The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-07-01
PETTICOATS AT THE BAR.
From the N. Y. Tribune.

from the N. 4. IT90tTe.
The other day, Mrs, Arabella Mansfield,
young lady of twenty-four, was admitted to
practice in the courts of Iowa. We are hear
tily glad of it, for we dare say there are many
functions of an attorney for which Mrs Mans
field is admirably qualified. There is no rea-
son in the world why the great bulk of what
is known as Office work in the legal profession
should not be performed by women, and of
course whatever enlarges womans opportu-
mites of earning an honest living, without
detracting from her natural position in
society, must be looked upon as a benefit to
the community at large. Mrs. Mansfeld's
husband was admitted to practice at the same
time; and we presume the pair might make a
very efficient firm uuder the title of ''Mans-
field and Husband, or Mansfield and Wife,"
according to circumstances. We do not re-
commend them to open separate offices, be-
cause they might happen to be engaged on
opposite sides of the same cause and one of
the two might have no better ground to go
upon than abuse of the opposite counsel
which would lead to unpleasant domestic con-
sequences But if Mrs Mansfield will mind
the Office while Mr.. Mansfield attends to the
courts, perhaps no two other lawyers in Iowa
may be able to compete with them.
We fear, however, that of the women who
aspire to be lawyers, comparatively few, even
supposing they had husbands, would be salts
fed with such division of labor. We fear
there is a lurking ambition among the femi-
nine students of Chitty and Blackstone to be
barristers rather than attorneys, and we con-
fess that the substitution of the chignon for
the horse-hair wig is not an attractive pros
pect. Think of the wife of your bosom, or the
maiden of your dreams, bullying witness in a
crowded courtroom, hectoring the judge, rant
ing till she is red in the face about the suffer
ings of the ill-used prisoner at the bar, hatter-
ing stupid jury, visiting the Tombs to con-
suit with her client, the eminent housebreaker
or the distinguished pickpocket, discussing in
public the foul details of mis- crime, and going
home to the domestic fireside cross, weary,
and hardened with the temper-trying labors of
the day. We do not believe any woman
could practice a year at the bar without
losing almost every quality that makes a
woman charming. But ,sides this, there is
still more serious danger, which we find so
pointedly illustrated by recent occurrence
in the British House of Lords, that we copy
an account of the affair from London news
paper
''The Shedden legitimacy case was resumed this
morning for the fifteenth Lme before the House OF
Lords The Lord Chancellor commented upon the
extreme prolixity of Miss Sheddens address, which
has now occupied fourteen days, and eXhorted her
to conhne her remarks TO the evidence. Shortly
after commencing TO address their lordships this
morning, Miss Shedden swooned and was carried
out DR. Bond being sent fer, testified that the lady
was suffering from hyseria, brought on by nervous
exhaustion Their lordshiPs postponed the case tll
TO proceed her father will be heard"
When women undertake to argue cases be-
fore Jury, how often will the experience of
Miss Shedden be repeated? An address four
teen days long, and only cut off at last by
hysteria Need we say more!