works shine across the years, every one of them has been born or brought up in large and simple surroundings. None of their nervous energy has been drawn away from them in early youth by "society" and by the complexities that divert the minds of men. All of them have had a broad and simple outlook, so that throughout their lives their minds become accustomed to deal with any problem in a big and simple way. So with Marshall.

He was designed for the Bar; and his father bought the first copy of Blackstone in this country, a copy of the first edition. John Marshall didn't read very much of it because the Revolution was coming on. The Marshalls were fighting men as all the yeomanry of Northern Virginia were. So Marshall was studying the manual of arms instead of Blackstone. among the first to march under the rattlesnake flag inscribed "Don't tread on Me," when the call came from Patrick Henry.

He was

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He had no opportunity to learn law then. He went in the army under Washington and there fought and suffered for four years until the terms of the men he commanded expired. He went back to Virginia to await the recruiting of new men whom he might take to the front. Thomas Jefferson being then Governor of Virginia, the men were not raised. Captain John Marshall then visited his father at Yorktown. father, Colonel Thomas Marshall, was in command at that historic place. He had been elected by the Virginia Legislature colonel of an artillery regiment, and Marshall went there to see his father, whom he adored. The friendship that existed between Thomas Marshall and his son, John Marshall, was very beautiful.

It happened that there lived in Yorktown the Ambler family, Jacquelin Ambler and his daughters. Mrs. Ambler was the celebrated beauty, Betty Burwell. She was one of the famous beauties of that period. It was she who threw over Thomas Jefferson. He was perfectly wild about her. If you look in the letters which he wrote at the time when he was a young man you will find his charming letters about Betty Burwell. But Jacquelin Ambler won her. There were three

or four daughters. All but one had grown up to young womanhood. One, Mary Ambler, was only fourteen years old. They were always giving balls in those days; so when Captain John Marshall, his name glowing with his record in war, came down to visit his father, the young ladies gave a ball. Among them were the Ambler girls, one of whom afterward became Mrs. Edward Carrington, and wrote very informing letters about that period. In one of her letters she tells us about this ball and what happened there; so we do not have to depend on rumor. She said that their minds were chiefly concerned about Captain John Marshall. His. name was very bright and high and the girls expected to see a handsome, dashing figure in brilliant uniform, and they all wanted to meet him, a young officer, as girls always do, and have a good time at the dance. He was the one on whom their minds were centered,-Captain John Marshall.

Mary Ambler had learned to dance but had not yet "come out," but having heard so much about Captain John Marshall, she said, "I am going to the dance, too, and set my cap at Captain Marshall and carry him off." So she went to the ball.

Mrs. Carrington said, "We were on the tip-toe of expecta tion. We thought we should see an Adonis, and this,-added to his fame as a hero and a soldier,-captivated our hearts in advance." After all had gathered at the ball, there came along a tall, guant, angular creature, with crude and rustic manners, whose clothes hung on him like a rack, and a slouch hat and unkempt hair;-that was John Marshall. "Instantly we lost interest in him—all except Mary," writes Mrs. Carrington. But John Marshall and Mary Ambler looked into each other's eyes; they fell in love with each other instantly; and then began that romance, the record of which lasted as long as she lived and which constitutes one of the most attractive and fascinating stories in all literature of affection.

Marshall thought that he would put in his time going to William and Mary College, fourteen miles from Yorktown. He went there and took law lectures under John Wythe, one of the members of the Constitutional Convention. But he was

thinking about Mary Ambler all the time. I have a copy of his note book that he kept at that time. It was found about fifteen years ago in an outhouse on the place where he died. There on one side are the notes he took of the law lectures and we know from that exactly what lectures he attended. At the beginning of the first page is written out in the bold hand he had in his youth, "Mary Ambler," on the cover inside "John-Polly," "Miss Mary-J. Marshall." Mary Ambler's name is written all over the book, showing perfectly clearly that he was thinking a good deal more of the girl than of the law lectures.

Marshall was at college just five weeks. Jacquelin Ambler, father of Mary, was appointed treasurer of the new State of Virginia and went to Richmond and took his girls with him, of course. On the way, he stopped over night at Williamsburg, where Marshall was at college, and another ball was given. John again met Mary there. The next morning the Ambler family went on to Richmond; and two weeks later John cut college. He could not stand it any longer, and he went to Fauquier County, stopping over in Richmond to see Mary Ambler. Thomas Jefferson was then Governor and he signed Marshall's license to practice law.

As I say he went to Fauquier County, where he was born, and tried to get a law practice, but he could not stay there on account of the girl,- so he went to Richmond where she lived. When she was 17 years old he married her. That is all the education John Marshall had in the law.

I have told you these things in order to condense later on. Of course this is more or less discursive. Let me now show Maryland's great part after the Constitution was adopted and show what her lawyers did for the development of the Constitution after John Marshall became Chief Justice.

His appointment to that office was not expected by any. body. He did not expect it himself. John Jay, who resigned to become Minister to England to negotiate a treaty, had the Chief Justiceship offered to him again, but he declined on the ground that the Supreme Court did not amount to anything. It was offered to William Cushing and he declined.

When Washington was President he offered it to Patrick Henry and he declined. You must remember that this is one of the great things in the life of John Marshall, perhaps the sum of all the great things, that at the time that he became Chief Justice of the United States the Supreme Court held a very low place not only in the opinion of the Bar, but in public esteem.

To put dramatically before you the condition of the Supreme Court at the time the Government was founded and as it continued to be when Marshall ascended the Bench, perhaps this incident will be useful. In designing the Capitol so little was thought about the Supreme Court of the United States, so small a place did it occupy in the minds of men,that no room was provided for it in the Capitol. That is how it happened that, when the seat of Government was moved to Washington, the Supreme Court of the United States held its sessions in a room in the basement of the Capitol. It amounted to practically nothing.

The office of Chief Justice was finally offered to John Marshall, who accepted it with great hesitation. He was then Secretary of State under John Adams. The reason he accepted it was undoubtedly two-fold: One was that with his simple mind, his clear penetration, with his vision he saw how powerful that then feeble court could be made. He saw what he carried out in his life work. It was necessary if democracy was going to stand and endure that there must be some steadying influence that is above the reach of the people and above the control of administrations, and above all partisan influences, some steadying influence which can say to all without partiality what is and what is not law under the Constitution of the United States. So he accepted.

In 1798, two years before this time, you will recall that he returned from France as chief of our Embassy there after his successful intellectual duel with Talleyrand. That is the time the French Republic had tried to force the American envoys to bribe the Directory. That is the time of the great "X. Y. Z. Affair." Marshall came back at a most dramatic instant in our history. It was upon his return when our naval

war with France broke out and on every hillside of the Re public were lighted fires of patriotism.

John Marshall was given a great reception in Philadelphia. There was a brilliant banquet given in his honor, and it was there that were spoken those words which have become famous, "Millions for defense, but not one cent for tribute," which were attributed by some to Charles Clotsworth Pinckney; but the words were first used at the Philadelphia banquet given to Marshall, and the author of them is unknown.

At that time it was that Joseph Hopkinson wrote the "President's March" or "Hail Columbia."

At that time there were great foreign propaganda in this country, something which had been going on since the second year of Washington's administration. Immediately on the outbreak of the age-old conflict between France and Great Britain, this country was subjected to terrific foreign propaganda-which has continued to this day under other names.

It is worth while noting that this is the only country in the world which is propaganda-ridden and always has been. The reason for that is clear. We all came from Europe. From the beginning certain European nations have all tried to sway our policy to their interests, every one of them.

So it was a tremendous foreign propaganda began, Jacobin Clubs were formed all over the country. Verbal assaults were made on the President. Things were said, which now look rather innocent, but greatly excited those people, great men though they were. It was felt that the country was on the verge of a declaration of war. We actually were engaged in real conflict with France on the seas. So the heads of the greatest political party the world has ever seen, bar none, the Federalist party, the party that gave us our Constitution, if it can be said any party did it; the party that laid down our foreign policy; the party that gave us our concept of nationality-those men of that party, in the midst of these strenuous times, lost their heads and passed the Alien and Sedition Laws, which provided, in a word, that the President might deport any person whom he thought dangerous to the