Milford chronicle., 1903-05-08

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Paul had all the mental qualification
Of great lawyer. When he stood b,
fore Felix and rs his own advocat
tore into pieces the charge made by tb
prosecuting attorney. Tcrtullus; whel
he argued before King Agrippa unit
the king admitted he was almost per
suaded;" when he pleaded upon Mar
hill with the jury of Greek scholar.
until at last even :hat central seat Of
Athenian culture was shaken to its
very foundation by his proclamation
Of the unknown God" we find the
highest development Of forensic train.
ing and legal acumeu. As one schooled
In the law, Paul knew the mighty and
majestic power of the law, both spirit.
ual and temporal Therefore he lays
down the broad proposition that law is
GOOD for the community and that it is
needed not only for the vindlcation Of
the right, but for the punishment Of
wrongdCers, whether the laws that
they break are human or divine.
But, though the legal profession offers
such wonderful opportunities to defend
the weak and punish the bad, there are
some cynics who profess to believe
that an honest lawyer does not exist.
Sir Hartley Williams. a celebrated
Australian judge, once pessimistically
commented upon the fact that there
was a plous lawyer in his circuit who
used to regularly pray that he might
get clients. Imagine" said the Judge.
''the insult to the Almighty contained
in the request that God should stir up
strife among the people, foment dis
cord and promote litigation, just to
serve the selfish purpose of this pious
solicitor" But that cynical comment
of the learned judge might have been
entirely wrong. That lawyer might be
innocent Of any desire to foment strife
and only anxious to have the opportu-
nifty Of serving his fellow man and be |
able to redress the wrongs Of some in |
tured person.
The noble profession of the law is
often unjustly maligned. Like other
professions, it has in its ranks un.
worthy men who disgrace it. and there
is no profession in which tr.ckery and
rascality reap so rich harvest But
It has also in its ranks noble. honest.
sterling men. whose knowledge and
talents are devoted to the cause of
right and Justice / want to say to all
young men who are entering that pro-
fessiOn that if they set before them
selves lofty ideal and hold fast to
Christian principle they may win sue
cess in it. serving God faithfully and
keeping their character unstained Let
ne try to give you briefly my concep- 1
ion Of the principles Of a Christian
awyer.
The Chrisfian Lawyer. (
He will never champion a cause that |
le knows to be dishonest Why? Be Z
ause he would be aiding one man to 9
-epriye another Of his rights. Oh. the Z
wrongs that are perpetrated by the rich '
nd powerful Oh. how many there \
re who suffer all their lives at the +
ands OF unscrupulous foes. For years h
the French Bastille was confined a h
tate prisoner known as the Man With a
be Iron Mask" He died in 1903. This II
risoner was supposed by many writ is
rs to have been a twin brother of Il
ouis XIV. He was confined in his D,
wing tomb with an iron mask over hiy If
ice lest he should come forth aud h,
aim the French throne and thus n
luse revolution. The iron mask
the face because the prison n,
was supposed to be faclally an exact oo
lplicate of the reigning king. If this h,
ory be true. it brands Louis XIV. as 60
le of the most stony hearted monsters or
ho ever sat upon a throne. No mat to
what his own rights may have W
en, to protect those rights he was not to
suhed In practcing a lifetime in. Ia,
suce upon brother How many On
en- are trying TO deprive their brother nj,
IN Of his rights! The lawyer who a
lps them In their nefarious attempt :
a partaker with them in their crime. hi,
am not here contending that it is Tn
oag for the lawyer to defend a Grim oct
u IN court. Every man is entitled to FOR
fair trial. Even the wretch Czol On,
Y had his rights before the law. and do,
i6ce required that those rights be mi
'tected. A lAwyer often does a he mo
part in defending a criminal VI in say
aiding that mercy he shown nim, we
there is no heroism-there is only for
me-in aiding client to cheat or the
raud another. bis
ct there are great many lawyers tbo
affirm that they have nothing to leg,
with the honesty or dishonesty of a ste,
Mt All that they must do is to pra.
the best side Of a civil suit. and d
the judge or the jury will decide 70
'ther cause is Just or unjust. II ~
runkard by his own carclessness 49,, AN
or a moving electric car. they rigI,
bring suit against the street car ia7.
oration for $4,000 and not have ta,,.
qualm Of conscience. IF n distant soia,
live By a technical flaw can break srio,
u. they will help him do it and di. da,r
the money OF a rich man into oo,r
mel where it was never Intended sor
he testator to go. This was the rnIo
the estate OF famous lawyer 49,,
sman was legally stolen. Every -,