Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-10-24

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cURTsEYs BETWEEN BENCH AND BAR.
opening ceremonies. Even old resi-
dents Of Washington never tire Of visit
ING the beautiful courtroom with It's
classical proportions, and the memories
~ CLAW. Calhoun and Webster. The
SuDreme Court as a spectacle is by far
tine most fascinating thing we have In
washington. Just why l do not know,
but the fact remains that men
who will not take the trouble
TO go to see the opening session
of the Senate or House OF Repre-
sentatives leave their work and rush
away to- the Capitol to see the nine JUS
tices enter with their robes and their
dignity uDOn them. IL is, truly, a scene
worth travelling some distance 70 behold.
A few seconds before the hands Of the
old clock pointed 70 noon a shutting OF
feet was heard in the adjoining passage.
An official raped three times or his
desk. and at this signal the lawyers so
the bar and an the spectators rose TO
their feet. Then the justices, attended
bv the marshal Of the court, filed In one
after another, and each stood behind
his bic chair. Then a rather nervous
man, who has long earned a respectable
livelihood by utJering one sentence
day, cried out:
"Oyez, Oyer, oyer, oyez, oyez, oyer!
All persons having business before the
honorable, the Supreme Court Of the
United States, are admOniShed TO draw
near and give attention, as the court is
about TO assemble. God save the United
States aud this honorable coUrtw
This the crier delivered in q mono
tone, as If he were very much bored by
having to say it all, but lowered his
voice reverentially for the concluding
words. Then the justices bowed 20 At
torney General Miller and the other
LAWYERS 40 the bar, and Attorney Gen
cral Miller aud al the lawyers bowed
simultaneously and quite as profoundly
20 the justices. After this exchange Of
c0urteSies between bench and bar the
justices sat down aud a few lawyers
were admitted to practice before the
court, taking the oath and kissing more
or less fervently the little old Bible,
whose covers have felt the impress Of
thousands of eloquent lips, running
back 20 the days Of fancy and Marshall.
Then the court ad iOurEed 10 meet
the following day. Tradition as old as
the government itself requires the
court on the first day Of every session
10 meet and proceed immediately to pay
its respects TO the President of the
United States. SO on Monday the big
justices and the little justices,
with their marshal clerk and
reporter, were bundled into carriages
and driven 90 the White House.
On the box Of each carriage sat the
body servant OF the occupant, and as
the procession moved down PennSyl-
vania avenue 10 was noticed the equip
ages were driven I'm the order Of senior
ity Of the passengers. The right OF pre-
ceduro or seniority Is rigidly respected
i'm an the cOmingS and goingS Of the
Supreme Court. The only man who
escapes its restrictions is the chief jus
tice, and of course he comes first In
everything.
On the bench Justice Field, being the
senior, sits sc the Chief Justices right
Justice Field was appointed by Lincoln.
Next In length of service is Justice
Bradley, who was appointed by General
Grant, and of course he sits at the Chief
Justices left. Justice Harlan, appointed
by Hayes, is third, and his post is az
Fields right. Justices Gray and Batch
ford, both appointed by President
Arthur, are fourth agd fifth, and their
seats are respectively at Bradley'S left
sud Harlan'S right. Justice Lamar,
whose commission was signed by Presi-
dent Cleveland, sits at the left Of Gray,
while Justices Brewer and Brown, who
were appointed by President Harrison,
occupy the end seats.
This order OF seniority is observed In
an things, ceremonial and social. The
Justices march from the rObing room to
the chamber in the order OF their APP
pointment, and from the chamber to the
r0bing room again. Their carriages are
driven IN this order, and the faShiOna-
bic people who set out TO make ceremo-
NAL calls must not permit their coach
man 20 take the houses Of justices as
they come most conveniently, street
sitter street, but must follow the tradi-
Eonal order. Even the bOdy-ServantS
are great StickierS for their masters
rights Of precedence, and assume their
own dignity % be In the same ratio. II
Justice Browns man were to attempt 10
go into the rObiug room ahead Of JUS
tice Fields man be would be called
pretty sharply TO account by the latter.
One cold New Years the wife and
daughters Of a justice nearly frOZe TO
death while waiting at the appointed
rendezvous for the carriages Of the SUI
preme Court, so they might ST go in
ranking order. One Of the older JUS
tees was very late, and after suffering
with the cold for a long time the jun
Tors concluded TO violate tradition in
preference to freezing 20 death, though
their body servants strennOusly OBJ
jected.
When the Court called to pay its re-
spect 10 the executive head OF the nation
on Monday the justices walked into the
Presidents library in their ranking or
der, and shook hands with General Har-
risOn In sequence Of seniority. But as
soon as this was over they formed them
selves into an informal group and chat
ted and laughed for some minutes. The
judiciary having paid its respects TO the
executive, it had another ceremonial
duty to perform and that was TO leave
cards for the Yice-preSident, as the rep