The Sun.
London, England, 1845-11-01 00:00:00

orniug

LONDON, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 1845.

The opening of the new hall and buildings of the Honour-
able Society of Lincoln's Inn was a ceremony which, whether
considered in relation to the objects of their consecration, or
the distinguished honour of her MAJESTY'S personal attend-
ance at the ceremony, was well worthy of being minutely
recorded to posterity. The munificence of the Society had
amply seconded the genius of the architect, and nothing
was wanting of the wealth and liberality proper
to so distinguished an association that could develop
in their full symmetry and effect the very beautiful and
appropriate designs of Mr. HaßDwrcx. The fabric
altogether has an appearance of having been pro-
duced by one of the best architects of the best age of the
Tudor school. These are facts that are apparent, and have been
for some time past, to every casual passenger or visitor.
But for any any account in detail of this remarkable cere-
monial itself, or of the deportment or observations of the
illustrious persons who assisted at it, the public and postentv
will look in vain. The Benchers of Lincoln's Inn, anxious-
enough to have their doings and the particulars of the whole
transaction accurately reeorded, had issued a circular invi.
tation to all the metropolitan newspapers with that view ;
and the gentlemen by whom those newspapers were re-
presented attended as usual, in order to discharge their
arduous and important duty. They found, however,
not merely that none of the ordinary accommodations
indispensable to its performance were provided for them,
but that they were treated with a studied and contemptuous
negligence, which 'added insult to neglect. They were
placed in a position from whence it was impossible
either to see or hear what was passing, and
jostled among waiters, serving men, and lawyers'
clerks and door-keepers. Of course they very properly re-
sented this impertinence on the part of the Benchers, or those
by whom arrangements, such as they were, had been made,
and retired in a body from the hall.
To what cause this absurd proceeding should be attributed
we cannot undertake to say. Whether, as one of our Con-
temporaries supposes, it was a further manifestation of that
hostility which a few foolish fellows at bar-messes have
lately thought proper to manifest against the press
in the persons of the reporters ; or whether this pro-
ceeding be simply the result of that ill-breeding
and ascetic ignorance of the tone and wants and
feeling of that great world actually existing beyond the
limits of the four Inns of Court, which are by no means
uncommon among the narrow. minded and drowsy
occupants of prescriptive seats at the dais, and other
privileges pertaining to the majesty of Benchers,
we do not know, and truly care not a single
rush. Some of them, we dare say, are sufficiently credulous
to confide in the mysteries of Mesmerism, and perhaps imagine,
that in order to accomplish with so much general
accuracy their task of daily communications to the
public, reporters themselves are magnetized beings
who cats read through the solid bulk of Mr.
Hannsvwx's masonry what may be passing on the other
side of it, and hear speeches delivered at the extremity of
intervening corridors and closed chambers beyond them.
But it is really proper that the Benchers of Lin-
coln's Inn should understand that they confer no
favour, but ask one, when they issue invitations to the
newspapers to send reporters to give an account of
proceedings which, however they may interest the Society of
Lincoln's Inn, have no more immediate or specific interest for
editors and proprietors of newspapers than the circular of the
Court newsman or the list of prices at Smithfield Market. It
is the public which demands to be informed on these and
all other subjects, and the Benchers of Lincoln's Inn no
more enjoy an exemption from the duty of gra-
tifying this wish on the part of the public, than the
bar in our times could maintain its own existence without
that publicity, for all legal pleadings and judicial decisions
which have rendered it what it is, through the direct instru-
mentality of those very individuals on whom some silly gen-
tlemen of the long robe, in the contemplation of arriving at
bencherships themselves, by affecting these airs of superior
caste, would have the world believe that they look down
upon as of inferior station. Rim,: teneatis? They might
as well imagine that as a body they could compete with the
Press in general ability, or information, or usefulness.

Between professional exhibitions of contumacy to public
opinion, iu the matter of Puseyism, and personal exhibition
of mean and degrading vices and unchristian deportment,
the clergy of the Established Church, through very many of
their members, appear to be of late sedulously engaged in
earning for themselves a singular amount of odium and dis-
reputable notoriety. Not a month passes over, in these
times, without producing its flagrant exemplification of
clerical delinquency in some shape or other. These are evil
signs for the Church. It is not by such conduct that she
will re-establish her shaken influence over the beads and