university lor
prumotlon ri voluntary abstinence Iroin M
tr1Icatinw drinks There liz not word TN the
letter which anything short Of perversity tfseir
can twist into advocacy OF legislative ouua~ry
cs manufacture and gale or ardent etlfl1a
Yet The Richmond yirginian follows the Nir-
GINA Issue ia parading the letter an indica-
ton hev It's veneratea author would have $1,000
on the question Of Statewide prohibition mao
hss life been spared to that issue raised.
General Lee temperate in all things in
opinion ar3 expression well as in habit
Bsaotrv Of any was foreign TO his charac-
Ter lie was personally averse 10 the institu-
ton Of slavery. but drew his sword to battle
against Its forctble abolition There Is nothing
whatever In the testimony OF his life or utter
ances TO warrant the Inference. which Is sought
70 drawn from the letter referred to. To
en3oan total abstinence upon the youths under
his guardianship. OF TO practice 1t as an example
10 them, N quite another thing from putting Its
Ender the ban Of a law OF universal appli"
cation. We should not ourselves. for instance,
hesitate 10 counsel every young man within the
srhere OF our influence General Lee did, and
set ere firmly convinced that nothing bat
failure will result from the effort to suppress
intern peranca by statutes by aeeking TO coerce
communities or individuals into abstinence. To
bear witness to the virtue and security Of ar
ntnence is 10 ADMIT that prohibition Is the
wsaoss method az preventing drunkenness There
other evils In the world besides The appetite
fer stirnGlants Sin will be eliminated by
human ordinances prescribing the instrument
talittes through which II Is committed 10 live
amid temptations and rise superior to them In
the way OF salvation pointed out 10 mar ana not
otherwise will ire work ont his sa Walton.
But what did The vtrginian actually say on
this subject? What did 1t make Of he letter.
TAe Tsrctatan was replying 20 the statement OF
Or. stnart Mcguire that Wine. beer and
ws3issey are not In themselves bad. Their
moderate and tudicious often beneficial"
In reply to this remarkable statement The Vir
rsnias quoted the letter Of General Lee, In which
among other things. the general said: II cannot
teo earnestly exhort you 70 practice habtua tenn
persnce, that you may form the habit In youth.
and rot feel the inclination, on temptation, to
depart from il In manhood"
The va,efntan further quoted the statement
ct General stonewall Jackson in refusing drink
IT whisky to tbs effect that 81 more afraid
OF King Alcohol than all the bullets Of the
enemy" II fur her quoted DR. Hunter McGures
statement that Il Of the opinion that If all
Intoxicating liquors were poured into the it
would be better for mankind"
All these statements u eminent authorities
were given by Thc Yugjaian In answer TO the
statement 81 DR.. Stuart M2Guiro as 10 the
beneficial effects Of alcoholic drinks To them ii
now adds the statement Of the Norfolk VIZ.
gsnaan-ptlot that I'VE should not ourselves for
instaseo hesitate 70 counsel every young man
within the sphere Of our influence as General Lee
did"
The pilofs point is that me rsrg'ntan had
no right To quote this letter OF General Lee in !
advocacy Of TIE principle Of Statewide prohi.
bstion, aud Tbs Ffroiafan did NO 20 quote 1t. II
did. however quote another state nent Of General
Lees only The day previous TO It's quotation Of
bis letter. and the first quotation as follows:
4 wish that these military gentlemen. while
they are doing many things which they bavn
no right 70 do would close up all these groe-
shops which are Turing cur young TO de-
strnction"
The Pilot says: ITO en3oin total abstinence
apon tie youths under his guarandfanship, or
n practice II a. exampe 10 them ssquite an
other thing from pattiag ita under The ban
" law ~ aniyersal application" Evidently
"a 1ll m - snc'ined last