The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-07-09
WOMAN'S WORLD.
MISS TITUS, THE FIRST WOMAN AD-
NiTTED TO THE NEW YORK BAR

sO~iety Women on BIcycles-Ths Case OF
ArIss Hicks-Natural Philosophy and ths
Faraso1-Equipped For Acoidsnts-FIOw.
Girls In UnIform.
Miss NELLIE Stanleyetta Titus Of ISf
East Eighty second street. one of so ap.
plicants for admission to the bar Of this
state, was present yesterday morning in
the general term of the supreme court
when it was announced that she had
successfully passed the examination
held on Saturday, June / 9, and that
after being sworn in on Tuesday she
would be entitled to practice
The list OF successful candidates was
read off, and when the name Of Miss
Titus was reached q great cheer was
sent out by the 70 young men who were
candidates. 1t was the first time that a
woman had been admitted to the bar in
this department. Miss Titus flushed
wildly and half rose, bowling Then
she waited until the rest of the names
had been announced. After that she
was surrounded by her friends with con-
graeulations, and when she left the
courtroom she was smiling happily.
Miss Titus is about % years old, but
she appears older when she talks, be-
cause she is so earnest. She is Of me-
dunn height, has large dark blue eyes
and light brown hair, which she brushes
from her forehead. When she smiles,
she looks very jolly and shows white,
even teeth. When she doesn't SMILE
she looks terribly serious, and there is
a suggestion of a frown over her brows
She has firm mouth and firm jaw,
and she also has an argumentative way
of poking her chin out when she talks
earnestly.
That is her main superficial indica-
ton of a legal habit Of mind Other
wise her manner is marked by extreme
womanlness, almost difidence. 1t
strikes you that she'll keep in the back
ground until the opportune moment,
and that then she'll get to the very front
row without delay. She is rather quick
in her movements and decided. and her
speech does not hesitate.
.'What first put it into my mind to
become lawyer, Miss Titus said to
a Sun reporter, twas the fact that our
family had long been involved in some
legal difficulties. Besides the bother
there was the expense, and I determin-
ed to know some law for myself. That
was my first idea I had good chance
to carry it out then. too, because my IA
Their was i'll and somebody had to sit up
with him. 1 thought it would be a great
thing to do my studying while 1 was
sitting by his bedside at nights. So /
got some lawboolns, and that's the way
/ began. / found law Interesting and
soon began to like it very much After
awhile I came to the conclusion that
as I had started the thing I might as
well go through with it, so determined
to take regular course 1 entered the
woman's class at the University Of
New York in October, 1891, and was
graduated in April at the head of the
class In the following October enter
ed the Junior class of the law depart
ment of the university. While in that /
class I won the faculty prize of 500. /
The next year, in the senior class, ] was
taken very i'll with the grip and was
unable to attend lectures for eight /
weeks However, at examination stood /
fourth in a class of IO5 men and Wo-
men, and received my degree of LIZ B.
"What do / intend to do now that (
I'm admitted? Well, I'm going to do
the first thing that comes along. I've /
studied real estate law a good deal, but
1 IA not going to confine myself to that
by any.means. I've the promise of a lee
tureship in law school, but the only
part of a promise I look at is the full
so that doesn't count. My
mother wouldn't like me to 60 into
criminal law, but think / should like
it very much. think a woman could
have no better advocate or defender than
a woman
I'm a member of the Society Of
Friends, SO of course I'm strongly OPP
posed to capital punishment. Instead of
the death penalty / should like to see
solitary confinement for life, with no
pardon However, I'm neither judge
lor jury.
Il long TO see a jury of women. OF
course I'm an ardent woman suffragist-
I've worked for the cause for years and
hall always work for it. / believe that
woman should vote and that she should
% active in politics. New Y ork Sun
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