MEN AND THEIR PROFESSIONS.
��— are not entitled to a great amount of sympathy, and we opine that they should not complain bitterly about lawyers. Those people who have no scrapes, who do not trespass on their neighbors, who, if their neighbors trespass upon them are not angered to revenge, or ' mad,' past becoming pleased, and in a condi- tion of mind that forgives all the world at evening prayer, should not complain, except perhaps, when they aspire to of- fice of honor, trust or profit, and find an attorney and counsellor at law ready to fill the bill to their exclusion. But we are not kindly disposed, enthusiastically speaking, towards lawyers, and there- fore cannot be expected to give them the character we award to a profestional teacher or clergyman. There is a good deal about the profession that we do not like. Lawyers are clanish. They 'tickle' and ' feed' each other, and are ' deaf, dumb and blind ' to the pockets of other professions. To use a slang phrase, 1 they know too much ' for men who are not burdened so heavily with knowledge as by cheek ; but, inasmuch as we have no purpose or desire to offend, we will not particularlize. ■ Suffice it to be said that it is our obseiwation and experience that a barrister can serve God and Mam- mon more successfully than the multi- tude. His is not, however, as bad as the average mind pictures him, and even among our friends and acquaintance there are worthy and honorable exceptions from the rule that marks the profession as one to be dodged by that man who hopes to live a life acceptable to himself and the community.
THE JOURNALIST.
In this profession there is less money and more trouble and torment to the mind and body than all others combined. The journalist serves a wicked and per- verse generation, and sees more of the shams and meanness of men than any of his compeers. He is bounded on all sides by critics, and is every day making the acquaintance of idiots, who, with more cheek than brains, flatter themselves that they — who have spent their lives in some other calling — are more competent in the matter of editing a newspaper than he
��who has devoted a quarter of a century to the profession. He is annoyed by ig- norance that assumes intelligence, and if he avoids a discussion on some issue that in his judgment is in the interest of an individual rather than the public, it is hinted that he has been bought ; if he denounces evil and unfairness he is med- dlesome and malicious; if a free puff is denied he is mean ; if a free puff is giv- en, the person who receives it thinks he has only obtained what he is entitled to because of his great merit, and some- times he comes around to find fault be- cause it was not stated a good deal strong- er ; if he pursues a course in politics that he believes most advantageous for patri- otic and party ends, the men who should give support turn their noses in condem- nation. A journalist is expected to de- nounce, politically, his best friend, and to compliment a party man, politically again, and that, too, when the 'denounc- ing and complimenting' is of no more consequence to him as an individual than a copy of a last year's almanac. He is expected to praise everything— be it good, bad or indifferent, professional or ama- teur — and he is certain that the. man of whom he is compelled, in order to main- tain his equilibrium before the public, to speak censorious, will curse him, even though the same individual has been fa- vorably mentioned in his newspaper wri- tings ninety-nine times, for which the person thus complimented has never be- stowed the poverty of his thanks. And then, if he is a live journalist, he is al- ways writing and publishing something that some pious soul does not like, and is receiving calls from good people who want their neighbor shown up. and a promise that he will not mention the source of his information. He is both- ered by typographical errors, assailed by his political opponent, hated by those who have cases in the criminal court, an- noyed by those who are not reported ev- ery time they open their mouths, and in danger of a club or law suit from some one whose merit is not appreciated. In short, the journalist is a victim of men's spleen, and he must be a man of temper like a dove, and a constitution like an ox,
�� �
