Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 09.pdf/458

 Sir Melbourne Tait.

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Power Company v. City of. Montreal, Ю occasion of her Diamond Jubilee, was an Off. Reports 209, and many others. extremely popular appointment, and the The decisions of Sir Melbourne Tait are Judge received many felicitations on his perspicuous, direct and to the point. He honor, and was on September the loth pre does not indulge in any sententious verbiage sented with a congratulatory address by nor burden his judgments with jejune plati the Bar of Montreal. Lady Tait is an tudes or unnecessary philosophical reflec American, a native of Rhode Island. Sir tions, and his remarks are delivered in excel Melbourne has an interesting family, his lent judicial manner. He may possess, but eldest son, Mr. Thomas Tait being Eastern never exercises, a somewhat favorite judicial manager of the Canadian Pacific Railway art or artifice of shirking a difficult point and Company. basing a decision on some minor question, In the prime of life, possessed of a vigor not touched upon by counsel. His demean ous and robust constitution, fond of his or to the bar is excessively courteous and work and competent to do it, respected and urbane, without in any manner lacking the implicitly trusted by the profession and the dignity and repose which befit a magistrate.! public, Sir Melbourne Tait's lot is indeed In his social life, the learned Judge is a I an enviable one. But his freedom from the great favorite. When at the bar, he was a vanity and petulance which sometimes mar member of a well-known Dramatic Society the judicial character, and withal, the unaf — the Social and Dramatic Club of Mon fected modesty of his nature, render it im treal — and has performed leading parts in possible for his successes to excite the lower its productions with éclat. He is a mem forms of envy or to evoke other feelings ber of the St. James Club of Montreal, than the belief that he thoroughly deserves. and a church warden of Christ Church his good fortune and the hope that he may Cathedral. He is also a governor of Bish long be spared to perform the important op's College. duties he is so admirably qualified to dis His Knighthood by the Queen, on the charge.

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