The Washington herald., 1921-07-17
By William Clark Taylcr.

There are certain principles re-
lating to wills which must De oo-
served, but we shall first consider
that which must not be done under
any circumstances.
First: Always be ashamed OF the
fact that you have made your Will
Second: After you have mFde
your will. hide 1t away in some
secret place, and your berecVed
widow or dependent children Will
thank you for this touching act OF
charity. 1t may take days TO fino
your will, and, II it does not turn
up until several years after your
death. it will tend to keep your
memory green, and the lawyers VIII
be materially enriched by your
thoughtfulness.
Third: II your estate is of such
a nature that you desire to have
IL held intact, and II is necessary
to create trusts that 1t may be pre-
served, never under any circum-
stances. employ a lawyer to draft
your will OF course. a bill will
have to be filed to construe your
will, and the incidental costs will.
amount to twenty times as much as
"a lawyer would have charged to
Fourth: Do not give your exc
cutor power to sell, mortgage or
exchange your real estate. Your
failure to do this will materially
add to the attorneys fees. court
costs. and an advantageous sale of
the real estate may be lost.
Fifth: Never acquaint your wife
with the details of your business
or the extent of your property or
liabilities. This shows your tende-
regard for her feelings. and when
the estate is turned over to her. she
will become the legitimate prey of
the get-rich-quick crowd which
fiourishes and lives in luxurious
style under our benign laws.
Sixth: Never have your will wit
messed Under the law in force in
the District of Columbia. IL is pro-
vided that wills must be witnessed
by at least two attesting witnesses
who must sign in the presence Of
the testator. Failure to comply with
this statute renders your will abso-
lutely void. and in such event, your
estate will be distributed accord
ing TO law.
Seventh: After your viii is made,
signed and attested. do not neglect.
during your spare hours. to make
all kinds of changes-cancel a be-
quest here and there. change the
names Of the beneficiar1es. and
commit other acts of vandalism. All
of which will result in legal pro-
ceedings which will materially de-
plete your estate.
Eighth: II you have an enemy.
or IL your children have incurred
your displeasure. do not fail to tell
them. in your will. what you think
of their conduct towards you. Your
will. when II is admitted to pro-
bate and record and Is a public
document. may be read by any per-
son having a sufficient curiousity
to call at the probate court. Slight
ing references of this kind are
greatly appreciated by the public
at large. and such efforts tend to
injure the testator more than the
victims of his wrath.
Ninth: If you write your first
will in 1900. and write another will
in 1910 revoking the will of 1900.
and IL Won decide. that you prefzr
your first will. just destroy the
Will Of 1910. and when II Is as
certained that the will dated 1910
revoked the win dated 1900. the
court will declare the will OF 100
void. and your estate will be dis
tributed according to law. The law
provides that a will once revoked
can only he restored by re-execu-
non or by another properly executed
writing.
Tenth: Always show favoritism
In the distribution otyour prop
this means guarantee a contest Of
your Will The mere fact that this
viii delay the settlement Of your
estate for several years. create a
feeling of animosity among vour
cnlIdren. and add extensive legal
fees. will probably give YOU a pleas
uraoIe IeeiinE while being ferricd
across the Styx.
W. ILLS are chiefly broken from,
without, and not from within.
Ihat Is to say. wills are set aside
not SO much from faulty consfrr,-
tlon as from mental incapacit,, and
family differences and preferencss
resulting in unequal distributinn
NOT one will in five hundred filed
Is successfully contested; poorIv
constructed wills may stand. We,
cause Inconvenience. doubts and lit
igation. D NJ
The oldest will known was writ
ten $500 years ago. This remarka
Die instrument was found by tbs
celebrated Psychologist. William
Matthews Flinders Petrie, who nm
earthed it at Kahuni. Egypt Ry
the terms Of this will, the testato-
settIed the property on his wife
Ieta, for life. but empowered her
70 dispose Of it; a guardian wa,
appointed for the testator's infant
ehild; and the document is witnessed
IN tne manner prescribed by onr
ooerh forms In fact, this will
hnsht De admitted in any of our
ts-so perfectly is II executed
ato. Aristotle. Augustus Caesar
ana tne poet Virgil, left wills Of
> lengtn, and of structural and
ntimental beauty. From a legal
Sst,i. point Two perfectly drawn
p,-n tnose OF Paul Revere and
Richard the Conqueror Ief, . Ill,
To his younger son, Henri -.
five thousand pounds in siIysr -
his eldest son, Robert Norma,s.
and to his second son, William ~.
crown of England. me
Abraham Lincoln left an estate
exceeding in value 100000, but disd
leaving no will. Gen. Grant Ieft ne
will and no estate. 0
The following suggestions ar.
given for those who desire to draJ
a will
II the testator has any real estate
in another State or country, special
pains should be taken. to describe
The rroper.v from the deed Thf. a