The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-09-27
BEHOLD The LAWYER!
He Is a Most Useful Man in Mod
ern Civilization.


(This is the third Of a series Of articles
on the professions appearing In The ; To-
pear in an early issue)
The lawyer is the man whom the
other men of the world hire to settle
their troubles for them. In the good
old days before humanity became so
humane, lawyers were an unknown
quantity and instead OF taking their
arguments into the courts, men toted
stone axes and large wooden clubs
troubles. Even in later days-for
example, pioneer days in Kansas
lawyers were as plentiful as cocoanut
palms at the North Pole and the
trusty forty-five was the principal
legal instrument then in use.
But when civilization spread her
soothing balm on the bleeding sore of
the world, attorneys-at-law began to
increase in number and popularity
until today there are more lawyers
than clients and the profession is re-
garded as a very honorable one in
deed. Today no one takes a step of
any Importance without first consult
ing lawyer. Instead of settling their
scraps with a pistol and rapier, men
now regard 1t as more honorable as
well as less dangerous to hire at
torneys to harangue the Judge for
vented. one may well imagine how
old Dame Humanity screamed with
delight.
Good For Many Things.
The usefulness of the lawyer Is
practically unlimited. When some Pc
destrian bumps into your touring car;
when some one persists in making you
pay bill that you don't owe. or when
your wife becomes possessed of the
habit of breaking the china over your
head before breakfast every morning,
you may always sob out your troubles
on the manly shoulder of the lawyer
and receive solace and comfort.
In the court room he threads the
narrow and dark path thru the forest
Of law with the certainty of the Indian
scout in the early days. His pleadings
to the jury put Cicero to shame. When
he uncaps the fountain of his fearful
eloquence, woe to the unfortunate
juror who forgot to bring his hand
kerchief along. He reminds them
that the accused Is only a poor washer
woman, hard working man or an in
nocent young girl as the case may be.
He calls to mind their own prattling
children who climb upon their father s
knee at eventide and laugh as only
sweet. healthy children can.
"Oh, gentlemen" he tells them, at
Is a serious step you are about to take
"a very serious step. Look upon
are about to make fatherless-upon
whose innocent, curly heads you are
about to bring shame and humilia-
ton and sorrow. Look upon this gray
haired mother. and tell me. II you
will. what you would do If she were
your mother. Look upon this sweet
young wife whom you are about to
make a widow and cast out into the
cold world to shift for herself merely
because her husband is charged with
stealing a rotten potato from a COR
poration-."
Expert Tear Producer.
And thus he continues until the
janitor is called in to mop up the tears
and the jury is sent into the jury room,
where they promptly return verdict
for acquittal.
A man and woman may get married
with only a justice or minister as an
assistant. but to get unmarried re-
quires the services of a lawyer. Attor-
neys probably see more of the trou-
bled side of human life than men in
any other profession, but 1t does not
seem to have any effect upon their
temperament.
In short the world today could not
well get along without the lawyer.
Take all the men of the bar out OF
society. and men would undoubtedly re-
sort to the old methods of obtaining
justice for themselves and others,
which has proven, during the lapse
of time, to be a harsh, foolish and
painful method at the best.