The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-03-21
wOMAN'SwORKINTHE
HER RoAD As RoUGH AND THoRST
As v NAYS.
Ne Taken. from Beginning to End. In y
wouinn'- Progress TO the Bar-Dinicuitics
RecnEnr TO the Conrnc Of The w A.nlrnnt

OF law. This should be encouraging to tho equal
rights sisterhood. Much is required OF man be-
fore he can hang out his attorneys sign in New
York city, and the same is demanded Of woman.
When asked what Is required OF 4 woman in
New York city before she may practise law. Mrs
Nellie Stanleyctta Titus Werner. who was one
OF the first women to be graduated from tho Uni
versity Law School. said:
THE same that Is REQUIRED Of a mar and n
little more, too. I'll explain exactly what l
mean later. You want the history Of the woman
law student from the time she starts in to learn
law up to tho time she is dtted TO appear in
court. Well. women lawyers arc nothing new.
They are almost as old as time. and may be, for
all we know. The right of women to act as ad-
vocates, 10 practise law, TO prosecute and de-
feni cases was taken away from them in early
Roman times because OF the holiness OF Cal
purnia, q woman 80 learned in law that she took
every advantage of its weakness to gain her own
ends Tho Roman jurists got tired OF her shrewd-
ness and told her that she could no longer prac-
tisc in the courts. That precedent was handed
down to our ancestors in France, Germany, and
England. md when we adopted the English
Constitution we adopted the precedent
Man hates boldness in woman and only
think OF IT. If it hadn't been for that trait in
Sister Calpurnia. women lawyers would prooa-
bly, have been so plentiful that this story would
never have been written. This is one time that
we can blame our own sex for holding us back.
Look what women did in law before Calpurnia's
day. Deborah OF Biblical fame was q most dis
tinguishcd lawyer; Athcnian history tells
us much of Aspasia, tho wonderful coun-
sellor. and Roman history dwells at equal
length on Hortensia. In earlier Egyptian his
tory women ~practised in the courts and even car
ried on the Government. Now isn't il too bad
that a woman lawyer should have stepped in
and put a stop TO the advancement OF her sex in
the legal ENTHUSIASTICALLY quashed it'll But
she did. and that's the reason the history OF a
woman law student is interesting to-day.
"A woman must be either a graduate Of a
college recognized by the State or pass a Re
gents examination in advanced English. English
composition. first year Latin. arithmetic, alse-
bra. geometry. English history. United States
history. civics. economies, or any forty eight
academic or higher mot including professional
or technican counts. before she can enter the
law class. She can then enter the regular law
class with the men, but it is better for
her to enter what is known at the uni
versity as the voman's law class. and
most women realize this and take advantage
Of the many opportunities that this extra year
gives them. The reason for this Is obvious.
Most men students have registered as clerks in
lawyers offices before entering upon their law
course. and already have some knowledge OF
law. On the contrary. not one woman in a
IlOishAl "OAAl nhhS any Suth NARtL ohCC> AIt
the first year lectures are Greek TO her at first
without the woman's course. This covers in
forty-eight lectures all the groundwork and the
oretical law that is OF such vast Importance.
After completing. these forty-eight lectures
the end Of that time comes an examination CON
ststins OF about forty-eiEht questions, that is,
class is not a part OF the regular law department,
the examination doesnot really affect ones en-
not WORKING for the prize are passed il they
answer twenty-five questions. though the prize,
200. is well worth trying Tor: as it gives two
the University. II is advisable for every woman
TO register as a Clerk before oeginn;nS the study
office counts for much. so much for the neces-
How much study must she devote to II T.
asked the reporter.
The amount Of study necessary" answered
the individual. In The woman's law class a wo-
man has TO attend weekly three lectures lasting
hears Prof. Russell. He uses his book Written
especially for this preliminary course. and is so
clear that the average woman needs to study
only one hour or TWO az the most to digest thor
ouehly one Of his lectures. II a student has
time she can hear the same lecture twice in a
day By attending the evening class, when n wo-
man usually lectures.
The three years work in the regular Law
school IS a repetition OF that done in the woman's
law class. but it is done in such a manner as to
tee. Then the hard study Begins. II Is neces.
sary to study all day. she has TO be on hand
wise she spends her evenings over her books. II
she Is a bread winner and has to work during
goes to lectures in the evenings and is forced
to, study, between times; l know a GER
She had TO go TO lectures in the evening, and for
the nrst two years she studied until / and
Z S StslG fsst s sssFy n. Ris tsii FSdn at to 5 IN her the 5eh %dra # :.
This Is an exceptional case, but the average girl
= a Very haru sttaent. She gets ahead o. me
Woman has TO know more than man in order
IN nnmn aFA with hin IknrE ; rho adranfapn
Of working in the courts; girls do not have this.
When a girl registers as a clerk she should be
do this. I'll do it myself 1t Isn't right TO deny
"A woman lawyer has to pass severe e1amins-
tton. So do the men. A. soon as she completes
rigid examine ton to get her degree of Ill b:
Then comes the bar examination. Under The old
which Students might pass an examination; ia
New York, student hadn't studied hard he
claim 70 be a BFooklynite until he had skinned
through. Il he had done thorough work he pre-
s.dered an honor to pass in the First Department.
i was the irst woman and the last TO take this
ff1 vent INTO the hnd General sae p FERN Tqls' of It t EsS sS agGr!n%;
Court at 10 in the morning and received a
P P]aestidns slip ReE eo sas4i13Sed i2 iS,o G ssost 100 Thsse
We wrote steadily until 4 in the afternoon, talr
Ing about fifteen minutes recess at noon,
That arrangement is abolished by tho
present law. We have a State Board OF
Law Examiners who are appointed from time to
time by the Court OF Appeals TO hold Office for
three years. Two examinations are held each
year in each judicial department. To be en-;
titled to an examination as an attorney and
examiners a fee Of SIS and must prove to the
satisfaction OF the board that he Is a resi-
dcnt Of the State, a citizen Of the United States.
and OF age. This fee entities him to three eN-
sm!nGtions. provided he has met the prelim-
mary requirements. Then comes tho exam
marion itself. 1t is not easy. Now instead Of
stating points OF law in answer TO such
Questions as Define Contracts the student Is
a-ked what adyice he would give IL John Jones
tip!" - horse from Bill Smith and sold It.. The
Questions to-day are exceedingly practical. Race
a 7aE Constitutes 40 cause for refusing any per-
son he right TO practise, SO II a woman stands
rN'ni'y he same examination as "a man she IA
Registered as a lawyer and can practise in the
court provided she can get the clients.
here are no requirements OF dress for
women lawyers here. In Canada they must
hhpet. IN court barcheaded. and wearing a black
gown over a black dress, with a white collar and
Guns. In the District OF Columbia women law