The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-04-13
LEGAL FlCTIOSs.

Ex-Judge II. NJ, Sealy was called
upon to respond to the toast, Legal
Fictions." He sail in part:
There arc lega! tictious and fctious Of
law. Now what is q fiction? In order
that we may have the case clearly before
as l have brought into court this evening
q clear and lucid definition of tine term.
A legal fiction is a true lie. 1t is u lie be
couss it is a lie, and it is true because the
law say 1t Is on the principle that We may
do evil that good may result.
Ate: relating u number Of instances
Of what he termed legal fiction he said
there was q moral to all this and it was
that tbings are not ALWAYS what they
seem 10 be-.
Attorney Cornelius Comegys followed
the cx-Wayne juriat with remarks
about ~"FelIowship OF the Bar" lie
declared that no other occupation has
such long array Of distinguished men
as the law. In closing he said:
Let rs drink to Aud Lang Syna and to
the law--the law which as Esprit Of pence
descending from high places hovers over
all, guiding the strong, protecting the
weak, REFRESHING the wrong: the law
through aud by which the productive en-
ergy, the inventive genius and mechanical
skill of our people has created q national
lie already, though young, with q past OF
wonderful attainment aud a future richer
and rarer in promise than is the dream Of
ambitious orJavaricious youth.
TN.JUSTICE HANDS REMARKS
Ex-Justice Alfred Hand was at this
point introduced by Toastmaster War
rem. The toast to which he was askad
to respond was "Ciassihcation Of
lawyers" During his discourse he
said:
Mr.. President. toastmaster and follow.
lovers Of retainers:
/ understand perfectly why my friend
Archbald's jealousy was aroused ut the
programme presented here tonight. The
committee have shown me u very great
cOmplimcnt-glvlng to me the only sCien.
tiAc subject that there is on tho pro-
gramme. You will notice they have rs.
| signed to Judge Archibald the still hunt, e
my friend Amerman Nil the hard cases, ia
my friend Seely all the lying, to my friend
Comegys the bar, to friend Beamlsh the
flights Of the imagination, to McGiuley
the bad memory, and t. our absent frieud
The swing around the circle, and they have
gIyou 90 me the only scientific subject. TC
be frank with you / will say that | ap.
pointed the committee. Something In,
been said about the law and very properly
We all know what the law is-a rule oI
human action. The old principal stands a,
pure justice matured with the wisdom Of
the age. A statute is 10 more law than
any other written document until il l.
united with the principle and expcricnc,
and becomes part Of the wisdom of tn.
people, and IN that sense il ia true. tn,
voice Of the people is tho voice Of God. j
~ no more true that the Mckinley bill il
law than that the Wilson bill will becom,
law. AstOtute is no law. The gentleman
with whom | read law said. If you master
the common law You area lawyer and tEat
is all that Is required. II embraces nj
principles and all cases arc founded OF
principle.
The first classification that would natur,
ally come TO mind would be tine Learned
lawyers and the unlearned, When / hay,
l-completcd the Est there will be- No one I,
put into the latter. When 1 take the tenn
peraments of the bar the tusk will b.
harder. We have the profound lawyer
the ahrewd lawyer, the wise lawyer, III,