Spirit of the times. [volume] (Ironton, Ohio) 1853-1858, 1853-01-05

tep Of its progress, and the,eby the re.
orms it has introduced; still we trust
hat those Of hem whose places are upT
N tho Bench and at the Bar, will now
recognize, and abide tho COM
ns order Of things.
There are many timid. though we'll in
ormed mon, who revere things and insti'
tuition merely because they SAVIOR oftime,
they look upon old constitutions and
laws, almost with pious veneration, as
il they wore something like the Ark OF
the Covenant, too sacred to he touched.
The advance that We have made 10 civi!
freedom, and in social happiness, repre-
scnts but series Of innovations upon
customs and institutions that ore now
dead.
All the inventions Of art, and discover.
les in science, are but varied results Of
experiment, that bold distinguishing at'
tribute Of the present oge. When the
profound and inquisitivc mind Of Jere'
my Bentham had searched and scanned,
in all its parts :he Common Law Jurls'
prudence, and had discovered and laid
bare "its hidden deformities,"-'i ua'
equal accommodations,"" ""its hiding pla.
ces for knavcs and nabobs," and the ex.
pense ofkeeping it up. With unmatched
eloquence he urged upon the Legislators
Judges and Lawyers Of England, the ne
cessity of radical reform Of their en-
tiIe system.
He demonstrated by the evidence Of
reason, the practicability Of administer.
ing the Law, which was Of common
concern to all, by uniform rules, and
without the interminable delays and ex.
pense incident to the old common law
practice. No sooner had the Reviews
and Journals announced the principles
of Bentham's great reform, than both he
and his system, were attacked from "high
quarters" with all the venom that stu.
pid malice could invent; he was charg.
ed with meditating the destruction Of
an "institution Of society,""
The old Barristcr, in antique gown
and whig, who had long sat among his
dingy papers weaving sophisms: at {"
sight Of the spectre Of reform was sud-
denly seized with fear that by the des.
truction Of the technical system his oc.
cupation would be gone. Like the sill.
versmith at Ephesus, who made shrines
for the great temple, seeing that the
spread of the true gospel among the peo.
pie by Paul's preaching, would bring
the great Diana which all Asia worship.
ped into contempt, "assemblcd abou,
him those Of like occupation" 10 put
down the Apostle. So did the old Bar.
rister assemble about him those of his
"craft," who took counsel together how
they best could put down those measures
Of reform which were setting their craft
at nought, and also stripping the old
temples Of the common law Of their glory,
1t was ia vain that they affirmed their
system to be "the perfection of reason,''
"the concentrated wisdom Of ages" fol
the people were enlightened, and could
no longer be cajoled with names.
There are but few at any time, who
by the most cogent arguments will be al
once prevailed upon to disrobe them.
selves ofold opinions, and abandon pur.
suits long practiced, by which they liv
ed in honor among their fellows, and in
their old age turn out into the world
anew in quest Of new theories, and new
pursuits of life. Therefore it was bu
natural that Judges and Lawyers shoult
at first regret measure for so radical {
change in the form Of their pursuits
But undismayed with opposition an,
ridic ule, that inAexible reformer pursued
his work, until the people had almos
despised the temple Of Law itself-whel
those who had ministered in it tool
warning, broke and cast out their idols
and set themselves manfully to work i,
stripping the practice" Of the jargol
and mysteries, in which for ages it hat
been involved.
Bentham's ideas on Law Reform, ar
now triumphant in England; they form
the substra,um Of the new codes that ar
working so well in New York, Kentuc
ky, and several other States.
Whoever in tn ese days, opposes tn
advance of measures, that tend to tn
common good, will be borne down in tn
unequal contest.
"Institutions that seem to be the mos
firmly established, have no better guar
anty for their foundation anu continu
ance, than the opinion Of generation
or perhaps it may be the life Of an indi
vidual, the least known to the multitude
Confidence Restored.