“Lord Coke said a long time ago, ‘Few men, pinched with the messengers of death, have a disposing memory.’ ‘Such a will, he adds, ‘is sometimes in haste and commonly by slender advice and is subject to so many questions in this eagle-eyed world. And it is some blemish or touch to a man well esteemed for his wisdom and discretion all his life, to leave a troubled estate behind him, amongst his wife, children or kindred, after his death.’ “A man may work out his religion from within and for himself, but when it comes to writing a will, the advice of a good, level-headed friend cannot be overestimated. “The will, unlike other instruments, is usually not open to criticism, and in my opinion, the testator will act wisely, who takes into his confidence some trusted friend who has good judgment and just ideas, whether he be a lawyer or a layman: this would be a poor world indeed, if such were not to be found. “Statistics show that out of every hundred persons dying in modern times, sixty-five per cent leave no estate at all, and this is true in the most prosperous and wealthy portions of the United States. Out of the hundred mentioned, about thirty-five leave estates, but less than ten per cent leave estates exceeding five thousand dollars. “Gifts through wills to charitable, educational and kindred institutions, in recent years, have been larger than during any other period in the history of this country. In the year 1909 the value of such gifts exceeded a hundred million dollars, according to the best statistics obtainable; yet it is much to be regretted, that testators who have been blessed with fortunes, do not leave more to charitable and public uses. Very little, if any regret would be expressed by beneficiaries under wills, if testators would set aside a few hundred or a few thousand dollars for such objects: a fountain in one’s native town, a scholarship, a hospital, or a park or plot of ground where the aged might rest, children play, and birds sing. Such gifts show noble natures, and all communities are proud to remember and honor the donors. “Although the laws of our States differ somewhat in the matter of descent and in the rules as to the construction and requirements of wills, it may be stated that it is not generally necessary to mention or provide for any other persons than children or their descendants.