The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-10-22
THE LAWYERS BAD NAME.

There is an old and very familiar adj
age about the inevitable consequences Of
giving a dog a bad name The conss-
quences are always quite serious and are
confined usually to the dog. The adage is
often given application to other members
of the animal kingdom els well. From
| time to time the public are treated to
| Giscourses concerning the true relation
of the members Of the legal profession
| toward society; and 1t Is almost invariably
| the case That all such discourses are adj
dressed to, If mot occasioned by. the ac-
copied application Of the dog adage to the
| lawyer. The discourse just delivered by
professor Of law in the University Of
Michigan on the subject as to whether
the devotion to true Christian principles
is consistent with the successful practice
ton In this regard.
Prof. Brewster opens the address In
question with these sentences:
One but slightly familiar with litera-
ture is able to recall the many gloomy
pictures drawn by poets and the novel;
lists Of the lawyer. Popular. caricatures
porous rogue; playwrightS have depicted
him the villain Of the stage. Such rep
reservations have generally been received,
If not with open commentator, at least
with silent approval. -
ALI this is no doubt true. The traditions
as to the acceptance Of the golden rule
by the lawyer as the controlling principle
of his conduct in or out CT his profession
are certainly not at all favorable to the
lawyer Yet 1t remains true that, even in
the light Of the serious, interference Of
modern industrial progress with the
profits Of the lawyer, there is no slacken-
youth up the steep heights Of judicial re-
| nown.
The American law school produces each
| successive year it's generous crop of law
yers; and, while many fall by the Wayside.
the calling still embraces very fair pro-
portion of the keen and cunning among
men.
But why should the repute Of the law
yer be worse than that Of other men?
May it not be due as much to the folly
| of the others as to the wisdom Of the
lawyer? The Christian virtues are not
deemed essential to the, successful pur-
suit of this calling. All the assurances
which all the law professors In all the
universities in the universe may offer to
the world from now till doomsday will
not suffice to convince the world Of the
affirmative of this proposition.
There is a story told of an interview be-
tween an English solicitor and his client,
a British farmer, in which the farmer ask
| ed his lawyer to give him some positive
assurance as to the probable date of the
termination of the litigation in which he
was involved, declaring somewhat de-
spondently that he was reduced to his
last shilling. The deep sympathy of the
attorney for his client was touchingly
shown when the former exclaimed: Your
| last shilling, Ell? You are to be congrat-
ulated, John, since assure you that
| have already reduced your adversary to
| his last sixpence." ~ o2
The consequences to the lawyer Of a
| bad name are never as bad as they are
| to the dog. The dog rarely survives. Tho
lawyer rarely dies or goes to the poor
house. But the reputation sticks quite
as close in the one case as in the other
Not even the most scrupulous regard for
all the requirements Of the decalogue on
| the part of the lawyer will. we fear, ever
suffice to win for him the unquestioning
homage Of society. -