West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1888-04-06
DIR. Cooper expresses doubts 'wheth-
er an English lawyer will, in gener-


al, mend his pecuniary situation by
removing there; the lawyers of great
practice (who will act as attorneys)
get from $500 to $4,000 currency a
year. / believe the profits of none
exceed f3.OO0," which would be
equivalent to from 81, 800 to SIC, 900,
according to the State whose curren-
cy is meant, but probably more near
ly the former sum, as Cooper was
better acquainted with the Middle
States than with New-England or
Virginia. La Rochefoucauld, few
years after, reports the professional
income of John Marshall, then a
prominent lawyer at Richmond, af-
terward the great Chief-Justice, as
not over $4,000 or $4,000, and that
of Vining of Delaware, one of the
most noted advocates in the country,
as about $4,000. On the whole, how
ever, this was one of the most lucra-
tive occupations. 1t was alsoone OF
the fullest. For instance, Winches-
ter, Va, small town, had 20 law
yers.
Cooper reports the profession of
medicine as well filled. Surgeons"
he says, "are not as experienced as
with you, nor, indeed, do surgical
cases SO frequently occur. The poor
are less exposed to accidents and
disease. and therefore hospitul prac-
tice is not so instructive there as in
England" La Rochefoucald, in con-
versation with country surgeon In
Pennsylvania, found that fee for a
visit made at less distance than 2
miles was l shilling, "a. e. 134 cts
with an additional shilling forevery
additional mile. He also learned
that few physicians in that part of
the country could make more than
$1,000 year out of that profession.
Hence most of them followed some
additional profession. as that OF far
mer or shopkeeper.
From the accounts which we have
it would appear that the position of
the clergy was satisfactory, their
numbers adequate. Sometimes the
travellers thought that they had, as
a class, too much power in New-En-
gland, especially over the institu-
tions of education, which, indeed,
must have been pretty thoroughly
under their control. The mode Of
their professional education was
mostly private. Young men studied
theology with some prominent dl-
vine. The Dutch Reformed Church
had theological school at New
Brunswick, N. j. There was no
other separate one in the country, so
far as we are aware; but a theologi-
cal bias was frequently given to the
course of instruction in the colleges.
1t may be added that the profession
al training of the young doctor or
lawyer was also, usually, obtained
privately, by studying in the office
of an elder member OF the profession.
There were, however, two medical
schools in existence-that connected
with Harvard College, and that es
tablished at Philadelphia, while
Kings College at New Y ork, now
Columbia, and the College of Will
liam and Mary, had more or less dis
tinct medical departments. In the
study of anatomy at these schools
great difficulty was experienced, from
the insufficient supply of subjects
which could be obtained. Massa
chusetts had, by an act passed in
1884, the first act regarding anatomy
known to have been passed in Amer
ica, provided that the bodies of those
killed in duels and of those executed
for killing another in duel might
be given up to the surgeons to be
dissected; but none of the States,
until long time after this, made
any adequate provision for the sup.
ply of dissecting subjects.
1t is impossible not to think that
in the United States of 100 years
ago, upon the upper classes at least,
religion had little hold. In those
classes it seems to have become al
most entirely a matter Of form. One
would Judge from Brissot's account
that it was certainly so at Boston.
Wansey, who was himself a follower
of the views professed by by DIR.
Priestly, testifies that it was so in
the case of the Episcopalians OF
New-York and Philadelphia. La
Rochefoucauld declares that the
same was true of the Presbyterians
and in general. He tells us that in
Richmond, which was place OF
$500 inhabitants, there was no
church, and that he seldom came
upon one in Virginia which was still
used. Nor are we confined for evi-
dence to indications or statements
of opinion to be found in the writings
of the travellers. The absence ol
religion from the minds of the pub
lie men of the time is noteworthy
They we're not always disbelievers
in religion, by any means, but they
seldom had any deop and abiding
interest in the subject. A man like
John Jay, who did have such an in.
terest, is an exception among them;
more nearly typical is one like Jas
Madison, who seems to have been
nearly Indifferent to such matters