The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1895-10-26
WOMEN vi ABbIB LlAlN ERIY
The Progress That Some Of TIT
dentler Sex Have Made In
That Department.
Chicago Comes To the Front Ex-
hibiting Marked Ability: In. n q. s
Legal Studies.
The Pluck And Talent Ct the
Weaker Sex Have Made
Them Conspicuous.

n 5ft NSIH AOllSpl$uOuSsoS oS{s5S ,saaffssAFHsfl
We in these days point with more p
less pride, according to our views on the
woman question, to the rise and progress
of women in the profession and practice
of law We are inclined toflook upon 81
wholly as an innovation sudden
awakenening to the fact that the purely
logical, is not beyond the scope Of their
inclinations or their understandings,
writes Charlotte Perry in the Chicago
Tribune.
But history records the names of many
women distinguished for legal learning,
some Of whom were successful advocates
Deborah filled the Office Of Judge among
the children of Israel; Aspasia pleaded
cal,ses4in the Atheneion forum, and Ar
meniaa Sentia and Hortensia in the Ro-
man forum. But alas! trouble arose
,Calphurnia, a woman evidently of seRl
without knowledge, by season of makinl
the tribunals resound with howlings une
common in the FORUM was forbidden Il
Plead: Not only this, but in conses
quence., of the excess of boldness and
generally obnoxious conduct of Calphur.
MIA, the right of the Roman women ia
follow the profession of advocate waa
takensaWay from them. 81
TheS1aW made to meet this especial
case was ultimately made into a general
one. In It's wording the law sets forth
that the original reason of woman's ex-
clusion from this profession rested solely
on the doings of Calphurnia.
l. Other nations in the course OF tinla
followed this precedent. DR.. Louis Frank
of the faculty Of law at Bologna says,
! through his translator, Mary A. Greene,
lib: 5s55t
''The forwardness Of Calphurnia ap.
peared:to the ancients peremptory rea-
son for the exclusion OF women from the
FORUM Again we read that "she could
not restrain herself and was running
continually to the judge in order to In
huenee him against his opinion and
\ That women are excluded because Of their
forwardness, like Calphurnia, who could
never endure that her side should be
beaten or that the Judge should decide
against her without speaking forwardly
to the, judge or the other party. 3s
l. III 1Sl iudly, dS LII IGtuCc, LuS 5dLI1lc AS-s
Ecision obtained. "No woman" says the
Miroir de suabe, "can be guardian for
herself nor plead III court for herself nor
for another. They lost this right
through gentlewoman named 'Calfnr-
MIA, who behaved foolishly in Rome be-
fore the ruler"
This$is a. bad record for Calphurnia; Il
is to be hoped she had no idea of the
trouble she was making for her sister OF
laterSg generations, which after all is no
fexcuseFfor her. 1t only proves she indi-
vidually was not great enough for her
privileges. 55
In England, at the present time, wom-9S
eli are permitted to qualify and, practice
as attorneys and solicitors in
chancery, but have not been permitted !
to bessme advocates Of barristers. The
Calphnrian decree is not wholly respon-@
ssib1e for this abridgemept Of privilege
they are Ineligible because of being ede-ss
MED admission to the four Inns of Court,
where barristers are trained and ranked. ]
These Inns of Court are voluntary soci-f
eties for whose power to- reject applica If
+ Thaepmmon law of England becoming
the. law of this country women here as
there were thought ineligible to admis.
sion to the bar. Until within the Last \
twenty-five years they accepted almost
Wtholk demur their decision of the COM
moHsl History gives us one notable
lexseptton. 1t is In the case Of MaTgaret
Brent, spinster and gentlewoman, who,
in the early colonial days, made 4 brave 4
stand for her rights and. achieved what I
for her day may be called a victory. The
records state she and her sister Mary,
.ki1swomen Of the first Lord Proprie ietaryss(
and Governor Of Maryland, came to6 the 4
Province in 1888, bringing over nine Tcol.s
onistS five men and four women. q WI
liam Hand Brown says if1 his history s
Of "a atinate these two women took slp !
manors imported more settlers, and
managed their affairs with masculine
ability The governor, Leonard 4 Calf
vert, died in 1647, leaving his kinswo wonau
.Mtstress Brent, his sole executrix. @ AtI,s
the time of4alls6 death hef was attorrbeysS
for ..this brother, second Lord Bait 4,
the Lord Propri ietary. 1s5s "A z IS8a
Mistress Brent, on. the strength OF her
appoi iptment as executTix, asserted The,
rightsto succeed the governor as satt0rnsyg
for his lordshfp. The right being qiies
toned at various times when she ap-
spearel In his lord dshfp' II interests In theXa
provincial court, the matter was formallySssI SssI
brought up In court Jan. 8, 1913. SSA Aftersssi
much discussion 1t vas ord cred that tlhAss
admin fstrator of d Mr. Leon Calvert
aforesaid should be received as his lord
ships attorney 10 the intents abovsssssE
the aiIltents referred to- a cause sgtatt
that the sadmintst traitor viii be- looked q
upon nas attorney Tor Tecoys ysring sofs ights IA
into the estate and g OF die deD
out ut the estate and taking care ne
etate's preservation = 81 4ss sSs3