It is the mark of a gentleman to stand for what is right, even if he stands alone. Those who pursue a goal because it is the right thing to do – regardless of the chances for “success” – are the men of true noble character.

“He affirmed that the revolution was predestined to succeed. I told him that for a gentleman only lost causes should be attractive…”
from The Shape of the Sword by Jorge Luis Borges

The Confederate Colonel Project is one of the few forums where one can still oppose the presently dominating egalitarianism, and defend our principles, without immediate condemnation.

That is one of the highest compliments we could receive. So often, I see “disclaimers” on blogs and websites proclaiming that “this is not a racist site”, or “no hate allowed”, or “no hate speech permitted”, or any of a number of variations on the theme. Why do so many people feel obligated to bow down at the altar of political correctness to preface everything with such remarks? Why does virtually every single Tea Party event bend over backwards to “prove” that race has absolutely nothing to do with their objectives? Why are Blacks put “front and center” in such organizations when their numbers are statistically insignificant? And the more important question – Why are Blacks able to talk about important issues that a White could not without being physically thrown off the podium?

You will note that none of these so-called “disclaimers” can be found here at the Confederate Colonel project – nor are they needed. You will also find that all discussions of egalitarianism and racial matters are done in a fair and impartial and honorable manner. There is one reason for that: we strictly adhere to the words of Robert E. Lee to his students at Washington College (later renamed to Washington and Lee) :

We have but one rule here, and it is that every student be a gentleman.

That was Lee’s Golden Rule – that every man be a gentleman. That means that we speak the truth, but always do so in a fair and considerate way that does not needlessly hurt another. Robert E. Lee’s classic Definition of a Gentleman goes into further detail:

“The forbearing use of power does not only form a touchstone, but the manner in which an individual enjoys certain advantages over others is a test of a true gentleman. The power which the strong have over the weak, the employer over the employed, the educated over the unlettered, the experienced over the confiding, even the clever over the silly — the forbearing or inoffensive use of all this power or authority, or a total abstinence from it when the case admits it, will show the gentleman in a plain light. The gentleman does not needlessly and unnecessarily remind an offender of a wrong he may have committed against him. He cannot only forgive, he can forget; and he strives for that nobleness of self and mildness of character which impart sufficient strength to let the past be but the past. A true man of honor feels humbled himself when he cannot help humbling others.”

We will, at all times, do our best to follow the example and the words of Mr. Lee in everything that appears on Confederate Colonel – both in the posts and in the reply comments. If everyone followed that advice, there would be no need for any “disclaimers” and places like this would no longer be an island in a sea of crude and thoughtless words.

I am using racial matters to illustrate the point, but it applies to any topic that we might cover here. In all we do – no matter what the topic may be – our adherence to both the example of Robert E. Lee, and the wisdom found in The Holy Bible will be our guide. Much of what we discuss here is rejected and hated by the vast majority of the world. That’s OK. Our purpose is not to be popular, but to be right. Throughout history, the one consistent theme in every society is that the majority never stands for what is right and just and good. It is our intent to not stand with that majority, but to always do what is right and just and good. We may fail at times, but that is our goal.

Let me also take this opportunity to express my sincere appreciation to all who comment here and do so in the manner of Robert E. Lee. It is a privilege and an honor to be associated with you.

Noah Webster

Any serious discussion about why the “American Experiment” has failed will eventually come to the same conclusion: The problem is not who we have in positions of leadership – the problem is who votes to put those people into positions of leadership. In a word, the fate of America is determined by Suffrage – who is permitted to vote.

“A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves money from the public treasure. From that moment on the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most money from the public treasury, with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world’s great civilizations has been two hundred years. These nations have progressed through the following sequence: from bondage to spiritual faith, from spiritual faith to great courage, from courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to selfishness, from selfishness to complacency from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependency, from dependency back to bondage.”
Alexander Tyler on the fall of the Athenian Republic

Why would we place the fate of the nation in the hands of those who do not have a concrete and well-established stake in the future of that nation? Why would we place the fate of the nation in the hands of those who base their decisions on kumbaya-style feelings rather than on solid moral principles? Why would we place the fate of the nation in the hands of those who receive direct financial support from the treasury?

The question of who has the right to vote has generally been decided by the individual states. Early criteria typically included white male property-owners over the age of 21. The vote of men was presumed to represent the corporate vote of a household, with the husband being the head of the household. Back when it was clearly understood that the family unit was the solid foundation upon which all civilized society is based, there was little or no controversy about having only men voting. Society recognized that by having one vote per family, there was a built-in incentive to vote for candidates who would support the family. Further restricting the voting pool was the requirement that the voter be a significant property owner – one who had a financial stake in maintaining the all-important legal concept of private property rights. One who owned property was not likely to support someone who might be in favor of taking away property to redistribute to others. Yes, it was “unfair” to single women and to poor men – at least that is the way today’s society would see it.

The election that carried Thomas Jefferson to the White House sent Noah Webster to the statehouse. In 1880, Webster was elected to the Connecticut legislature. He served until 1807. As a legislator, he chiefly occupied himself with attempting to block bills eliminating the property qualification for voting – in the hope that no more fools and knaves like Jefferson would ever be elected again. He called men without property “porpoises” (by which he meant that they would swim in a school, and not think for themselves). He himself had earned the right to vote, he was keen to point out, by writing his spelling books. “I am a farmer’s son and have collected all the small portion of property which I possess by untiring efforts and labors to promote the literary improvements of my fellow citizens.” He would not stand for political decisions to be made for him by men who had no similar stake in the world. “If all men have an equal right of suffrage, those who have little and those who have no property, have the power of making regulations respecting the property of others,” he reasons. “In truth, this principle of equal suffrage operates to produce extreme inequality of rights, a monstrous inversion of the natural order of society.”

Despite Webster’s best efforts, the United States grew more and more democratic, as more and more states lifted property restrictions on voting, and declaimed in favor of universal suffrage. “The men who preached these doctrines have never defined what they mean by the people, or what they mean by democracy, nor how the people are to govern themselves,” Webster complained. As he saw it, democracy is rule by the people and the people are, generally, insufferable idiots. In his 1828 dictionary, he put it this way:

PEOPLE, n…2. The vulgar, the mass of illiterate persons. The knowing artist may judge better than the people.

One lone legislator, however ill-natured, could scarcely slow the expansion of the franchise. As his home state grew more democratic, Webster insisted that he “wished to be forever delivered from the democracy of Connecticut.” He would even be willing to make the great sacrifice of moving to Vermont, if that state could be “freed from our democracy,” adding, “as to the cold winters, I would, if necessary, become a troglodyte, and live in a cave.”

Noah Webster’s worst fears have come to pass.

(Note: portions of this post were copied from a book about Noah Webster, but I cannot locate the original source. I will add the source credit if/when I find it again.)

“Let us go home and cultivate our virtues.”
Robert E. Lee, addressing his soldiers at Appomattox

“Duty is the sublimest word in our language. Do your duty in all things. You cannot do more. You should never wish to do less.”

“I am nothing but a poor sinner, trusting in Christ alone for salvation.”

“Let danger never turn you aside from the pursuit of honor or the service to your country … Know that death is inevitable and the fame of virtue is immortal”

“I was raised by one of the greatest men in the world. There was never one born of a woman greater than Gen. Robert E. Lee, according to my judgment. All of his servants were set free ten years before the war, but all remained on the plantation until after the surrender.”
William Mack Lee (Robert E. Lee’s black servant)

“His noble presence and gentle, kindly manner were sustained by religious faith and an exalted character.”
Winston Churchill on the character of Robert E. Lee

“He possessed every virtue of other great commanders without their vices. He was a foe without hate; a friend without treachery; a victor without oppression, and a victim without murmuring. He was a public officer without vices; a private citizen without reproach; a Christian without hypocrisy and a man without guile. He was a Caesar without his ambition; Frederick without his tyranny; Napoleon without his selfishness, and Washington without his reward. He was obedient to authority as a servant, and loyal in authority as a true king. He was gentle as a woman in life; modest and pure as a virgin in thought; watchful as a Roman vital in duty; submissive to law as Socrates, and grand in battle as Achilles!”
War-era Georgia Senator Ben Hill’s tribute to Robert E. Lee

Manners are of more importance than laws…. Manners are what vex or soothe, corrupt or purify, exalt or debase, barbarize or refine us, by a constant, steady, uniform, insensible operation, like that of the air we breathe in.
Edmund Burke 1796

Manners aim to facilitate life, to get rid of impediments, and bring the man pure to energize. They aid our dealing and conversation, as a railway aids travelling, by getting rid of all avoidable obstructions of the road, and leaving nothing to be conquered but pure space.
Ralph Waldo Emerson 1844

Manners are very communicable: men catch them from each other.
Ralph Waldo Emerson 1860

Good manners have much to do with the emotions. To make them ring true, one must feel them, not merely exhibit them.
Amy Vanderbilt 1963

Good manners are made up of petty sacrifices.
Ralph Waldo Wmerson 1876

Good manners, to those one does not love, are no more a breach of truth, than “your humble servant,” at the bottom of a challenge is; they are universally agreed upon, and understand to be things of course. They are necessary guards of the decency and peace of society.
Philip Dormer Stanhope 1751

The total and universal want of manners, both in males and females, is … remarkable … that polish which removes the coarser and rougher parts of our nature is unknown and undreamed of.
Frances Trollope 1832 “Domestic Manners of the Americans”

This is no argument against teaching manners to the young. On the contrary, it is a fine old tradition that ought to be resurrected from its current mothballs and put to work…In fact, children are much more comfortable when they know the guide rules for handling the social amenities. It’s no more fun for a child to be introduced to a strange adult and have no idea what to say or do than it is for a grownup to go to a formal dinner and have no idea what fork to use.
Leontine Young 1965

… there is nothing so sad as lack of fine manners in a gentleman, except the lack of them in a lady.
Mrs. H. O. Ward 1878

Fine manners need the support of fine manners in others.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

The farmer stands well on the world. Plain in manners as in dress, he would not shine in palaces; he is absolutely unknown and inadmissible therein; living or dying, he never shall be heard of in them; yet the drawing-room heroes put down beside him would shrivel in his presence; he solid and unexpressive, they expressed to gold-leaf.
Ralph Waldo Emerson 1870

Association with women is the basis of good manners.
Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe 1809

I have always been of the mind that in a democracy manners are the only effective weapons against the bowie-knife.
James Russell Lowell 1873

A child who is not rigorously instructed in the matter of table manners is a child whose future is being dealt with cavalierly. A person who makes an admiral’s hat out of linen napkins is not going to be in wild social demand.
Fran Lebowitz 1994

Traditionally Southern statesmen have been orators. A society emphasizing social rituals and manners requires a kind of reverence for words to adequately express sentiment and feeling. The dregs of this rhetoric remain the stock in trade of the grass roots politicians. The Southerner generally does not shy away—to the extent the Northerner does—from a use of language that is something more than bare statement. The Northerner, with his conditioned respect for practicality and getting-to-the-point is more likely to possess a far greater reading than speaking vocabulary and to associate anything more than simple expression with ostentation.
William Van O’Conner 1947

“Tolerance is the last virtue of a depraved society. When an immoral society has blatantly and proudly violated all the commandments, it insists upon one last virtue, tolerance for its immorality. It will not tolerate condemnation of its perversions. It creates a whole new world in which only the intolerant critic of intolerable evil is evil.”
Hutton Gibson

Hutton Gibson is the father of actor Mel Gibson.

This brings to mind another similar quote from another man:

“It is not the evil itself which is horrifying about our times — it is the way we not only tolerate evil, but have made a cult of positively worshipping weakness, depravity, rottenness and evil itself.”
George Lincoln Rockwell

This libertine society of modern-day American in which we dwell has much to answer for. It is our duty to be intolerant of evil and wickedness. The God of The Bible is completely intolerant of sin. He recognizes only one way to cleanse ourselves of sin – that is to come to repentance (turning away from sin) and accepting the gift of salvation by grace through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Christianity is the foundation of our Southern culture. That is something we must never forget.