on his return from a voyage to the
Hawaiian Islands he delivered his famous lecture at the Academy of
Music. It was a marvelous address, in which with apparently no effort he
led his audience to heights of appreciative enthusiasm in the most
felicitous description of the beautiful and wonderful things he had
seen, and then dropped them from the sublime to the ridiculous by some
absurd reference or surprisingly humorous reflection.

The sharp contrast between his incomparably beautiful word paintings and
his ludicrous humor was characteristic of two sides of the waggish
newspaper reporter who developed into a good deal of a philosopher and
the first humorist of his time.

SHELDON GAYLORD KELLOGG

Among my nearest friends I am proud to count Sheldon G. Kellogg,
associated through both the Unitarian church, the Sunday-school, and the
Chit-Chat Club. He was a lawyer with a large and serviceable conscience
as well as a well-trained mind. He grew to manhood in the Middle West,
graduated in a small Methodist college, and studied deeply in Germany.
He came to San Francisco, establishing himself in practice without
acquaintance, and by sheer ability and character compelled success. His
integrity and thoroughness were beyond any question. He went to the root
of any matter that arose. He was remarkably well read and a passionate
lover of books. He was exact and accurate in his large store of
information. Dr. Stebbins, in his delightful extravagance, once said to
Mrs. Kellogg, "Your husband is the only man I'm afraid of--he knows so
much." At the Chit-Chat no one dared to hazard a doubtful statement of
fact. If it was not so, Kellogg would know it. He was the most modest of
men and would almost hesitate to quote the last census report to set us
right, but such was our respect for him that his statements were never
questioned; he inspired complete confidence. I remember an occasion when
the Supreme Court of the state, or a department of it, had rendered an
opinion setting aside a certain sum as the share of certain trustees.
Kellogg was our attorney. He studied the facts and the decision until he
was perfectly sure the court had erred and that he could convince them
of it. We applied for a hearing in bank and he was completely sustained.

Kellogg was an eminently fair man. He took part in a political
convention on one occasion and was elected chairman. There was a bitter
fight between contending factions, but Kellogg was so jus