The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1854-01-12
. From tho Homo Journal.
The Professions

accident, not choice, determines the career
of most Of rs. But, here and there is a
youth who, owing to the circumstances of
parents or the strength of his own determin-
alton, is able to make up his mind what lie
will do in life and does it.
In foymer times, young men of this for
tunate class embraced, as matter of course
the profession of arms; and in somesof the
less progressive countries ofContinAatal Eu-
rope, the majority Of "well-bern" uth do
so to this day. The girls of Co<6nhagen
still prefer that the arms of soldb8 should
encircle them, when they waltz, and the
highest honours Of the court and cabinet
are still worn with the cpaulette .:I Ip those
countries, not to be soldier, is not to be-
long to the elite of society. Happily, our
own army is so small, that arms, as a profess
sioa for educated gentlemen, can scarcely he
said to exist among us. Millions of our
citizens live and die without ever seeing
man entitled to paint on his trunkthe let
tess u. S. A.
In this republic, the Law has been, till
within few years, the favourite profession
Of the fortunate few. The Law was the
beaten path to the highest honours. Every
President but two has been chosen from
the legal profession, and would not have
been of that profession. Every Vice Pres
idcnt whose name we can now call to mind,
was lawyer. Every man in our time who
has been prominent but unsuccessful can
didate for those offices, WAS lawyer. Every
Secretary of State. we believe, has been n
lawyer. Nearly every man that has been
distinguished in Congress was lawyer.
The leading persons in counties, towns and
villages, have generally been lawyers; and
down even to the present time, the profess
sion retains something of its former prestige.
1t is only in the last few years, that great
merchants, great manufacturers, great
writers, great engineers, great railroad
men, great agriculturists, great architects,
have begun to overtop and ovcrshadow the
wealth and consequence of great lawyers.
Lawyers know better than we do, that
the best days of tho legal profession are
over, and over forever. Simplified codes re.
duce fees. Improved manners and increas-
ing enlightenment diminish litigation. The
more men know, the better friends they are;
and the better friends men are, the more
likely they are to Inc able to settle their dis
putes without the assistance of a court. More
over, the great honours of tile State, once
so much covetcd-once 80 august and over
whelnlng-are now of far less account; be-
cause the whole country understands that
those high honours cannot, except by acci=
deut, fall upon the deserving hut srdsSen
ly tile stock in trade Of ssAatk disepesfaSs1
GLASS of me1s xisss hsys made - 1ss
IS r-E.:. ~
papers is even unintcllissCly, S I'll u
E"phatics'Iy, the ralmy dap. of 1a ~
"S We @ l.:lieve. there i. iis:s mar II lie
number of candidates for sucl, legal kono5uirss
rs are left; but in the quality of those can
dilates. there is a paIpaLle depreciation.
We cannot speak for other places, but in
New York, the elite of the young men do
not, as general thing, become students Of
law. When they do, it is beca,so an uncle
or father, or An intimate friend, i. the pos
SCISSOR of a business in which there is an
opening and prospect. In fact, to create
legal business in New York, is understood
to be just one degree within an impossible
ity. In the country, it is less difficult; but
to an honourable man, sometimes quite i'm
possible. For exnlple, there is town
about hundred miles from New York, in
whicl, reside four young lawyers, whose
united practice IA year ngo) would have
kept COW III tolcrablc pasture. They
were not the men to sit at their desks and
patiently starvc. On the contrary, they
had no sooner got license to practice, anu
their tin plates painted, Than ;;:,cy set a:,ou,
making stir IN the county, ito ge,," rs
one Of them happily termed It, ''tleir name.
up" A embraced the "tenpeiance cause,
and spoke at meetings. B. plunged into
Odd Fellowship, and passed his leisure mo
ments in whiting lodge and advocating til,
interests ofth Odd Fellows generally. c
went into, extrenities Of politics. and 90
his name in tho papers, D.idevoted him
tseif 70 tile church; and advanced so far OF
the road to prefsrment as to be allowed t.
ha,id' round the plate. These expedients
I We are Informed, have not been etnploye,
I III ysiin andi this fact aloncA.tlie fsct tia
: sach ss4rcdients could be successful is al
aHiost enough Of itself to put a stamp Of in
/ kany oil IL; pst1 We do not thin
: sit a going foo Esf f6pSay, that tho law
aasnoSr tlie lsat professions that one woul
pow rceompena TO . young man of honour
Esprit and talent e Ahnosg the elder mem
I, bess Of the5iegai psossesion, TIERS arc me
> Of tbs fsst rcspectabiIhy; Of ea4tAAinent talon
atd great worth; but q u not the professio
fora yoang man to ehoooe ia tho year .
J our Lord, f65ss r.';s -:'T T. az -
i' teis taking profession u and what
wanted ID uieSs nays b actson, and tile DOW
e. Or Of directing acstsoih. We want arcl,itec,
who, to ase tie language Of Mr.. Greenoue
can apply Greek principles, without in,ita
4 ihg Greek forms. This nation, in the conn
Of the rsat ffty years, is;to be torn dow
. and built up Bettss. Of Al,e two hundre
9 and fly churches standing this day in,Ne
d YoTk, nottwehty will exist IN the year 1oo'
+ but wiIl have been replaced by better one
Il architects can be found 70 build sthe,
When we consider, on tie one hand; III
rapidly With wbicl, property Is accuinula
o ed here, and OH tho other hand, the taste u,
q iversally diffased fos magnifcencc, We ca,
d not resist the conclusion, that the Unite
States Is about TO furnish the largest an