The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-05-03
YOUNG BELFIELD'S AMBITION HAS
I GLORIFIED EVEN HIS BROOMSTICK
Gets Law Education at CollegcI
by Scrubbing State Library
Floors.
NOT ASHAMED OF HIS WORK
Works Hard, Starting at Day.
light, and Then Runs Off
to Classroom.

Sweeping. and hopping his way to
success at dawn, Alexander Bruce Bel
field has worked his way through
Richmond College by the sweat Of his
brow alone, inashamed to doff his cap
and gown and take up the broom and
the scrub brush. Every morning at .
lie gets UP and gees to the State IL
brary Building long before any one
else 10 stirring, cleans the windows,
sweeps the floors, and does the many
other mental things that he must do
as janitor of the place, doing them at
the early hour 80 that he can later
attend his classes in the Richmond
College Law School, where he has
taken an excellent stand For two
years he has been on his Job, getting
$55 per month, and now there are only
a few more weeks left in which to
study for his law degree. He is TWEEN
ty-hve years old
Judge Keith COmmcnds Him.
Almost every lawyer who frequents
the building knows this smiling,
cheerful! young fellow. who, as one
prominent legal acquaintance of his
has said, never tries to make 1t APP
pear that he is above his work. Even
the Judges know his story. and not
long ago Judge James Keith, presi-
dent of the Court of Appeals stopped
the young janitor as he was hopping
off the steps and said to him, kindly,
Young man, / admire your ambition
to obtain an education. 1 congratulate
you On your spirit. and hope you
Will succeed"
II haven't but one regret" said Bel
field yesterday, In talking about his
work, land that Is that / have had no
college life. / wish could have taken
part in the things that the other stu
dents do for recreation and amuse-
ment. / wish / could have known my
fellow students better. But I have
not had time to do It, 1t wasn't be-
cause 1 didn't want to-"
Works Like Sailor.
And surely he has not had time. He
has lad to work from the time he
woke up until time to go to the law
school. The classroom takes from two
to three hours each morning, and
when that is done, Belfield comes back
and works at his duties until in the
afternoon. From then until midnight
he studies Law, looking up references
to cases-and any law student knows
that no living human could do more
| than look up half the daily references
given by the average law professor
writing abstracts of cases, porting over
textbooks and generally studying
hard. And two nights each week he
takes q class in commercial arithme-
tic at the Mechanics Institute. where
he averages about ninety-three in his
| work.
No, don't get much exercise or
RECREATION" he said yesterday, "but
| certainly hope I can get to play some
| tennis this summer, II l have time
No, am not we'll read, for. 1 don't
have time to read. I wish 1 could
have taken a literary course at the
| college, but l couldn't"
| Like other self made men, Belfiel
came to Richmond from the country
His home is down in Richmond coun
| ty, near Warsaw. and there he had hi
common school education al the publ
| schoolhouse When he was sixteen h
went to Warsaw, and for six and
| half years he worked on the count
paper setting type, doing the 10
| printing, mailing the papers reporting
doing most of these things at the sam
time. and receiving for them stipen
| of 50 per week, with board. A goo
many people used to drop in the oftic
ito see how the paper was made,
/ ana Belneld was SuCh an lntelllgen
eXplainer of the machinery that it
said that he added many a subscrip
ton to the list by his courteous treat
ment of the visitors.
How He Got Job.
Hearing that the position of janto
at the State Library Building was va
cant, he landed the Job through hi
| county delegation, coming here I
June. 1905 He wanted TO get an edu
cation for some sort of lifework. II
went to Colonel John S. Harwood, hi
friend and counselor and was advise
to study law He decided to do S,
Colonel Richardson. who supervises hi
duties, kindly allowed him to take u
In September the morning classes a
] the law school. provided the work q
the building did not suffer. And
| never has suffered Belfield 500
found ont that Flaw is a jealous mis-
tress," hut he was always on the 10
that bought his law books for him.
His record in the law school ha
been excellent. His class stand
high, and the professors testify q
to his ability and thoroughness.
all goes we'll he will receive his degre
IN June. and soon after will take til
bar examination. Then he hopes
4 get work in some reputable law offic