Lee was one of the most outstanding men that this nation has ever produced. His honor, integrity, valor and kindness were revered world-wide. After the war, he accepted the position of President of the college later named Washington and Lee. He was loved by his students beyond measure. Shortly before his death in 1870, he wrote these words, that serve well as a beacon and a touchstone for all students who toil in the trenches to progress Bonfire:
"The truth is this: The march of Providence is so slow and our desires so impatient; the work of progress so immense and our means of aiding it so feeble; the life of humanity is so long, that of the individual so brief, that we often see only the ebb of the advancing wave and are thus discouraged. It is history that teaches us to hope."
"The truth is this: The march of Providence is so slow and our desires so impatient; the work of progress so immense and our means of aiding it so feeble; the life of humanity is so long, that of the individual so brief, that we often see only the ebb of the advancing wave and are thus discouraged. It is history that teaches us to hope."
