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1 South Commemorates Judah P. Sons of the Confederacy to Erect Monument in Richmond to Rebel Secretary of State By WALTER HART BLUMENTHAL Reprinted by courtesy of the American Hebrew who were important figures in molding ,if the United States had careers so packed me and vicissitude as the eminent dew ,is genius to the Confederacy during the This Disraeli of the South won the U rument Avenue, in Richmond, Va., showing statue of il J. li. B. Stuart, famous Civil War cavalryman, ' t'Hi iround, and Robert li. Lee, of the Confederate " < >n this avenue is also a statue of Jefferson Daxns, 's planned to rear a memorial to Judah P. Bcnja- i / Fifty thousand dollars is to be expended. (Courtesy Dementi Studio) '■'teem even of his foes. Since his death there has "•‘ii no lessening of his fame. England, where he '|"nt the latter part of his life, called him one of ’I"* -reatest legal luminaries in the annals of her Ifu. !• nends of freedom the world over still revere ut-mory for his devotion to a Lost 1 ;i ■ He was a magnificent rebel! he, like Jefferson Davis and he oic figures of the Confed- "Ught the disunion of our na- 1 are honored now, both North "'i'll, because they followed the I of their convictions. The Judah 1\ Benjamin has grown 'hmi faded. Twenty-two years ' death appeared Pierce But- ’ hiaut biography of him in the 'ii Crisis Series. Last year in •u inal of the American Bar II ion was printed a lengthy ot his achievements. The State ida, in 1925, accepted as a gift public-spirited citizens the Gam- M1> i°n in which Benjamin found until he could escape after the h*r of Lee at Appomattox. This - was restored and is preserved -torical memorial to the Secre- State of the Confederate r ;i \ timi and man. faun- rath, a ft 11 lor- Aim* the •W.„ re>n- of i- t lor hie ret >ui hlii as ; tar anem ia wyer School .ludah of the in the States. The year 1927 was ma-ked bv an mous gift of $50,000 from a New York as an initial sum to establish in the Yale of Law a fund to perpetuate the name of 1 . Benjamin. A ale reveres tin* memory >°uth who mati undated as a sophomore class of 1829, making an excellent scholastic rec ord. Benjamin left college prior to his gradua tion, and began tin* study of law in a notary’s office in New Orleans, where he was admitted to the practice ot law in 1832, and soon became the recognized leader of the Louisiana Bar. Indeed, he declined appointment to the bench of the Supreme Court of the United States. Last November the Sons of Confederate Vet erans adopted a resolution to erect a monument to Judah I*. Benjamin in Richmond, Va., and a fund of $59,991) for this purpose is now being collected. Thus the prestige of this celebrity gains lustre th ough the years. Though he was born abroad and died abroad, Americans are glad to call him one of their own. The old tragic struggle between the Blue and the Grey now brings the illustrious leaders of both sides into the mellow perspective of Time. The.e is no need here to recount his rise, nor the extraordinary range of his talents. In the re-ent vogue of’biographies, no American’s life lias been limned whose span of years was fraught with more picturesque and varied happenings. Having been United States Senator from Louisi ana prior to the War, Judah I*. Benjamin not only served in turn as Attorney General, Secre tary of War, and then as Secretary of State for the Secessionist South, but during those critical years he wielded an influence on the trend of affairs that cannot, perhaps, be adequately appre ciated. Moreover, at the end of the war, when he fled to England in 1865, virtually penniless and with only his prestige and ability to commend him, he took up the study of English law at the age of fifty-five and within seven years received the appointment of Queen’s Counsel. During this he wrote his celebrated treatise on the law time Of tin a century sale of personal property, which for halt became a classic on both sides of the „ viiminn 1-la stands at the heart of the town and ts one of J££S2£k?T«" '«**»• H " e Judah p stcre,ar ? of ." ,e JyJL itney ’ found a hiding-place from the Federal Army, before escaping to Englatnd. Judah l\ Benjamin whose picturesque career was one of the amazing salients of the Civil War, and who became the leading barrister of Britain, with peerless oratorical gifts. He died at Baris in 1884, aged 73. Atlantic, as ‘ Benjamin's Sales”. There was in his nature an optimism that recognized no defeat. Anil among the recollections of his intimates that have come down to us it is reiterated that under every tribulation he remained cheerful, and that his good breeding and his superb mentality were never eclipsed by the turn of events, however dark, lie was affable, yet dignified; deliberate, yet dynamic. Holding in sequence three posts in the Confederate Cabinet he was a big enough man to be willing to sacrifice himself for the cause he held so dear. Thus when tin* Confederates, at a certain point, needed powder and sent an urgent message to the War Department for a supply, Benjamin, at a secret Cabinet meeting, informed President Davis und his colleagues that the powder could not be sent, for the simple reason that there was none. The Cabinet agreed it would be unwise to permit the true reason to become publicly known. Benjamin suggested that lie lx* censured for the lack of powder. This was done, and he resigned as Secretary of War. To the utter amazement of the public (in face of the cen sure and resignation), Benjamin was appointed Sec- retaiy of State. Not until 1887 did the facts liecome generally known that to save the morale o! the South in an awkward situation he hud suffered himself to be a vol- unta y scapegoat. At Richmond, Va., the.e is a lioule- va.d, known as Monument Avenue, upon which memorials have been erected to outstanding Confede ates. Heie one notes an equestrian statue of General .J. E. B. Stuart, the dash ing cavalry leader. At the next inter section, one gazes with admiration upon the figure of the peerless Rob- e:t E. Lee, on horseback. A little tar- ther on, an elaborate memorial to Fiesident Jefferson Davis deserves more than a passing glance. Then the visitor, after going three blocks, reaches an equestrian statue of I homas J. (Stonewall) Jackson. Last No vember a magnificent memorial was erected to Matthew Fontaine Maury, “pathfinder of the seas” and cartog rapher, who (Continued on page 32)