The Washington times., 1934-02-15
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~ S4~~AAN S0AS 49,
Lawyer Allison was a man Of
substance in the small town
where I went to high school. He
was dignified and he was a di.
rector in a bank. AS I had no
property to protect and COM
mitted no major crimes, I had
little commerce with this i'm.
posing gentleman and my best
memory Of him is that he had a
daughter who, while not bright,
was bright-looking.
Yet when lawyers are men.
toned, generally, I think Of the
excellent Allison, and although I
have met lawyers with great cor
porate accounts and lawyers
who defend anarchists and cen
sored books, the Law has maj
esty for me because Of the first
lawyer in my experience. So
that I am a little surprised by
the law laid down by President
Evans Of the American Bar AS
Sociation.
OF course, he was talking as a
Kansas lawyer to Harvard men
and may have thought that they
needed the advice he gave. But
It is queer.
What Name?
"Get to calling fellows by
their first names and have them
call you by your first name" is
one Of the cardinal rules Of sue
cess at the bar. I never under
stood this mania for first names,
perhaps because no one in
school but myself had my first
name, and instead u feeling SUI
perior I felt like a marked man.
I still think that, Smith,
here is the ten I borrowed
last year" is a friendlier ap-
proach than, Hey, Jack, where's
that ten you owe me?"
I doubt whether people are as
friendly as they appear. In
the theater you use first names
the day you meet, after that
you say darling" or dear
or. you are considered a snob.
But in real life I find moth
ing wrong with Mister for the
first ten years; then the jovial
and friendly Smith" Especially
when women call men by their
last names only. After twenty
years of intimacy the first name
may be used.
"You re Wrong"
Mr.. Evans advises lawyers to
let the word get round that
they are public-spirited citizens,
but he suggests no way of do
ing this easier than actually
being a public7spirited citizen,
and that cuts into a lawyers
time and may get him bad
reputation with some big clients
who haven't heard that the old
bad world Of every man for
himself has come to an end.
doubt also Mr.. Evans state
ment that nothing makes fel-
low feel bigger than to go
around a week later to a man
you've done wrong and say, I
was wrong. I'm sorry" One
of the things that makes a fel-
low feel bigger than that is to
have someone else come to him
and say. you were right
But Mr.. Evans is practical
as we'll as idealistic. He says
that no man can become a
lawyer whose mind is fixed on
the purpose of making a lot of
money. and he also says that
"bill collecting is a good thing
to do. It makes a lot of con-
facts and gets you in touch
with many business concerns" !"
There. of course, I am not fit
to comment, because I know
nothing of the technique Of a
lawyers business.
Yet I have received letters
from lawyers informing me
that if certain bills were not
paid in three days they would
take action. I have never paid
within the specified time. Be-
cause. without exception, these
letters have been rude in tone
and-I do not know how to &C.
count for it-misspelled and
ungrammatical. / don't mind
paying my just debts when I
can; but I will not yield to a
bully who can't spell.