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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (April 1, 1886)
THE WEST SHORE. 11S MORRIS W. FECHHEIMER, IN the death of Mr. Fechheimer, Portland ha l.wt one of her most valued citizens, and humanity a friend, yet only the few who knew him intimately can appreciate the loss. A close friendship, begin ning while boys together in a store in Sacramento, and continuing uninterruptedly to the moment of his death, enables the publisher of The West Siioue to speak of him with a knowledge of his charaoter few possess. Mr. Fechheimer was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Sep tember 11, 1844, and died in this city, March 15, 1880, in the prime of life and enjoying the full vigor of his mental faculties. He began oommeroial life early, in Sacramento, and being ambitious of securing a higher range for his abilities, entered upon the study of law in his hours of leisure. Later, in Canyon City, Oregon, he pursued the same course persistently and industriously until he was admitted to the bar, and abandoned mer cantile pursuits to devote himself to his chosen profes sion. In 18C6 he began practice in Portland, and in the twenty years of active service in this city rose to be the acknowledged head of the bar in Oregon. He was a lawyer and not a politician. His energies were devoted to advancement in his profession and to the elevation of the profession itself above the levol to which the oon duct of bo many tends to drag it down. Clean, pure and noble in every instinct, he inspired those of his compeers with whom he came in contact with a higher regard for their calling, and a deep respect for himself aa a man and an exponent of that noble profession which has drawn to itself the greatest minds and hearts of the human family for ages. What he Bought for he gained, if persistence and ability rendored the gaining of it pos sible, and what he once acquired his mind grasped and held for all time. There was no loak, no aperture through which hardly-acquired knowledge escaped and was lost With a memory retentive of every detail, he possessed a logical mind of the highest ordur and the power of concentrating his faculties upon a problem, bo that his judgment was seldom in error. So much had he employed these faculties, his logic seemed almost an instinct, and his mind quickly penetrated the mist of sophistries with which any subject might be obscured, and went direct to its core, seizing upon it and holding it up to the view of those who had been too mystified by false reasoning to see it for themselves. With such abilities, such habits of industry and thought, inch persistence in following his chosen path, thore was, ap parently, no limit to what he might have accomplished had not the Reaper's dread sickle ended his career when it had bnt fairly begun. As a man, apart from his profession, he was less known by the community, though here was the greater glory of his life. Although of Jewish parentage, bis mind rose above all distinctions of race or creed, and looked upon the human family as one common brother hood, alike entitled to the enjoyment of the gifts of na ture, no matter bow unequal mentally and physically they had been rendored by circumstances affecting them as iiKlmiluiila or raoea. Hm H'jicra waa tLulul ualure, aud he took a broad and philosophic view of life, its duties and possibilitioa. He was generous by impulso, and his charities, both in ponton aud through his family, were extensive. In this ha made no narado. alwava , ( r v avoiding publicity, and rofraining from mentioning even to his most intimate friends his numorous act of be- nevolouoo, Evory organised charity, scotariau and non sectarian, was in rooeipt of genorous contributions from him, and at his death he made them liberal bequests. In this ho lias set an example which others of our suo oesHful men should follow. He was a liberal friend of education, aud an earnest advooate and promoWr of in- diiMtries that would aid the city and furnish work to nie chnnios and laborers. He held stock in several manu facturing enterprises, as a practical way of assisting la bor. He also built the Casino, not as an investment for he knew it would not be a profitable one, but to furnish the people a plaoe of cheap and harmless amusement. He was originator aud President of Uie Oregon Fire and Marino Iusurauce Company. He was also the originator of a scheme for supplying the city with water at cheap rates.. Though always liberal in the use of his money, without being in any sense profligate, he left an estate valuod at over two hundred thousand dollars, so- quired honorably and without the exercise of parsimony in any particular. In everything he sought the high est good of humauity, aiming an to live, as he et- , pressed it on his death-Unl, that the world would be bet tur for his having lived in it. As a hualiand and father he was kind aud iudulgcnt, a guide for their conduct and a strong rod for his loved ones to lean uon in time of trouble. He did not believe in secret orders and so- ciutios, thinking they ooutainod a principle of selfish ness not in harmony with his ideas. He belonged to no organizations that wore not of a purely benevoleut char acter. He was very fond of pictures, flowers, mualo and everything that was beautiful in nature and art He possessed one of the largest and best private libra ries in the State, aud his law library was largo and well selected. His sound common-sense and cultivated mind rendered his judgment of the value of books or works cf art almost faultless. No on oould convene with him on those subjects without being struck with his knowledge and the refinement of his taste. Like all meu of a positive nature ho neoesaarily made ene mies, though they were few. Nor was his list of Ulti mate friends large. Ho never sought popularity nor social distinction, and though always oourteou and pleasant, he never made special effort to gain the friend ship or good will of any one, his friends being those who, during a course of social or business contact, had won his esteem. The few who bacamo acquainted with him in his inner lifo were more like brothers than friends, and his conduct toward them always transcend ed the limits of mere friendship. It Is they who foal his loss most keenly, aud 'tis oue of them who pays this faint tribute to his memory.