Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1901-03-02
HONOR A GREAT JURIST
CELEBRATING ELEVATION OF JUS.
TlcE MARSHALL TO THE BENCH.

.
great man is held mp for the admira
ton and emulation OF nation. ther,
Is too often Il reverse side OF me pie
ture, which mus be concealed, lest the
effect be married. writes Gilberta SIN
clair Whittlc. in the Philadelphia Rec
ord. The Spotless character OF Chief
Justice Marshall. however. symmctli
cal in outline and colossal in proper
lions. resembles heroic marble statuC
rather than, II painting, and, surveyed
on every side. challenges examination
Dr Johnson defines genius rs great
ability accidentally directed into Il par.
;'cula. channel,' and Carlyle contends
that thc qualities from which diStirc
ton springs. lei the cfiores ccnce be
that OF the poet. statesman, military
nero or what not, are the same. tn o.
res which the career OF Marshall--"e.
nowned in turn as soldier, iuris,,
statesman, diplomat and judge-iliul
trares.
The family. OF British origin. collat.
orally descended from Inc great Earl
OF Pembroke, the wise governor o. the
Young King. Henry Ill. dates in
America about 1850, Il singular cirrum,
s,anca being thai the eldest son II
cAch generation has been alternately
John or Thomas.
The father OF the Chief justice was
4 native OF Virginia. and. removing to
FauQuier, in the same colony, he set.
oil tn, Midland
S,ation on the Virginia Midland Rail
road, and there. OH September "a,
1T5J, his illuStr,OuS son, the eldest of
fifteen children (ail OF whom the par
cnts lived 10 sec established in life and
married. WAS born. FauQuier was
possessing almost no educational facil"
tiles.
Colonel Marshall, Therefore, per. on.
ally directed his ch!dren's studies,
grounding them in mathematics and
other sciences, and his wife. Mary
Keirh, the daughter OF an Episcopal
clergyman and the great granddaugh
ter OF Wiliam Keith, Ear! MareSchal
OF Scotland. being Il woman of cul-
turs, they Were reared in an intcllec-
tual atmosphere. becoming early IA
miliar with the hest Engli>h authors.
st twelve years Old John lad trans
scrined pope's Essay OF Man and
memorzed many OF its striking pas
sages. When he WAS fourteen he was
sent to Westmoreiand County to
school, attending tie institution in
which his fNthc:. and Washington
were educated, and having as fellow
pupil James Monroe. the future Presi-
dent of the United States.
Returning home at the end OF a
year. he continued his studies with a
tutor an Episcopal clergyman of Scot
land, aud n granddaughter, still living,
states that, in order to prevent trivial
conversation at dinner. each child was
required to tell all that he could re-
member. of the mornings les son in his,
tory. Al eighteen he tocil his first step
toward his chosen procession by read
inc B!acNstoile's Commentaries, then
J Just published.
Meanwhile he war clouds when
had been gathering burst upon the
country. EaGa. to equip himself Tor
service, Marshall walked ten miles 20
muster field, returning Oh foot Wien
the drill was over, and tine capiain
VINO had called the company together
failing to materinlize. he was mace
lieutenant and placed in charge OF tie
raw recruits. Al rncir head lie tooh
part in almost every important en-
cacement OF the troops undef WASH
incton's immediate command. re
was also at Valley Forge. his cneerfn'-
ness during tnat ffgntful winteI o.
hardship and privation being only
eGualied by his courage IN the he!u'
At this time, too, his judicial aolltt!'
still in embryo, was recognized. he
was frequently called upon to settle
differences among the officers anu
men, and became, in shori, the Judge
Advocate OF the army.
In 1899, being selected to ASSIST ID
raising recruits, he seized an oppoi.
tunity Of attending the law class OF
Chancellor Wythe, professor of Will
lam and Mary College. and the lee
lures On natural philosophy of Bishop
Madison, tine President of the lnstltu'
lion. thus enabling him the following
summer TO obtain a license to practice
law.
During the spring of 1776. while the
troops taried briefly at EorXto"h
Marshall lost his heart with Mary
Willis Amber, a daughter of Colonel
Jacuueline Amber, Gfterward treas
urer of the new Commonwealth, ana a
descendant Of the noble HuguenoF
Jacquelines Of France.
Miss Amber was only fourteen
wears old, and so say that When the
dashing officer upon whose banner
was the figure OF coiled rattlesnake
with the legend, Don't Tread On
Me-" and whose shirt front bore the
motto Liberty o. Death" proposed
to her her lips faltered NO. when
her heart said yes" Marshall was
very ardent, however, and one Oh hei
cousins, sending him surreptitiouslv
n lock of her hair, he renewed his sll1
and her decision was reversed.
With the kindly, simple-mannereo
Chief Justice himself all felt at home
He would give his hand with the sam
transformations cOrdiality to the PLAIN
woman. clad in homespun, as to the
highest dignitary, a proof. as john
Randolph, the Quintessence Oh aristc
cratic RIGHTEOUSNESS, once said, OF H.
perfect breeding.
In attire and equipment, too, nc
cared little for fashion and display, q
trait distorted by his detractors into
lack of tidiness. Judge Story, how
ever, describes him as neat In his
dress and living men and women wnc
knew him confirm this impression
Among other counterfeit statements
circulated in this connection was one
to the effect that his shOestrings
dragged behind him. investigation
| proving that strings were not USED II