The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-02-10

: rifcSt OF honor at the recent amman pnh-
| duct OF the mar association at Chicago. Mr..
Choatc delivered an eloquent address on
"onr Profession" and IN response to tho
!, toast spoke rs follows;
maintain that in no other occupation In
which men can devote their lives IS thee
nobler intellectual pursuit or q higher
} Imorai standard than inspires and pcrvades
| the ranks OF the legal profession. do not,
OF course, mean to say that OF the 10000
lawyers whom the census counts In our
70.000,000 of people there is not much base
alloy. speak OF that great body OF active
and laborious practitioners upon whom
rcsts the responsibility of substantial lite
cations aud the conduct and guidance Of
/ important affairs You Will look lii vain
i elsewhere for more spotloss honor, more
absolute devotion. more patient iadus,iy,
more conscientious fidelity than u:noag
1 these
| ! am not unmindfl OF that ever mooted
loLcstion, how we can, With the strlctest
honor. maintain the side that is wrong. and
| the suggestion that, as only ono side can be
right In every lawsuit, we must half Tie
| time be struggling for injustice. But that
vexed question has long been ssttled w
| the common sense of mankind. 1t W nnly
out OF the contest OF facts and OF brdtns
| that tho right can ever he evolved--oily
| on the anvil OF discussion that the tDark
/ VI tINlu Ciitt pt hlIuth. q.
| We love the law because, among all the
| learned professions, 1t Is tho only one that
| involves the study and the pursuit Of
stable and exact science. Theology, II Is.
true. was once considered an imnutable
| science-but how has 1t changed from uBc
| to age and even from year to year. We
wore bred to believe that everything and
every word within the four corners at Holy
Win WIS absolutely Inspired truth. But
now upon what unhappy times have we
| fallen, In which tho props OF faith are being
| knocked from under us day by day
Aud then as to medicine, how It's nrac-
ice and theories succeed each other In rapid
evolution, so that what We're good methods
! and healing doses and saving prescrp-
| tions generation ago are now condemned
as noslrums, and all the past Is adjudHei
| to be cmrirlca.
Meanwhile the common law makes void
| the part whore the fault Is, and preserves
| the rest ne II has been doag for oeutu
| rlcs, and we are busy applying 10 zach new
| ease as it arises the same principles. the
same rules Of right and Justice which have
| teep established for many generations.
We preserve the real fruit aud throw away
the rlnd Tho technicaltics which have
too long incrusted the law have been
stripped away. and now, like Lord Mans
field. our Judges try to solve every case by
common sense and he sense Of justice, ana
The sense of honor, which, In our highest
manifestation, constitute the most eminent
and valuable judicial qualities,
We hear sometimes that the American
har has degcnerated; that II does not equal
its predecessors In power aud character
and influence; but this | utterly deny. TO
the demands which each generation makes
upon IL 1t IL always adequate. Times
change and men change with them The
intense pressure OF modern life AMI husl-
ness leaves ITS mark upon our profession,
ia M az nj bar ANb N
| could be said in three days must now be
said IN two hours, What once could he
douc IN a month must now he done In a
day. and for one do not hesitate to SAY
that for skill efficiency, utility aud power
he service which our profession lends to
the community today has not been SUR
passed In any former generation. 1t mrst
be so.
There is one respect, | admit, in which
we have declined. and which FOR nnp, /! do
greatly ieplore Tho cultivation of he FRA
ternN and social shirt among ourselves
has been almost abandoned, and IT ought 10
be received and transmitted, Let us get
all the entertainment We can out OF uur
work as We 70 along, for we may rost ass
sured that II we postpone the fun Of life
until the work l. done IL will mover come.
fer 1t VIII find us rs dry and dusty aG 80
many remainder biscuits after n VOYAGE
So | rust that we in New York will imi-
tate your example. and that this occasion
may be only the beginning OF \ rnal inter-
change OF living brotherhood botu EN- the
bar associations OF our two great aud noble
cities.
There is one aspect in which the kmcri-
can bar has far outshine NOT only lis
brethren In England, but in every Other
country of modern times. mean In it's
great share In the conduct and shapin; of
public affairs. ! believe that with one
| consent the common Judgment of manlinJ
would pnint 10 Hamilton, Wehsor aud
Lincoln MS the three American lnwyers
whose actual public services had most
| largely contributed To the forlnttion aud
preservation of The constitution, on wntrc
continuance the hopes Of civil liberty for
all coming timo depend
Let us magnify our cnlling Let MS be
true To these great occasions. and respond
with all our might tc these great demands
so that when our work is done. OF as at
k(N- Il may be said that we transmitted
ro'e k2fession 10 eur SUCCESSORS p great
as useful and~GzEnE W. cal, -. our
hands, T.
With all OF my heart thank you. q
the end Of my. life the rodsncc, the COOL I
cheer, the geuAosity viii illumino my HE |
aud cndoar to me more than ever the pro-
fosSion which has honored me SO much 20 |
night.
SOME r0SrsCRll'TS.