Once one discovers this he must perforce choose whether he will remain a galley slave for life or hoist the Jolly Roger and turn freebooter, with a chance of dangling betimes from his own yard-arm.
Many a man has literally starved at the law.

And most of the profession nearly do so; while some, by merest luck, have managed to struggle on until they stumbled upon some professional gold mine.

I have heard many stories of how some young men managed to pull success out of disaster when the odds seemed overwhelming.
One which has particularly appealed to me I shall call the anecdote of The Most Capable Young Lawyer in New York.
Some years ago there came to the great city a young fellow who had always lived in a country town where the neighbors were all such good friends that they never went to law.

He was able and industrious, but in his native place found it almost impossible to earn a living; and when by chance he met a well-known and prosperous attorney from New York who advised him to seek his fortune in the whirlpool rather than in the back eddies of life, he decided to follow the suggestion.
"I will endeavor to throw you something from time to time," said the prosperous lawyer, for it made him feel his own success to see such a poor young man and it tickled his vitals into benignity.
The country boy sold all his possessions for a few hundred dollars and came to New York.

His friend was very kind in his manner and prolific of advice, but, unfortunately, he had no room in his own office for a junior or even an errand-boy.