The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1895-08-06
FOR AND ABOUT NUAEA
Notes and Gossip of Interest to
the Fair Sex.
Jerseys Woman Lawyer. Miss Mary
Philbrook Admitted 10 the Bar
After Long Fight. Woman's
Pay. The Pioneer Woman
In journalism.

i ClEg AerSeu aliNlttcu TO the BAR OF New
Jersey. Miss Phiibrook is tho first WON
an to take the examination in that state,
and before she could make oven so much
progress sho had to fight the supreme
court through the legislature and prac-
tically force tho justices of that court to
grant the required permission. The cx.
animation. though rigid, did not bother
the young woman. and sho passed with
high honors and today is tho only won,
IN lawyer in the state of New Jersey.
Miss Philbrook is the daughter Of a
lawyer and has a brother who is u law
yer. She has been interested in al
things pertaining to the law for years,
and with the idea of studying for amusc-
ment rather than for profit she entered
tho Office of Corporation Attorney James
Is. Minturn Of Hoboken several years
ago. In addition to her regular work
she read lawboolls and studied compl-
Gated cases that camo into the Office IN.
til SHE became so thoroughly conyersnnt
with law that on the advice of her ON
ployers she decided to make application
TO the supreme court for admission to
the bar.
Ii She made the application at Trenton
IN February, 1894, and Justice Dopew
promptly refused to allow her TO take
1.-THE examination on the ground that
there was no law i'll tho state providing
for the admission of women. Nothing
daunted, f3iss Pbilbrook started in sin
glehande6 to fight the suprcme court If
there was no law for the admission OF
Sr1mnn yha orr,ln6 tbora eLn,, III J,n ,,,,
and she drew up bill herself covering
tho point, which hill she succeeded in
having presented to the Legislature
She spent almost all her time i'll TrCn-
ton working for her bill, and when the
bill was turned over to Legislative
committee she obtained permission to
appear before tho commission and argue
IN its favor. She did go before the COM
1nlttee and made speech the result Of
which was that the bill went through
and then Miss Philbrook filed her an
phcation olce more, and this time slie
was informed that she might take tho
examination
The young woman began tho exami-
nation on Tuesday and finished il on
4 Wednesday afternoon. Thursday morn
ang it was announced that she had sue
cessfully passed both the oral and writ
ten examinations, and shortly after noon
ehe was sworn i'll.
Miss PhilbTcok is tall, slim young
woman, with black hair and sparkling
black eyes. She is modest, and when Il
reporter saw her yesterday afternoon she
was not at all eager to talk about her
case.
Il understand that 1 am the first wo-
man lawyer i'll the state OF New Jersey, {"
she said. land am very proud Of it F;
but, above all things, 1 desire to avoid
publicity. 1 did not go into tho thing
with the idea Of obtaining notoriety
hut simply because 1 believed that it
was my dne, having studied law CON
.lsclentlously for several years I found
plenty OF obstacles in the way, but hay
ing once started to get there I realized
that it would never do to give up, and
then, again, thought it would be good
practice removing these Obstacles, and
4 went ut 1T in the best way knew how.
fortunately 1 was successful.
have not hid out any plans as yet,
Enough will rsmain in the Office where
Il have been for some time. There will
do AID the legal work / am called upon
to do by my employers and shall ut tho
.sama time handle rs much business for
myself as can get am averse to do
ling court work and will comtine myself
\ as much as possible to Office practice. If
JAG becomes necessary at any time, how
ever, fos me to enter the courts, | shall
mot hesitate to do 30. For the present,
Though. shall probably go on in the
same way that have for the past year.
One thing about my victory makes mo
happier than anything else, and that ia
that 1T has been my lot to open up the
ldeld of law to women in the state of
New Jersey. That regard as my great
est triumph"
Miss Rhilbrook takes an interest in
ALI things pertaining to women and is q
member OF the State Suffrage associa.
ton, which is now fighting for school
suffrage in New Jersey. Hen connection
with woman % affairs, however, che will
not discuss, as she says she has no dc.
sire to be prominent in woman rights
movements. New York Sun.
49, wolnan,s Paw.