Taney, the Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, he
made him his successor, giving him the highest judicial office in
the land, and paying him the added compliment of writing out his
nomination with his own hand.
The keynote of the President's young life had been persevering
industry. That of his mature years was self-control and generous
forgiveness. And surely his remark on the night of his second
election for President, that he did not think resentment "paid,"
and that no man had time to spend half his life in quarrels, was
well borne out by the fruit of his actions. It was this spirit
alone which made possible much that he was able to accomplish.
His rule of conduct toward all men is summed up in a letter of
reprimand that it became his duty, while he was President, to
send to one young officer accused of quarreling with another. It
deserves to be written in letters of gold on the walls of every
school and college throughout the land:
"The advice of a father to his son, 'beware of entrance to a
quarrel, but, being in, bear it that the opposed may beware of
thee,' is good, but not the best. Quarrel not at all. No man
resolved to make the most of himself can spare time for personal
contention. Still less can he afford to take all the
consequences, including the vitiating of his temper and the loss
of self-control.
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