The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1872-02-29


ike this, thal you have ilis undoubtedly
a question Of Interest to sou what sbsll
be done With Il when you are gone. Nou
must go AZ some time, aud may eo very
suddenly ~ any rate you will probably
not live nearly as long as you expect to.
II YOU die without win, the law will DO
The best tcanin making just disposition
Of your property among your relatives.
Perhaps you are satisfied TO let the law DO
this for you. II so, very we'll But ii Is
altogether probable thai sou have some
preference as 10 the disposition Of your
property. Aou may wish 20 bc,tow some
fit IN charity This the law win not do
for you. You must see to it for YOURSELF
or else let It 20 undoue; and IN letting Il
go undone, You may let q very clear duty
60 uudone. You may have some child
that Il feeble ia body on mind or lhat has
had special misiortue, and needs special
consideration h Is for You alone To con-
slider this child. Tho law knows nothing
about It's special wants and cauuot pro-
vide for them Nou may have no chill
dren, aud may have quite a choice which
among your nephews aud uieges shall
take your property II so, yoa must see
10 IT, The law will not .eleet for You.
The rich aud the poor, the deserving and
the undescrying, will all take alike. You
may have an adopted daughter whom YOU
have accustomed to comforts and perhaps
luxuries, who will be left pcnuicss un-
less You provide for her lou must re-
member her aud not trust to the law 60 do
t. And YOU may, with rare sense Of
Justice, recognize the right Of your good
wife TO a more ample allowance for her
comfort than the law will give her. II SO,
il is for you TO think Of her and provide
for her. The law does not know what
remarkably good wife she is, and what a
special claim she has upon you, and gives
her only her fixed aud too limited portion,
dividing the rest, il you have no children,
among collateral relatives, some of whom
perhaps You never saw. Consider well,
then, whether il is not a clear duty to
those whom you love, or to some good
objects that you might aid, if yon make
will
And now, ia the second place, il you
have made up your mind that you ought
TO make will, let me say to you most
emphatically MAKE m Now. You don't
know how soon you will die. Your only
sure way Is TO attend to the matter at
once. If you put it off from day TO day you
probably never will make one. The fact
that so many wills are made by men Oh
their death-beds shows how often per-
sons who intend to make a will, and
would be very sorry TO die without one,
neglect it till they find themselves just
about to die. Now, let me give you three
reasons against postponing the making Of
your will till you are fatally sick, either
Of which is reason enough of itself: /.
may never have any such sickness. You
may drop down dead, or be killed in a
railroad accident, or be burned up, or be
blown up, or drowned. 2. If you have
leisurely dcath-bed time of it, your
mind will be enfecbled; things that you
could easily have settled by little
thought when you were well, viii trouble
and perplex you, and you win very likely
decide them unwisely and wrongly. 3.
Your will, thus made, may be contested,
and will really invite parties adversely
interested to contest it, on The ground Of
your feeble condition, Of which evidence
can be easily obtained; and, as a result
your viii is either sci aside and all your
plans defeated, or, tit is sustained, half
your property may be spent in litigation
and life long family quarrel engendered.
And now, in the third place, fyou arc
50 thoughtful and prudent as to have
made Il will, another most important mat
ter is 10 be considered DO you keep
yonr will revised and adapted to new cir
cumstauces? Has yourproperty doubled
since the will was made? Then, probably,
you want to give more to your wife, more
TO 4, moro TO j, more to the Lord Con-
slider this. Have you given 60 one Of
your children piece Of real estate a. bis
fair share Of your property, and have you
since sold that real estate 50 that child
will get nothing unless your will is
changedl Look well to this The writer
who has had long experience as a lawyer,
can recall many cases where most unior-
tunate results have followed from tie
neglect to keep a win IN order.
And now IN the fourth place, lei me say
a word 70 you about what provision you
should make for your wife. Tie laws Of
tho different States vary somewhat, bot
az general rule, give widow a lie use
of onc-third Of The land owned by the
husband, aid All absolute right 70 one
third Of ii personal property Itlt after
the payment of debts This rule, under
Tie impression that il j. "a just one, has
very frequently been adopted by hus
band, 81 lbcir beque-l- 70 their wiyes.
- give to ny nitbtuI BOD beIoyed wife
her thirds, find il. way u did soa few
years ago, into bali Of tho willie, hop
this Is not enough Inle there arc
good reasons 70 the contrary The wife
should have substantially ail Die property
. long az shc llyes There { generally
10 reason il ibe property i efficient,
Why the family should u0t be Kept pp by
The wife ancr Tie husband death iust a.
It was before and ti,c husband should
lcaHe her. II Dc ean. Tie same neans %