A LAWYER ON LAWYERS. By Albert C. Applegarth. ' I "HE age in which we live may be aptly characterized as an era or an epoch of reform. Everybody is attempting to im prove everybody. The press fairly teems with accounts of the appointment of com mittees to investigate some person or some thing. Old things are rapidly passing away; everything is becoming new. In all direc tions we hear of reforms in sociology, in medicine, in juridical systems, in theology,— in short, in all the various departments of human activity. The male fraternity, it is popularly supposed at least by the better half of the race, will not honestly reform themselves; consequently advanced women are endeavoring to bring their unprogressive and recalcitrant brethren to their elevated platform. On the other hand, these afore said lords of creation appear to rest satisfied in the comfortable assurance that if some of their ideas were carried into execution, the amelioration of femininity would be very pronounced; would, in truth, be an accom plished fact. Then, again, the physiologist regards the preacher as very far below par. The clergyman sits in austere judgment upon the pestilential professor, whom his opponents charitably describe as just burst ing with heterodoxy of every description. And when we proceed to examine this category more minutely, we ascertain that all classes of society express their earnest desire and indisputable ability to reform the lawyer, the latter individual appearing to occupy much the same relation to the mod ern community as did the unfortunate scape goat to the Jewish ecclesiastical polity. On one occasion, when Voltaire was attempting to surpass all previous relations of persons not remarkable for honesty, he observed, with his brilliant audacity, " Once upon a time there was a lawyer." When called upon for elucidation, he declared the state
ment was self-explanatory. Many, in our own day and generation, appear to coincide in the opinion of this celebrated and satirical Frenchman. Does any measure miscarry in the halls of legislation? Instantly the attorney is sum moned to the bar, as a rule condemned, and we read interminable articles on the lament able fact that governing bodies are so largely composed of legal gentlemen. Is public opinion neglected, ignored, or defeated? Once more the disciple of Blackstone is pro nounced the undeniable culprit. Has the government of some municipality resulted in an abortion? In some quarters it is never attributable to any other cause than the intrigues of astute but unscrupulous attorneys. If any of these undesirable events come to pass, immediately the scribe class is pro duced, and invariably slain on expiatory altars. The whole affair strongly reminds one of a Western anecdote. One morning, in this present century of grace, a gigantic son of Erin was soundly thrashing a poor diminu tive Hebrew. When the bystanders remon strated with this modern Hercules, he re plied, with unutterable scorn, — "And is he not a Jew? Yis, gentilmen, he is. And did not the Jews kill our blissed Lord? Yis, gentilmen, they did." But spoke up one of these heroic observ ers, — "My dear man, that was centuries ago." "Be jabbers," responded the Irishman, "I can't help that. That may be true; but, 'pon my word, I just heard of the crime of the Jews to-day." Now, seriously, does the attorney need the pruning-knife more than his zealous brethren, apparently so intent on his recla mation? Of course, there are in our pro fession, as in all others, some few persons of
