Page:Pacific Monthly volumes 9 and 10.djvu/70



TKos. B. Reed—

The death of Ex-Speaker Thomas B. Reed came unexpectedly. Mr. Reed was a great man. His achievements had been manifold and notable. But he was greater than his achievements. What he accomplished was considerably less than what he had the ability to accom- plish. He had the vision and the strong convictions of the great statesman, and whenever he applied the power which he posssesed to the embodiment of his ideas in national law, he very ably min- istered to his country's welfare. He greatly honored the State of Maine in his distinguished public career, and, like Fessenden and Blaine, from the same State, has left a name which will have lasting and most creditable place in the national history.

VToodroiv VTilson—

Princeton's new president receives the following well-merited tribute of praise in an editorial in the Century:

With what strength and hopefulness of countenace he fronts the peculiar duties of his new office, the numerous transcripts of his face suggest. It has the Covenanter's large-featured, lean- visaged, unyielding determination when it is set ; yet so kindly is the heart that lights it that there is almost a consciousness of effort in its firmness, and so equitable is the mind which con- trols it that its decision is never unrea- sonableness or hardness. Year after year the outgoing senior class at Princeton has registered his popularity. It is, however, not one bought by len- iency or the showing of favor. It is the response to the compelling qualities of the man — qualities merged under thf^ favoring democratic conditions of the old College of New Jersey, into an ef- ficiency which unorganized or intem- perately directed or thriftlessly used

they could not have had — the compel- ling qualities of a great teacher, who could "jest to your instruction" and "beguile you into being informed be- yond your wont and wise beyond your birthright."

C. C S. Wood- Charles Erskine Scott Wood, an ex- cellent photograph of whom is publish- ed herewith, was born in 1852, in Erie^ Pennsylvania, of Scotch-Irish and Eng- lish extraction. His mother was Rose Curson. and his father, Wm. Maxwell Wood, was the first surgeon-general of the Navy.

Mr. Wood was appointed to West Point and graduated in 1874. He was sent to the Pacific Coast with the 21st Infantry and stationed first at Camp^ Bidwell, California, and later at Van- couver Barracks, then called Fort Van- couver. In 1876 he was a member of an exploring expedition to Alaska, and on his return he saw his first actual service in the Nez Perce Indian war, in which his gallant conduct won him the place of aide de camp to the Com- manding General. During the cam- paign against the Pi Utes in 1878, he was promoted to ist Lieutenant of the 2ist Infantry. Soon after he served as Judge Advocate of the Department of the Columbia, and the next year was admitted to the Bar of Washington Territory, thus taking the first step in the profession which held for him such signal success and distinction.

In 1881 he returned East to serve 3S Adjutant of the U. S. Military Acad- emy. Two years later he received the degrees of L. L. B. and Ph. B. from Columbia University. The next year he resigned from the army and was admitted to the Bar of Oregon. When the Oregon National Guard was organ- ized. Mr. Wood was appointed Licit-