Evening star., 1925-02-08

" HE most agitated man ] met in
the recent presidential CAM
paign was one who saw a life
long and almost realized am
bition forever ruined by the
election of a certain candidate. 1t took
but little acumen on the part of disin-
terested observer to know that this
aspirant would never be President of
the United States, but my interlocu-
tors fears had destroyed his political
sense. That is the way fear operates.
1t was the reason the man gave
for the fate hanging over him that
interested me. Ten years before, he
said-he was an engagingly frank
person-he had deliberately snubbed
the candidate for no other reason
than that he didn't like his man
ners" The snub had been admins
tered in the presence of others and
here was the victim on top-soon to
have the power, and my man believed
he would have the will, to ruin his
ambition.
What a fool he had been-and what
a cad! He seemed to be getting for
the first time in his life glimpse of
what it is to be a gentleman.
x X < x
His experience is not so unusual.
There are many of us called to face
the fact that snubs are unpleasant
birds which often come home to roost.
You frequently find them perching on
humiliated heads as you read history
Here is a story of one such historical
f1nd-unearthed 20 or more years ago
when I was looking for somebody who
had been on one side or the other of
a famous trial in which Abraham
Lincoln first met Edwin NJ. Stanton.
Stanton was a great man." both
in his own estimation and in that OF
his profession. Lincoln was great
neither to himself nor anybody else,
and Stanton, the known, succeeded in
making Lincoln, the unknown, feel
that there was a deep gulf both pro-
fessionally and socially between
them.
Young 1awy ers-and others-even
If their instincts are gentle and hu-
name, are quick to take their cue
from their superiors, and to be gentle
or brutal, humane or inhumane, as
are their leaders.
X X X
In the legal battery to which Mr..
Stanton and Mr.. Lincoln belonged IN
that trial was a young legal special
list in patents-the case hung on the
validity of certain patents. 1t was
fine thing for him to be associated
with Edwin M. Stanton - 1t might
mean much to him in the future. He
wanted to make the most of 1t.
The three were at the same motel,
and as it happened started out the
first day at the same moment for the
court Lincoln was never what we
call a well groomed" man. His
clothes, although they were always
neat and of good material, hung" on
him. Stanton and his young asso-
ciate were models of good tailoring.
The straw that broke their backs.
however, was that Lincoln appeared
with an umbrella-large, green, un-
rolled. and he held 1t in the middle.
Stanton looked him over, and de-
liberately turning his back started
alone out Of the hotel. The young
associate did the same-a rude and
unfriendIy act to one of the biggest,
friendliest souls on earth, and 1t was
the beginning of several days of SIM
liar snubbing.
* x X X
Stanton lived to make amends. The
young man never had the chance'
though he learned and made humbie
confession of his mistake.
He did not learn it well enough,
however. to avoid a repetition.
Twenty or twenty-five years later
he, too, was great" now in his spe-
cialty-he was in New York state