The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1867-07-25
EBENsBURG, PA, THURSDAY, JULY IS, 1867.

diversity OF trials, certainly no better COM
mentary can be required upon his exhaust
less patience and energy of character.
But to glance from the mental to the
personal-Judge Sharswood is about five
feet ten inches high, with slight stoop of
the shoulders, attributable probably to his
studious pursuits through life. He has
benevolent face, and even temper, great
patience, and that-without which every
thing else is nothing
honesty The honesty of a Judge, how
ever, is hardly necessary TO be referred to,
as without it, no man is to be considered
judge. He is only a pageant in the
temple of justice.
All this we have said with entire frank
ness and sincerity, and are prepared to
| stand by. Nay, it is the voice of the en-
tire bar, and we may beexcused, though
It partakes of something bordering upon
rebukc, in saying that there is only one
defect in Judge Sharswood's judicial man
ner, and that possibly arises from Judge
Washington having departed from the
| bench before Judge Sharswood came to
the bar. Judge Washington never used
mallet or a gavel or commanded SSH
lence !" or directed the members of the
bar or the by-standers to take their seats
In departing from this example we think
Judge Sharswood errs. These errors,
however may be attributed to the nature
of the business, or may have been inherit
ed from some of his official predecessors.
BE this as it may, they are rather formal
than substantial matters of objection
mere notes in sunbeam, offending the
eye without diminishing the light.
Judge Sharswood may be cited in sup
port of our theory, that Judges-all other
qualifications being equal-taken from the
bar before they have been extensively en-
gagged in practice, generally discharge their
duties more satisfactorily than those who
are hackneyed in litigation and therefore
take partial or prejudicial views of case.
Unless the opposite sides of the issue ex-
hibit great inequality in merit and strength,
we defy any man to perceive from the de-
pertinent ofthe Judge, to what result his
mind inclines. This is a great virtue in
judicial officer-nothing is so unbecom-
ing in authority, as to descend from its
high calling into the arena of professional
delegation, and advance gratuitous opin-
ions, and join in conflict between out
posts, before the mind entirely grasps the
merits of controversy. Counsel may be
less observant of what they say or do, but
| a judge should permit no word to escape
his lips during the progress of a trial that
may tend to bias jury, or throw reproach
upon one party or other. Words, as we
have elsewhere said, are things, and judi
cial words are very operative, if not con-
trolling things upon the minds of the ''sworn
twelve who, having for the most part,
but little light in themselves, look anx-
iously for the least glimmering of it that
may be shed from the bench, and some
times convert that light into darkness.
Judge Sharswood puts his cases, of
course, very fairly to jury he seldom
entrenches upon their right to determine
upon facts, and when he charges upon the
law, he does it with great cIearness,
precision and cogency, and so as to be
comprehended by any man of the most
ordinary intelligence. His thoughts are
not only conspicuous, but the language
in which they are clothed is so plain and
unaffected as to prevent all equivocation
or misapprehensions.