. The great American book of biography . as they to him ; and of the many homes offered him, he chosione in PowhatanCounty, a small andsimple country place,where he gatheredhis wife and childrenaround him, expect-ing to lead a retiredand quiet life. Hewas also offeredmany positions, inwhich he would re-ceive a liberal salaryfor little or no labor ;but these his pridewould not permithim to accept. Final-ly a proposition wasmade by the trusteesof Washington Col-leo-e that he shouldbecome president ofthat institution. Thisoffer, much to thegratification of hisfriends, he concludedto accept, belie
. The great American book of biography . as they to him ; and of the many homes offered him, he chosione in PowhatanCounty, a small andsimple country place,where he gatheredhis wife and childrenaround him, expect-ing to lead a retiredand quiet life. Hewas also offeredmany positions, inwhich he would re-ceive a liberal salaryfor little or no labor ;but these his pridewould not permithim to accept. Final-ly a proposition wasmade by the trusteesof Washington Col-leo-e that he shouldbecome president ofthat institution. Thisoffer, much to thegratification of hisfriends, he concludedto accept, believing,as he said, that hecould be of influenceand use in that position. This expecta-tion was not disap-pointed. The Univer-sity quickly becameone of the most popular educational institutions of the South, which was nodoubt largely in consequence of the fact that he was at the head of it. Thenumber of students increased ten-fold within a comparatively short time afterGeneral Lee became its president. His wisdom and skill in managing the. ■ LliE To THE KKAK . AFFECTION OF THE PEOPLE. 363 students of the University was remarkable. His appeal to the higher sentimentsof the young men seemed never to fail of a response. They were ashamed todo anything less than their best when feeling that General Lees eye was uponthem. He was ac-customed to remindthem on enterincr thecollege of the lovingsolicitude with whichtheir course wouldbe watched by theirmothers; and thisappeal to their high-est feelings seldomfailed to have ereateffect upon their con-duct and character. One conse-quence of the filialfeeling which thepeople of the Southentertained for Gen-eral Lee was that hewas flooded with let-ters upon every con-ceivable subject, fromall parts of the coun-try. At a time whenhe had in charge fivehundred young men,with a corps oftwenty five instruct-ors under him, hewas receiving dailyalmost innumerableletters from old sol-diers, their widowsor children, and fromthose who had no
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