The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-07-15

trusted the delicate professional task oi
 drafting tha Sage will. In that document
 Mir. Goodwin was named as one of the
 executors. But he died shortly before l Mir. Sage passed away. Had he lived and
 been abla to serve as exeeutor, his legal | fees for that service would have brought ! him q considerable fortune.
 ] That wo1la have been acceptable to MT. 1 Goodwin, but neither Mir. Sterling noI Mr Stillinan would for a moment have considered as of any importance such remunetation as each would have been entitled to receive had he been able to serve as eSeeutor or@trustee.
 When the subject could be discussed with dignity and propriety after the 1 death last winter of Mr. Stilman, 1t seemed to center upon the possible if noc probable ckoice of Mir. Sterling as .he successor of Mir. Stillman as the execI- tive leader e the National City bank, for it was n matater of common knowl- edge that much of the brilliant organize tion achievements of Mir. Stillman after he became president of this bank re flected counsel both personal and profes- sional which he received from MT, Ster- ling. Both were verss able men and in many Of their intellectual and some Of their temperamental qualities they were alike, and their intimacy was profound and sincere.
 But it was to be otherwise possibly because it was considered more appro- priate that Mir. Stillman's son should D., named for this important post; possibly because were the suggestion made to MT. Sterling he would have replied that he had reached the time of life when men do not wisely accept new and i'm portant responsibilities
 ONE OF GREATEST LAWYERS
 The very able lawyers whose profes- sional services were of inestimable im- portanec, heginnningy as they did at the dawn of the new era which began after the close of the civil war, have almost all passed away within few years. There was Johnson of. Philadelphia, whose name stood among the list of pre- eminent lawyers and whose services were of far greater consequence than the pun- lie knew; there was Cadawallader, who, like MT. Sterling, was of enyiable pro- fessional reputation and furthermore, q 5 was the case with MT. Sterling, little known to tie public. There was Southr mayd, who some have thought possessed the profoundest intellect of any of the partners of the law firm of which Wit liam M. Everts was the head. There was Choate, who used to be ranked among the most brilliant of American ad- vocates. There was James C. Carter, who was frequently referred to as the leader of the American bar and others who gained professional fame which matched that secured by the great law yers Of earlier times, even by Rufus Choate, or Charles OConor or Samuel J. Tilden. These lawyers had much to IG with those readjustments of American business and industrial life which were necessary after the nation was reunited, especially when the telephone, the fast mail and other instrumentalities for the instant communication of intelligence and the shortening of time and distance made inevita ble vast changes in indus trial, commercial and financial lie or the American people.
 MT. Sterling knew no mistress but the law, although he permitted himself that form of recreation which seems to have been especially characteristic of some of our great legal minds and our ablest statesmen, as for instance, Daniel Web ster and Grover Cleveland, for Mr. Ster- ling was all enthusiastic fisherman, seeking that sport in the wilds of Cana da. He was not recluSe for he was a member of many clubs, although he did not often viist these institutions. He took some interest in politics, but he stood in the background while doing that, possibly because he felt that if he per mitted himself to become prominent he would instantly hear reproaches that he, a very able corporation lawyer. so-called, should have dared to take personal Ill., terest in party politics. He knew how previously disturbed one very eminent lawyer has been because of accusations that be was a corporation lawyer and MT. Sterling doubtless knew that had 1t not been for the danger which would be occa stoned were this lawyer to be nomi- mated for the highest office he, rather than another, who was nominated and elected, would have been named by one of the great parties as it's candidate for President.
 If Mir Sterling had chosen business career rather than the law, he undoubt- edly would have become associated with the ables5 business forces of the United States as a constructive power He was, in fact, thus associated, but it was partly because of ms professional relation to some of the more important corporations.
 He was q master mind in the work of reorganization, rehabilitation and health full upbuilding of railroad properties Some of his achievements of this kind have been placed side by side with other records of highly successful reorganiza- tions, especially with some of the bril- liant work of that kind which Samuel J. Tilden performed before he became gov ernor of New York and candidate of the democratic party for President.
 MASTER OF ENGLISH
 The late James c. Carter, one of the ablest legal intellects of his time, and master of English prose- was accus- toned to speak of the prose style Of Gov ernor Tilden as worthy of all considera- tion by students of the English tongue, saying that it lacked but one thing to make it perfect and that was warmth Tildens style has been compared with that of Goldwin Smith, clear as crystal. faultless in construction, but as cold as ice.
 MT. Sterling, had he chosen, could have gained recognition as master of the English tongue, who in addition to clar- ity, ccnsciseness and accuracy of eXpres- sion would have been able to infuse also warmth and color into all he wrote, for these qualities were characteristic of his conversation.
 MT. Sterling put himself in the com pany of some of the great lawyers of ms time who permitted themselves no do- nestle ties. Tilden maintained a beauu- ful home. bu. in it was family Soutk~ mayd, Carter Cadawallader and Sterling knew nothing of domestic joy, excepting as the observation of those who possessed it gave hint to them, for such homes as they did establish were mere convenient resting places. They chose the life or