The Washington herald., 1910-06-19

tanned a place as bill clerk in the freight
Office Of the railroad at Houston. At
night he studied law and Latin Educa-
tionally. Judge Lovett had no further
preliminary preparation for his profess
sion than the district school In San ia
cinto County and the nine months he
spent at Houston.
There is feeling among self-educated
men that their college and university
colleagues look with secret pity or scorn
upon their limitations In way Of early
mental discipline and Of scholastic meth
DDS and knowledge. Not long ago the
Standard OIL Company sent a brilliant
group Of classically and technically edu-
Gated lawyers TO the United States Su-
preme Court TO argue a vitality impoT-
tant case against George W. Wicker
sham. Attorney General and Frank b
Kellogg, OF St Paul. the governments
6blest and most successful special coun-
selor In litigation pertaining to trusts.
Wickersham. by a close definition of the
term, is not an educated man. He spent
two unsatisfactory years at Lehigh Uni
versity. where he had gone to learn civil
engineering. After he was a working
telegraph operator in Philadelphia he ac-
cidentally read the introduction 10 Black
stones Commentaries and became law
yer. Kellogg, one of the acknowledged
leaders OF the American bar, told me
recently that the greatest regret of his
life was the lack OF a course at college.
Begins study of Law.
when I was nineteen years Old he
said. my father drove me to the town
of Rochester, MINI, where we sold our
crops and did our trading. walked
around among the law Offices in the hope
of finding a place in which 1 could earn
something while engaged in studying. A
lawyer took me In and a retired farmer
gave me board and lodgings for doing
| his chores night and morning I soon
| discovered that I didn't know anything
never having attended school for more
/ than three months in the winter, and so
I read history and bought a Latin gram
mar Finally I was admitted to the bar
getting through the examination, how
ever, with considerable difficulty. I was
in debt and life seemed pretty hard. My
| first case was tried ten miles in the
country. I was driven there in a wagon
by my client. He paid me So and let me
walk back to my Office"
Nevertheless. Wickersham and KEEL
logg. arguing one Of the greatest cases
ever brought 10 trial in this country
were equal in learning, grace, skill, pow
er, and sagacity to the lawyers picked by
the Standard OIL Company from the
| flower of the legal profession in America
Judge LOvett in the only personal state
ment he has ever given to the pubIic-a
sketch less than two inches long in a
book Of brief biographies, in which Kel-
logg OmitS all mention of his own school
ing-says with some pains that he had
lfprivate instruction after leaving the high
school at Houston. He was admitted TO
the bar when he was twenty-five years
old. earning his own way from the age
OF fifteen, and building HIS eharactef. ss
well as his education, as he went along.
The railroad for which he cut brush.
grubbed stumps, and drove a scraper
made him a station agent at Shepherd
and 2 bill clerk at Houston. When he
was a lawyer, the same railroad sent him
to Cold Springs, the capital town of San
Jacinto County. as its local attorney
That he was a steady. wholesome, seri-
Gus. and trustworthy young man was
proved by his employment.
Wins Dog killing Case.
The initiation OF Kellogg into practice
included fee Of 50 and a tramp of ten
miles back to his home in Rochester
Lovett's first case had TO do with a dog
that was killed by freight train. Il
was taken before the court of a justice of
the peace, from which, II the amount in
volved was less than so, there could be
no appeal The owner OF the dog sued
for $3.50. While he was on the witness
stand he admitted that the dog was
worth considerably more. Lovett. batting
him to a trap he did not see. asked I:
How much more?'
We'll the man answered. a the As-