The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1905-05-10
ENGLAND HONORS O
Greatest Gathering Of Kind in His
tory Of Inns Of Court
Banquet by Famous London Bar Assoct
alton Given Our Retiring
Ambassador.

joice! He goes back to his home with
his duty we'll and nobly done, taking
the universal respect and admiration
of a kindred nation and his own"
Thus concluded Lord Chancellor
Halsbury's tribute at parting with
American Ambassador Choate, who re.
Gently was uniquely distinguished by
election as a member of the Middle
Temple, who was honored by the
greatest gathering Of the kind Of the
bench and bar in the history Of the
Inns Of court.
The Attorney General, Sir R. B Fin.
lay, seconded the toast, saying:
"This is no ordinary occasion. Never
has a worthier man occupied the post
Of Ambassador to Great Britain, and
none has carried away deeper affec.
ton. Never was there a more vel.
come guest at the Inns than this con.
summate advocate. great diplomatist
and genial man Of the world"
The assembly was an extraordin.
airy one in character, and numbered
nearly 400 members Of the bench and
bar, including almost every leading
Justice and barrister in England. Mr..
Choate sat between Lord Halsbury and
Lord M~acnaghten, Lord of Appeal in
Ordinary. Ranged on both sides were
the venerable Privy Councillors, each
wearing his decorations and orders.
Other notable personages present
| were Lord Alyerstone, Lord Chief Jus.
tice; Sir Richard Hem Collins, Master
| of the Rolls; Viscounts Knutsford and
LANDAU, Lords James of Hereford
and Dunboyne, 81. n. Asquith. former
ly Home Secretary, and all the mem.
bers Of the American Embassy.
The great dining hall Of the Middle
Temple is a vast oaken chamber, its
high roof supported by heavy beams;
the sides Of the walls panelled with in.
sets Of coats Of arms, its windows of
stained glass. At one end Of the hall
is Watts masterpiece of fresco, "Leg.
is%lation," representing lawmakers from
the time Of Moses.
At the other end Is a screened must.
clans gallery, ornamented with carved
life-sized figures. It was occupied by
| a few select women guests, not dining,
but simply looking on. On high NOV
able pedestals huge roasts were carved
before the'guests' by the Inns carver
perched above the. assembly. =
The entire scene had a strange, but
delightful, Old World air. AS the
guests took their places they remained
standing until the Lord Chancellor had
pronounced grace, '"Benedictus, bene-
| dictam."
The first toast was drunk after the
simple words, "The King" The Sec
ond. pronounced by the Lord Chancel-
lor, was "The President, the great
Magistrate Of a great Nation"
Mr. Choate arose, looking somewhat
pale after his recent, illness, He was
greeted with prolonged but digniaed
applause. He spoke at considerable
! length, addressing the assembly as
Brothers all.H He said, In part:
words cannot express my gratitude
for this unique and overwhelming
honor. For an American lawyer to be
the guest Of the bench and bar Of Eng
| land on an occasion graced by the ap-
!! plauding presence Of so many Of their
/ LlOSI ulStluS ulSACu LuCulUClo OfCLSOulCa
him with q sense Of his own unworthi.
ness. I can only suppose that in my
| person and over my head you intend
an unexampled honor to the country I
! represent I thank you all from the
bottom of my heart. 1 am especially
grateful to my friend, the Lord Chan
cellor."
Mr.. Choate paid tributes to his per-
sonal friends, Lord Chancellor Halls
bury and Lord Chief Justice Alver-
stone, and said that the new diplomacy
to which the Lord Chancellor had said
he belonged had made his task here
easy.
The men with whom he had had to
deal at the Foreign Office, the late
Lord Salisbury, and Lord Lansdowne,
were both of that school, saying what
they meant and meaning what they
said. He Lad always found them anx-
ious to maintain the friendliest rela-
tons, always willing to meet America
half way, and never with a card up
their sleeves.
His task had been easy because
there were Queen Victoria and King
Edward on one side and President Nc
Kinley and President Roosevelt on the
other. The English people and Ameri'
cans were ever determined to be
friends.