The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-11-20
GOWNS THAT COST 500 EACH.
Those Worn ON Oficial Occasions by Jus
tees of the Supreme Court.


A Justice pays as much for his robe of
Office as he would pay for handsome
suit of clothing. There is a fixed price
for the gown-a price which does not
vary with the fluctuations in the duties
on silk. One woman has made all the
Justices gowns for forty years, and her
invariable price for one IS 500. Like
the tailors who make speciality of out
fits for officers of the army and navy,
she knows just what are the require
ments of JUSTICES gown, and all that
her customer has to be concerned about
is the fit. The gown must set well
across the shoulders, and it should reach
from the neck to the heels: but it should
not drag on the floor. I say floor, be-
cause, except on inauguration day, the
Justice does not wear his gown out of
doors. When he attends an official dinner
or reception at the White House, he
wears the garb of everyday life; even
when he calls on the President on the
opening day of the Courts session. he
goes in the clothes he would wear at
Luo UIcdhldSu ldUlOs Al yVu vlSlVSA OAo
of the Justices at his home of an even
ing, you would find a pleasant, rather
off-hand man in a frOck coat, with none
OF the solemnity of manner that cloaks
the Justices when they are On the Bench.
The Supreme Court Justices are by no
means unapproaehable. They are, in fact,
considered very jolly after-dinner COM
panions, and they are in great demand
in social Washington. The Justice wears
his robe only when the :Supreme Court,
as a body, is participating in some
Official ceremony. He may 60 gowned
to funeral if it is an official funeral.
He wears it at the Inauguration of a
President, but ordinarily he puts it on in
the robing room in the morning, and
takes itxof in the robing room at dusk.
He does not wear it even in the consult
inglroom, so there is very little wear and
tear on it, and one robe will Outlast sew
eral suits of clothing.
According to the technical description
of it in the Washington Star, the Judges
robe is made of large straight widths of
silk. 1t is three and quarter yards
wide at the bottom. 1t has a narrow
hem around the bottom and a broad
hem down the 'front.' 1t is gagged at
the top to yoke, which is short on the
shoulders and forms a deep scallop at
the back. The flowing sleeves are yard
and a quarter wide and reach to the
wrist. A Justice usually accepts his
first gown without question; but as
he grows little older on the bench, he
is as fussy about the fit of the garment
as young woman with her first ball
dress. Having donned their robes with
the aid of the old attendants-and they
are old enough to be conspicuous even
in this city of long service-the Justices,
at few minutes before noon, cross the
hall to the ante-room of the Court.
The trasit of the Justices is matter of
daily interest and wonder to the visitors
at the Capitol. 1t is the signal for raid
"a very su ndued, and dignified raid
on the door of the court room, where a
dookeeper sits. solemnly manipulating
the swinging door with a cord. Only SO
many people are admitted to the court
room, and the number is small. There
are but few rows of benches outside
the Enclosure reserved for the members of
the bar.sNo crowding of the court room
is permitted.