The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1892-01-20
BILL ARP.

know that a thousand hearts are beating
In sympathy for Cyrus W. Field. 1t Is SO
sad to 8 g the LAST hours Of 0 grand old man
crowded with grief over the wreck Of q way
ward on. Right now In the midst OF the
Christmas season, when everybody wishes to
be happy, there are thousands who are suff-
ering sorrow and make no sign. We grieve
for-them all, but somehow It m with q
keener Lang for the old man WHOSE life has
been such a model, whose great works have
been SUCH q blessing to mankind and whose
illustrious kindred have shed honor and re-
nown upon the family name. My friend,
DR.. Powell, would say that no law Of heredi-
ty had been violated in this detection Of the
son, but that his environments have been
bad-so bad that heredity was smothered.
No1ious weeds grew up and blighted the
ing for mankind that he didn't observe the
weeds and failed to cut them down. 9
How many noble spirits have been poison
ed and wrecked In the same way--wrecked
by environment, by bad associations, by
barrooms and billiard tab es and theaters,
while their fathers are absorbed In doing
some great thiog or else in making money
more money, and neglectiDg the moral train
icg Of their children. I know wealthy men
In Atlanta whose sons are slowly and surely
wrecking the family name and viii sooner or
later bring down the gray hairs of their pa
rents with sorrow to the grave. The great
men of the nation are more liable to this sor-
row than any other class. 1t looks likl a man
can't be great and at the same time do O
fathers duty by his children. He hasn't got
the time to devote to them.
But this notable family seemed to be an
exception to the rule. They were SO moral,
duct, 80 perfect In example that It comes like
q shock, a surprise when one Of them falls.
One hundred and ten years ago the old an.
cestor, David Dudley Field, was born, and
lived q long and industrious life. He died in
1857 full Of honors and blessed with IONS and
daughters who were always a comfort to him
and an honor to humanity. The old man
sprsng from revolutionary ~stock-good old
rebel. stock-and had he lived In our day, and
boys would have been in the front ranks Of
secession. Environment made men rebels
just as it did in the days OF the revolution.
David Dudley Field, Jr., Is now eighty-six
yesrs old and stands erect and kipgly, full
six and a half feet high. He Was for forty
years regarded az the first lawyer Of the ma.
don-a great, broad.minded lawyer, who
wanted law reformed, and to that end he la
bored, and wrote, and spoke until twenty
four Of the states adopted his reformed civil
code and eighteen adopted his criminal code,
and then he launched for greater things, and
framed a code for the civilized nations, by
which war was to be avoided, and peace and
justice be preserved A chancellor Of Eng.
land said OF him that he had done more for
law reforms than any other man living or
dead. Added to all this he Is democrat,
and advocated the seating Of iilden instead
Of Hayes.
Next comes Stephen J. Field, known as
the jurist. BE Is now seventy. six years old.
In early manhood he cast his fortunes with
California, being first placed on the circuit
Y hkpcb and fhop IN tho euprnrna honch and