Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1880-03-12

lacking the perception of humor, but
he always told this incident as if he
had it in high degree.
A distinguished Free-soiler, after the
nomination of Taylor for the Presi-
dency, accosted Mr.. Choate in the
street, and told him that the Free-soil
section of the Wing party was de-
termined to oppose the nomination at
the polls. "What can you do ?" said
Mr.. Choate. Perhaps little" was
the reply; but at least Massachusetts,
can fire her gun in the air. Yes"
at once retorted Mr.. Choate, "and hit
her guardian angel in the eye
One of the charms OF Mr.. Choate's
conversation was his habit of exaggera-
ton. TO attend the performance OF
Mozarts DON Giocnnni was like listen
ing, he said, to ten thousand forests OF
BIRDS. He knew hat no exaggeration
in mere words could adequately ex-
press the delight that sympathetic
mind feels in coming into vital ac-
Quaintance with work of transcendant
genius in any department of literature
and the fine arts. Ten thousand birds
would be small testimony to the mel
odles of Mozart; but ten thousand for
ests of birds is comparison which in
dicates the rapture of wonder and ad-
miration which Mozart's masterpiece
excites in all souls capable Of feeling
its beauty. With this tendency to yer
bal eXaggeration Choate had that in
Simultaneous humorous recoil from ex-
travagant assertion characteristic of
ardent natures whose sense of the ludi-
crous is as quick as their sense of the
beautiful aud the sublime. Interpret
to me the libretto," he said to his
daughter. lest 1 dilate at the wrong
emotion" Sidney Smith never said
any thing better than that.
Nobody at the bar ever equaled him
in paying ironical compliments to the
judges who blocked his way to the
hearts aud understandings of juries.
Judge Shaw was specially noted for the
grutt way in which he interposed such
obstacles, and Shaw's depth of legal
learning was not more conspicuous than
his force of character. 'Tisn't SO,
MIR. Choate," was frequent Interrupt
ton, when Shaw was on the bench and
Choate was arguing case before him.
Choates remarks on the judge have
passed into the stereotyped jokes of the
bar, aud are now somewhat venerable.
One is, think, not commonly stated in
the exact words. Ialways approach
Judge Shaw" he said, AS savage APP
proaches his fetch. knowing that he is
ugly, but feeling that lie is great" OF
Judge Story he once remarked, ~
never heard him pronounce judgment
in which he did not argue the case bet
ter than the counsel on either side; and
for which," he added, with twinkle
in his eye, "he might very properly
have been impeached. He delighted
in gravely joking with judge. Thus
he once asked that case might be post
poned, owing to his engagement in an
other court. Tie judge replied that
the case was one in which he might
write out his argument. With mock
solemnity, which it always seemed to
me no other human countenance could
so readily assume, he replied, I write
we'll, your Honor, but slowly." AS his
resembled the tracks of
wildcats, with their claws dipped in
ink, madly dashing over the surface of
a folio sheet of white paper, the assem-
bled bar could not restrain their laugh
ter. Indeed, it is affirmed that he
could not dccipher his own hand
writing after case was concluded, and
had to call in experts to explain it to
himself. He congratulated himself on
the fact that if he failed to get living
at the bar, he could still go to China
and support himself by his pen that
is, by decorating tea-chests.- 2.
WHIpPLE in Harper's Monthly.