New-York tribune., 1894-04-13
LORD HANNEN.
A GREAT ENGLISH JUDGE ON THE pENcu.
IN THE PARNELL COMMISSION; IN
SOCIETY; AND IN THE BEHRING
SEA ARBITRATION.

London, Aprlt
II IS to be said that the position Of an Ensl,.a
Judge even Of the highest and best. is not oui,.
what it was. The days Of Lord Mansfield ana
| Lord Somers seem to be over. nor do the juds,.
Of to-day fill quite the same place in the pubpc
mind as those Of a generation much later thai
| that of Mansfield and Somers. There Is no Lora
| Eldon. There is no Lord Brougham. There h
| hardly a Lord Campbell or Lord Chief Jusuos
| Cockburn. Lord Cairns seems already remots
| and Sir George Jessel and Lord Westbury An
| becoming almost legendary figures. The preseut
| Lord Chief Justice Of England is a versatile. a.
complished, interesting parsonage, but he do>a
not stand in the front rank Of great judges ana
| II he did, he would not tower as they did aboys
the mass OF able men by virtue simply Of tn
| elevated position Of the Bench Lord Coler.de
| is something Of theologan. something OF a
| scholar, something OF a lawyer. Perhaps them
| we come near to the true cause, or one tim
cause of the change. The great lawyers OF other
| DAYS were content to be great lawyers II they
| were Lord Chancellors they might also be poll
| tcians and they often knew their classics But
they did not necessarily. ror perhaps often, goh
| for careers separate from those which the Bar
itself and the Bench Itself offered them. They
| lived as IL were by themselves. There wasa
| legal world In BlOONlSDury WHHH mas ceased 70
exist Bedford Square and Russell Square. oncs
peopled by eminent barristers and judges know
neither them nor their successors any more. n
| is likely enough to-day that the more distin.
guished jurists may be met In general society,"
II not they are not to be met anywhere except
in their own courts The present Master Of the
Rolls Lord Eshe- one Of the soSndest lawyend
| his time has always been fayOrie Of society,"
His predecessor Sir George Jessel. certainly was
| not Sir Henry Hawkins Is another star In the
| social armament and so Is the Recorder Of Lon
| don Sir Charles Hall, whom you have known In
| America and liked. So again is Sir Francis
Jeune who succeeded Lord Hannen as President
| of the Court OF Probate and Divorce. Neither Sir
Henry nor Sir Francis has allowed the entce-
ments Of Mayfair drawng-rooms to divert his
attention from serious studies. Both are Lawyers
OF learning and judgment. But II the Est Is To
| be extended difficulties increase and 1t may b
best not to extend II lest our comments On other
| ornaments Of the Bench who do not care 10 b
also ornaments OF society become overfree.
OF course the social question is. so far as II
| affects the Bench. very narrow question. II
was not what had chiefly in mind. and use
It only as an illustration. But what said OF
the position OF lawyers and judges as such. and
especially judges, is Of far wider application So
clety in its wider sense shows Itself less defer'
ential 10 them than 1t once did. Their authority
over the minds OF men is less. They are not
looked up to with the same awe as Of old. The
majesty Of their position is dwarfed. Essentially
of course their authority and jurisdiction are
much what they were hundred or hundred
and fifty years ago. Their decisions are still
| law, or TO speak more accurately, they still De.
termine and declare what the law is. On cir.
ia 10 nd svla dor ora
as Of yore with sheriffs and trumpetcrs and all
| the rest OF the more or less impressive ceres
mony which attends their entrance into an A.
| size town The pageantry still has meaning
| and purpose. But the moral supremacy OK
| the Bench has been impaired. II you inquin
| into the causes OF this decay you will perhaps
attribute II not to any falling of In the character
or capacity OF the judges. but to the decay o.
| reverence In the community, for that ara many
other things which they once revered, and eithes
revere no longer or revere in a less degree FN
reverence. now read respect.
One Of the judges who In his time, has con'
trlbuted most TO maintain the prestige OF his
order is JUST dead. and hardly leaves success
| sor. No judge on the English Bench had
| more sober mind than Lord Hannen none
| clearer. none that worked with more precision
or applied itself more closely questions OF
he never had l think. any marked inclination
| for sensational carses. He was not a gladiator
nor looked for success In his profession TO the
| practice Of advertising. | do not mean adver'
tisng directly in the newspapers. No barrister
J does that. or can do II. But he did not seek
for, nor shine in causes which attracted the most
attention from the public. The light he loved
| was the dry light of Bacon He spoke well. but
was no orator. He preferred appeals 10 reason
rather than appeals to passion. He was, 10 al
| appearance as cold as he was clear. The solici'
| tors on whom, in this country. the business ano
| advancement OF the higher branch OF the law SO
strangely depend. liked him and trusted HIM hs
| made his way steadily. The kind OF talent ns
possessed is indicated by his appointment al
| Junior counsel to the Treasury. To devil iol
| the Attorney General is the recognized road 70
| the Bench. Mr. Hannen trod It tosomely foF
| Ave years and then won his reward. lie was
made a Judge Of the Queens Bench For soms
| years he was content to be good judge, anu
! nothing more He entered upon no rivalry win
his colleagues. He sought no popularity witn
the general public But after some years tne
| Presidency of the Court Of Probate ana Divore'
fell vacant by the resignation OF Lord Penzance.
who had succeeded the celebrated Sir Cresswen
| CresswelI Sir James Hannen was appointea
| President His chance had come. and he seiAea
| IT, Cresswell was very able and acute; Lo'a
| Penzance was also able: to follow them was
undergo no light ordeal. Brilliant he was not
nor "a brilliancy the trait most wanted In JUDGES
least OF all in presiding judge. But Il wa
| seen at once that he was TO be master IN n''
| own court; that he was a jurist. that he was
J strong Judge He has left deep impress oH
| the law and procedure Of that court, where w
bore sway for fourteen years. 1t Is one OF u.
most perplexing and exacting OF all )ud'c'''
| posts Sensational causes abound on the DiVo'''
side Of the court, and causes which are wo''s
| than sensational. The public fiocks thi'he'
| to play. With weak judge the place W
| comes an arena and more LAWYERS than one as