The times., 1898-10-31
RUFUS cHoATE.
The Books ana ENtra-LcgnI Studies
of the Great Lawyer.

tion)
| am one of those who believe that the
stuff that a man is made of has more TO
do with his career, than any education
or environment. The greatness that is
achieved, or is thrust upon some men.
dwindles before that of him who is born
great. His horoscope was propitious. The
stars in their courses fought for him. The
birthmark of genius. distinct and inef-
faceable was on his brow. He came of
long line Of piOus and devout ancestors,
whose living was as plain as their think
ing was high. 1t was from father and
mother that he derived the flame OF in
tellect, the glow of spirit and the beauty
of temperament, that were so unique.
And his nurture to manhood was worthy
of the child. 1t was the nurture and
admoniton of the Lord From that
rough pine cradle, which is still preserved
in the room where he was born, TO his
premature grave at the age of hfty-nine,
1t was one long course of training and
discipline of mind and character, without
pause or rest.
1t began with that well-thumbed and
dog scared Bible from Hog Island, its
leaves actually worn away by the pious
hands that had turned them, read daily
in the family, from January to Decem-
ber. in at Genesis and out at Revela-
tions every two years and when a new
child was born in the household the
only celebration the only festivity, was
TO turn back to the first chapter, and
read once more how. I'm the beginning
God created the heaven and the earth,
and all that in them is This book. so
early absorbed and never forgotten, sat
urated his mind and spirit more than
any other: more than all other books
combined. 1t was at his tongues end:
at his fingers ends-always close at
hand. until those last, languid hours ut
Halifax, when 1t solaced his dying medi-
tations. You can hardly find speech.
argument or lecture OF his. from first to
last, that is not sprinkled and studded
with Biblical ideas and pictures. and
Biblical words and phrases. To him the
Book of Job was a sublime poem: hs
knew the Psalms by heart. and dearly
loved the Prophets; and. above all.
Isaiah. upon whose gorgeous imagry
he made copious drafts. He pondered
every word read with most subtle keen
ness and applied with happiest effect.
One day. coming into the Crawford
House cold and shivering-and you re-
member how he could shiver-he caught
sight of the blaze in the great fireplace
and was instantly warm before the rays
could reach him. exclaimiEg: do you
remember that verse in Isaiah: Aha, l
am warm | have seen the fire." " And
so his daily conversation was marked.
And upon this solid rock OF the scrip
lures he built magnificent structure of
knowledge and requirement, TO which
feW men in America have ever attained
history, philosophy, poetry. fiction, all
came as grist to his mental mill. But
with him, time was too precious to read
any trash; he could winnow the wheat
from the chaff at sight, almost by touch
He sought knowledge, ideas for their own
sake, and for the language in which they
were conveyed. l have heard a most
learned jurist gloat over the purchase of
the last sensational novel, and have seen
most distinguished bishop greedily de-
| Vouring the stories of Gaboriau one after
| another. but Mr.. Choate seemed to need
no such counter-irritant or blister to
| draw the pain from his hurt mind Busi-
| ness, company, family. sckness-nothing
| could rob him of his one hour each day
| in the company of illustrious writer's of
| all ages. How his whole course of
thought was tinged and embellished with
| the reflected light of the great Greek or
ators, historians and poets; how Roman
| history fresh in his mind as the events
| of yesterday, supplied him with ilIustra-
| tions and supports for his own glowing
| thoughts and arguments. all of you who
| have either heard him or read him know.
bul IL was 10 tHe great CONAN OF Eng
| lish literature that he daily turned for
| fireside companions, and really kindred
| spirits AS he said in a letter to Sum-
ner, with whom his literary fraternity
was at one time very close: Mind that
Burke is the fourth Englishman-Shal;e-
| speare, Bacon, Milton and Burke and
then in one of those dashing outbursts of
playful extravaganza which were so char
| acteristic of him, fearing that Sumner. in
III i
justice to the great ideal of both, he adds:
"Out of Burke might be cut so Mackin-
toshes, 175 Macaulays, 40 Jeffreys and go
| Sir Robert Peels, and leave him greater
than Pitt and Fox together" In the con-
slant company of these great thinkers
and writers he reveled, and made their
| thoughts his own and his Unsuitable
memory seemed to store up all things
committed to it, as the books not in daily