The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1929-07-05

North has joined South in paying him
honor. His memory is preserved in
many ways--in the college at Lexing-
ton. Va, which bears his name and of
which he became president in the
later years of his life; in the marble
figure which stands in Statuary hail
in the National Capitol at Washing
ton: and in the preservation OF his
home Arlington" as national
memorial and last resting place for
our soldier dead.
Recently a new memorial has been
added TO the list and it is singulariy
appropriate that this should be dOnH
in the centennial year of his entrance
into the service of his country. For
on January g, the anniversary OF MS
birth, this year the announcement
was made that William Alexander
chapter of the United Daughters OF
the Confederacy in Connecticut had
purchased Stratford hall and the
plantation of 1,222 acres. where Lee
was born, spent his bOyhood years.
to be preserved as national memo
rial and administered by the Robert
E.. Lee foundation, whose advisory
board includes prominent men in the
North as well as the South. That
the movement TO preserve StratIOrd
hall as a Lee national memorial orig
mated in a New England state and
that it has the backing of North as
well as the South is significant of the
fact that the partisanship of 60 years
ago no longer denies him the right TO
be regarded as a great American, nor
denies the enshrining Of his memory
in the hearts of all his countrymen.
The romantic interest attached TO
the establishment of this latest me-
mortal to Lee was told in the follow
ing news item which appeared at the
time of the Stratford hall purchase
last January:
Purchase of the Lee estate marks
the first step in the plan sponsored
by the William Alexander Chapter of
the Daughters of the Confed eracy to
make the place not merely shrine,
but a living national educational MEM
orial and a center of historical re-
search" according to Miss Ethel Armes,
of the William Alexander chapter.
Announcement of the sale, on the
anniversary of General Lees birth, and
the 200th anniversary of the building
of historic Stratford hali, marks the
fuIfIIment of a determination born of
u dramatic story starting in Green
witch, Conn, nearly year ago. Mrs
Charles D. Lanier of Greenwich, head
of the William Alexander chapter.
while going through an old broken
desk of her mother-in-law, Mrs. Sid
ney Lanier, widow of the poet, came
upon a penciled manuscript by Lanier.
unpublished and until then not known
to exist, which turned out to be
speech he made before citizens of Ma
con. Ga, in 1870 upon the death OF
General Lee in which he urged the es-
adjustment of a memorial to honor
Lee, to which every person who loved
the southern leader could contribute.
The following day Mrs. Lanier re-
ceived a letter from a friend visiting
in Virginia, describing a trip to STRAIT
ford hall and asking why it could not
be preserved
The same day Mrs. Lanier called a
meeting of her chapter which resulted
in the passage of resolutions looking
to the purchase of the tract The deed
of purchase was signed at Stratford
hall by the owners, Mr.. and Mrs.
Charles E Stuart. after seven months
negotiations.
Miss Armes set forth the purposes
of the Robert E. Lee memorial
foundation, now being formed 10
operate similarly to the Mount Ver-
non association, as being fourfold: To
purchase restore and furnish the home:
to restore the famous old library, make
of it a center of research and to es-
tablish scholarships; to restore the
colonial gardens, the Stratford wharf
on the Potomac and reproduce some
of the boats which two centuries ago
were tied there; and to perpetuate the
ideals and character of the Lees, chief
ly by historical studies.
Stratford was the gift Of Queen
Caroline, wife of King George II, TO
members of the Lee family. 1t was
the home of Richard Henry and Fran
els Lightfoot Lee, signers of the Dec
laration of Independence; of Light
Horse Harry" Lee and other genera
tions of the family. Prior TO the Revo-
lutionary war il was a gathering place
for Virginia leaders and the origia
of much of the sentiment for indie
pendence.