Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-09-11

other, and between these circles are
roughly cut the words: Rutland Coun-
ty Court" vermont. Across the
face of the seal several lines extend, in
dicating rays of light from above, while
in the center hangs an old fashioned pair
of druggists scales, evenly balanced,
and at the top, obscuring the rays
light is small cloud or fog. This, the
experience of later years has taught the
people, is to symbolic the obscurity OF
and mistiness of the common law prac-
tice which the court had adopted. This
old seal could only be used by laying it
on wet wafer, melted wax, or per-
haps ball of butter and striking it with
hammer.
After using the old seal about thirty
two years, a new one was procured IN
1911. The arrangement OF the outer
circles of this was like the first, except
the seal was larger, being one and three.
eighth inches in diameter, and diagonally
across the face of the scales, in the CEN
ter, lay a sharp-pointed, double-edged
rapier, supposed to Indicate that law, as
administered in that court, might cut
both ways, and probably in that early
day was useful as reminder to people
to keep out of law. This seal was set
on springs and had to be struck with a
hammer to make an impression on soft
substances. The third seal dates back
to 1880, and was one and a-half inches
in diameter and was set in press and
had an offset or reverse side of zinc, and
was the first that would make an i'm
preston on paper The sword does not
appear on this seal, but between the
cups of the balance an open book hangs
suspended, and above the scale a dense
fog occupies the larger part of the space.
1t was probably about this time, 1880,
that the knowing one began to discover
that the common law practice would en-
velop in fog and mist, whatever learn
ing might arise from the book, and
shroud the power that sustained the
balances from the ken of mortals.
The seal that has been in use during
the last few years, was obtained in 1852,
and with which the present generation
is too well acquainted to require de-
scription but the new seal, which did
duty yesterday, for the first time, we
will briefly describe, from its first inn
preston. The diameter of its face is
one and five-eights inches. The outer
circles are rather ornamental than other
wise. The name of the State and Court
are cut in deep, faultless capitals, and
the center is filled with symbols, that
speak as with tongue of life, of the
practice of the court whose deeds it au-
tinued, and as evenly balanced as at
first. The open book is tightly Rugged
within the grasp of the scales, so that
any one can see the punishment poor
litigant would receive, before he could
free himself from the grasp of the law.
A human hand upholds the balances, and
probably indicates that the people must
not expect more than human steadiness,
and the fog about the hand is more dense
than ever, showing that as the business
of the court increases, the system of do
ing business in vogue in this State, is
such as to keep it in the dark, and behind
a murky veil. This cloud is so heavy on
this new seal, that it perceptably short
ems the rays of light above, so that now
they neither fall upon the cups of the
balances, nor even upon the pages of the
open book. This seal speaks an unmis
taxable language, but the people who
watch our old chancery and common
law practice, and calmly submit to its
continuance, ought to be forced to buy
justice by weight, in old-fashioned bal
ances, in the dark, with the whole trans
action enshrouded in fog.