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 John Marshall.

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the midst of the Revolutionary agitations Point, and was one of the memorable army prior to the Declaration of Independence. that endured the rigorous winter at Valley It was a stirring time, in which men's minds Forge. There his judicial abilities seem to and passions and ideals were aroused and have been recognized by his fellow officers chastened and uplifted. They were years of and subordinates, as he was often asked -to patriotic ardor and sacrifice. They were settle disputes. There, also, he acted as years which brought out whatever unselfish deputy judge-advocate, and as such came devotion to principle, whatever courage to into personal relations with Washington and fight and, perchance, to die for those princi Hamilton. During the winter of 1779 and ples, and all the serene hope for the future, 1780, he was stationed at Williamsburg, there were in man. It was a time that in where he attended lectures on law and spired men with almost supernatural abili natural philosophy at William and Mary ties, and Marshall, College, and with with his healthy in a year was ad nature, brought up mitted to practice. in a thinly popu His rise in the pro lated district of fession was steadi northeastern Vir ly consistent, and ginia, ardently within a very short drank in the spirit time he became the of the age. With acknowledged the exception of a leader of the Vir ginia bar. His year, when he was fourteen, in which rapid advance he was sent to ment was due not school in West to any of the arts moreland County, of the advocate, for where he began he had neither the study of Latin, "melody of voice, nor grace of ges and the succeed ing year, when he ture, nor elegance had the advantage of style," but to his

JOHN MARSHALL. extraordinary in of a Scotch clergy (At the age of 46. From a miniature.) man's tuition in tellectual force. He Horace and Livy, was, and he felt himself to be, pre-eminently a lawyer. he had no instruction in his boyhood, except that which his father gave. At The profession suited both his tastes the age of eighteen he began the study of the and his talents, and it was only under law, but soon his energies were concentrated pressure that he swerved from it to en He was elected to upon the grave public questions which were ter the political arena. then coming to their crisis, and he forsook the Virginia legislature of 1782, and in the the study of jurisprudence for that of arms. autumn of that year became a member of In the spring of 1775 he entered the militia the executive council, which latter position he soon resigned, only to be elected to the service of Virginia as a lieutenant and con During these tinued in military service until January, 1781, legislature again in 1784. during which time he took his part as years his reputation as a lawyer steadily lieutenant or captain in the battles of Bran- grew, and the conviction that a strong cen dywine, Germantown, Monmouth and Stony tral government, capable of restoring and