Jack’s Winning Words 8/27/07
“ Never he haughty to the humble; never be humble to the haughty.” (Jefferson Davis) By reading some history, I came to understand a side of Jeff Davis that I never knew before. I can see why this quote was attributed to him. Haughty is an interesting word: arrogant superiority; prideful swagger. Humble is the opposite. Work this week at trying to follow the advice of Davis. ;-) Jack.

FROM J.F. IN NOVA SCOTIA: Interesting that I had known nothing about Jefferson Davis, other
than that he was president of our country (CSA). One of my ancestors was a Confederate cavalryman; he died during the war and our family didn't find out where his grave was until after WW II.
Another one often mentioned but without detail is Stonewall Jackson. He is remembered for standing like a stone wall while the bullets zipped by.
On our side, there's no doubt that knowledge of Robert E. Lee, before, during and also after the war, is the most widespread. You probably know that the Yankees chose his estate to turn into a war graveyard--it's now known as Arlington National Cemetery.
I learned a lot I had never imagined about Lincoln and his wife/widow in the Ken Burns special. I didn't go to school in the South, but I have long heard from that direction that the later characterisation of The War Between the States (I think they have another name for it in the North) was greatly oversimplified. Reminds me of The War to Save Democracy, the inception of which had nothing to do with democracy. Ken Burns brought out what some must consider some radical and disappointing information about what people in the North thought the war was about at the beginning. That said, I am totally against slavery and cannot understandhow it ever could have been condoned. So life is complicated. I still can't find anywhere in the Constitution that says that states that freely joined can't freely decide to leave (doubt they would but we're talking about rights). Did you know the first state that threatened to secede was Massachusetts, in the 1830s as I recall?

FROM MOLINER, G.S.: The things I pray for every morning: trust, wisdom, leadership, patience, passion, humility. Now why do I put humility last?.....hmm.

FROM MOLINER, C.F.: Ever tried being haughty to the haughty?

FROM G.G. IN INDIANA: Bottom line...be true and never be haughty. I'm going for it!

FROM REV. J.S. IN MICHIGAN: The scriptural understanding of "humble" is to stand as a human before God.