The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1872-12-24
mibolrburp 3rgister
TUESDAY. DECEMBER ~, 1872.


turc, OF much OF tho morals oil society.
oud Of not little Of the curroat status Y
or DRIFT of things III general. 1t Is \
standing institution ct society, Que % 4
great importance. 1t is so to all. JUS
as u system Of sewerage is OF vast import.
nucc to IA great community, or IA good
Sitter is to an oQncduct or 20 I'd dixie
to low country like Holland. Law l.
peedful for the Iawless. Al mun won
be IA law uuro themselves. But few are
The Golden Rule, Thich, were it gener
ally applied in tho practices OF society
would 9uperscdc most, it not all necessity
of legal cuactmeuts, is not IN auy great
use. While all acknowledge ITS genuine
value, its golden worth for the world II,
large, few think it worth enough Tor Their
own individual use. Its benevolent aud
generous, aud largely charitable ideal
dou't suit the hard and uniecing, and
narrow and exclusive. aud selfish and
personal characters Of the men of active
life. 1t shines as star otthe first mag
nitude, like Venus am ng the luminares
of moral life tut we prefer come more
flexible and cxpcd,cnt radiant, by which
to guide our ordinary business aud con-
duct our social navigation. We yield to
the higher law our praise, but 6estow on
lowsr onos cur practice. We concede
the exalted wisdom OF the divine rlle.
but chose human wisdom for cur real
guide. With an apprehension, which ex-
ats human nature aud compliments our
selves. VIC unite duness of faulty.
which begins in uuieeling and suspicious
selfshuess, and ends in dishouesties. in
squabbles, and finally in handing our
selves over to tho tender mercies Of law,
or rather Of the lawyers. If the former
were plain, if it were not matter Of
EXTREMIST completely, full Of form, as it
would seem to all but lawyers. OF need
less multiplicity, an iuexplicable com.
pound, to any but minds of the severest
training, it were less foolish in thousands
of cases ito law" But as it is, there Is
no expedieut to which ordinary men re-
sort, OF which they have less knowledge.
than law.suit. Take almost any case,
and what spectacle to excite the sym
pathies Of the compassionate, are the
plaintiff and the defendant. They are
like two little skitfs. exposed to the beat
ings of adverse wind.currents, and tossed
with probable shipwreck full in view to
one or both, upon the cross seas Of a To-
ral cyclone. The law to them is like o
Niaaar;au torrn,,. f,ll Of rnr;i' "..A hill
pools, aud sure to end in the plunge Of
the cateract. One class alone enjoy il
tho legal. They arc in paradise
Their sh:ewd, astute, cunning learned
looks, their fat and weII-to-do condition
the enjoyment of their practice, the 'dia-
mond Cut diamond play OF their reason.
ing aud Of their wit their sceInir- aud well
di>sembled interest in their clients, while
their suit is ending, aud their apparent
Indifference to his fate an TO their owl
i'll success, il he fail. why. to one vino
only judges according IN appearances. and
who of course miJudyes altogether, tn,
spectacle is somewhat like couple o.
naked and deieuseless hathprs among d
school of sharks. Happy he whose wis
dom dwels with prudence. and who keep
OUT OF ,uch waters altogether.
Bat this is only one side, anu such re
marks are only applicable to certai'
class of cases There are others in which
the legal profession mngni6es its Office
aud when 1t hccumts the defense OF the
honest, the sober, the industrious and tn,
legal Would it were never otherwise
Would it never used its great ability, it.
legal acumen, its judicial lore, IT'S eo
9uent speech, aud sharp, shrcwd manage
ment. its great influence, but to expos,
vice, to drag forth hidden villanics, t.
meet out punishment to scoundrclS, anc
to make virtue and goodness aud justice
ever to rejoice.
But to expect this in legal practice is
perhaps, to demand that lawyers shall be
purer than all other classes of men.
is to elevate them above human nature
and humanity generally. 1t is to reqnir,
OF these more than the average man il
wont to profess and to perform. 1t may
be said, that lawyers are but men, aut
that law at the best is imperfect. Verl
true the one are human aud the other
proof Of it, both are liable to err. Blu
then, is this excuse wholly valid. AS
profession, why, since it is q learned one
since those who belong to it are among
the best trained minds of society, hav
we not Il right to expect lawyers to b
TAR above the average man, far above il
all that adorns and exalts and gives shap
aud character to human nature? If tn
uueducuted and ignorant, or those who's
Instruction has been limited and partial
ever pander to anything which is low an
grovelIng, or spurious and unjust, W
we are wont, while we deprecate and con
denim their conduct to eXculpate then
to some extent for this reason; and 70
this reason urge the education Of tn
masses. When, therefore, we find a clas
who. as snch, are broadly educated G
fine accomplishments, move in the mos
cultivated society, the leaders, for thes
reasons, of public opinion and tho repre-
sentatives Of h Oh public interests, VIII
should we not expect that they will d.
vote themselves TO the maintenance Of a
that is lovely. truthful. equitable an
inst Why should Il bnrriser ever len
his powers to bad cause? We al
aware that this subject has been we
ventilated in the case of David Dude
Fields advocacy OF the Eiie Railroa
ring. But that has not removed the evi
1t may be said that the fault is in II
law itself, in irs many and complicaic
forms. No doubt but much of evil sprinl
from thence. But why should law
numbered with such enormous masses
technicaliiies aud thus preciptAte ev
qualities IN vast masses in the practice
For example, as Illustrative Of the vicio
expansion to which things Of this so
may he carried think OF an iudictme
of one thousand and Gt1y pages, whi
was read the orher day IN Tweed's tri'