Chapter 26 Chapter 24 So what if you become a lawyer?

As to the purpose of my going to England, which is to be a lawyer, I have not said anything so far, and it is time to say something briefly. As a student, he must fulfill two conditions before he can formally become a lawyer: "maintenance semesters"-twelve semesters are equivalent to about three years; and passing the examination. "Keeping the semester" means eating the semester, which means that each semester must attend at least six of the approximately twenty-four banquets.The so-called eating does not refer to a real meal, but to report in person at the specified time, and the rest of the time is just to participate in the banquet.Of course, under normal circumstances, everyone is happy to eat good food and drink wine.A supper cost two to three shillings and sixpence, or two or three rupees.That's pretty cheap, because if you're eating in a hotel, you're going to pay that much for just the drinks.For those of us in India, if we don't have "culture", it's a surprise that wine costs more than food.When I first learned about it, I was also very surprised. I wondered how people have such a large capacity to spend so much money on drinks.Then I understood.I usually do not eat at such dinners, for all I can eat is bread, boiled potatoes, and Chinese cabbage.At first I didn't even eat these things, because I didn't like them at all; after I ate them, I got the courage to eat other dishes.

The dishes prepared for the judges at the dinner table were often better than those for the students.There is a Bosch student who is also a vegetarian. For the sake of vegetarianism, I applied for the vegetarian dishes that are only available on the judge's bench.This request was granted, and we proceeded to obtain fruit and other vegetables from the bench. There are two bottles of wine per group of four, and since I don't drink, people try to trick me into making up the numbers so that three people can drink two bottles.There is also a "Grand Night" every semester. In addition to wine and kirsch, there is also champagne that is not usually available.So on these "big nights" I get a special invitation, and I get a seat everywhere.

I could neither see, nor have I ever understood, how such dinners could make a student more qualified to be a lawyer.At first such banquets tended to be attended only by a few students, so that they had the opportunity to talk to the judges and to give speeches.This situation helps them acquire a refined and refined social knowledge, and it also improves their ability to speak.But by my time, this situation was gone forever, because the judges set up their own seats. As a result, the institution gradually lost its original meaning, but conservative England retained its form. The lessons learned are easy, and lawyers are humorously called "banquet lawyers."Everyone knows that exams are of no practical value.In my time there were two exams: one in Roman law and one in common law.At that time there were some official textbooks specially compiled and printed for this kind of examination, and they could be taken to the examination room, but almost no one read them.

I know a lot of people who can pass the exam by poring over Roman law notes for a week or two, and who can pass the exam by just reading common law notes for two or three months.The exam papers are easy to answer, and the examiners are magnanimous.The pass rate for the Roman Law exam is often 95% to 99%, and the acceptance rate for the major exam is 75% or more.So no one is afraid of failing the exam, not to mention that the exam is not once a year but four times a year, and no one finds it difficult. Yet I managed to combine the two exams into one.I think I should read all the textbooks.I thought it was a mistake not to read these books.I spent a lot of money on textbooks.I decided to read Roman law in Latin.The knowledge of Latin which I had acquired for the University of London entrance examination served me well.And all this reading was not without value when I got to South Africa, where Roman Dutch law was the common law.So reading Justinia's works is really helpful for me to understand the laws of South Africa.

It took me nine months of rather strenuous labor to read English common law.Brome's Common Law is a huge and interesting work, and it took me quite a while to read it.Snell's "Balanced Act" is very interesting, but a little difficult to understand.White and Tidle's Important Cases is an interesting and illuminating collection of cases.I have also read with great interest Real Estate by Williams and Edward, and Chattel by Goodway.Williams' book reads like a novel.A work I read with equal interest after my return to India was Manee's Hindu Law, but this is not the place for Indian law books, so I shall leave it.

I took the examination and was admitted, called to the bar on the 10th of June, 1891, and registered with the High Court on the 11th. On the 12th, I set off to return home. But no matter how I read, my helplessness and fear did not end there, and I did not feel that I was qualified to practice law. But to describe my helpless situation, I have to devote another chapter.