The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-11-13
BRIEFLESS BARRISTERS.
Anthony Hope Hawkins Is One OF
That Great Army.
A BATTERED TIN SIGN IS STILL
EVIDENCE OF THE FACT.

How the Editor of Punch Became Pro-
fessional Humorist by Joking Over His
Own Lack of Clients-There Is Only One
American Member of the British Bar
and He Is Success.
(Wm. E. Curtiss in Chicago Record.)
Major Pond announces that Anthony
Hope Hawkins is member of the Eng
llsh bar. which is true, although he has
never appeared in court. Mr.. Hawkins
is what is called "briefess barrister.
That is misfortune, but not disgrace,
and he has had plenty of eminent prede-
cessors as well as contemporaries in that
branch of his profession. Oliver Gold
smith held the same rank, and is buried
beside the Templars' chapel, under the
shadow of the old building in which he
lived for many years and wrote the
"Vicar of Wakefield and in which he
died. III
A briedess barrister is a lawyer without
clients, man who has been called to the
bar and maintains an office in tho inns
but does something else for a living.
L was going up the well-worn stairs OF
the Middle Temple last summer, when
saw the name Anthony Hope Hawkins
upon rusty Did sign that was tackled to
an office door. A barrister with large
practice who occupies room in the same
passage told me that Mr.. Hawkins very
seldom came there, but according to the
custom paid a fee Of 10. guineas year for
the privilege of keeping his chambers and
having his maine printed in the directory
of members of the bar. He said that
Mr.. Hawkins was the son of an Oxford
country parson, graduated at Oxford with
credit, came to study law in the Middle
Temple, kept his commons ate his
seventy-two dinners, passed his examina-
ton and was called to the lar, but he had
been overlooked by litigants and had
been compelled to make his living by
writing for the newspapers. He first
wrote what they call 'skitsi short
sketches. Then he attempted small sto-
ries and finally a NOVELETTE, Prisoner
| of Zenda'-which was tremendous sue
cess and placed him in the foremost rank
of living authors.
T. G. Burnand, editor of Punch. has
his name upon the same door, and con-
tinues to pay his s55 year for that hon.
or, although he hasn't been inside his
Office for a decade. His experience was
similar to that of Anthony Hope. He sat
1 AFT bic window waitipo for tho o1;on4e
| that never came until he nearly starved
to death, and then wrote funny para
| graphs about it for the newspapers which
brought him fame as a wit and finally
placed him in the editorial chair Of the
leading humorous paper in England.
1t is more difficult for young lawyer
to obtain a start in his profession in Eng
land than in America, the field of the
barrister is SO limited and the rules of
practice are so rigid and severe. If a
man has wealthy parents they usually
| buy him an interest in some we'll estab-
lished firm, or pay busy lawyer. to allow
\ him to appear in court in unimportant
cases now and then until he can make a
| reputation. know a young fellow whose
father paid $25, 900 to we'll known firm
of barristers to launch his son on pro-
fessional career. and they ara doing very
we'll by him. He appeared in three cases
at the previous term of court, and soon
expects to open an office of his own with
a partner who is similarly situated
There is only one American member of
the British bar. He came from St. Lou
is, and his name is Crane. He is the first
to secure admittance since the days of
Judah P. Benjamin, who renounced his