Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1886-01-09

be entitled to for their professional bearing is
largely due TO his high example and earnest
incubation OF professional honor, amity and
courtesy. II has been difficult to speak of
one so honored and loved with words OF mod
Grafton. 10 many Of his brethren Mt the bar
ana the many of his old neighbors and
friends his relations were exceedingly cor
dial, and to these his will ever be a blessed
memory. TO those who were in the immedi-
ate sphere of his influence his loss cannot be
measured. From whatever standpoint he is
viewed his loss Is great one. a just man, n
good citizen, an afectionate father and hus.
band, the state, the county, the bar of which
he was so long the leader, alike are proud of
his name, his life and his record. Therefore
be 10
Resolved. That in the death of James u.
Bailey the bar Of which he was long The lead
ing member, the county in which he was
born and died, and the State which he so
much loved, have suffered loss which 1t viii
be difficult 10 supply.
Resolved, That we tender to his bereaved
family our sincere sympathy and coincidence
in the great loss which they have sustained
III his death. w IA. NJ. DANlE Eli.
JOHN i. HOUSE.
W. A. on RIE5.
II. II. BUITON.
When Judge Lurton had concluded
the reading Of the resolutions, he spoke
as follows:
When a great citizen, weary with the
toll OF years, worn with the weight Of
duties and hbors, Crowned with duties
well done and honors well earned,
when such an one, beckoned by the
ah0dowy hand, retreats from the din OF
life, and the gates have closed behind
him forever, it is but dccorous that those
who are soon to follow him, should
pause and bear public testimony Of the
esteem in which they held him, and Of
the appreciation which they know he
deserved. Their utterances may not
add one cubit to his stature, or one
hour to his fame, but they strengthen
and brighten the links OF the chain,
which bind men and fellow laborers
together
TO speak here and upon such an occa-
sion of our dead friend, is at once
labor of love and yet the saddest public
duty ever undertook That bore to
him relations peculiarly confidential
aud intricate, will always be a source Of
pride and qualification. | cannot trust
myself to speak of him in this character.
This companionship was too sacred a
thing to find expression in this pres
ence. The beautiful lines Of George
Eliot indicate the inadequacy of words !:
"speech is but broken light upon the depth
OF the unsooken; even your loved words
Float in the larger meaning Of your voice
AS something DINNER"
1t is easy to draw a picture OF man
OF marked peculiaralities or eXtraordi-
nary characteristics. The chalk and
black boards might strkin9ly depict a
Ben. Butler or an Alex Stevens, while
only the more cultured hand could de-
Iineate the features of a Gladstone or a
Carlisle So with mental and moral
characteristics. The shining qualities
OF an Oliver Cromwell or the eccentric
genius OF an Edward Randolph can be
easily drawn, while the more balanced
and cultured qualities of an Halifax or
John Bell require finer lines and a
more discerning eye.
/ The character of James z. Bailey pre-
sented no striking characteristics He
owed no part of his success to the flashes
of genius, or to the accidents of situa-
ton or surroundings. Gifted by nature
with full sound, and well balanced
brain, yet he carved for himself by la
bors unceasing, every step he assembled
in life. Guilty of no eccentricities Of
mind or habit, he was the most consery-
alive OF men, in all his mental charac-
teristics. Never given to formation OF
hasty opinions he WAS cautious in their
uttcrance when once reached, and eX-
ceedingly tenacious in holding fast to
his faith in their correctness.
He was an exceedingly full man, for
he had read earnestly and with the
spirit OF a learner, through the whole
range of English and American litera-
ture. 1t was not easy to find his infor-
nation at fault, or even ineXact. This
fullness which comes from reading and
reflection made him an interesting man,
in the freedom of the circle of his asso-
ciates, for whatever the topic of CONVEX
sation, he was able to throw light upon
it. His habits of study, his reflective
disposition, and the laborious character
of his professional labors, added to the
fact that he was by nature an unusually
modest and diffident man, had wrong
fully created the impression among
casual cquaintances, that he was an
austere and selfish one. Nothing was
further from the truth, He was as
warm hearted a man, and as charitable
in every sense OF the word Charity, as
it was ever my fortune to know. He
was unpretentious in his intercourse
with his iellow-men. lie never pro
fessed friendship or interest which he
did not feel, and then in never half SO
strong words as his actions demonstra-
ted. His judgment of men was never
severe-he was, in this respect, the most
just and generous man | ever knew.
Ever ready to form excuses for conduct
he did not approve, he was incapable oil
malice, envy and all uncharitableness.
After fifteen years of exceedingly in
innate association with him, | unhesi.
tatingly say and with full consciousness
of the weight of my words, that he was
when viewed in all the aspects of his
moral and social character, the best man
| ever knew. This integrity OF charac,
ter, whatever the circumstances, what.
ever the temptation, whatever the prov
, ocation, was absolutely unassailable.
T AS lawyer l knew him well and
: believe myself capable of expressing {
! just judgment concerning him. He
| was the best grounded man in the
q