Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1897-07-02

acquaintance with men Of that profes-
sion. have found them in all my par
ishes | tarried in one Of their offices
for three years, where there came real
estate lawyers, insurance lawyers, Grim
inal lawyers, marine lawyers, and l
have yet to find class of men more gen
ial or more straightforward. There are
in that occupation, as in all our occu-
pations, men utterly obnoxious to God
and man, but if were on trial for my
integrity or my life and l wanted even
handed justice administered to me |
would rather have my case submitted
to jury of ~ lawyers than to jury
Of ~ clergymen The legal profession,
| believe, has less violence Of prejudice
than is to be found in the sacred call
ing.
Earthly Resources.
There is, however, no man who has
more temptations or grayer responsible
ties than the barrister, and he who 1T
tempts to discharge the duties of his
position with only earthly resources is
making a very great mistake. Witness
the scores Of men who have in that pro-
fession made eternal shipwreck. Wit
ness the men who, with the law Of the
land under their arm, have violated ev-
cry statute Of the eternal God. Witness
the men who have argued placidly be-
fore earthly tribunals, who shall shiyer
in dismay before the Judge of quick and
dead Witness Lord Thurlow announc-
ing his loyalty to earthly government
in the sentence, IF 1 forget my earthly
sovereign, may God forget mev' and
yet STOPPING to unaccountable meanness-
es. Witness Lord Coke, the learned and
the reckless. Witness Sir George Mac
Kenzie, the execrated of all Scotch Gov
enanters, so that until this day, in Gray
Friars' churchyard, Edinburgh, the
children whistle through the bars Of
the tomb, crying:
Bloody Mackenzie, come out if you daur.
Lift the sneck and draw the bar.
No other profession more needs the
grace Of God to deliver them in their
temptations, to comfort them in their
trials, to sustain them in the discharge
of their duty. While l would have you
bring the merchant to Christ, and while
l would have you bring the farmer to
Christ, and while l would have you
bring the mechanic TO Christ, | address
you now in the words Of Paul to Titus,
Bring Zenas the lawyer" By so much
as his duties are delicate and great, by
so much does be need Christian stimu-
lus and safeguard. We all become eli
ents. / do not suppose there is a man 80
years Of age who has been in active
life who has not been afflicted with a
lawsuit. Your name is assaulted, and
you must have legal protection. Your
boundary line is invaded, and the courts
must re-establisb it, Your patent is in
fringed upon, and you must make the
offending manufacturer pay the penalty.
Your treasures are taken, and the thief
must be apprehended. You want TO
make your will, and you do not want
to follow the example Of those who, for
the sake Of saving 500 from an attor-
ney, imperil $3.50, 600 and keep the gen
Grafton following for 20 years quarrel
ing about the estate until it Is all ex-
hausted. You are struck at by an as
sassin, and you must invoke for him the
All classes Of persons in
course Of time become clients, and there
fore they are all interested in the moral
ity and the Christian integrity Of the
legal profession. Bring Zenas the
lawyer.
A Bad Cause.
But how is an attorney to decide as
to what are the principles by which ne
should conduct himself in regard to his
clients? On one extreme Lord Broug
ham will appear, saying: 1.-The inno-
cence or guilt Of your client is nothing
to you. You are TO save your client re-
eardless of the torment, the suffering,
the destruction Of all others. You are
to know but one man in the world
your client You are to save him though
you should bring your country into con-
fusion. At all hazards you must save
your client" So says Lord Brougham,
but no right minded lawyer could
adopt that sentiment.
On the other extreme Cicero will
come to you and say, You must never
plead the cause Of a bad man, forget
full of the fact that the greatest villain
on earth ought to have fair trial and
that an attorney cannot be judge and ad-
yocate at the same time. Ii was grand
when Lord Erskine sacrificed lis attor-
ney generalship for the sake Of defend
ing Thomas Paine in his publication Of
his book called "The Rights of Man,
while at the same time he, the advO-
cate. abhorred Thomas Paine's irreh-
gious sentiments Between these two op-
posite theories Of what is right what
shall the attorney do? God alone can
direct him. To that chancery he must
be appellant. and he will get an answer
in an hour. Blessed is that attorney be-
tween whose office and the throne Of
God there is perpetual, reverential and
prayerful communication! That attor-
ney will never make an irreparable
mistake. True to the habits Of your
profession, you say, "Cite US some au-
thority on the subject. " Well, / quote
to you the decision Of the supreme court
of heaven, IF any lack wisdom, let
him ask of God. who giveth to all men
literally and upbraideth not, and 1t
shall be given him"
What a scene is the Office Of busy
In addition to the men who
come to you from right motives, bad
men will come to you. They will offer
you large fee for counsel in the wrong
direction. They want to know from you
how they can escape from solemn mar
ital obligation. They come to you want
ing to know how they can fail advan-
tageously for themselves. They come to
you wanting to know how they can
make the insurance company pay for
destroyed house which they burned
down with their own hands, or they
come to you on the simple errand of
wanting to escape payment OF their
honest debts. Now, il is no easy thing
to advise settlement when by urging
LITIGATION Won could strike a mine of