Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1903-05-08

| great corporations and the wealthy
men have reserved for their services
the strongest legal brains or the coun-
| try. l ask, who are going TO look after
| the legal interests OF the poor and the
helpless? You know Just as well as
| that the critical tire I'm the young
mans life IL just after he has COM
mitted that sin which he did thought
lessly and without realizing Its hei-
nousness. You know that IL he is once
convicted and sent to the penitentiary
and herded In with lot OF old GRIM
inals he will become one OF the black
| est OF the black. VIII you leave him
| to the care OF one OF those legal In
competents who are found hanging
about every court room. waiting Ike
| vultures to pounce upon the helpless
and the slain? Or will you, In the
front rank OF the legal profession, give
your time and services 20 save that
young man? You know as well as |
do that that little child who had her
legs cut off by the cruel wheels OF the
electric car through the carclessness OF
| the motorman will get nothing unless
| man OF your brain plead her cause.
You, with your legal ability. could win
for her n verdict OF $4,000 cash. VIII
! you let that little child be sent 10
cripples' home and pass all OF her life
there in poverty because you. q sue
cessful lawyer. are not willing to plead
her cause?
For Humanity's Cause.
Shall the strong lawyers only look
! after the strong clients and not after
the weak? No. no. That is not what
they ought 20 do. Surely the lawyers
should be just as self sacrificing in car
ing for the helpless unfortunates as
their brother professionals, thu sur
geons and the doctors. The poorest in
our cities can have II necessary the
| services of the very best surgeon or
| oculist or aurist or lung specialist. All
man has to do Is to go TO the hospital
clinics, and the best medical and sur
gical skill is at his command free. Can
it be that the lawyer is not ready to
sacrifice as much for humanity's cause
as the physician or the surgeon? Besides
that. my able legal friend, you know
your success has brought you plenty of
money. You know the reason you do
not retire from practice is simply be-
cause you cannot bear to be idle. Then
why not give part OF your time to
helping the weak and downtrodden?
Why not be a good Samaritan in the
profession in which you see only too
often the bruised ard bleeding travel
ers who have fallen among the thieves
on the Jericho road and who have not
CfrnnU -, a. T.
rescue?
The noble lawyers greatest influence
should be traced in the spiritual realm.
1t is necessary for him to plead the
cause which will affect the individual
temporal destiny. Is it not much more
important for him to plead that cause
which will affect another's life not
only for time, but for eternity? Ey-
cry great lawyer is leader in the COM
munity in which be lives. If he wishes.
he may become leader in municipal
politics and statecraft-a leader in all
the reformatory movements. Shall he
not be leader before the throne OF
grace?
Some people are foolish enough to
suppose that n lawyer demeans his
office when he champions the gospel,
just as minister nearly always de-
grades his spiritual office when he be-
comes embroiled in the bitternesses Of
local politics. When Sir Thomas More
used to visit his old home on the Sab
bath day, he could always be found In
the Episcopalian chancel taking part
in the service as lay reader. A state
officer one day came TO him and said:
Sir Thomas. do you not think you are
casting a slur upon your official posi-
ton under the king? Ought the Eng
fish chancellor to perform the humble
duties of lay rcader?" "Yes," an
swered the great statesman, "a chan
cellor always serves his earthly king
better when he is truly serving the
King of kings" The lawyer who hon.
ors Christ above all is the lawyer who
will be the most faithful to his earthly
clients,
The noble Christian lawyer is most
| anxious to serve Alright his associates
In spiritual and I'm n temporal sense
Why? He knows that some day all
the acts Of his life shall be passed
upon by the greatest of all supreme
Christ. A lawyer is always more care
full OF case IL he thinks that case is
going to be appealed to n higher court
One misstatement in a brief or the
lack OF the sworn testimony OF n wit
ness may mean the reversal OF the
lower courts decision. How much
| more, then, should the fact be ever
present to him that he viii one day
have to stand at the bar Of God. The
true Christian lawyer is the man who
is prayerfully careful of every word
and deed and act OF his life. All these
acts are TO be recorded I'm the Book Of
Life and read at the great "assize Of
heaven" VIII you, my legal friend,
live and work with this one thought
before your mind? Live with the idea
that some day the Christ who once
stood as defendant before PLATE is
the Christ, who as judge will have
Plate as defendant before him.
Remember the Great Assixe.
Some young lawyers In the impul-
siveness Of their youth do not stop to
consider this. One day professor
said to a wild college lad, MY boy.
wa oO sOu u luukc OUT OF
lifeT WELL" answered the boy, II
intend to spend four years at college,"
What then?" "Then intend to enter
the law school and work hard and
make my mind a great repository of
legal lore" what thenT' "Oh, then
l shall throw myself, body. soul and
mind, into my work. / shall force my
self In the front ranks of the great
lawyers of my time. shall be known.
i hope, as a man with eloquence and
power. My fees will be large; my cir
Gle OF friends greater" what then?"
why. then shall turn my attention
to politics. shall stand upon the ros-
trum. Perhaps shall be able to plead
In the United States senate or sit as
chief justice upon the supreme court
bench" What thenT "Then In my
old age l shall retire from work. L
shall have country and a city home.
i i shall be known as n sope and live IN