Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1900-11-15
BLACKSTONE AND DIME NOVEL.
Study Prescribed by Missouri Judge
for Young Law Student.

When 1 was q law student in the
Office OF a young attorney, said New
York man, my first lessons in oratory
were learned by listening to my pre-
ceptor read selections from Seth
JONES' the dime novel hero. The law
yer was afterward judge, congressman,
and at the time OF MS death United
States district judge in Arkansas, hav-
ing been appointed by Grant in the lat
ter's second administration. You have
heard OF him, Isaac G. Parker, for
some OF his decisions made his name
familiar to the bench and bar OF the
country.
Il was a STRIPPING when Parker
swung his single in st. Joseph, Mo.
He was young man, and young men
at that time had to wait. After 1 had
been in his office short time he quick
iy discovered, l think, that l required
some sort OF diversion in order to whet
my appetite for Wendells Blackstone,
in the first volume of which be drille4
drilled in the primaries.
"Beadle's dime novels were the only
easy rearing for boys in that town.
The dealer who had them on sale dis
posed OF thom surreptitiously Novels
OF any sort were not countenanced
then by the best society Cards were
the DEVILS device. But dime novel
was the broad road to destruction. The
boys who bought and read them
formed a circulating library, the rrin-
cipal books OF which were Tom Bea-
dies press. The reading room was in
a hayloft. Here the volumes were con-
cealed when not in hand. l carried
our only copy of Seth Jones to Par
kers law Office one day, and while on
an errand i le.s it hidden under my
Blackstone, Volume l.
when | returned Parker was read
.ng it, l think read more pages Of
blackstone in that hour than was my
wet, for the reason that Parker held
on to my Beadle during that time. AS
| remember the story, when the star
character in the novel is confronted by
another, who inquiries, Who is Seth
Jores?' the hero replies, I'm Seth
Jones, from New Hampshire This,
in the estimation OF Parker, was the
dramatic situation in the story, and he
jumped from his chair and read ii
aloud with fine declamatory effect
shall never forget how his reading i'm
pressed me.
Finally / had to return Seth Jones
to the library, or stand fine, six sto-
gies for cent. A few days after Par
ker asked for it, and when / told him
had returned it he wanted to know
wnere another copy could be bought.
told him confidentially, and he sent me
To purchase copy. The dealer re-
fused to sell it to me without an order.
This was mis- rule, forced by stern par
ents, VINO doubtless did not imagine
that they were thereby encouraging
their progeny in forgery. ! returned
to Parker with the information and
he wrote an order for one copy Of Seth
Jones' which | laid before the book
man with good deal Of pride. When |
re looked at the order he said the writ !
sng was illegible and he couldn't read
it, for Parker's chlrography was not of
tbs kind ore could read even when it
was carefully written. Again l re-
turred TO the Office with the order, and
crestfallen.
Parker was furious. He picked up
a pound weight. which was his paper |
holder. and, putting it in his pocket,