The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1901-03-08
TITLES FOR LAWYERS.
The One Learned Profession Which
IL without q Handle.


''It has always seemed strange to me
that the legal profession, which is one of
the foremost of the learned professions
may bestow upon its members no dis
tinctive title, as can the medical, for in
stance" said a member of the District
bar to reporter.
"a man came in my Office the other
day and handed me his card, which bore
two or three initial letters at the end of
his name. He was a compounder Of
drugs; not druggist in the sense that
he owned a drug store, though he might
have owned one. but he was licensed to
put up prescriptions and therefore en-
titled to place certain distinctive letters
after his name.
"a man upon graduating in medicine is
authorized to place after his name the
letters M. d. which signify that he Is
q doctor Of medicine, and the public by
courtesy and long fixed and established
custom calls him Dr. which IL a dis
tinction above that of the average man
in life. To call a physician Mr. would
be grounds almost for a duel, would
be taken as an insult and certainly .
flight. Physicians are very scrupulous
In applying their titles to one another.
and in hospital when half a dozen ply
sicians are together the title Dr. is ap-
piled so often that 1t may be scooped up
fairly. !
"This is as It should be, but none will
deny that the profession Of the law is not
as learned and as ancient as that Of med
icine. A lawyer should have some dis
tinctive title which would be recognized
by the public and by the law and be sus-
eeptible of protection BY the law, as Is the
title of M. D., which Is an offense to as
sumo II the holder is not legally entitled
thereto. But lawyer, until he ascends
to the bench, Is simple Mr. like any.
man who can neither read nor write.
Even veterinary surgeons assume the
title of Dr. civil engineers may place
the initials C. E. after their names;
dentists also assume the title of Dr.
and the initials d. D. S. the calling Of
a minister is made distinctive by the pre-
fix Rev. and upon the comforting OF
certain degrees the recipient may be and
Is saluted as Dr. In short, all Of the
actually learned professions and some
professions which are not learned be-
stow upon their members a distinctive
title except my own.
'The legal profession Is itself to blame.
It should years and years ago have
adopted title such as, for example only,
Judge thrown around 1t the safeguard
ing protection Of the law, of which Its
members are the makers and construct
ors, prosecuted all men who attempted to
use 1t without license and cherished It in
a general way as zealously and as care
fully as does the medical profession Its
badge Of distinction. In this way the SO
called shysters could be rooted out and
exterminated as thoroughly as the medi-
cal profession suppresses spurious prac-
titioners Of medicine, and a decided tone
would be impaired to the profession at
large.
1.-THE restrictions governing entrance
into the legal profession would be drawn
tighter and made more difficult, its MEM
bership considerably lessened in all prob
ability, and every man when he was dis
possessed from a government position
would be estopped from hanging out his
shingle as an attorney to the material
profit Of the public at large.
1.-THE great difficulty would be at this
time In deciding upon the proper designa-
ton. II it had been determined in Black
stones day, It would have been too firm
~ fixed now to admit Of question. 1t ID
quite likely, however, that the learned
profession of the law, having existed for
centuries without a title, will have to
continue for all time to come to struggle
along under the indefinite designation Of
Mr.. Washington Star.