Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-05-30
THE CHURCHES AND
TO-DAY'S SERVICES

cord!ng to the report of the Secretary
Of War. numbered more than 10000.
Swinton. the historian Of the Army Of
the Potomac, has this to say: Lees
infantry was Incompatible and could
| only be beaten by annihilation. And
! when they fought they fought TO tho
| death" Hooker. in his testimony be-
! fore the Committee on the Conduct OF
/ the War said: with a rank and file
vastly inferior to our own. physically
and intellectually, that army has by
! discipline alone acquired 4 character
I for steadfastness and efficiency unsur-
/ passed in ancient or modern limos"
| Who forged that blade Of finest Da-
mascus steel and welded 1t with such
| ease and strength? 1t was Robert +.
| Lee. an unrivaled swordsman. with
J dauntlcss courage and matchless skill.
True, he was worn TO powder. being
ground beneath the millstoneS OF pow
! er. but Lee never lost n single pitched
/ battle or sustaine da disastrous rout.
I lie and his thin gray line yielded only
/ to the pitilcss forces OF attrition and
! exhaustion. At Marathon. Miltiades.
| with n small force. beat back the
! Persian hosts from the gates of Athens
At Arbcla. Alexander crushed the enem-
mate forces OF Asia. AT Cannae. Han
o
! and maintained his army for sixteen
| years in Italy against divided senate
| at Carthage. julius Caesar conquered
Gaul and Spain and routed Pompey on
the plains OF Pharsalia. Napoleon
! overran all Europe Miltiadcs. Alex
! ander. Hannibal and Caesar could easily
! overcome barbarous hordes with small
| forces Marlborough and Wellington
never fought such odds as Lee Tried
by that test. he stands peerless and
! Nt.fv, ~ "a
"A Caesar without his ambition,
| Frederick without his tyranny.
! Napoleon without his selhshness and
/ Washington without his reward
| Lord Wolseley. commander chief OF
the British army, declares that all
VIII admit that General Lee lowered
| far above all men on either eide in
Il that great struggle" believe nc
will he regarded not only as the most
prominent figure In the "ar. but as
the great American of the nineteenth
century, whose statue is well worth%
I 10 stand on an equal pedestal with that
OF WashingorA and whose memory is
equally worthy TO he enshrined IN the
hearts OF all his countrymen.
GROWN OF SUPERB CHARACTER
WAS HUMBLE CHRISTIAN FAITH
! The splendid crown OF this superb
character was the fact that ne was
humble Christian. Not mere formal
Christian. bu, a devout believer. on
one occasion the chaplains visited him
in regard TO matters connected with The
better observance Of the S3bhath in the
army After n most satisfactory IN
,oryiew as they were about to retire.
, ono OF them said: We are all praying
| tor YOU General Lee" Tears came into
the eyes OF the great man as he re-
! piled: II am poor sinner. trusting IN
Christ alone for salvation, and ] need
tho PRAYERS of al! Of Gods people His
=
especially strong. Just before tho bat
tie OF the Wilderness. when tho en-
| gagemcnt was coming on, as General
I Lee. with his staff was riding along
/ tho lines, they came upon group OF
I mon engaged in prayer AT once the
| great chicftain stopped. bowed his head
] and waited until the prayer had ended.
| He ever felt the deepest interest In the
spiritual welfare OF the soldiers. AZ
Lexington IL vas his earnest desire
that every man in the college might
| be a Shristian. HIS convictions O!
right were unalterable, and General
Grant. his magnan!mous foe, said he
knew IL was useless 10 suggest any
thing not in accord with Lees ideas OF
right. Duty was with him. not only
the sublime word. hut ever with him
the sublime deed. II was manifest in
his heroic self-sacrifice.
GAVE HIMSELF TO
PEOPLE OF SOUTH
After Appomattox. offers came TO
him from all quarters asking for the
use of his name in connection with va
rious companies. But he declined them
all. though large salaries were attached.
and repaired to Lexington. where he
might train the sons of the South. At
the outbreak Of hostilities II is said that
Frank r. Blair offered him the command
Of the Union army. But ne turned
away from that. with all that II meant
of honor and glory. though IL severed
his connection with the old army that
| he loved and the country he had so
Eallantly served and chose rather 10
suffer affliction with his own people
Never since the Son Of God turned His
hack upon the Kingdoms OF this world
and their glory and turned His face
towards Calvary, with its suffering and
agony. have any of His followers trod-
den the same path in a more heroic
spirit OF self-sacriice. When over
whelmed with disaster at Appomattox,
the same sublime spirit marked his
every act. Though he was passing
through human Gethsemane, and
though the sweat OF blood was in his
! inmost soul. he gave no sign. AS he
was n victor without reproach. so he
was victim without murmurinC. Like
Prometheus, when bound by the hand
Of power. he made no moan. In him
met the generosity of Caesar with the
chivalric self-sacrilce of Sidney and
the piety of Have!ock.
Nanquished
He was yet victor.
/ To honor virtue is to honor him.
To reverence wisdom is to do him rev.
erence
In life he was a model for all who live,
In death he left heritage for all
| One such example is worth more to
earth
J Than the stained triumphs of ten
thousand Caesars.
CLOSE OF CAREER
WORTHY OF IT'S GREATNESS
When the allied armies entered
Parfs the rude Cossacks from the
north were awe-struck as they gazed
upon the masterpieces in the Louvre
! Cnconsciously they drew themselves to
a more erect posture and a loftier
height A s they stood in the presence