It's been busy, as in driving to Waco to visit the faithful in hospital, visiting Dallas on exeat and returning to the sylvan groves and leafy boulevards of this small Texan farming community in North Central Texas, some call it the Exclusion Zone. Others call it a "dirt town." No, that'd be Malone or Itasca. Whatever, this morning's evolution went like this, in case all three of you are interested.
Get up and give thanks to God that everyone's still standing, no small thing. Wash up, make strong covfefe, take a cone off the head of a spayed cat, she's relieved, and let the cat loose outside to kill rats. Feed the dog before she dies of utter starvation. Yum, delicious nuggets for you. Then say Morning Prayer (1928 BCP) and head off to Mission #2. Why?
Because we meet there on the 2nd Saturday of the month for breakfast and a presentation on a book or idea. It's called a reading cliub in the hope that it'll encourage people to actually read and it's pretty popular, everyone likes it. Today was an open forum, viz. tell us about a great American who inspires you in the Faith. I chose General Lee, for good reason. Here's Ike, writing in 1960:
Dear Dr. Scott:
Respecting your August 1 inquiry calling attention to my often expressed admiration for General Robert E. Lee, I would say, first, that we need to understand that at the time of the War between the States the issue of secession had remained unresolved for more than 70 years. Men of probity, character, public standing and unquestioned loyalty, both North and South, had disagreed over this issue as a matter of principle from the day our Constitution was adopted.
General Robert E. Lee was, in my estimation, one of the supremely gifted men produced by our Nation. He believed unswervingly in the Constitutional validity of his cause which until 1865 was still an arguable question in America; he was a poised and inspiring leader, true to the high trust reposed in him by millions of his fellow citizens; he was thoughtful yet demanding of his officers and men, forbearing with captured enemies but ingenious, unrelenting and personally courageous in battle, and never disheartened by a reverse or obstacle. Through all his many trials, he remained selfless almost to a fault and unfailing in his faith in God. Taken altogether, he was noble as a leader and as a man, and unsullied as I read the pages of our history.
From deep conviction, I simply say this: a nation of men of Lee’s calibre would be unconquerable in spirit and soul. Indeed, to the degree that present-day American youth will strive to emulate his rare qualities, including his devotion to this land as revealed in his painstaking efforts to help heal the Nation’s wounds once the bitter struggle was over, we, in our own time of danger in a divided world, will be strengthened and our love of freedom sustained.
Such are the reasons that I proudly display the picture of this great American on my office wall.
Sincerely,
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Well you couldn't put it better than that. By way of footnotes: Lee was a complete gentleman, and his immediate subordinates and men loved him. He had aura and command presence, not least because his command was outstanding; he led his outnumbered and outgunned troops through a string of victories, culminating in the Chancellorsville Campaign, with brilliant daring and excellence. Was there ever such a captain in the annals of modern war?
Winston Churchill didn't think there was and Eisenhower's plaudit speaks for itself. Regardless of your thoughts or views on the Northern War of Aggression, spare a moment to reflect on General Lee, perhaps the greatest American commander to date. You can imagine his opinion of Virginia and the present state of the nation itself.
Deo Vindice,
LSP
