The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1893-11-18

The following is the response to the
toast 1.-THE Country Lawyer" by Hon.
James A. Connolly, of Springfield, at the
annual banquet of the Illinois State Bar
Association at the Leland Hotel, Spring
field, January %, 1898:
Mr.. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen:
As there may be difference of opinion
concerning the limitation Of the subject as
signed to me, will assume that it relates
to all but metropolitan lawyers, inasmuch
as it is the fashion of the day to speak of
the country as including every place outside
the boundary lines of a metropolis.
While the country lawyer might be clas-
sically termed "Rusticus, yet if we take
him as class he will be found anything
but rustic cuss, when it comes to dexter
GUS use of the ''nice, sharp outlets of the
law"
His clothes may not fit him like those
of his city brother, but that is the fault of
his tailor.
His hair and beard may not be trimmed
in sFashion Plate style. but that is the
fault of his barber
His office may not be swept and busted
daily; the law books on his shelves may
not be bright and clean as in the library Of
his city brother, and smart, clean volumes
of reports and digests may not be so nu-
merous, but what are there look like old
soldiers Just returned from long cam
paign-they have seen service.
While Hale, Coke, Blackstone, Chitty,
Stephens, Story, if they could return, would
feel like unnaturalized foreigners in the Of
fees of his metropolitan brother, they
could drop into the country lawyers Office
and feel at home. for they would find the
cream of their life work holding the place
of honor on his bookshelves, and their
names household words.
The country lawyer loves sold friends,
old books" and before the advent of the
Prohibs, he loved the other member of the
famous trinity-"old wine generally Of
the Kentucky brand.
The country lawyer is ruminant ami
NAL
He don't swallow his legal food hastily,
but he walks into the rich pasture fields Of
the law books, knee deep, and filling him.
self, retires to chew it over and over, until
healthy digestion enables him to assimilate
it, and make it part of himself.
He don't have to hurry. He don't have
to eat, sleep, think according to time ta-
Bile made by some street or steam railroad
company.
He makes his own time table, change:
it to suit his own convenience, and is there
fore always on time.
He makes the trip from sun to sun once
every twenty -four hours just as his hurry
ing metropolitan brother, even if he doe:
not move forward quite as rapidly to the
place where Finis is to be written on hi
last page.
| While the metropolitan lawyer may b.
the clown in the circus, winning the ap
plause of the half tickets, by his quips, hi
tumbles, and his swelling importance, th'
country lawyer is the all-around variety
man who holds the attention Of the Who'll,
ticket, by his bareback riding, grand ant
lofty tumbling tight rope walking, ant
blowing the trombone in the band
The country lawyer is the nag that cal
pull his share of load of corn to market
or be stripped of his harness, mounted, anc
run and win a race at the crossroads.
The country lawyer is something lik,
the poet he is more born than made, an,
Humor presided at his birth, for goo,
joke never gets inside the lines Of his coun
ty without giving him call.
! Skim the cream off the milk in you
dairy, and what have you left !?
Skim the cream country off your metro
polilau bar, and what have you left