and the one who is finally beaten, feels that injustice has been done.  It is the first task of an advocate to convince himself, and unless he has already done that, he may not expect to convince court and jury; and a man must be a poor advocate, or have a very bad case, who fails to convince himself, however he may fare with a jury.  You need never expect to convince your opponent; he is under a retainer not to agree with you.”

“There is another thing about it,” said Wade.  “The bar and writers talk about the ethics of the bar, and legal morality, and all that nonsense, until there is an impression, both among lawyers and the public, that there is one rule for lawyers and another for the rest of mankind—­that we are remitted to a lower standard of honesty.  This is all bosh; there can be but one standard of right and wrong; and that which is wrong out of court, cannot be right in it.  I’ll have but one rule.  A man who will lie to a court or a jury, will lie anywhere—­he is a liar.”

“Will you submit to that rule?” asked Giddings, laughing.

“I always have,” said Wade, “and I wont have any other.  Now of all men, a lawyer can the least afford to be dishonest; for a taint, a doubt of his honor, ruins him; and there cannot be a more honorable body of men in the world, and never was, than the fair majority of the bar.  The habit of contesting in open court, in the face of the world, engenders an honorable, manly highmindedness, free from the underhanded jealousy and petty wars of the doctors.  If a man lies, or is mean, he is pretty certain to be detected and exposed at once.  A lawyer cannot afford to lie and be mean.  And besides, I have observed that there is really no healthy, manly development of intellect, without a healthy, manly development of the moral nature.”

“Now, Frank,” said Mr. Giddings, “why not go a step further, and perfect the man, and say that religion should add its strength and grace, as a crown?”

“Well, Gid, I’ve no objection to your religion—­that is, I have no objection to religion—­I don’t know about yours—­but I have known a good many religious men who were very bad men, and I have known a good many bad men to get religion, who did not mend their morals.  If a man is a good man, it don’t hurt him to join a church, as far as I know; and a bad man usually remains bad.”

“Well, Frank, leave these young men to form their own opinions.”

“Certainly; I did not broach the subject.”

“They ought to become better lawyers than we are,” said Mr. Giddings.  “Their means of education are far in advance; the increase of new and valuable text-books, the great progress in the learning and competency of the courts, as well as the general rapid improvement of the people in intelligence, are all in their favor; they ought to be better lawyers and better Christians.”

“They couldn’t well be worse,” was the bluff response of Wade.

The young men remained pondering the remarks of their seniors.