Virginia gazette. [volume] (Williamsburg, Va.) 1893-192?, 1901-03-09
A LESSON FROM LIFE.
DR.. Talsnage Eulogiz>s the Late Jus
tice Stephen ]. Field.
Reiswios< Training Laid the Fenn-
dalton OF hiS Character - The
Great Dtvtne.s Tribute 10
Departed frfend.

our time is the subject of Dr. Ialmages
discourse, and the lessons drawn are
inspiring. Text. ? samuel Sass; know
ye not that there is prince and great
man fallen this day in Israeli"
Here is plumed catafalque. followed
by King David and funeral Grafton
which he delivers at the tomb. Concern
ing Abner. the great. David weeps out
the text. More appropriately than
when originally uttered NC may now
utter tlis rcsounding lsmcntatiOn:
"Snow We not that there is prince and
q great man fallen this day in Israeli"
IL was 50 minutes after six. the ex-
act hour OF the sunset Of the Sabbath
day, and while the evening lights were
being kindled. that the soul Of stephen
J. Field, the lawyer. the judge. the pa
triot. the Christian. ascendcd.
Our departed friend came forth a boy
from = minister's home in New Eng
land. lie l(Delt with father and mother
at morning and evening prayer. learned
from maternal lips lessons OF picty
which lasted him and controlled him
amid all the varied and exciting scenes
OF a lifetime and helped him 20 die
in peace an octogenarian. Blot out
from American history the names Of
those ministers sons who have done
honor 70 judicial bench and CONNER
Oisl circle and national legislature and
presidential chair. and you would o6-
htorate many OF the grondcst chapters
OF that history. 1t is no small adyan-
tagc TO have started from a home where
God j. honorcd and the subject of
q
row is under constant discussion The
Ten Commandments, which are the
foundation OF All good law-Roman
law, German law. English law. Amcri-
can law-ore the best foundation upon
which TO build character. and those
which the boy. Stephen J. Field, 80
often heard in the parsonage at stock
bridge were his guidance when. "a half
century after, as gowncd Justice OF
the supre me court 90 The United states.
he unrollcd bis opinions. Bibles. hymn
books, catechisms, family prayers. att
mosphcre ssnotifod. are good suri ound-
| ings for boys aud girls 10 start from,
and IL our laxer ideas OF religion and
| sabbath DAYS and home training pro-
| duce "a splendid men and women as
the much-deridcd ruritanic Sabbath
/ and Puritanic teaching. have produced
IL will be matter CT congratulation
and thanksgiving
Do not pass by the fact that I have
not vet seen emphasized that stephen
| }. Field was ministers son. Notwith-
standing that there are conspicuous ex-
ceptions 20 the rlIle-and the exceptions
have built up n stcreotyped defamation
on the subject-statistics plain and un-
denlable prove that larger proportion
Of ministers sous turn ont well than
are Ia be found in any other genoalog-
zeal table. Let ali the parsonares OF
all denominations Of Christians where
children arc growing mp take the con-
ISOLATION. See the star OF hope pointing
down 20 that manger,
Notice also that our departed friend
was member OF royal family. There
were no crowns or scepters or thrones
In that ancestral line. but the family
OF the Fields. like the family Of the
New York Primes, like the family Of
the Princeton AleXanders. like "A score
OF families that / might mention. ir il
were best 20 mention them, were the
children OF the King" and had put OF
them honors brighter than crowns and
welded influence longer and wider than
scepters. That family OF Fields trace.
an honorable lineage bacl, 500 years q
Hubertus &c IN Field. coadjutor of VIII
liam the Conqueror. Let AS thank Goo
for such families, generation after gen
Grafton on the side of that which il
right and good.
While all parents cannot aspire 10 have
such conspicuous households H. the on,
the name OF whose son we now cele
brate, all parents may by fidelity il
, prayer and holy example have thei
sons and daughters become kings AN,
queens unto God, 10 reign forever an'
ever
Let young men beware lest they b,
4 their behavior blot such family record
Z with some misdccd. We can all thin
I ! Of households the names OF whic
!, meant everything honorable and con
y Eecrated for a long while. but by TIA
: deed OF one son sacrificed. disgrace
and blasted. Look out how You TO
: your consecrated ancestry OF the nam
= they handel 10 you unsuiiiedl Bette
= as trustee 60 that name add somethin
: worthy. DO something 10 honor IA
= old homestead, whether a mountai
e cabin or city mansion or countr
n parsonage.
S Rev. David Dudley Field, though
k years passed upward. is honOrcd to-da
= by the Christian lie. the service, N
: death OF hls son stephen
e Among the most absorbing books
II the Bible is the box of Kings. wlsis