eagerly listened to his synthetic arguments. Other children were born to him, and among them John Graham, Charles K. Graham, DeWitt Clinton Graham and a daughter — each of whom he carefully educated. Two of the boys, in due time after being discharged from the ken and care of tutors and profes sors, followed their father's- profession; and one, Charles, became a civil engineer, with military and naval leanings; and thereafter, during the Mexican and Civil wars, at Vera Cruz and Fort Fisher, bravely and intelli gently vindicated his ability in the profes sion of engineering. Early in the thirties of this century, young David Graham began, after having been admitted to the Bar, to rival his father; and to cause contemporaries to recall the old couplet: — "To teach his grandson draughts his leisure he 'd employ : Until at last the old man was beaten by the boy."
distinguishing his father." That Trinity Sunday had with it, also, the making of an other picture for memory's gallery — that of an Astor as a church warden passing the offertory plate to the free pew, and receiving the copper coins of indigent hearers. Young David Graham soon tried his " pren tice hand " at making a law book, which he dedicated to his parent. It was a book of practice, and now as obsolete in libraries as Fearne on Contingent Remainders, or the law dictionary of the original legal Jacobs. But until superseded by the code of David Dudley Field, it became during two decades the vade mecum of the New York practi tioner. Although treating of dry proced ures, its clearness of style and attractive comment were very Grahamist — for in those particulars father and son excelled. But, although a master of civil procedures, the taste of both the David Grahams — and that of the junior notably — tended toward the procedures of criminal jurisprudence. Both The celebrated scientist, physician, racon teur, and biographer, Doctor John W. were in their happiest legal vein when de Francis, whose volume entitled " Old New fending accused persons before the police York " is still sought after in libraries, magistracy, the Recorder, or the Oyer and narrates that to see the two David Grahams Terminer. David Graham, Jr., was only together — father and son — in a court thirty-eight years old when he was selected room, dividing honors in a pending case, by legislative act as one of three commis was an interesting sight; for the father's sioners to compile a code of criminal pro pride, superior to any jealousy, or to love cedure — the germ of the Field code now in of experienced opinion, in his son was a statutory use in the State of New York. pleasing spectacle. I can well appreciate And to further show how early his legal ex this statement; for among the most charm cellence became known, I add that he had ing pictures of real life that I hang in my been, when only twenty-four years old, ap gallery of memory is one where the scene pointed one of a committee of lawyers to was Trinity Church in New York, when prepare a new City Charter that was in General John A. Dix, flushed with honors tended to supersede old royal instruments, as a governor, senator, cabinet officer and and to be submitted to popular vote. For Union general, was one Sunday seated in a the practice of criminal jurisprudence, the front pew, as a vestryman, listening to his elder and younger David Graham were ad son, Morgan Dix, as rector, delivering a mirably fitted by reason of their great mag sermon. The look of proud delight on the netism of manner, and adroitness and General's countenance was unmistakable, readiness in questioning at nisi prius, or in and seemed to announce, without sign of stating propositions of law to the Court. egotism, " Parishioners, the man on whose The eyes of David Graham, Jr., were pecu eloquence you hang is my son, and he is liarly lustrous and full of frankness. When
