Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1879-10-29
The Bar Association.


The Bar Association.
The first annual meeting OF the Vermont Bar
Association which was formed year ago, was
held in the court house last evening, and was at
tended not only by the members of the bar in
attendance upon court but by many of the laity.
The first event of the evening was the annual
address by the retiring president, E. j. Phelps,
Esq, which was, as matter of course, repete
with interesting information, pungent witticsms
and good advice, of which no abstract we can
furnish could do justice
In opening he alluded to the influence the asso-
citation had already had upon the welfare of the
profession, which, he said, had far exceeded what
its projectors had hoped or expected. Referring
then to the fund which was raised by the associa-
ton year ago in aid of the Anderson children
OF Memphis, lie read two letters Of thanks from
the bar of that city, and then announced that the
subject of his address would be Observations
on the English Bar"
He said that, OF course, every member of the
bar felt an interest in its origin, and he was
pleased to inform them that their pedigree was
very aristocratic inasmuch as it came down from
the clergy; for it was matter OF history that in
the time Of William Rufus, the practice of the
law was entirely confined to the Romish priests.
1t so remained till 1903 in the reign OF Edward
the First, the English Justinian, when 1t was de-
creed that attorneys should henceforth be laics.
Sketching the ultimate division of the profession
into sergeants, barristers and apprentices, he
turned to the Inns of court and gave most inter
esting narrative of their origin and growth. Their
origin is supposed to be concident with the fix
ture of the court of common pleas at London after
the adoption of Magma Chdrtd, indeed the law
yers begun to gather together in the metropolis
and soon formed themselves into corporations
The most noted which survive to-day are Lincoln's
Inn, Gray's Inn, the Middle Temple and Inner
Temple Formerly there were Inns of Chancery,
but these were now extinct. He described the
life in these inns where Students barristers, grave
benchers and gentlemen of leisure all studied,
ate, lodged, and worshiped from youth to age,
| and after death were buried. He alluded to
the influence which life in these inns had upon
the profession in England Their noble archi-
lecture, their memorials of the great dead, with
which the buildings were full, had an ennobling
effect which could not but be appreciated by the
| inmates Coming down to our own times, Mr.
Phelps gave graphic narration of professional life
| In England, and of the differences between there
and here. He thought that while the subdivision
of labor among the English bar tended to make
lawyers acute in their specialties, still our
method Of practice, which causes lawyer to know
something OF everything, made them broader and
leaders in emergencies. In oratory the American
bar easily bore OFF the palm, He concluded by
| an eloquent vindication Of the elevating tenden-
| cies of the profession and with exhortaton to
lawyers to live up to its high teachings and not
below them. He was loudly applauded atits close
Judge Poland, the chairman Of the committee
on memorials, having been called upon, reported
that paper upon the life of Hon. Lucius b. Peck
had been prepared by Hon. B. +. fihed; and by
invitation Mr.. Fifield read an instructive and APP
proprate biography, OF which the following is q
summary:
| MIR FIFIELD's ADDRESS.
In beginning Mr.. Fifeld said that one of the
purposes OF the association was to perpetuate
the memory of the distinguished members Of
the bar. He deemed this its most essential
feature The careers OF such men as Bell
Mattocks, Cushman and many others deserved
remembrance He thought nothing more fleet
ing than the reputation Of the great mass OF law
yers, and 1t fitting and highly proper that the
memory should be perpetuated He cheerfully
complied with the request to prepare brief bio
graphical narrative of the life OF the Hon. Luciu
b. Peck to be read at the first meeting.
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b;s of,ce and vas afterwards his nartner Ued,,
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