The Washington herald., 1913-07-20

been celebrated ancientIy by another
Homer. It was one Of the most heroic
| enterprises In history. They were arrange
people In this country. and they followed
strange leaders. Frequently they were
| on foot Their personal belongfngS were
strapped on their backs or loaded In hand
carts, which. they dragged over plain and
! mountain. Such faith and such sacrifice
| ought to be perpetuated in. classical
poetry.
WORKED for FIFTY Cents . Day.
well. the Lane family didn't 80 West
that way. We rode in q day coach. I
grew up at Napa, north Of San Fran
cisco, attended the public schools. and
clerked in q store for 50 q week. I say I
cierked. Maybe ran errands. but no
| matter. got the same wages for sweep
ing the floor of a printing ONCE early In
the morning and for washing rollers. dis
tributing type, and kicking a press the
| rest Of the day. Such was my initiation
into the newspaper business. All this
occurred In the town of Napa. In Oak
/ land. not far distant. I did more sweep
ing and 20 on for John p. Irish, editor
Of the Daily Times I became an adver-
Using man later. and finally Q reporter
In San Francisco.
Irrigation began to interest the people
Of California I wrote articles on the
subject for a number of newspapers. first
investigating the old riparian laws of
England and the water laws of Mexico.
Money enough was earned in that way
one summer to pay my way through the
law department of the University Of Cal
ifornia. The course was three years, but
I doubled the lectures. and was grad
uated In eighteen months. My practice
was begun in an office eight feet long
and four feet wide. I worked as q re-
porter, however. every night In the week
and thus made office rent. room rent.
and board. There was some hesitancy.
you see. on the part of San Francisco to
place its litigation under my manage
ment."
Hadn't you ever thought of theology"
I asked.
'Oh. yes. At the age Of sixteen
meant to be a preacher, but was drawn
toward astronomy about that time, and
my study OF the stars enlarged my con-
ception OF the Creator. Man-made dog
mas ceased to be convincing. I saw that
no denomination was big enough for such
sermons as I wanted to deliver. A Pres
byterian minister whom consulted sug-
gested that I Join the Unitarians. His
professionalism gave me a shock. and
the desire to preach gradually got out
Of my system.
Talking about my early days at the
bar and my earlier conviction that
ought to be a clergyman calls to mind
an unusual man whom i met In my
funny little Office. He wanted to sell
me a digest of the decisions of the
United States Supreme Court.
Il was slightly in debt. Moreover I
needed the California Reports more than
anything else. Could scarcely practice
law without them. But he asked IL he
couldn't talk to me for a few minutes.
and told him to proceed with his ora
tory. Anyway. I thought, a man was
in my office, and a stranger going
through the hall and hearing voices
might imagine / was engaged on some
important matter. BY and by the stran-
ger and / were discussing religion He
had said something about Mr.. Justice
Brewer, whose father was missionary.
and so the debate was opened.
81 purposely led our conversation into
spiritual subjects he told me just as he
was leaving. That's my real business.
Selling law books and medical books is