The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1889-04-25

turtle you from this silent cHsltet; no
warning will be spoken from the sealed
ips Of him who lies within II cold and
'lgld. hut there IL u tongue In the ghastly
wound which mars the body Of our bro
her, that appeals to the hearts and con-
sciences of these comrades, who stand and
gaze in mute amazement | am speaking
not for the dead, but for the living. beg
these friends of mine to go with cautious
step. The ruin of one noble soul may be
the awful fate of other noble souls.
What shall say to this distressed
family, whose sorrow Is shared by every
sympathizing heart in this community"
can do no more than to commend them to
the loving care of our Heavenly Father.
/ I.et us thank God that In all our distresses,
all our bereavements, he invites us to
come TO him."
Here ing your wounded hearts, here
tell your anguish.
Earth hr no sorrow that Heaven cannot
heal"
The members ofthe Portage County Bar sssem-
bled in the Court room. Mt half-past l o'clock.
Thursday afternoon, TO listen to The reading OF
resolutions prepsred by the memorial committee
on the death cf Judge P. b. Conant, and to take
such iurGher action might be deemed oper,
expressive of the high estima ion in which the
deceased juIist was held by his bretbren during
many years of their association with him in rac-
tice their appreciation of his ch aracter and work
and regret at the comparatively early close Of q
life of EN- inent usefulness.
Judges Gilmer and Robinson were present, on
the bench. the former acting as chairman.
The resolutions, which were prepared by Hon.
NJ. Stuart. are beautiful and touching tribute
to one with whom he had practired law. in friend
Iva hat he Ror oh fn ird of
century. Standing almost on the very spot where
in September, ls49. the late Hon. Rufus P. Spaul-
ding. then Common Pleas Judge of this District
administered the oath that admitted p. B. Conant
and himself TO the legal practice, Mr. Stuart read
the resolutions, at the close of which, he spoke
with gent feeling of the deceased, eulogizing
him as q man and citizen, and exalting him to
| the high professional eminenee which his ability
| and honor merited. He reviewed briefly some of
| the main historical vents connected ith Judge
| Conant's professional life stating. among other
things, that II. Y. Beebe was Clerk of Courts. and
r. P. Ranney. B. + oflnan. Euther Day. +. 3.
Taylor and John Hu,chins constituted the ex-
| amining committee when the deceased and him
self were admitted to the Bar. In this connection
it is worthy of remark that the above circle re-
manned unbroken until the death of Judge Day,
| in March, 1887. he being the first called from
Beebe and Judge Couant have followed.
At the completion of his remarks Mr.. Stuart
moved that the resolutions be spread upon the
Court journal. and that a copy be sent to the
| family of the deceased.
| J. II. Nichols. 7. Ii. Phelps. l. T. SiddalI. S P
| Wocott. c. r. Saunders. and John Porte r. .Esqs.
followed Mr.. Stuart with remarks on tho life aid
character of Judge Conant. each ge.tlenan re-
| viewing some Of the many qualities which onti
tied him to the respect and confidence of all who
knew him, and made him, in every walk of life
an industrious, kind hearted. conscientious. hon.
est man, justly emitting him to the affectinnatt
rememb- ance of the living, to whom he has be-
queathed the rich legacy of we'll ordered. faith
full life. quotation then made WAS peculiarly
appropriate. presenting true picture:
| Life's race well run.
L,ie's work we'll done.
Judge L. I. Gilmer then a dressed the mem
bers of the Bar, DIV Cling on the excellent char
acteristics of judge Conant. calling particular
attention to his honesty, exemplified in all hi
practice, and saying that the life of udge Conan
was we'll worthy of emu atiOn
The resolutions were then ordered to be spread
on the Journal.
A committee was then appointed to secur,
funds with which to purchase large portrait o
the deceased for the Court room.
The fol owl, g ate the resolutions adopted:
Again has death entered the Portage
County Bar and taken one of its oldest
most prominent and most worthy members
and we, his survivors, desiring to teStif,
our esteem and regard for his worth anC
virtues, do place OH record this tribute t.
the memory of one whose death bring
feelings of sadness and sincere regret at hi
loss to us and to all.
ResOlped, That when the life of our bro
ther Judge Philo B. Conant went out ther,
went out life that in all its relations, bOtl
professional, personal and judicial, was
reple sentative life in which much may bC
foun worthy of approval and emulation
and little if any to condemn. As a judg,
: he was conscientious, careful and patien
official, conSiderate. of the rights of parties
and patient and forbearing with the Bar
and the trying and often unreasonable anC
} impulSive zeal so common, though wei
meant, of its members. He had no favOrite
either among SuitorS or lawyers and til,
same scales weighed out justice whethe
invoked by the most popular and agreeable
lawyer or the most unpleasant, ill-mannereC
and offensive one. As a lawyer he wa
always Jealous for his clients and no on
guarded their interests with more watch
fulness or care than he. In his practice h,
was courteous towards both the bench ant
his brethren and suspicion or doubt wer
entirely foreign to his character. He gav
his word to his brethren and took theirs il
return in all professional matters with
trust and confidence that was born of natu
: raj honesty and in nearly forty years prac
tice with him the writer of this simple tri
: butte can testify that he was never charged
with a violation of his professional word o
= an unprofeSsional or an unlawyer-like act
As man he was straightforward, open
plain-spoken and honorable in all his deal
ings, and the words hypocrisy and deceit
fulness were words known in his vOcabu
larry only as suggestive of course to b.
avoided and despised. As citizen he wa
} bold and outSpoken on all public matter
and occasions, having pronounced opinion
, on all the questions of the day, never wait
: ing to learn the views of others befor
expressing his own, but approving or con
demning not only measures but men, re
gardlesS of whether his views were p0pula
or otherwise. Such citizen may not b.
the most popular, but he is always tn
most respected and trusted one. AS
Christian he was an earnest and conscien
tious follower of Him whose mission IL wa
to give us a pure and holy religion; ant
in all the period OF his professional lif
there appears not thing to cause doubt
much less belief, that the profession ant
the practice of the law are inconsiSten
with the profession and practice of th
Christian religion, in all Its purity ant
simplicity. AS a friend he was undemon
strative, but true as steel; and the expires
sion of sadness that rested on the faces o
the many, many friends, who looked 10
the last time on his palld countenance err
II was shut out from the world forever
spoke more plainly than mere words o
, eulogy can do that friendship Is not u mer
sentiment but reality. To speak OF hin
as husband and father would require u
to draw aside the veil which covers th'
sacredneSs of that home-life that shoult
remain iuviolate and unnrofaned even II
the hour Of death and we leave to thos,
whom he loved so well to ponder and cher
iSh the remembrance of thousant
thoughtful, tender acts which recall to al
who have mourned their dead, that beauti
, full sentiment that It's better to have lovet
and lost than never to have loved. II
conclusion II may he said that in all tn,