The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1899-05-10
ways right. The old gospel hymn de-

| millions drowned.
The Declaration OF American Independ-
ence was O dissenting opinion. The Free
Church OF Scotland, under Chalmers and
his compeers, was dissenting movement.
The Bible itself, Old Testament and New
Testament, Is a protest against the the
cries that would have destroyed the
world and Is dissenting as we'll
as divlnely inspired book. The deca-
logue on Sinai repeated ten times. '"Thou
shalt not" For ages to come will be quoted
from lawbooks In court rooms Justice
Fields magnificent dissenting opinions.
Notice that our ascended friend had such
character as assault and peril alone can
develop. He had not come to the soft
cushions OF the Supreme Court bench step
ping on cloth OF gold and saluted all along
the line by handolapping OF applause.
Country parsonages do net rock their
babies in satin lined cradle or atterward
send them out into the world with enough
In their hands to purchase place and
power. Pastors salaries In the early part
OF this century hardly ever reached 500 q
year, Economies that sometimes cut into
the bone characterized many o. the homes
OF the New England clergymen. The'young
lawyer OF whom we speak to-day arrived
in San Francisco in 1S49 with only $40
In his pocket. Wlllamstown College was
only Introductory to postgraduate
|
while administering justice and battling
ruf1anism amid the mining camps OF Cali
fornia. Oh, those "iorty-niners," as they
were called, through what prtvattons.
through what narrow escapes. amid what
exposures they moved! Administering
and executing law among outlaws never
has been an easy undertaking. Among
mountaineers, many OF whom had no re.
gard for human life and where the snap OF
pistol and bang Of gun we're not unusual
responses, required courage OF the highest
| metal.
Behind a dry goods box surmounted by
| tallow candles Judge Field began his judi
| cial career. What exciting scenes he
passed through An Internal machine was
handed to him. and inside the lid OF the
box was pasted his decision In the Pueblo
case, the decision that had baked unprln-
| cipled spectators. Ten years ago his lille
would have passed out hud not an officer
OF the law shot down his assailant. 1t took
| long training OF hardship and abuse and
misnterpretation and threat OF violence
| and flash ofassassin's knife to fit him for the
high place where be could defy legislatures
and congresses and presidents and the
world when he knew he was right. Hard
ship is the grindstone that sharpens intel
lectual faculties, unt the swords with
which to strike effectively for God and
ones country.
Notice also how much our friend did for
the honor otthe judiciary. What momen-
| tous scenes have been witnessed In our
United States Supreme Court, on the
| bench and before the bench, whether, far
| back, it held its sessions in the upper room
OF the Exchange at New York, or after.
| ward for ten years In the City Hall at
| Philadelphia, or later In the cellar OF
yonder capitol, the place where for many
years the Congressional Library was kept,
| a sepulcher where books were buried alive,
the hole called By John Randolph "the cave
| or Trophonius!'
How suggestive the invitation which
| william Writ, the great Tirgintan, wrote
his friend inviting him TO yonder Supreme
Courtroom: Tomorrow p week will come
on the great steamboat question from New
York. Emmett and Oakley on one side,
| Webster and myself on the other. Come
down and hear it. Emmett's whole soul
| Is in the case, and he will stretch oil his
powers. Oakley is said to be one OF the
| finest loglcians OF the age, as much
| Phocion as Emmett Is q Themistocles, and
Webster is rs ambitious rs Caesar. He VIII
not be outdone by any man X it is within
the compass OF his power to avoid 1t. Come
to Washington. 1t will be combat worth
witnessing" The Supreme Court has stood
50 high in England and the United States
that the vices OF q few who have occupied
that important place have not been able to
disgrace It, neither the corruption OF
Francis Bacon, nor the cruelty OF Slt
George Mackenzie, nor the Sabbath desecra'
tion Of Lord Castereagh.
To that highest Of all tribunals Abraham
Lincoln called our friend, but he lived long
enough to honor the Supreme Court more
than it had ever honored him. For more
than thirty-four years he sat In the pres.
| ence Of this nation and OF all nations
model Judge. Fearlessness, integrity, de-
| votion to principle. characterized him. No
bribe ever touched his hand. No profane
word ever scalded his tongue. No blemish
| OF wrong ever marred his character. Fully
qualified was he to have his name associa-
| ted in the history OF this country With the
greatest OF the judiciary.
To have done well. all that such pro-
| fession could ask OF him, and to have made
that profession still more honorable by his
brilliant and sublime life, Is enough for ma
tional and International, terrestrial and
celestial congratulation. And then to ex-
pire beautifully, while the prayers OF bis
church were being offered at his bedside,
the door OF heaven opening for his en-
trance as the door OF earth opened for his
| departure, the sob Of the earthly farewell
caught up into raptures that never die.
| Yes, he lived and died in the fuith OF the
old fashioned Christian religion.
Young man, want to tell you that JUS
| tice Field believed in the Bible from lid to
| lid, n book all true either as doctrine or
history, much OF 1t the history OF events
| that neither God nor man approves. Our
| friend drank the wine OF the holy sacra-
ment and ate the bread OF which "it man
| eat be shall never hunger" He was thcup
| and down, out and out friend OF the church
OF Christ. II there had been anything IL
| logical In our religion, he would have
secuted 1t, for he was logiclan. II there
| had been in 1t anything unreasonable, he
would have rejected it, because he was
great reasoner II there had been In It any
thing that would not stand research, he
would have exploded the fallacy, for bis
lie was lie OF research. Young men OF
Washington, young men OF America, young
men OF the round world, religion that
would stand the test OF Justice Fields
penetrating and oil ransacking intellect
must have in 1t something worthy OF your
confidence. I tell you now that Christian
ity has not only the heart Of the world on
its side, but the brain OF the world also.
Ye who have tried to represent the religion
OF the Bible as something pusillantmous.
| how do you account for the Christian faith
OF Stephen J. Field, whole shelves OF the
law library occupied with his magnificent
decisions?
And now NAV the God OF all comfort
speak to the bereft especially to her who
was the queen Of his life from the day when
as stranger he was shown to her pew In
the Episcopal Church to this time OF the
broken heart. He changed churches, but
did not change religion. for the church in
which he was born and the church In
which he died alike believe in God the
Father Almighty, Maker OF heaven and
earth, and in Jesus Christ, Ills only begot-
ten Son, and In the communion OF saints,
and In the life everlasting. Amen.