The sun., 1916-11-15
v TO PORTIA.
A Woman Lawyer From Philadelphia
Resents Judge Gibbs's Remarks.

To THE EDITOR OF THE SuN-Str. The
attempt of Judge l.. D.. Gibbs of the
Bronx County Court to read the Women
Lawyers Association a lecture on dress.
when he had the privilege of being one
OF the speakers of the evening at their
first dinner on Monday. November 10.
at the Imperial Hotel. New York, was
outre to say the least.
Assembled around him on this occa-
sion we're splendidly gowned women
from many states in the Union, gowned
as becomes 'the best circles In polite
society
His lecture should have taken the
form Of praise and commentator. that
women lawyers who were SO seriously
engrossed In life had. nevertheless. tim
10 gown themselves appropriately 20
meet him. He should nave told them
since they performed this function
SO vel, he was quite sure that when
they appeared in court clothed and In
their right mind the same sense OF Sc
lection would stand them equally In
good stead.
That women should wear fiat footed
shoes and sackcloth and ashes Just be-
cause they nave achieved the highest
profession would he ridiculous in the
extreme.
They can he Just as charming and as
womanly and as businesslike II clothed
hecomingly as IL they made OF them
selves spectacles and the laughing stock
of the male crowd.
When men step down from their high
places and venture into the suffrage
world women do not ask of them to
divorce themselves from tn-i, customary
male apparel and instead girlishly don
a beribboned hat and II iiounce skirt in
order to address them. Women begin
'lrst by acrrediting them with some
sense. tina they will meet the occasion
Ike men-and we women demand tina;
We shall be privileged to meet all oc-
caslons as women.
The Judge seemed to ;hirk he was
entitled tu a bit uf applause when nc
said he believed that the day would
come when Woman would get justice
10y being tried by a jury Of her peers.
on his theory woman. being below man
and no his equal. would he tried by a
lower species OF animal when tried hy
women than by men,
My recollection is that our dear fore.
fathers IN framing our beloved t'onsti.
,ution quite believed that peer" mean;
"~cgual'-and not superior Or inferior.
When n woman has won her We'll
canned degree tn law sl. has littl. time
or thought for men other than az they
may be part ~ a case.
Quite a good code Of manners could
with eluanirnity have been handed ou,
10y the Judge to the male bar. for they
a." also surely guilty Of 'firting with
the jury ard "oslinE the court" whcr
IN stentorinus tones. sometimes SO loud
that the jurymen shivnr and quake a.
with que In their bon. thcy attempt to
address them and force the court FINALLY
20 retire into the recesses % chambers
In the JOY Of we'll earned solitude.
II * q matter ~ choice
Miss tlarice BAY ight ot the New York
bar responded quite rightly 70 the Judge
reciprocal invitation 10 four O'Clock ;e.
after court that women were accus
toned to fuss up n bit" for functions
OF this kind. and the Judge should no
hold II against us II We forced oar,
selves upon him IN the sackcioth auc
ashes and Nat footed shoes" which u.
deemed the proper garh. and that p,
would not hold II Ia dlsrespec,.
ANNE FLORENCE YrRGEn.
OF the Philadelphia bar.
NHw YORK, November II.