The Glenwood post., 1922-03-30
,ntion Of Brimstead.s note.

have been SklnnlnR the idfmSiS'
They sat down by the fireside In
Samson's house.
"Joe has decided that he wants to
be a lawyer" said Samson.
"Well, Joe, we'll all do what we can
to keep you from being shotgun
lawyer" Abe Lincoln began. I've got
good first lesson for you. found 1t
in letter which Rufus Choate had
written to Judge Davis. In 1t he says
that we rightly have great respect for
the decisions of the majority, but that
the law is something vastly greater
and more sacred than the verdict of
any majority. The law. he says,
comes down to us one mighty and
continuous stream of wisdom and e1-
perience accumulated, ancestral,
widening and deepening and washing
itself clearer as 1t runs on, the agent
Of civilization, the builder of a thou
sand cities. To have lived through
ages of unceasing trial with the pas
sions, interests and affairs of men, to
have lived through the drums and
tramplings of conquest, through revo-
luton and reform and all the changing
cycles Of opinion, 20 have attended
the progress Of the race and gathered
unto itself the appreciation Of civil
lied humanity is to have proved that
tai life"
The face Of Lincoln changed as he
recited the lines of the learned and
distinguished lawyer of Massachu-
chusetts.
His face glowed like lighted Ian
tern when he began to say those elo-
quent words" Samson writes in his
diary. HE wrote them down so that
Josiah could commit them to memory"
"That is wonderful statement"
Samson remarked.
Abe answered: ut suggests to me
that the voice of the people in any one
generation may or may not be in
spired, but that the voice of the best
men Of all ages, expressing their sense
Of justice and of right, In the law, is
and must be the voice of God. The
spirit and body Of its DEGREES are as
indestructible as the throne of Heaven.
You can overthrow them but until
their power is re-established, as surely
1t will be, you will live in savagery."
"You do not deny the right of revo-
luton"
mo, but can see no excuse for it
in America. 1t has remained for us
to add to the body of the law the idea
that men are created free and equal.
The lack of the saving principle In the
codes of the world has been the great
cause of injustice and oppression"
Honest Abe rose and walked up and
down the room in silence for a mo-
ment. Then he added:
"Choate phrased it well when he
said: we should beware of awaking
the tremendous divinities of change
from their long sleep. Let us think
of that when we consider what we
shall do with the evils that afflict u.s."
The boy Joe had been deeply In
terested in this talk.
"If you'll lend me book, I'd like
to begin studying" he said.
"There's time enough for that" said
Lincoln. "First, want you to under
stand what the law Is and what the
lawyer should be. You wouldn't want
to be a pettifogger. Choate is the
right model. He has a dignity suited
to the greatness Of his chosen master
They say that before a Justice of the
peace, In a room no bigger than
shoemaker's shop, his work is done
with the same dignity and care that
he would show in the supreme court
of Massachusetts,. A newspaper says
that in dog case at Beverly he
treated the dog as If he were a lion
and the grabbed old squire with the
consideration due chief justice"
"He knows how to handle the Eng
lish language" Samson observed.
HE got that by reading. He is the
best read man at the American bar
and the best Bible student. There's
lot Of work ahead of you, Joe, before
you are lawyer, and when you're
admitted success comes only Of the
capacity for work. Brougham wrote
the peroration of his speech In de-
fense Of Queen Caroline nineteen
times"
II want to be a great orator." the
boy exclaimed with engaging frank
ness.
"Then you must remember that
character IL the biggest part Of It,"
Honest Abe declared. Great thoughts
come out Of great character and
only out Of that They will come
even II ysu have little learning and
none Of the gracss which attract the
eye. But You must havea Character
that Is ever speaking. even when your
lips are silent. 1t must show In your
life and all the spaces between your
words. 1t will help you to choose and
charge them with the love Of great
things that carry conviction.
Irsnsnbsr. whsa 1 was 4 boy over
IN osntryvills. q shaggy. plain-dressed
man rsAs up to the dsor enc day. He
had cheerful. kindly face. His char
actsr began to speak to vs. before he
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