The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-07-21

the Wake Forest Law SCHOOL,
In the practice of law some men
do well: others do good In all
forms of government the lawyer must
of necessity have a prominent posi-
ton. Ours is q lawyers governme-t I.
Tt was the agitation by the patriotic
members of the profession which
trough on thu Revolutionary War.
II was the conservative wisdom of the
lawyers which framed the ConStitu-
ton of the United States: the master
minds Of lawyers harmoniZed the
Pinckney, the Jay, the Sherman and
the Madison plans, and it VS. JOIN
Marshall T. interpreted this constr
tuition and it has been we'll said
''breathed the very life into it,
Twenty-four of the ffty-fvur siSners
Of the Declaration Of independence,
and thirty of the ffty-five members
of the convention which framed the
Constitution of the United States were
la wyers. Twenty-one of our twenty
seven Presidents have been lawyers.
1t is of the real lawyer, and his re-
lation to the public of which wish TO
speak; l am compelled to admit, that
all gentlemen who have license TO
practice law are not lawyers. A
large per cent Of the gentlemen who
secure license to practice law, never
intend to practice the profession, some
of them only want to learn of he
principles and science Of law; l do
not believe that q man can be highly
educated unless he knows of the
growth of the law and its application
to the science of government. The
checks and safeguards against rcvO-
lutionary action which distinguishes
the Institutions of the United States
from those Of all other de~mocracies,
are the fruits Of the wisdom and
foresight of great minds trained to
the law.
a great many men secure license
to practice law, in order that they
may use the law and this knowledge
to aid them in prosecuting business
successfully. this is all right, if they
do not debauch the profession as a
means to get money.
In my opinion there are two classes
of real practitioners. the frs is the
lawyer who studies and plans to use
his profession to the end that he may
become prominent, he wants to re {
great jury lawyer, or he wants tt
have some intimate connection will
some great corporation, or he want:
TO attain unto political prominence
now l would not entirely criticise thi
kind of a lawyer, some of them hav,
been most useful in the great uplif
of our country, but | Will say tina
this kind of a lawyer is usually no
the great maker of public sentimen
and his influence does not mould on
highest ideals. The spectacular jur
advocate is often deficient in the rea
learning II the profcSsion. the col
poration lawyer is frequently help
less when he comes to consider tn
fundamentals of the profession, an
the political lawyer generally need
somebody to try his cases for him.
COuntry-Man for Supreme Court.
want to say right here, that
wish We had some President VIII
would come back to the country an
get some great countr lawyer, fires
from the streams of human life,
man who has intimate knowledge
the real wants and conditions Of h
fellows. and put him upon the grcc
Supreme Court bench Of this Unite
States; it would have a wholcSon
effect; l an. getting tired of ever
vacancy upon this the greatest cou,
on earth. being filed with some Law
yer who Las rpent his life in tt
twentieth story of some lily law bulit
iLg, studying 10 advise a c%OrpOra.io
not how to obey the law, but how
break it and not get caught.
The second class of real practitioI
ers, and the class which | wish to ca
for want of a better name, the node
lawyer. is the one who has grow
into the confidence and life of l.
community; say what you may, tt
real sentiment of almost every con
munlty ana county In this State al
in every other State. reflects the Ii
and character of the lawyer who :.
the confidence of that community ar
who does the business of that con
munity: if he is vicious and stan,
for low ideals. the citizenship of h
community will be sordid and q
PRAYED. and there will he no NOR
progress: II thi lawyer has high Sc
sibilities with n conscience attune
nob ideals. the community will L
spond to this sentiment, and you w
have a righteous people, armed wi
truth and in the man of material al
moral progress.
OF course | want to commend
you this upright lawyer, with t
highest ideals, the lawyer who has t
confidence Of his. community a
whose influence stands for the b.
things Of life. the lawyer who a
vises his people and keeps them @
of all difficulties. who each day stee
them around the rocks and throu
the breakers and anchors them So