Telegram-herald., 1889-10-06
A LAW SCHOOL FOB WOMEN.
Mme. Emily Kenptn WHO VIZ
Train Modern Portals
oEs Of the Three wonea Jarasts of ka-
rsFs wk0 Has CSaas - Se- 10Fk -
0a~a . school ~heEe Lsdle. C&a
kDbfOe Legal Lore.
ooFyales1 iss9

EloL, = cH1tkEEAaA41 size has three AElEl
children sDd husband . ho is . Presby-
teri4n minister and eleven students
have applied already Tor admission -
the law school foF women which she VIII
open IA hast Fatty -ninth street New
YORK. cn the 7th of Octoter
The sun an brown turban which lies On
TOP OF the big iron safe IS her turbzn
ard the closely rolled SILK ana morella
with gold knob which stands IA the
corner. Is another article Of her belong
ings. She wears al autuMn walking
dfess OF brown wool, y III brown velvet
cu-1s and reYeFs. Her eyes are blue. her
complexion blonde and her hair Light
brown; she may De- trire above middle
height Is Of SienderIgur aud SITS erect
ana we'll poised IA her stralg backed
chair. she has face Of sweetness and
Intelligence, and commands a better
English vocabulary than most native
born Americans, though her accent Is
piQuantly foreign. She is presiding al
O paper-strewn desk In her law office on
Broadway. an Office which differs IN no
essensial particular, save the presence
OF TWO small brown gloves and the tur-
ban, from other suites n that many
stSried Office building whose seinhabitants
are exclusively masculine
Only three women in all Europe have
graduated In law. One Is lecturing In
the University OF Bologna Italy; one Is
the daughter OF "a Belgian Judge and her
application for admission 20 the bar Of
her own country is now under consider
alton; the third Is the quiet Nine. ken-
pin Since women are nowhere allowed
10 practice law on the Continent her
story OF how she came to choose the pro-
fessiOn is interesting.
She was a writer for the Swiss press,
but had received only high school ed
ucation. suppose, said her husband,
''you attend the University lectures"
One day she drifted accidentl Y into
lecture on the history of law. Every
abstruse point Of it was clear 20 her and
what she had secretly wished for years,
but never had dared 20 put into words,
came upon her irresistably. "l es.
said her husband. you would make
good lawyer; if you wish it, suppose you
study for the bar"
But" said Nine Kempin, there
are the children"-the Youngest was
only two years old-''and l cannot pass
the entrance examination"
II will ft you" said this Swiss hus
band, and he tutored her in mathematics
and Latin.
Nine. Kempin studied at Zurich three
years and a half She graduated with
the first honors of her class, and a
prominent lawyer of Zurich, who be-
lieved, she thinks, that such a novelty
might advertise his Office" engaged her
as managing clerk. She doesn't know
whether or not she brought him bust
ness, but when the two were invited to
little suppers and parties he declared
o1 had Cf
and when she decided at the end
of a year that she couldn't be
content to be a lawyers clerk
forever, he offered to double her
salary if she would remain. She ap-
piled for admission to the bar, but her
sex had closed the doors against her,
and when an assistant ProfessOrship
in the University was offered her. she
was refused the Government license TO
teach, also on the ground that she wore
petticoats instead of the trousers of the
sterner sex.
Her plan in the beginning had been
simply to fit herself to advise her hus-
bands parishioners, who often came to
the pastor with questions they could ill
afford TO carry TO a lawyer, but with
study her ambition had grown. Sup
pose" said her husband, 1--WE go to
America"
To familiarize herself with American
law Nine. Kempin applied for admission
to Columbia College Law School. Some
of the trustees were out of town, and 1t
was four months before she was defin-
itely refused. Meanwhile she had been
quietly attending the lectures. From
Columbia she went TO New York uni
versity, and here, as a mark OF courtesy
- ~
distinct understanding that no prece-
dent was created, she was received.
Since beginning an independent prac-
tice she has become counsel for the
Swiss Legation in Washington and
Superintendent of the New York Arbi-
tration Society, and says that the idea
of opening law school came TO her
only when repeatedly questioned by
ladies owning property who wanted in
formation about their own business
matters, about contracts, guardianshipS,
wills and inheritances.
Suppose, said her husband, you
lecture TO women 70 qualify them for
the management of their affairs or the
supervision Of their agents.
Somewhat TO Nine. Kem/n's surprise
no ladies' have yet applied for these
partial or special courses for property
owners Of business women, but eleven
Young women desire 20 become full
fedged LAWYERS. Three OF these bud
ding Portias are New Workers. two from
BROOKLYN. one each from Washington,
Connecticut and Canada and tic rest
from the interior Of New York state.
All Of them are full OF enthusiasm FOR
the bar. One Brooklyn woman declares
that she has waited four years for a
chance 70 study law and one country
girl who is afraid her parents VIII inter
pose a veto protests that people are SO
stupid ia our vii llage.'
For two years now women have been
eligible 20 practice at the hsr of NeT
York. and the new law school will give
them a two years course based rather
on foreign university methods than on
American models Each year viii be
divided into two terms and degrees VII
be conferred on those who pass tho eT-
aminations. which will be conducted by
prominent LAWYERS Nine. kempin has
received promises OF assistance from eT-
perieuced members Of the Now York
bar. who will leCtur- on the law of pro
cedure. slander and libel, criminal law,
and other special features Of Iurispru-
dence.
when families arc fairly back from
the country and married women and
widows no intend only 20 take courses
% lectures for the sake ~ getting legal
knowlecge on some special subjects ne-
gin 60 apply. she means 90 give series
- talks on che law 20 family relations.
thc lae % real estate NOR igaEes ard
leases, Landlord and tenant the iav ni
contracts. the drawing - Wills and sprh "a
msttere a. may enable women Who oen
property 30 handle 10 eithoat getting
cheated. and eouer vho Earn theIr fn
lielncs "a IS th-rae ltes fer places oi
trust and rsons4hll.tv