The Washington herald., 1908-01-28
FROM WOMAN'S
POINT OF VIEW

IF I were a man I would be a lawyer"
announced a matron during a discussion
Of professions. And thrive on the
troubles of others?" asked her husband
gently. ITO me the life is sordid and
ugly, however successful a man may be.
Now. a physician has a chance to help
humanity and escape the pitchy side Of
life" I thought of that remark when /
heard the story of a poor wOman's dis
tress. the callowness Of the first three
doctors called 20 the case and the gen
erosltv Of a fourth whose days work
had been almost equal TO his strength.
Yes. doctors have great power for good
and many OF the profession carry free
list OF patients as long as the other side
Of the ledger.
I do not know the legal side of the
rofession-perhaps man has right TO
withhold the relief his skill can give ON
the ground that no fee is in sight. On the
other hand, doctors are just human beings,
with no more than the human supply OF
l-c..,,.n, and they must live and their
families must live. If they exhausted
themselves upon nonpaying patients how
could they do it? We must look at all
sides. you know. and when the world gets
ready to see the great need OF free
treatment and free medicine for the poor
money will be forthcoming to produce
the best Of both. We advance a little IN
that direction each year, but poverty and
the increase Of disease far outstrip the lit
tie bit OF good.
A Judge after listening to an eloquent
dissertation on the noble aims of men Of
law, quietly remarked that in view of his
present enlightenment he reckoned that
he had tolerated in his court a multitude
Of such an inferior standard that he
hardly recognized the other brand. He
particularly scored divorce lawyers, upon
whose shoulders he laid the burden of
multitude of broken homes Possibly he
belonged to the old school which nobody
denies was the path of honorable men
from generations of the same families,
Divorce was a disgrace. not a pastime
in those days, and justice was more
than a word.
They call It brilliant work to save
murderer from the consequences Of his
crimes. and provided the fee is large
enough few lawyers hesitate TO assume
such a sordid task. They protect the
rights of their clients in all the clever
ways that have the power to clog the
wheels of justice, and their fame grows
in proportion TO their income. I have yet
TO be convinced Of any good purpose
served by such work What we need are
honest men-the rogues are in far too
large numbers now. To save the patri-
nony Of widows and orphans and right
the wrongs of the oppressed is noble
work, but the practice Of law deals with
that as q side issue. We make our atti-
tude clear when we calmly pass over
such a statement as Damage suits are
fat pickings for doctors and lawyers, but
what do the sufferers get?
7 am told that sayings OF that nature
have practically passed into proverbs,
so there must be some ground for them.
There is no doubt that vast number
OF legal cases would never have been
dreamed of had they not been germinat-
ed and fostered by lawyers who were
willing TO take chances on success, Like
speculation on the marginal system the
victim pays heavily when payment is re-
Quired. A real estate dealer with large
business interests has such a fear for the
law and the ability OF clever men 70
twist It to their fancy that he has sub
mitted to persecution on more than one
occasion from persons who knew his
weakness Early In his career he was
badly pinched by the schemes OF un-
scrupulous lawyers who happened TO have
sharper wits than their more honest
brothers. and he never forgot II.
BETTY BRADEEN
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