The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1914-03-20

He came home-he could hardly
walk; on his back he studied law dill
igently, and became one of the
brightest lawyers of the State. need
not speak of him as a lawyer-those
who have preceded me have testi-
fled, and have said on that subject
more than l can-they are better
judges of the matter.
Major Steedman was a true friend;
better friend / never knew. I hav.r
been connected, may it please your
Honor, with this Court as it's Clerk
and as an humble member of the Bar
for thirty-four years. I intimately
knew all the members of the Bar. I
never saw Major Stedman do a single
thing beneath the dignity and the
duty and the honor of a lawyer. He
lowered above everything like the
arts of the trickster, for no man
ever saw him do anything but what
was high, honorable and noble. 1
saw Major Steedman under all cir
cumStances. / went to his side when
he lost beautiful child. In after
years, when 1 had to pass through
similar scenes, it was a great com
fort to go to my friend in his office,
to sit in there with him and to weep
together. He had passed through the
same scenes that 1 was passing
through.
Major Steedman was a Christian
gentleman. He met death, may it
please your Honor, as calmly and
quietly as he had ever entered into
the field of battle. Our loss, and
the loss of his country has been his
eternal gain.
His Honor, Judge j. S. Cothran,
then remarked:
My Brethren of the Bar: 1t is upon
an occasion like this, when con-
spicuous gladiator has fallen in the
arena, that the Bench and Bar are
drawn more closely together. 1 had
the. pleasure of knowing Mr.. Steed-
man, not as intimately as you gen
tlemen knew him, but I knew him as
q lawyer and as a great one. NV
Brethren, it is great thing to be
great lawyer. Our number is but
small compared with the mass of the
population of the country; and vet
the influence of the profession can
scarcely be estimated. Necessarily
the people demand and require that
from your number should be taken
70 the halls of legislation some to
shape and regulate the business of
deIiberative bodies which could not
well go on without them But it is
beautiful to see those of our number
who cannot be seduced by the offer
O. political honors; who, like the
levites, have devoted themselves to
the temple service-to minister at
this altar-to assist the Court, and
net nd .,,l
real duty of a lawyer. 1t is not
every lawyer who understands his
duty; it is not every one to whom it
is given to be able to discharge it.
But the character of great lawyer,
as have already said, is something
rare and greatly to be admired.
For what is duty? It is to assist in
the administration of Justice; it is
not to hoodwink and deceive thu
Court; it is not to enjoy a temporary
triumph by a trick upon his opnon-
l9nt. This is not the duty of the law
yer, and that lawyer who undertakes
that mode of practice, who under
takes to secure success by means of
that, is not worthy to be classed with
such a man as Major Steedman.
1t is said that honestly is the best
policy. Like many aphorisms that
is not true. Honesty is not policy at
all-honesty rises above policy-hon-
esty is the best practice, that it what
it is-it is not policy at all. It is
practice-it is the best practice. Hon,
esty is the best practice in this pro-
fession, especially where the public.
unjustly as l conceive it, regard it,
that trickery can be successful above
all others.
l have listened, my brethren, with
great satisfaction, with great pleas
ure, to the tribute that you have paid
to your departed brother. 1t is not
more than he deserves, and YOU have
honored yourselves more than YOU
have honored him in what YOU have
done and said today. 1t is beautiful
to contemplate a character so thor
oughly rounded as his. The great
Apostle to the Gentiles says that the
true marks of the Christian are
Faith, Hope and Charity; and the
greatest of these is Charity" The
distinguishing marks of the citizen
are fortitude, courage and patience
and the greatest of these is patience.
How admirably he illustrated that
highest of all the human qualities; in
all of his suffering, in all of his bod
lily anguish, no word of complaint
was uttered-he was patient. He en-
dured, as my friend on the right (Mr
Duncan) has said, like good SOL
dier. He has finished his course;
he has kent the faith, he has fought
good fight"
have great pleasure, my brethren
in complying with your request, as
evnressed in the resolutions that were
offered, and the Clerk is ordered to
spread them upon the minutes of this
Court. and to leave blank page upon
the Journal as a memorial of one who
so worthily filled a place at this Bar.