News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1903-11-04

ghctItf lug vi T6pTobtutiNoL nch' D'ub",
of rntimes to a fault, but seldom
wounding by his bru- queness. Pos
y. -sed in a marked uegree of that
erling good sense which is more to
bp desired than genius. Honest,
t hful, sincere, man whose word
WAS as good as his bond. A gentle
man hy every instinct. Ia him were
I ,und in marked degree those man
|, virtues that make for success in
any calling of lite. How well they
couspired to make OF Mr.. Brigham n
g cd lawyer, you can bear witness.
The b4ncn and the bar of our state,
as we'll as a clientage extending over
almost a quarter of a century, testify
20 the ability and integrity which Mr..
Brigham brought to the practice OF
mis- chosen profession, to which he
gave his entire working life, excepting
about eight years out of it's prime,
given o semi public service OF which
| will speak later.
His strength As a lawyer lay chiefly
ia a thorough knowledge of legal
principles, grounded in common
sense He was not a case lawyer.
The reports for him were an immense
Storehou4e of legal principles, clothed
with facrs, individualiz I'd, never a
compendium of decisions merely. TO
quote his own language used with ref
erence to a young practitioner, he
could always gun along statement
Of facts pretty clOsely to a right legal
conclusion" His Judgment was al
ways respected and usually sound.
Strong with che Judge, he was no less
strong with the Try. He was not an
orator in the strlctest sense, except
as every man is sufficiently eloquent
on what he thoroughly understands,
or on which he has profound cOnvic
tons, but the jurles he addressed be
ieVed in him, believed in him as a
man, in his honesty and sincerity, be
ieved in him az lawy1r, and Oftener
I, han other wise belief in him led to be-
ipf in bis case. A hater of shams, Mr..
Brigham WAS intolerant of pretence
! and aubterfuge in the tri al OF "A cause.
Il an opponent had the haTdihOOd to
attempt TO bolster upa weak case by
| an appeal to sentiment, he was spec T.
lily shown his error. Ridicule and
sarcasm are most eff1ctrve weapons
and none we're better skilled ia their
use than he Mr.. Brigham saw the
weak point in an opponent g case and
trained his guns there. He did not
scatter his fire. He believed, as an.
| other has expressed it, that severing
the spinal cord or cutting the jugular
vein ae If "trvely put his antagonist
hOrS de combat Is though he literally
hacked him 30 pieces. Not the last
| of Mr.. B'gham's strength at the bar
Jay III his hOId upon the ommon PEG.
ole He knew them and they knew
MIN and they knew him to trust him
| for his tranknpss, his ncprity, and
his homes pun ways Probably no
| one u the LtmOille County bar prAc
icing comtpmporaneOusy with Mr..
Brigham knew the men sent up to do
ju'y du'y ut II vde Park better than
~. He was not Ouly strong at HiSi
pTiuS, but he was a. we'll, safe and
| conscientious councillor. He believed
shat his du y 20 his client s was rather
TO keep them out of law than ia it,
and this he iii Oftentimes when to
nave allowed his client to follow his
own inclination would have meant
lat retalne aud lucra tive employ.
! ment. Many il the CLINT that has
come into his Office hotly for war and
gone out reluctantly for peace, ever
after to honor the man who, forget
ting selfish interests, had counselled
him to Lime and money saved and
peace of MUD.
Mr. Brigham was 10 IRE than a law
yer. He was an unSelish, high mind
IA citiz u, always placing before pri-
vate interests. the interests of his
town, his cOunty and his state. His
ears after re iching maturity were
filled to the full with business and
professional a. tvlties, activities not
selfcentered, but lf-sacrificing, pub.
lie spirited, altruistic. HIS was Iif4
| that looked without and hey md self
tor its motives, its aim, and its high
est en- oyment. H. lived to serve, not
so be served.
There are some men, whatever their
calling or profession, who exert prac-
ticaIiy no inf fence ont OF the sphere
of their dailv work. They are known
unhappiy to all of us. They have ap.
D irently no interest in public affairs
they gee un Ter no burdens, not peculi
arly their own, they give heed to no
call to arms that does not summon
them to the battle for self Such men
are found in every walk of life. They
are among the lawyers. You know
them. | know them. But [ firmly
| believe that the ranks of our profess
sion show proportionately fewer men
dead to matters where the puplc
good and not sel-interest is concern
ed than will be found In almost any
other walk of life. Mr.. Brigham was
not one OF these. The study of law
had for him, as it may have for all,
the effect to broaden and elevate the
man, while it's practice through a
long and eventful life brought him
into close touch with the common
people and gave him a knowledge of
their wants and aims which could nor
but bear iruit in deep interest in all