Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-06-14

by it's members, DR.. Charles +. Carusl,
chancellor of National University and
president of the District Board OF Edu-
cation, launched a counter attack on
behalf of the bar last night, when, IN
an address to Nationals 300 graduates,
he commended that the public itself Is
largely responsible for many OF the eVlis
attributed to lawyers.
DR.. Carusi was speaking at the Sixty
first annual convocation OF National
University held in Memorial Continental
Hall. with Justice Frederick L. Siddons
of the District of Columbia Supreme
Court, senior member of the law school
faculty, presiding. Degrees were con-
ferred upon approximately 300 students
and the honorary degree OF doctor OF
laws. causa honoris, was presented 10
Edwin Jay Pringle, New York attor-
ney.
In his address DR.. Carusi discussed
four specific charges against lawyers: /,
that they are losing their independence /;
2, that they are losing their leadership,
3, that they lack education, and 4, that
their profession Is overcrowded.
Afflicted With Reformitis.
professional reformers" tasted DR..
Carusi's satire when, in answer to the
charge of too many lawyers, he de-
clared that there are no more pract1c-
ing attorneys today than there were
wears before critics attacked the legal
profession Instead, he asserted, "a
new kind of profession has sprung up
the profession of retormatlon-wnose
members are recruited from among
graduate lawyers.
"The United States is afflicted today
with reformitis," Carusi said. 6 tits is
the term used by medical men to 1nol-
cate the presence of Inflammation, and
while I do not profess to know just
what kind of Inflammation we are suf-
fering from today, l do hope that the
modern light of science may Isolate the
germ and permit men to mind their own
business. Therefore, I urge you grad
yates to pursue the profession you are
entering upon tonight in the scientiflc
spirit and not in the spirit OF this
strange malady."
Illustrating the difference between the
scientific pursuit and the reformers
methods, Carusi cited the discovery OF
the earths motion by an observer who
watched hanging lamp swing from the
ceiling in church adjoining the lean
ing tower in Pisa, Italy.
IF that man had not been OF a sclen-
tifc turn of mind" the school board
president declared, che would have de-
cided whether it was morally right for
lamps to swing. If he thought 1t was
good, he would have written thou
sand letters or so, enlisted supporters at
a dollar each, and undertaken to cause
all lamps to swing. If, however, he
thought it was bad for lamps to swing,
he would have dashed out to have a
statute enacted making 1t felony for
lamp to swing But instead of either,
this scientific man sought why the lamp
~ IicCnunrad
earth's motion, thereby contributing to
the worlds fund of knowledge"
Gamble at Lawyers Expense.
DR.. Carusi agreed that lawyers may
be losing some of their independence,
but declared it was largely because the
public CANDLES" too much at the at
torney's expense. Motivated by revenge,
real suffering or greed, a man ap-
proaches an attorney. generally young
one, DR.. Carusi explained, instructing
him to institute proceedings against
another party. Instead OF agreeing 70
the lawyers stated fee, the would-be
claimant instructs the lawyer to :sue
for $500 and you pocket $3.50 of 1t If you
win your case" The young lawyer, I'M
able to dictate or choose his cases in the
face of necessity for livelihood, has to
accept these terms, he added.
This situation is aggravated, DR.. Ca
rusi declared, by the fact that instead
of the old system of building up indie
pendent practice, many lawyers today
are engaged exclusively by big corpora
tons, who pay specific retainer. Thus,
he explained with most of the choice
clients removed from the open neld.
the independent lawyers are even more
the subject of gambling public"
The growing idea that majority
opinion makes right" Carusi said, is
on reason why lawyers are losing
leadership. Instead of inquiring OF
them as experts as to the right or wrong
of proposed political policy the pub
lie turns to the professional reformer
for advice, he said. Thus. he explained,
is the leadership Of the trained lawyer
being usurped by victims of reform
it's"
Reed Delivers ValedictOry.
The charge of too little education for
American lawyers as against foreign
members of that profession Is unfound-
ed, DR.. Carusi claimed. Abroad the
| lawyer is expected to complete his sec
ondary education and then enter uni
versity to study law for three or four
years, just as he would study for any
other profession. The movement here
to require an arts and sciences degree
before legal education Is begun meets
economic difficulties, he explained, be-
cause a man or woman who has that
preparation is 26 or 81 years old be-
fore he can even begin to earn his live
lihood in his chosen field. While not
openly concurring in the opinion, he
said it is popularity charged that the
cry for more education on the part OF
lawyers comes from a group OF pro-
| fesSional educators and not from the
| legal profession itself.
Following DR.. Carusis address stacy
Mark Reed, a graduate, delivered the
valedictory. The exercises, held In
Memorial Continental Hall, were opened
with the invocation by Rev. George q.
| Culbertson, associate pastor OF the New
| York Avenue Presbyterian Church.
Among the higher degrees. conferred
were the following: Doctor OF civil law,
| Otis Lee Mohundro and Thomas Joseph
MacKavanagh; doctor Of judicial sci
ence, Joseph Teh-Hsin Lee, Yuen-Li
Lang Peter H. Rognley and Francis
Edward feeling; doctor of jurispru-
dence, Alice Loman Rhine and oscar
Stevenson Wilkinson.
Special Prizes Awarded.
Special prizes were awarded by Jus
| tice Jennings Bailey as follows.
| University gold medal for the highest
! average in the postgraduate class,
Elizabeth X. Prender; Macarthur gold
medal for the highest average In the
-o~Io~ cIa~~ Gtmcu NJ RAed. Hurst gold