Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 08.pdf/102



ODE TO OMAR. CURRENT TOPICS. 1.

Too Many Books. — The Easy Chair's Christ mas season was somewhat burdened and clouded by the anticipation and the advent of the lawyer's unfailing Christmas annuals, " The American Di gest" and the " General Digest." Covering twentyseven or twenty-eight hundred pages each, they lum ber up his desk, darken his windows, and if he had to pay for them, would lie heavy on his chest. The entertaining "Book News" says that "the reports are here," and asks us if it is not best to have a com prehensive digest of them. Acknowledging the re markable enterprise and technical excellence of these compendiums, and their great convenience so long as the present practice of reporting every decision pre vails, we still unhesitatingly answer, no. Although our personal living depends in a great measure on this kind of reproduction, we still answer, no. It is a positive misfortune to the legal profession to have so many reports and text-books, and to have access made so easy and convenient to them. In the days of few books there was better and more certain law, and there were better lawyers. Although the writer hereof has had a hand in writing, editing, and com piling more than two hundred law-books, yet he would gladly have them all burned up if all or nearly all the rest could go with them. In every branch this is a book-enslaved generation. Too many books, too many newspapers, too many magazines — too little reflection, too little originality. While thus frankly confessing his own guilt in this matter, the writer would claim a little mitigation of censure be cause in several instances he has done his best to diminish the number and bulk of law books by com pressing the substance of many into one — an attempt at a kind of codification. When he considers the great and rapidly growing evil of the multiplication of law-books and other books, he finds it in his heart to say a word in defense of a famous ancient enemy of books. In recent days it is denied that this per sonage was guilty of the great act of vandalism tradi tionally charged to him, but whether he was or was not, the writer is moved to inscribe this

Omar, who burned — if thou didst burn — The Alexandrian tomes, I would erect to thee an urn Beneath Sophia's domes.

So many books I can't endure, The dull and commonplace, The dirty, trifling, and obscure. The realistic race.

Would that thy exemplary torch Could bravely blaze again, And many manufactories scorch Of book-inditing men!

The poets who write " dialect," Maudlin and coarse by turns, Most ardently do I expect Thou'lt wither up with Burns.

All the erotic, yawping class Condemn with judgment stern; Walt Whitman's rotten " Leaves of Grass,' With elegant Swinburne.

Of commentators make a point, The carping, blind and dry; Rend the " Baconians " joint by joint, And throw them on to fry. VII.

Especially I pray thee choke Law libraries in sheep With fire derived from ancient Coke, And sink in ashes deep. VIII.

Destroy the sheep, don't spare my own I weary of the cram, The misplaced diligence I've shown — But kindly spare my Lamb. 83