The Washington herald., 1911-01-09

There was none Of the Horatio Alger.
Pluck and Luck series. story-book boy
hood in the case Of Associate Justice
Willis L. Van Devanter, the newest mem:
ber of the United States Supreme Court
In order to follow pi piecedent In writing
about man who has made good. one
should picture Van Devanters early
thirst for knowledge. his struggles to gain
higher education in the face Of vast
obstacles. and his boyhood longing to take
rank as one Of the great legal minds Of
the nation. But one cannot record such
things about Justice Van Devanter for
a certain reason, to wit: They were not
Tho truth is that Van Devanter did not
want higher education. One of the
great sorrows of his young life was that
he hal to leave home and go away to
college to learn lot of things that he
did not care much about knowing. This
Ia breaking clear away from the Striving
to Succeed story-book scenario. but it Is
according to the facts. And there were
no struggles to make ends meet in Van
Devanter's youthful career. His father
was always amply able to provide him
with money when he was at college, and
there probably has never been a day In
his life when he could not have paid
for his board and lodging a week or more
In advance.
What Van Devarter wanted to do was
to be a farmer and break colts. His
father had bought a little farm near their
native town, Marion. Ind. and young Van
Devanter was practically in charge OF 1t
after he left the public schools. The farm
life exactly suited him, and when his
father told him that he wanted him to
leave the farm long enough to go through
college he felt seriously imposed upon
and resentful. He said that he knew col
lege life would bore him to distraction,
and he did not see why he had to be
subjected to the torments OF q higher
education when he was doing all right on
the farm and getting real enjoyment out
Of life
No, indeed! One will find nothing in
the youthful career Of Justice Van De-
vanter that woul1 work into one of those
stories about a boy named Luke Some
body who prizes open the doors to an ed
ucation will, a redhot crowbar. and who
is always getting the best Of some rich
boy. Van Devanter went to college be-
cause he had to. And his entrance into
the legal profession came about entirely
by accident.
Here's how it was: Shortly after leav-
ing college. young Van Devanter had oc-
casion to accompany a woman relative
to Cincinnati, where she wanted to see a
lawyer about having a win set aside. Van
Devanter went along more as a COM
panion than anything else. but the law
yer who was consulted asked him to
write out an the data concerning the will.
so far as he could learn from the woman,
and submit it to him. After going over
this data that Van Devanter prepared.
the lawyer complimented the young man
rather highly. saying that he showed a
great deal of aptitude in setting forth
the important facts succinctly and elm
mating unessential details.
by the way" asked the lawyer, what
are you going to make of yourself?'
Don't know to a certainty" replied
Van Devanter. 1T has always been my
ambition to be a farmer. II i don't do
that I'll probably try to get a position
in a bank"
you'll make a great mistake" de-
clared the lawyer. What you ought to
do is study law. I'll guarantee that II
you'll become a lawyer you'll make your
mark"
Well. to make little paragraph out
Of a big one, that lawyer talked young
Van Devanter into entering the Cincin-
natl Law School that fall-even though
he'd never been in a court room in his