Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-02-15
The Country Home
BY Mrs. w. I'll. FELTON,
GENERAL LEES R1RrHDAx

GENERAL LEES R1RTHDAX
The U. D. C. chapter of Carriers
vile, Ga, invited the few remaining
veterans of the county to meet them
at the lovely clubhouse, of which the
women of our town are justly proud,
on the 10th of January, to common
crate the birthday Of General Rooert
E. Lee.
The state of Georgia has made a
holiday of the 18th. SO the schools
close, the banks suspend business,
and the u. D. G. women remember
the old veterans of Dixie, and the
school children and the younger pop
ulation play games, like basketpall II,
etc. The children should be includ-
ed, by all means, in this commem-
grafton of Lees birthday. The set
ting apart of this great holiday oc-
casion was originally intended TO
benefit the younger generation.
Let us hope we will grow wiser as
we grow older, and then we will APP
preciate the necessity for educating
those who come after us In the
things that we cherish for ourselves
as a part of our personal history,
The day was a bit cloudy with d
better than it might have been II
there had been driving rain or IL
the clouds were splitting snow"
The inside of the club room was
CHEEKY, warm and exceedingly nos
Ditable. The excellent hot coHee'
with various appetizing sandWlChes,
made everybody feel good. II Is
amazing how something to eat" does
oil the springs of such gatherings
so that it puts a finish to the nos
pitality of such occasions
There were invocations, speeches
and music for the forenoon, and when
the assembly dispersed you could see
o1-;,o loaI i 1~ly
ed with success. Next year nope
somebC dy will: start up a similar
Communication for the school chill
Gren.
The United States has made also
legal holidays of George Washing
tons birthday, also OF Abramam LIN
coin. This means great deal more
than appears on the surface. All
business stops. from Maine to Cali
fornia, from the Lakes to the Gulf.
The world catches it's breath and
stops to remember the Immortal
names of these men, and it is equally
impressing for us, throughout the
confines Of Georgia, on the 10th of
January.
After the fateful Appomattox day
the people of the south discovered That
the victorious Federal troops were
used to capture Confederate Presl-
dent Davis and Confederate Vice
was taken to Fortress Monroe ana
the other to a great fort in Boston
harbor. Yet nobody molested General
r. e, Lee He signed the artlcles
of surrender in broad daylight. bade
adieu to General Grant and his staff,
mounted that famous saddle horse
named "Traveler," and rode down the
lines. where he sadly bowed good-py
tn the ragged and exhausted Con1ed-
crate troops, and went on further
down to Richmond. Va. where ms
wife and children occupied a rented
house. and nobody thought about
making a state prisoner of Robert
N The smoke of carnage had hardly
lifted from the closing battle OF the
collapsed Confederacy Wnen IN Inc
finest writer's of London. OF an ~
Of the southern ch1ettaln IN the
finest reviews Of the known world.
They said he was great man, as
we'll as a great soldier. And he, was
euIogized for many things and the
fewest of hard things were ever Ut
tered by even his bitterest toes.
He entered the Confederate strug-
gle as very rich man. He inherited
wealth from his great COLONIAL anu az
evolutionary ancestors. His own ia
Their, white Horse Harry Lee; was
one of the best known ana pes'
respected of the ReVolut1onaly Nc, We.
AS one goes down the James river ,
from Richmond to Portsmouth tne
home of his ancestors can pc seen
froI11 the steamer Robert Edward
was a worthy son of a worthy sire
Thev were gentlemen, born ana pred
and too noble to descend to coarse
language or rough conduct III a9
sociation with their neighbors. 49,,
Robert Edward Lee. died IN ms
siItVIfourth year, comparatively a
Young man, when compared with sucn
as Gladstone and other aged' pul
vigorous statesmen.
He died suddenly from what the
doctors then called rheumatism. lie
should have been in the prime OF me-
but he only survived AppomattoX
short five years. This rheumatism
is supposed to have fastened itself on
his noble frame during the exposure
of the Civil war.
He was much opposed to seces-
sion. He was an experienced army
officer. He understood, no man knew
it better, the unpreparednesS OF the
southern states in the early months
Of 1851. We were actually at war III
May, 1861, before Virginia decided to
secede. Georgia had been out OF
the union four months before. Vir-
ginia cast the deciding vote and then
General Lee resigned from the old
army and joined the Confederate
heading q regiment of Virginia
troops.
Because he did not rush in furious
ly at the start. General Lee was
somewhat in dispair with the powers
that be. He was sent to West Vir-
ginia to lead forlorn hope in the
winter of 1861-62.
had only one brother, lad of fif-