COUNSEL

From Agepedia

COUNSEL ; those who give counsel in law; any counsellor or advocate, or any number of counsellors, barristers or sergeants, as the plaintiff's counsel or the defendant's counsel. In this sense, the word has no plural, but is applicable, in the singular number, to one or more persons. COUNSELLOR, in law, is one whose profession is to give advice in questions of law, and to manage causes for clients. (See Advocate.) Counsellor (in German, Rath). In Germany, the mania for titles is carried to a greater degree than in any other country in Europe. Almost every man is desirous of possessing one, and the title of even the lowest officer is reverently repeated, with a preceding Mr., as often as the in dividual is addressed by persons of equal or lower rank; for instance, we have Mr. Lieutenant,na,y,sometimes Mr. TaxgatJierer, and even Mrs. Taxgatheress (Frau Steuereinnehmerin). The title Rath (counsellor), in particular, has been distributed with a most ridiculous profusion. In all branches of government, you meet counsellors in abundance. Every one is a counsellor who has passed through certain preparatory degrees, particularly in Prussia. In fact, the term, in Prussia, is as common as mandarin in China. The judges are not judges, but courtcounsellors, which title, for the sake of precision, is amplified to country, or city, or highcountrycourt counsellor (Oberlandesgenchtsrath). There are also FinanzRdthe, MedizinalRdthe, RegierungsRdthe, &c.; and, in all branches, GeheimeRdthe, as, GeheimeMedizinalRdtlie, GeheimeFinanzRdtht, &c. Moreover, as it always happens that honors and titles gradually decline in value, new ones must be invented: thus, in Prussia, the title GeheimeRath being given to persons who have nothing to do with the private deliberations of the government, it has been deemed necessary to give to the actual counsellors a new and distinguishing title: they are called realprivycounsellors. And you find, therefore, in Prussia WirJdicheGeheimeOberFinanzRathe (realprivyhighfinancecounsellors) ! and so in all branches. And who are these realprivyhigh &c.'s ? You would think they were at least several degrees higher than the privy counsellors of England. They are, in fact, however, mere assistants of the minister. Besides this host of Rathe, who have actually official duties to discharge, there is another swarm, equally numerous, of people whose title of counsellor is a mere title of honor, like the Chinese peacock's feather. The title most generally bestowed in this way is Hofrath (counsellor of the court). Hofrathe and GeheimeHqfrathe are so common in Germany, that a traveller observes, if you spit out of the window on a crowd, it is ten to one that you hit a Hofrath. There are also BauRdthe (buildingcounsellors), SteuerRdthe (taxcounsellors), UniversitdtsRdthe, CommerzienRdthe; and again the same titles, with the honorary term Geheime (privy) prefixed, as GeheimeBauRdthe, &c. The title of KJiegsRath (counsellor of war) is often given to men who have nothing military in their occupation or habits. The old proverb says, Sat verbum sapienti, but here we are tempted to exclaim, Sat verbum stulto. COUNSELLOR, PRIVY. (See Council, Privy.)49*