, 1859-10-08
Wendell Phillips on Rufns Choato

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Tho following extract from . lecture deliv-
cred by Wendell Phillips before the Fraternity
Association Of Boston, on Tocsday evening lasts
is taken from 4 report in the Boston Attas and
Bee:
The honors ne graut mark how high We
stand, aud educate the future. Tha men We
honor and the ma1ims We lay down il rueasur-
ing cur farorites, show the lercl and morals of
the time. Two names hare been ID eFery ones
mouth OF lste, and men hare exhausted Ian.
guage in trying 70 express their admiration and
their respect. Tha courts hare cosered the
grave of Ar. Choate with eulogy. Let Us see
What is their idea Of grens lawyer. We are
told thas ''he worked hard d"-"he neyer neglect
ed his ellen" flung over the discussions
Of the forum the grace of rare scholarship"-
" no pressure or emergency eEer stirred him to
a. aahina %G1a rpe sshp;afs .
tleman. This is good record surely. May he
sleep in peace! What be earned, God grant
he may hare! But the bar that seeks to claim
Tor such an one place among great Jurlsts,
must itself be weak indeed-for this Is only to
make him out the one-eJed monarch Of the
blind. Not one high moral trait claimed; not
one patriotic act esen mentioned; not one e. Pa-
tEiotic service e+en cl4iued. Look at Nr. Web
ster's iaea Of what lawyer should be in order TO
he called great, in the sketch be drew Of Jere-
ulah Masoo, and notice what stress he lays
on the religious and moral elevation, and the
glorious and high purposes which crowned his
life! Nothing Of this powt forget NJ
uallctt did testify for Mt Choate's religion
laughter and appfause); but the Inv maxim is,
that witness siopld lie trusted only in matters
be understands, dnd that evidence, therefore,
amounts 10 nothing. (Raewed merrlment-)
1ncessant eulogy; but not one effort to Liz the
yoke Of cruel or unequal legislation Upon the
neck OF its victim; not oas attempt to make
the code o bis eoqn.r{ "ser pu.ef lsetha bettsr;
high moraH purpose into The community; not
one blow struck for right sr for liberty, while
the Battle OF the Giants was going on about
him; not one patriotic act to stir the hearts Of
his idolatotM; not one public net of any kind
whatever, about whose merit friend or Zoe could
ever quarrel, unless when he secuted our great:
charter as ''gilttering. generality, or Jeered
Sermon on the 3iouut! When Cordus, the Ro-
man Senator, whom Tib9ius murdered, WAS
addressing his fellows, he began: Fathe1s,
they accuse nc Of illegal rords; plain proof
th.. tasrs are 20 1;;g ixga1S H. ssds @ which to
nothing but words; plain proof u.-s t''-re were
no deeds to praise.
The divine can tell US nothing, but that he
handed chair or q dish as nobody else could
| (aughter); in politics, NC are assured he did
| not wish TO sail outside Of Daniel Webster; and
.bs Cambridge Professor adds to bis pupils, teE
their special instruction. that he did not dare to
think In religion for fear be should ditter from
| Soutl,sidc Ado1s! cloud laughter and ap-
ptause) The Professor strains bis ethics TO
prove that q good man may defend bad man.
Uselcss waste Of labor! II Egypt. travellers
| tell us that the women, wholly naked, arc very
careful to resl their faces: SO the professor
strains bis ethics 10 cover this one fuult- Use"
l.sn ryfite the .yf,n1e nerAou il nude!
Yet this il tile model that Massachusetts Of
fers to the Pantheon Of The great juElsts Of the
world. am Boston boy, and should Like 70
criticise it.
Suppose we stood in that lofty temple OF
jurisprndence-on either side Of us the statues
Of the great lawyers OF c1ery age and cline
andlet Us see what part New England-Puritan
educated, free New England-would bear in
that pageant, Rome points to colossal figure
aud says-sThat Is Papinian. who, when the
| Emperor Caracalla murdered bis own brother,
| and ordered the lawyer to defend tho deed. went
cheertnlly to dea.h, rather than sul1y us Ups
with the atrocious plea; and that IS up'an, WHO,
aiding his Prince to put the army below tue lsw,
was tlassacred at The foot Of weak, but rlrtu'
Gus throne"
And France stretches forth her admiring
hands, crying "That is DAgusseau. worthy,
| when he went to face an enraged king, Of the
| farewell his wife addressed Lim-"Go! forget
/
| remember only that you hare France to save"
Then England takes up tue legend: ''That i
| Coke, who flung the 1atlrels Of eighty years in
tho face Of the first Stuart in defence Of the
people. This is Selden, on every book Of whose
| library -FOUR saw written the motto OF which he
That is Mansfield, silyer.tongued, who pro.
claimed:
Rsee:vs % or sa ii. shs: % moment u ii sheY AZ ftre
This is Romilly, who spent life in trying te
make law synonymous with justice, and sue
ceeded in making life and property safer it
every city Of the Empire And that j. Erskine
George the Third, made it safe to speak and t
print
Then Ner England takes up the record, say
ing "That is Choute-who made it safe Il
murder; aud Of whose health thieves asked
before they began to steal
that Pantheon; one whose untlr!ng energJ belt
up tic right nrm Of Horace Mann, and made
this age and all coming ones his debtors: ons
whose clarion voice and life Of consistent exam
pie walked the faltering pulpit to its duty III tte
cause Of temperance, laying On that altar tht
hopes OF his young ambtion;' = one whose hu
1n2ne and incessant efforts to make the pena
code worthy Of our faith AID courage, ranked
his name with Mcintosh and Rotnilly. with Ben
than, Eecca1ia and Liyingston- Best Of all
| one who had soma claim TO say with SdIden
"Abore NIL things, liberty" for in the slaSei
battle, his yoica was Of the bravest-Kober
Raatoul. (Pzo|oaged and hearty p1audits.) II.
died crowned with the laurcls both Of the forum
and the Senate house. The Suffolk Bar took nj
note Of his death. No tongue stirred the air o
tile Courts to do him honor. "Wheu rice ii
useful, it is q crime to be virtuous," says tht
Roman prorerb. Ut that crime Beacon street
State street; aud Andoyez had judged Rantou
guilty.