Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 14.pdf/603

 556

mind who was pretty shrewd at it. Old John used to go to church about twice a year. He got into church one day, more by accident than anything else, and it happened that the parson had turned his barrel over that week and struck the sermon he always preached once a year on the evils of gambling and horse-racing. After he had finished preaching and the meeting was over he approached John and said : " Well, John, I am glad to see you at church." "Thank you, Parson," said John. " John," said the Parson, "you have not been here lately." "No," said John, " it is nigh on to two years now since I have been here." "Well," said the parson, "if I had known you were going to be here I would not have preached that sermon." " Well, never mind, Parson," said John, " it must be a damn bad sermon that won't hit me some where." Lord Herschell, says " E. M." in The Law Times, " was a delightful companion both at home and in travel. He could be sociable in the midst of all his hard work. Like Sir Walter Scott, who wrote ' Marmion ' and ' The Lady of the Lake ' in the family circle, Herschell read his briefs at home in his smoking-room, and it never disturbed him to have people in the room conversing — indeed, it appeared to be rather a relief to him than otherwise, and he would lay down his papers and join in the conversation if anything caught his ear which interested him. He had a wonderful power of mastering un familiar subjects — witness the Currency Com mission. The work of the commission was one of exceptional difficulty, and when Herschell ac cepted the presidency he was absolutely ignorant of the subject, but he went down to the country supplied with a goodly collection of Blue-books, pamphlets, and other literature bearing on the subject, and when he returned he was as well posted in all the points at issue as the best of his colleagues. "His memory, says his friend Mr. Williamson, was astonishing; he hardly ever made a note, and yet, though the most unmethodical of men, he never was at fault. In travelling he never kept an account, but when it came to a periodi cal settlement with his fellow travellers he would accurately remember every payment he had made two or three days before, even to the smallest

sums paid to a porter or sacristan. In truth, his wonderful memory sometimes proved a snare, and certainly was a matter of despair to his pri vate secretaries, who would receive indignant letters asking why some previous communica tion had not been answered. The secretary had never seen it, but on reference to Herschell he would clearly remember the subject-matter of the missing document, which eventually would be unearthed from the recesses of the pockets of his coat, and which he had opened himself, but had omitted to pass on to his secretary to be dis posed of. It was the regular practice of his con fidential clerk, when Herschell was at the Bar, to clear out on Saturday afternoons the pockets of his court coat. He generally found there numerous letters, sometimes of great importance, often containing cheques in payment of fees. "One of his pet aversions was the action for breach of promise of marriage — treating a woman like a ' bale of wool.' It profaned mar riage, and was, in his view, an abuse of the pro cess of the court — a form of law-licensed black mailing without even antiquity to commend it, for the action dates only back to Charles I. Ac cordingly nearly every year he brought in a Bill to abolish the action, or at all events to limit the damages, as in Austria and Holland, to actual pecuniary loss sustained, such as the lady's trous seau or the wedding-cake." LITERARY NOTES. Under the title of Lee at Appomattox, and Other Papers* have been collected five addresses by Charles Francis Adams, delivered before several historical societies. Of most permanent historic value, probably, is the paper on the Treaty of Washington, which fills half the vol ume. Just and discriminating is the high trib ute paid to the patriotism and wisdom of General Robert E. Lee in accepting defeat and refusing to wage irregular warfare after Appo mattox. Interesting and delightfully frank is Mr. Adams' explanation of " A National Change of Heart" — the changed attitude of England's governing classes toward the United States; this change coming partly from the recognition by those classes of our commercial success, of 'Lee at Appomattox, and Other Papers. By Charles Francis Adams. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company. 1902. Cloth : $1.50, net. (387 pp.)