h the Church of his
fathers, he did not feel called to its professional service. He had
long since made up his mind as to his future career, and in 1861, when
scarcely twenty, he went to Montreal to study law.

By this time the paternal purse was lean, for the demands of a growing
family and his own generous disposition helped to reduce the surveyor's
means, which never had been too abundant. The young student, thrown on
his own resources, secured a post in the law office of Laflamme and
Laflamme which enabled him to undertake the law course in M'Gill
University. Rodolphe Laflamme, the head of the firm, one of the
leaders of the bar in Montreal, was active in the interests of the
radical wing of the Liberal party, known as the _Rouges_.

The lectures in M'Gill were given in English. Thanks to his experience
at New Glasgow and his later reading, the young student found little
difficulty in following them. Harder to understand at first were the
Latin phrases in Mr, afterwards Judge, Torrance's lectures on Roman
law, for at that time the absurd English pronunciation of Latin was
{11} the universal rule among English-speaking scholars. Most helpful
were the lectures of Carter in criminal law, admirably prepared and
well delivered. J. J. C. Abbott, a sound and eminent practitioner, and
a future prime minister of Canada, taught commercial law. Laflamme had
charge of civil law. Young Laurier made the most of the opportunities
offered. While carrying on the routine work of the office, joining in
the political and social activities of his circle, and reading widely
in both French and English, he succeeded admirably in his law studies.
H. L. Desaulniers, a brilliant student whose career came to an untimely
close, and H. Welsh, shared with him the honours of the class. In
other classes at the same time were Melbourne Tait, C. P. Davidson, and
J. J. Curran, all destined to high judicial rank. The young student's
success was crowned by his being chosen to give the valedictory. His
address, while having somewhat of the flowery rhetoric of youth, was a
remarkably broad and sane statement of policy: the need of racial
harmony, the true meaning of liberty, the call for straightforward
justice, and the lawyer's part in all these objects, were discussed
with prophetic eloquence.

{12}

But even the most eloquent of valedictories is not a very marketable
commodity. It was necessary to get rapidly to work to earn a living.