Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1896-02-25
NOVEL VIEWS OF LAWYERS
-.gal Profession as Skctchcd by
Writers Of Fiction.
MATTERS OF FACT APPAL TIE FANCY
General Dislike Felt aud Expressed for
Brothren az IN. Hsr = D,cksua'
Typical lawyer.

That the noycllstH and lawyers should
not harmonize is 10 DO expected. Tne peeu-
liaritios Of mird that distinguish the two
classes are radically different. says ,he St
L ,Ssd 9iGto, psmeerat 11s novelist Is all
intr hvos IN a realm OF day dreams, tho
lh'tcr IN a domain bounded by the limits
practice OF Jaw, IA, tieuli.fiy In pleading 10.
iore court or Jury, itft some room for
tue inasinatlon. but the tendency al pres
citation OF as many procodents as pos
slblc IN favor OF the position taken an by
,he NATURE Ct the case will permit. and
leaving the court 10 decide which party
hhs been the most Judlcious In ito. selec-
tion OF oplntt ms. In u single cusr u lawyer
has been known to cite opinions delivered
by twenty or thirty Inherent courts and
become thot he is ndjudstd the best law
yer who, most skllfully can select and
most ludloiolsly can present The, orinions
he has found bearing on his side OF tho |
cnse 81 Issue TO tho man Of Imagination |
gu tina 70 y ormwooi and gal Acon TONED
TO allow his fancy to roam ut VIII he can |
not easily conceive how the human mind |
can be 80 clOu3ly bound down 10 preca- |
dsnt. Hence he rNgar1a the lawyer AZ OF
m entirely cinorcnt quality al human be- |
| ing frum himself, nctuated by different |
motives thinking different thoughts mud |
moving IN mental sphere 80 much az
variance from his own as TO be practically !
OF different world.
AS MATERIAL.
Finding n character no essentially ~
variance. In almost every particular. from
his own. II Ia not In the least remarkable
tina, the novelis; should regard the legal
| fraternity M Mt subjects fer his use mo
| business of the firtion writer u 10 deplot
| the world, either nB II In OF aA he thinka
| II OF ght TO be. una the more diversity he
| cun Introduce into hts writiuga, tne h,t;"r
NH be Their shanee OF pleas'ng tnat p9r,
| every civilized society the lawyer " onni-
| present; he Is found In greatest abundance
| IN the most denAely settled communities,
| for there aro tho most frequent opporiunl-
| tlcn for the exercise OF his Talents, but no
community Ia without him, no hanlct ~
20 small as not 70 have, some where W Us
| legend, Attorney at Law which an
nounces to the world that within the Of
| nco thus dcaignatcd n man Of lazy " 70 Dc
found, who, for "a consideration. VIII un-
dertnke TO adjust the differences and hAr-
moniHe tho disputes OF his fellow men, lho
chickering's OF meh tNnd to bring out pocuii.
| prltlos an dcccentricltics OF character, hnd
those Instantly ATTRACT the attention OF
the novelist, for his business lics not 80
| much with tho ordinary AFFAIRS OF hum
drum every day existence as with these
emorEoncloA which call forth the latent
forces Of human nature and are attractive
In the telling, from the fact that thcy often
show tho most commonplace man TO noe
Rcaa unsupported qualities, 5000 or bh.
that distinguish him from the common
LAWYERS AND LAWYERS.
In addition to these circumstances, tho
legal profession In 80 extended that N
embraced all varieties OF character, Az
fact which would OF itself commend II
to the attention OF the novcletst even
weru there no other attraction. While
comprehcndinK In it's membornhip some OF
tho wlsest and nohloat OF mon, II also
embraces some OF the monnuAt tlnd most
contemplate, lu ita higher branches
! there - no profession more eloyaiing aud
! onuObing than the law; in iA lowest
none Is more likely 10 bring MIN who
> follows u into disrepute among his Eel
Iowa There are thus afforded In the
. 1 la
aud In those tho novelist deliHhts, TOR
they AFFORD him m opPortnnlv nor Tue
, to enhance the artistic value Of his story
IN this respect tho use " the lawyer az
"a character In tiction has hdv1 ltngsa
not to be- found to u similar extent tiinonR
tho mombeH Of any other pron AHiop.
The doctor has merits, or course t9r
posBeAs on and can be- made 10 conn for
ward at tho proper time and tcsti ~ TO
i the existence OF viii which hc sign ID ns
y witness, being conveniently prcgo At at
, tho death OF tho teetatort the para IN "
not 70 be ccngGmnGd Tor H. E dr,a,. m aSss
not know, hut neither tho parson MOI the
doctor can; to use h nSps,aS pl' r san
4 ySnienco In helping TO unrayel tan
, gled plot. for, " the d'gnlhed lawyer cnu
= not be made to nerye the pn,ppose. me
dirty wdSrf nut needs q b done. wiyhndt
Z. heln1; too particular either about Its IA
: ture or tho state OF his hands.
! GERMAN AND FRENCH LAWYlsJttl
Tho novelistH OF tho German as
French nations have not made n vcf y
liberal uso of tho lawyer an n, characta r
In their Stories but for this Tact thon
IL AN excellent reason. In BOTH eounlrie,
s science, and Hcrupulous pains are taken
). not to admit TO tho bar my man who
of study and passed exceedingly rigid
examinations. There Ia no such thing as
q admission without qualification, Tor
I nollhor money nor influence will carry an
! applicant past the examining boards un,
/; less he is proficient n his studies and
!, az least passnbly wen qualified Yenrs
N lawyer are also required. and tho re-
o suit Is while there arc Tower lawyers
. than in Great Britain or America. the bar
i is reduced 10 tQlcrpbly even standard
o Of ability nor N there 20 much room Tor
i The display OF individual eeeonorioities AZ
9 with ia The story writer's Of these coun-
d ,rios, therefore. do not md In tho mem
IS beers OF tho bar that degree OF inllyluu-
atty TINT renderh ehnracter uherui ron y,
n literary point OF View. Not rev OF
no Storioa OF writer's IN both nations
contain NUMEROUS illusions To tho legal
fraternity hut tho lawyers, when they
IN appear in German or French tales. al
e are not working but arc simply oH ,n, OK
:, auetion IL purely formal. and for the
d sake OF Milling out ana rognd,lhns om 'ns s
\. ,nies of Dumas, in the dramas OF Moliere.
y Ia merely a piece OF machinery. INTRO.
10 ducod because II In absolutely ,asontlhi
for the rake of appearances that !hefe
r should be a lawyer present and not BE-
ID cause tho author intended or desired 70
~ make a character sketch.
~ AMONG TIKI EHoLISH.
:, Even in early III giiah ,imea the lawyer
IA, ran TO cut quite figure In imaginative
"a literature the peculiar nature OF Englihh
~ inv haying developed characteristics
"a among those who practiced Il which rem,
m drrod them Invaluable 10 the novonst niit
M | drau,atIst. IA early "a tho days Of chauce
.. ~ Ms own, as witness the Man of Law,
" Taie" Incorporated In tho Canterbury
y series. and from that time on, hardly al
y IrIiagtnntiye writer IN the Engimn lt1
y: rrage was able to dispense with lawy q
y | NicLar.ison In his own g9o9y -]oody
y stories tedious almost beyond b.lIci. wa,
70 | ohlired TO call IN the brcthren OF tho D 4
" 10 rnslst In working out the plot. wfils
!. TiellinR himself something OF a lesa
IN intht had frequent recourse to thsli ~
IN issuance II ~ by no means strange titnei
Thai the registering author sloulu nav
A Introduced lawyers much Ike iiimn,n ~
er legal knowledge they possesscd lttle' pu
o. made up in wit ana impudcnee what the,
d. sldison's clever creation. has been CLAIM
ct "a by the legal fraternity as ono OF theli
Sc number, but he wRr not. ~ any propci
IN sense on the word. a lawyer but country
ID gentleman, who. In virtue OF ownins ny
ID esiate was eusiiled to Bit as justice o
re die Dsace and adjudge such causes ~
were not OF sufficient consequence 70 y