French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1916-1919, 1918-08-15
A KEEPER OF THE VINEYARD.
. BLESSED WITH LONG Lift
(Thos. ]. Rickmanl

Not having the opportunity to at
tend the recent celebration of the half
century reunion given in honor of
Judge C. NJ. Pace, in his long line of
service, it is fitting that friends of the
Judge should let their appreciation be
known. This is true with all of us,
for some time, when the tide is low,
we all slip our moorings and sail
away, whether we have been kee0ers
of the vineyards, like Judge Pace, or
we filled other humble stations
of this life.
Flowers are some times laid on a
dead mans grave when none had been
brought and handed him, when he
might haxe been comforted by them
on his sick bed. 1t is a greater pleas
ure to speak words of praise for our
Clerk who has served his country for
fifty years, than it would have been
to have praised the great and wise
King Solomon, as we call him, for the
most fearful indictment ever brought
against King Solomon by himself. OF
himself, after his life was almost
spent he said: "They made me keep
vineyard, have 1 not kept. This was
not only a grave charge to make, but
the sad part of it was, that it was a
true bill. Solomon ruled wisely ov-
er the people of Israel, but while do
ing so, he neglected his own domestic
family, his sons went to ruin, rebell-
ed against their father and after his
death, rended and ruined the king
dom, because Solomon kept not his
own vineyard.
That our friend Pace kept his own
vineyard, as well as the vineyard to
which the people called him, is a
greater honor to him, than discharg-
in gthe duties of his Office.
Judge Pace reared his sons and
daughters to usefulness in life, be-
cause neither he, nor his most excel
lent wife, neglected them, in order
to be honorable before the public.
When a man can look with pride on
his sons and daughters, as can Judge
Pace, then he can say, the people
made me keeper of the vineyards,
which 1 kept faithfully, but in time
of it, I also kept my w vineyard.
Referring to those of us who belong
to the legal fraternity, with whom our
friend had so much to do, in his long
+ we recently read after a poet,
who said:-
"A fool there was and he studied
law, even as you ana I,
He sat in his office and waited for
clients, who never came;
Even as you and L"
Judge Pace never studied law-he
worked it out-never waited for eli
ents who never came; they came for
his advice without his waiting. The
truth is this very writer was made
humble by reason of no one else than
this very friend, Judge Pace. We had
a client-a very excellent aged gen.
tleman. We wound up the business in
regard to an estate-went with the
fnnal account and settlement to the
Judges Office and by client thus adj
dressed the court:
We'll, Mr.. Pace, we come to you
now with this business. Mr.. Hickman
is my lawyer, but you are my Coun-
sell" That is exactly what took
place, and what else could a poor
feel, but to be humble? What
else was there for him to do but to
take it and take it in humility? How
could we help it if we were the
clients lawyer, but Judge Pace was
his counsel?
any other man in America under just
We have a friend up there in Hen
derson, who says Judge Pace never
studied law; he just worked it out by
the days work, and when he gets it
that way it stays with him and so the
honor i'm this case is where it be-
longs.
This writer was well acquainted
with Mrs. Leona Pace and her mother
from youth up to the present, Y we
are going to speak right up and tell
the Judge that it is doubtful whether
he is entitled to as much as half the
honor that comes to him-his happy
home his noble and uSefuI i1dre !
his steady stable movement in life, his
to fill his Office SO we'll and
pleasing the people who trusted him, !
was in a large because OF
Mrs. Leona Pace, queen of the Pace
nome.
Judge Pace will have no OBJ
i~ections to this being said and will
agree to the truth of same and we
lsk that this great honor, which per-
laps in on other instance, come to