Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-04-27

sr,r9y Fiji. Ny7-n'' r7~,e
death happily died, and heaven glorious
" won That was the kind of name that
Justice Field augmented and adorned and
pcrpetuated--a name honorable at the
close Of the eighteenth century, more hon
ored now at the close of the nineteenth.
A Great Dissenter.
Notice also that our illustrious friend
was great in reasonable and genial dis
sent OF the ,042 opinions he rendered
none was more potent or memorable than
those rendered while he was in small mi
noritv and sometimes in minority of
one a learned and distinguished lawyer
of this country said he would rather be
the author of Judge Fields dissenting
opinions than to be the author of the CON
stitution Of the United States. The tend
ency is 10 90 with the multitude, to think
what others think, to say and do what
others do Sometimes the ma Orty are
wrong, and it requires hcroics to take the
negative, but to do that logically and in
good humor requires some elements of
make up not often found in judicial dis
senters or indeed in any class Of men.
There are so many people in the world OPP
posed to everything and who display their
opposition in rancorous and obnoxious
ways that % Judge Field was needed to
make the negative respected and genial
and right Minorites under God save the
world and save the church. An unthink-
ing and precipitate yes" may be stopped
by a righteous and heroic no" The ma
jorities are not always right. The old gos-
pei hymn declares it,
Numbers are no mark that men will right be
found:
A few were saved in Noah ark to many mil
lions drowned,
The Declaration OF American Independ-
ence was a dissenting opinion. The Free
Church of Scotland, under Chalmers and
his compeers was dissenting movement
The Bible itself Old Testament and New
Testament, is protest against the the
cries that would have destroyed the world
and is dissenting as well as a divinely
inspired book The Decalogue on Sinai
repeated ten times Thou shalt not" For
ages to come will be. quoted from law
books in courtrooms Justice Fields mag
nificent dissenting opinions.
Tempered by Hardships.
Notice that our assembled friend had such
a character rs assault and peril alone can
develop. He had not como to the soft
cushions of the supreme court bench step
ping on cloth of gold and saluted all along
the line by handclapping Of applause,
Country parsonages do not rock their
babes in satin lined cradle or afterward
send them out into the world with enough
in their hand to purchase place and power.
Pastors salaries in the early part of this
/ century hardly ever reached 300 year.
Economics that sometimes cut into the
bone characterized many Of the homes OF
tho New England cergymen The young
lawyer of whom we speak today arrived in
San Francisco in 1S49 with only $40 in his
pocket Williamstown college was only
Introductory to a postgraduate course
which our ilustrious friend took while adj
ministering justice and hating ruflanism
amid the mining camps OF California
oh, those forty Miners" as they were
called, through what privations, through
what narrow escapes, amid what exposures
they moved! Adm mastering and execut
ing law among outlaws never has been ar
easy undertaking Among mountaineers
many of whom had no regard for human
life, and where the snap OF pistol and bang
of gun were not unusual responses re
quired courage Of the highest metal.
Behind a dry goods box, surnounted by
tallow candles, Judge Field began his iu
dicial career. What exciting scenes h,
passed through! An Internal machine
was handed to him, and inside the lid o
the box was pasted his decision in the
Pueblo case, the decision that had balket
unprincipled spectators. Ten years ago
his life would have passed out had not ar
officer of the law shot down his assailunt
| 1t took o long training of hardship unt
abuse and misinterpretation and threat o
violence and flash Of assassin S knife to fl
him for the high place where he could def,
legislatures and congresses and president
and the world when he knew he was right
Hardship is the grindstonc that sharpen
Intellectual faculties and the swords Will
which to strike effectively for God ant
ones country.
Why Many Fail.
Tho reason that life TO so many is q fail
ure is because they do not have opposition
enough and trials enough or because the
ANONYMOUSLY lie down to be run over b.
: them instead Of using them for stairs ol
,, which to put their foot and mount
Those "born with u gold spoon in thei
mouths" arc apt to take their last mcdi
cine out of pewter mug Have bray
,, heart In all departments, ye men of man
! obstacles There is no hrawn or chaypctc
without them, The roughs glazing an
growing around about the shed of
! courtroom in Marysvilc, Cal, had a
much to do with Judge Fields develop
, mcnt as Mark Hopkins, the great Wi
Jamestown college president. Oppositio
If you have mad the grip take Hood
SdrgaDa lila. Will brace up, Du