The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-03-16
selfgovernment is, at least here, perma-
nence-a fnality.


nence-a dnality
Revised Statutes OF tho United states.
This enormous book is at length accessible
to the public. Its preposterous dimensions
are absolutely appalling 1t weighs eight and
one-half pounds; measuring outside of the
binding it is twelve inches long, eight and a
half inches wide and three and one-quarter
inches thick. The printed rage measures
eight and one-quarter inches by four and
half, not including the side notes. In the un-
necessarily broad margins there must be
about two pounds Of utterly superauous paper
in each copy. If the purpose in making this
mammoth volume was TO illustrate the wealth
and dignity of the government whose laws it
embraces, by the production of book that
was to lie on tables for show or for
on occasional consultation, the execution
of the work might be said to have
some fitness of relation to the object.
If it was gotten up as monument
of the legislation of the United States, as an
editor with abundant pecuniary means would
set forth in print the Corpus Juris Crilis
of the Roman law, or the Siete Pdrtidas of the
old kings of CASTLE, with no other object than
splendid preservation, one could under
stand what the Department of State had been
about in preparing this volume. But if the
object OF tho publication was to put the text
of the written code of the United States into
a shape for practical use by the people whose
daily business and interests require them to
have it in the most convenient form the
whole expenditure has been thrown away.
Imagine lawyer or member of Legislative
body standing up and reading from book
that weighs eight and one-half pounds Men
must grow to be Brobdingnags before they can
hold such book in their hands Every
copy Of it that is used in public must be
placed on a 'lecturn," that will move about
on casters; and as to use in private, it never
can be taken off the table or the desk.
With regard to the other features Of the
mechanical execution, we find that the type
is excellent clearly and sharply cut, and the
electrotyping is admirably done. The paper
is Of good quality, and we should judge it
to be durable. The test of the binding will
of course be in the use. But we cannot praise
the literary part of the execution without
some qualification. For example, we think
the bulk of the volume has been unnecessarily
swelled by a cumbrous citation of the adj
Indicated cases on the construction of the
former statutes now codifcd into the new text
of the revision. 1t is certainly necessary,
sometimes, for lawyers and judges and legis-
lators, in constituting and applying the text
of revised and re-enacted law, to look at the
old statute and at the judicial decisions under
it. But in editing new statute which revises
and enacts into a code the whole body
of the existing statute law there is
such a thing as overlooking the page
with unnecessary citations But if the
editors of this stupendous volume thought it
necessary or expedient to cite, as in some in
stances they have, whole page of cases in
fine type, measuring eight and ono quarter by
four and one half inches, why, in the name of
common sense, did they not make two vol
umes of the size of Little, Brown & Co.'S
edition or three volumes, which would have
been better STILL with SPECIAL index for each
volume and general index for the whole at
the end of the third2 Something will have
to be done by somebody in the way Of fur
nishing the public with the text of the Revised
Statutes of the United States in form that
can be handled by the present race of man
kind. If in the progress Of the woman's rights
movement ladies shall come to be admitted to
the Bar the physical impossiblity of manag-
ing this huge tome as handbook will stand
seriously in the way of their practice in the
federal courts.