Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1872-02-15
4 tFsosn Appsesea's Journal .
LAWYERS IN ENGLAND.

- LAWYERS IN ENGLAND. ts7T
Tsff s~sHoH .tAx-Azis.'s wsf = ls
-Ofsha many Interesting relic>of the
past to be found in ihecapital Of England a
there are few so interesting, or so worthy
of note. as those old hostel. or abodes of
the praetiscrs and students ofthe law. cab
led The Inns of Court. ThcS are the last
workiag instilutiDns in the, natare Of The
old trade-suilds to be met with anywhere
throughout tie world. II Is now no longer
necessary IN the city Of Londcn;.as in the
,days gone by. that tabor should be ap-
rored by the cemeany OF ;hs craft befnre
= can apply hiinself in s,aking coats Cor
: customers; and pan may now keep
.sS Soy.ter- within its sacred preeiuc;s
ss-;slsanf hriqs s,rs~I toserTe an appren-
ticeship. aud be admitted 10 The great
mystery of the Company Of fishmangers.
But the lawyers still guard the en,rauce
to the Law in England. and prescribe the
rules under which il Shall be practiscd
there and it is very remarkable fact
that these voluntary societies Of bsrris-
ters themselves should have managed to
engross and preserve this privilege in the
midst of the wonderful changes of the
present century. .
These Ians Of Cnurt--so-callcd because
their, inhabitants belonged to the kings
court are four in number: the Inner Tenn
pie. the Middle Temple, Lincoln's Inn,
and Grav's Inn. At one time they form
ed a university almost as powerful rs eth
er Oxford or Cambridge. Students icck-
cd to them in abundance; and whereas
the students Of the two great universities
were drawn from the roOrcr ranks Of sn-
ciety. the scholars of the law university
were invariably the sons of the wealthy
To be n lawstuient was to he n STRIPPING
Of quality. and the inns ot Court OF that
time enjoyed much the same pa,rician
prestige ami eclrt IA now belong to the
more aristocraGc colleges Of Christ Church
and Trinity III the old universities.
Though the lnnS-of-Court men were for
many generations almost without exccr-
tiun gentlemen iiii nohiinn). vet this
soon began 10 wear of! aud in the cigh-
tecnth ccutury the bar Eng and cease! to
comprise among its industrious members
4 largo aristocratic element: alfhouch
even now. after the fashion uf four centu-
ries since. Young men are still inGuccl tu
enter their names as students. for the sake
Of honorable cau.panionship. good society,
and social prestige.
Before man can DO anything towarl
attaining to he rank of h1rris'rr In Ea,-
land. i, is necessary that he should ha pro-
vided with at least three hundred -pounis
to pay away Immediately, for lecturers
fees. Inn durs. caut:oa money etc and
it is very desirable qualification also that
ne be member of one OF the universities
of Oxford and Cambridge. Ifhc has taken
/ his degree at either 50 murh the better =
I Having the necessary money NJ his cHn-
mana. he now must keep commons" fnr
/ three ,cars-that is. twelve tern,s-hv
dining in the hail Of the society tn which
/ he belongs three times nj least each term
! r. render his life degree. more irksomc
! t. him during his stulcntsh;p. he is cx-
| pectcd 10 attend. for on" " hole year, the
I lectures of the readers appointed on: /.
Constitutional Law and Legal History =
Eqeity; 3. Jurisprudence and the Civil
Lrw: 4 The Law Of Real Property: 3
The Common Law and last though not
least. to rent Chambers in the Inn. Life
in Cham bers-iu the Temple. for exam
ple-though rough and uncomfortable in
many respects. is, nevertheless. far from
being withou: It's compersating advan'a-
ecs, ana. as it happens to be the ini'iaio-
ry step toward entering the profession o.
the law in England. we describe the first
Chambers, as rule, consist Of n moier
ate sized sitting-room. an exceedingly
small bed room. AMI third room So small
and ill-con,rivcd. that the only Use !; car
b. put to is that Of a pantry. As hccomcs
such wonderful old place as the Temple
where you yet find respectable harris.er
Iinhabiting the self-samr rooms used b,
! Oliver Goldsmith, Just over those at on,
time occupied by SIR William B,akistone
author ofthe Commentaries" everything
is dingy and dirty TO degree Tue cell
ing Of the sitting room is usually bacI
with smoke The windows look as though
sap aud water had never been applied to
them within the memory of man; the
wainscoting of wood running round ,hS
walls i<irvariablv stained with age. dirt
and covered with specimens of wooi-carv.
ing from former occupants; and the gen
erai view to be obtained from the window.
of either room, comprises mostly an hori
zon Of chimney pots, There are, alway'
two doors to n ..sct-an inner door or
tnamented with dainty FIFTH brass knock
or, and an oatcr one of ssou, oak. armed
with aponderous iron one. with the nam,
Of the occupant painted overhead in large
white letters When 4 man is engaged
or. reading hard for honors. he ..sport'
his cak )" and no power on earth will max,
m English barristnr open il to anv one
Farniture Is usually taken over from th,
previous nccupant-new furniture wsult
be so entirely out Of place in such fus
ty old rooms. that very few men atternp
to buy it.
Having taken his chsmbers. the ncx
thing for lnx-staicnt 10 do Is tn secnre hi
.,iasndrsss." \ lsandress u a woma'
Of al!-work, who elesns rooms. gets break
fast. runs 4rranfs. and takes in washin!
FIR gentlemen living in the Inns If 0eur.
Most of thcss women do for two %
three nlan. .aad.r as their wages Enn iron
FIVE to seven shiTinss week. they max
considering the ligh;ncss of their duties
: very good income. The whole Of thei
work can usually be rerforweS by .thcu
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