The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-06-04
ENGLISH LAWYERS
OBJECT TO WOMEN
DistintIy Unfair for Any Body Of Men
toDecide What Field Of Work
Woman Shall Enter.
E FRANCES SH-AFFER.

In FRANCES SH.AFFER. :.
And low there is prospect Of another
merry title war in LONDON.
Miss Gwyneth Marjorie Bebb. a re-
cent enduate of Girton College. Is su-
ing theIneorporated Law Society. which
bars he entrance to the legal profession
as a sdicitor. And the question OF the
right OF English women TO plead In the
hiEh co,rts is to be put TO the test when
the cas-, comes up for argument
EnzIie women are quoting the number
of LAWYERS in the United States, and are
urging that the time is ripe for the
same privilege to be extended to them.
But tie legal profession is still say
ing mo- Just as it said last Septem-
Der, when the Law Society, by a large
majority turned down the proposal TO
admit women to the profession Oh So
licitor.
Ana 10 those who count il a very
gracious human right to be granted the
freedom of choice in the wide work nelos.
it is rather interesting to note some OF
the objections raised by the legal pro-
fession.
There are several that are quoted, and
many more that remain unspoken; out
a few, chosen at random. will do very
well.
Ono Reason Given.
Womans physical disability-that Is
one of the reasons. But il always has
seemed that if woman's physical DISABLE
ity was not sufficient TO drive her away
from the fields where the work Is mean
and grinding and wearing and very poor
" paid, il ought not to be counted serious
enough TO keep her from the professions
where there is free chance TO win all
for earnest work. Down in the fields
where the labors are hard and uninviting
there is gIory-if one is big enough 10
look upon il so-in doing the best that
one can: but if one has the brains, the
training and the fitness for service higher
up. il is human TO reach out for greater
honors, YES. and for the practical, finan-
ciaI fruits that grow in the righer helds-
And if woman is physically fit for the
rougher work she ought to be able to
hold her own in the softer, pieasanter
professions, where quality OF mind. is
largely the test
Defects of mind and temperament-that
is another argument advanced But
gracious, Does it never occur to these
thoughtful solicitors that mental UNIT
hess is a pretty feeble thread upon which
10 hang their refusal? Men sometimes
try TO be lawyers and fail; and surely, |
there can be no harm in letting women
try for legal honors and big fees, ior
once they are inside the gates OF the |
profession they must stand upon theh
own merits, and nothing on earth can
make them win if it is not in them TO
win Just TO let them in does not give |
any guarantee of success, but II seems |
quite the human thing to DO, Tor L
English women, or any other. reveal oe-
fects of mind. they will not last long
in the legal profession So why say
MOI"
And as to their defects of tenpera-
rnent, For some time past there have
been quite a few women who have
watched the public and the semi-puohc
stage and the men actors thereon. ana
like the Tar Baby in Uncle Remus
they are not sayin' notf1n' they are
lust layin' low" But they venture the
declaration that defects of tempera-
rnent'' are not at all peculiar to women
So that is another weak excuse.
Not Dealing with Men Alone.
Grave interference with the course OF
justice owing to sex infiuence-that is
one more of the reasons why. But men
and women 10Th become entangled with
the law. A. things run in England at
present. it is men alone who stand at
the legal helm, and the influence is all
of one stripe. Does that make IT bet
ter? If men were dealing with men
alone. one might easily say yes: but,
you see. the course OF justice reaches
out to the world of-men and women and
children. And so there are few women
who think il might be well to have two
sided influence.
And if there were a trace OF woman's
hand one side the fence, there would be
the difference? /
ha oh Ia
question out among themselves the last
time one of the self-satisied opponents
complacently announced his objection
Women have not yet learned to be
honest Seemingly he quite forgot that
one must first learn to be just before /
he can consistently pirate on honesty. /
And in the modern notion of things most
of u.s. IL we are quite honest with our
selves, know that fair play and justice
made il imperative to let any one win
if nature herself does not stand in the
way.
And IL is hard to understand how any l.
one can honestly believe it just to shut L
any door, hard and fast. in the face of
others who are ready TO show certif-
Gates of fitness to advance.
World None Too Wide.
There are not so many women who
care to try for legal honors. not so many
who are qualified to shine in the profess
sion: but il always has seemed. and il
always will. that it is distinctly small
and unfair for any body of men to as
sumo to decide what workfelds women
shall enter and when and where they
shall be set aside.
For when it comes to a question of the
work whereby one shall earn a living, L
there are many personal matters to con-
slider, points of individual temperament.
of natural leanings and of ways and
quite enough without any ,