Page:The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, vol. 1.djvu/142

 good to be a Barrister or not is not the province of this guide to discuss. There are many other guides to throw light on that matter. Indeed, I must confess freely my incompetence to aid the discussion of that question. I am simply to guide those who have made up their minds to be Barristers as to what they would be required to spend, what examinations they have to pass, how they would gain admission, etc. It was not without many misgivings and hesitation that I was induced to insert even the above paragraphs. Supposing, then, that you have made up your mind to become a Barrister, the first thing for you to do is to get a certificate of your having passed the matriculation examination. If you have not passed the matriculation examination, you will be required to pass an entrance examination before admission. They examine in History and Latin, but Indian students are by an application exempted from the Latin examination. The examination is rather easy.

This done you get the form of admission for one guinea; you pay the fees which amount to nearly 141. Those who have joined some university are exempted from the payment of 100 in the beginning, though they have to pay the sum in the end. In Lincoln's Inn, those who have passed public examination only in the British Dominions are exempted from that payment. I am not sure whether this applies to Indian Universities. Such information can be had directly by writing to the treasurers of the respective Inns of which there are four, viz., Inner Temple, Middle Temple, Lincoln's Inn and Gray's Inn. Perhaps, from an economic point of view, Lincoln's Inn is the best Inn, which boasts also the best library. Middle Temple is the most patronized by the Indians. From the education point of view, all the Inns are equal because they have a common examination. Middle Temple pays the scholarships in cash, the Inner Temple makes you join chambers and pays for them. One has to keep twelve terms before being called to the bar. There are four terms every year, the 1st in January, the 2nd in April, the 3rd in June and 4th in November. The shortest term lasts 20 days and the longest about 31 days. Keeping terms means taking dinners in the respective Inns to which you belong; you have not necessarily to take your dinner but you must go to the dining-hall punctually at the appointed time and sit there for one hour. You are said to have kept one