The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1885-11-28
IN The OLDEN DAYS.
an Did Man Discourses on the Decline of
Legal Oratory.

Legal Oratory.
lie Judge and jury were quietly
lozng in one of the New York court
rooms the other day, while counsel was
Tyng to prove by long lists of figures
ahaincomprehensible accounts that his
cllelt was one of the salt of the earth.
1heattendance was small. On one of the
oack seats was white-haired old man
with asmooth-shaven face. who seemed
10 watch the proceedings with more in
terest than any of the other spectators.
lie leaned forward in his seat with his
nands folded over the head of an old
lashiohed walking stick, and shook his
mead mournfully from time to time, as
II 10 express sort of indulgent pity for
the counsel, the court and the jury At
last his feelings seemed to demand re-
llef In speech and he began to unbosom
himself to his neighbor.
Well, well, wen,' said he, dropping
the pitch of his voice as he pronounced
each successive exclamation, " is that
the kind Of lawyers YOU have NOWADAYS?
Why folks would rather 90 to meeting
than come to hear a man talk like that.
An auctioneer makes a better speech
than his'n," nodding toward the lawyer
who was struggling with the figures,
when he wants to make you believe
that spawned horse is sound as a nut.
Whats the good of your colleges and
your law schools if you're going to turn
I%jtf Mountaineering little monkeys as
una fellow? Why, sir, / amt been in
SIDE q court of law these forty years,
pu Ehenl was q young fellow l used
10 blow all the cases and | used TO be
aolsto make better speech than any
OF u lawyers hear now.
"A | tell you in my day it was diff
ierent A lawyer that was going to
argue icase would get up and look all
aroundhe court room. and then he'd
look at te jury, and then he'd look at
the hoor@s if he wasn't quite certain
how ne dPst begin. At last he'd get
ms Insprann, as they used to say, and
he d run hMngers through his hair TO
heIp along te IDEAS like Then, Cen
tlemen OF tb jury saws he very i'm
Pressive andl low voice. But he'd
soon get well under way and give you
regular rattlr. There DE a deal OF
pathos and soletmes his voice would
sort OF fail hiln,and then he d take ou
ms handkerchis and blow his NOSE
Very loud to get pntrol of his feelings
Then he'd get very mad. and you'C
have supposed hat he was going t.
walk right in am light the Jury an(
Judge to boot. lhere'd be gesture
and SMILES and Lain quotations var,
or more long. Lati quotations Away
had a great convining power. and ;
man was sure TO wilma case if he haC
enough Of them. We'll, with all thi
eloqucnce he'd finally get the Judg
and the jury so mixed that the,
wouldn't know which SIDE of the cues
ton he was speaking fol and the NOR
he mixed them up the be ter LAWYER w
used to think him.
But bless YOU. listen to that fellow
He talks away as quietly IS if he'd JUS
dropped in to say good morning. II
hasn't made a single gesture yet, no
shouted a single quotation He don
seem to get worked up with his subeC
as the men Of my day used to do. The
tell me the Judges won't let the lawyer
get too tiowery nowadays, aud say the
haven t time to listen to long-wmde
, quotations. More's the pity. Tney 7
discouraging eloquence, and they
coon have the lawyers presenting the
cases from their offices over the telt
! phone" SO saying the old man too
up his hat. busted it with his handke
chief, and went out. still bemoaning tn
decline Of oratory and the degenerate
, OF the legal professionally !. Irjdun