The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 70, July 1966 - April, 1967 Page: 285
728 p. : maps, ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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top of the ladder, a vast deal of pain & hardship from exposure
must be endured, & the mental labor in mastering the intricacies of
the higher branches of science, such as Calculus, mechanics &c
which are indispensable for one of this Profession to gain any
noteriety, is of its self very great- There are Engineers who have
studied for thirty years or even more, who have not the dis-
tinction of many Professional Lawyers, about Memphis or Holly
Springs [Mississippi]. I give it as my opinion, & urge it upon you
to study Law-for this class of men have for ages made a con-
spicuous figure in the history of the world their daily avocations
make them conversant with every thing; and it cannot be denied
that some of the brightest pages which adorn our history records
the deeds of noble daring, both in the cabinet & field, of members
of the bar-and it may with equal truth be said that they exact,
expound & execute the laws of all civilized countries to the ex-
clusion of most others-and that this influence will continue 'til
the mass of man kind are much better informed than at present
& be able to produce in other Professions men of such varied and
useful knowledge as may be acquired by the study & practice of
Law-
In San Antonio & other towns I have noticed Lawyers con-
gregated to a large extent, sufficient almost to induce the opinion
that the country is well stocked. Many of them are reaping rich
harvests--& others again of less ability & knowledge doing but
little- There is perhaps more litigation in Texas & California
than any states of the union- Here there is a grand field for
display 8e future usefulness-- Were you to study Law at the, Univ
of V[irginia] or any other school in the states & come here to
practice, it would be necessary to read some little before you
could gain patronage- Col Buckner a fine lawyer tells me, that
it requires more study to practice here than in any other state,
having to become acquainted with the confusion of laws during
the time Texas was a part of Mexico, as a Republican government,
and now as a star of the glorious constellation-
Should you determine upon this as a Proffession which will al-
ways bring to anyone in Texas, even tho of small natural talent-
who is economical, temperate & attentive, to business, property &
often fame- I can not now expatiate on the future prosperity
of Texas and will leave to your imagination to fill up the void.
In every sense of the word I am your Cousin
R. W. Brahan, jr.1o
10Written across the top of the letter was the following: "I will in my next
inform you of the course preparatory to its study."285
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 70, July 1966 - April, 1967, periodical, 1967; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101199/m1/303/: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.