Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-11-16
ENGLISH COURT WIGS
Golf, GOWN AND LAPEL WORN
BY JUDGES.
Date Back as Far as English Courts OF
Justice Customs in the British
Provinces.
From the Toronto Mali and Globe.

British Columbia is the only province
which has preserved the old English custom
which obliges judges TO wear wigs. Our
news columns yesterday reported the first
wig,ess sitting of the British Columbia APP
peal court. This was the result of an en-
actment abolishing the wig passed at the
last session of the legislature.
The reason for this odd piece of legisla-
ton We do not know, although one need
not seek far for arguments against the
practice. At the same time, we are sur
prised that the judges of a province which
so keenly regards English precedent in all
matters should tamely submit to a demand
that they surrender the insignia of theic
rank and office. This, apparently, they
have done, and thus passes away from Cam
ada venerable usage of the bench.
Customs From the Old Country.
British Columbia is not, however, with
out other customs drawn from the old coun-
try but not honored in other provinces.
In British Columbia, as In England the
rule of the road is keep to the left and
you're sure to be right" If we had this
custom here. all traffic going down Yonge
street would be On the east side of the
road and all traffic westbound on king
street would be on the south side of that
thofoughfare. The advantage of this prac-
lice lies in the fact that as the driver sits
on the right side of the vehicle he will b,,
better able to meet and pass other convey.
ances. In railways this rule is almost uni.
yersal
Another English custom in British Column.
bia affects the publication of morning news.
papers Acting on the theory that the real
work for any given issue is done on the
previous day, in the Pacific province there
Is no Monday morning paper There ia
however, for u-bi Ak,
work Is done on Saturday. These tradi.
IONS are jealousy preserved, although thei-
learned friend the wig has vanished from,
among them.
The iconoclastic legislators who have laid
sacriegious hands on the judges headgear
need not hatter themselves that thew arr.
pioheers- A long time ago in England there
were legal nihliists who aimed at similar
IeloIih, as the following clipping from the
London Times of July "a 1865, proves:
During the last two days the learned
JUDGES and the bar have been sitting with
1ul tneir wigs, and in opening a case Sir
1eooeft conner called attention to the inno-
Satlon and apologiZed for not appearing in
iuil forensic costume. His lordship said
ne mad set the example of leaving off the
wig in consequence of the unprecedented
heat of the weather as he Thought there
We're limits to human endurance Sir
ROBERT Collier expressed the wish that his
precedent might be generally followed,
and hoped that the obsolete institution of
the wig was coming to an end-a hone In
which many of the profession concur
But though Sir Robert and Sir J. P Wilde
maze themselves thus conspicuous, they
died without seeing any further signs Of
the death of the practice.
Dies Hard Because It's Old.
Paradoxical as it is, the wig dies hard,
because 1t is so old. Strictly speaking. it
came IN after the restoration and has ever
since been worn on the English bench but
ha norrc Of
origin and dates back as far as English
courts of justice. 1t is not the wig itself
which is the judges proper insignia but
the Golf, which is probably a survival of the
time when presses were lawyers. The Golf
Is a small piece of lace which was worn by
judges before the advent of the wig. Mem
bers of the Judiciary desiring to be fashion,
able and yet not daring to conceal the sa-
cred Golf, We're driven to the expedient of
having hole cut through the top of the
wig, SO that the Golf might show
In the lord chief Justices wig today may
be seen round space covered by black
silk. This is the mark of the Golf which
has since disappeared. 1t Is worth noting
that the only time a Golf could be con-
cealed was when the judge, pronouncing
sentence, donhed the black cap, and that
the original intention of this solemn cere-
mony was to hide the Golf. not the face of
the judge. In connection with this custom
1t is interesting to observe that when an
English judge attends state functions in
with him the black cap.
In the black silk gowns of kings counsel
we have a memorial of the death of a
daughter of James H. The court went
into mourning, and the juniors, not having
a distinctive garb at that time, were quick
to fasten on the black gown, to which
they have chung ever since, though the
acute stage of their loyal grief must have
passed ere this.
In the triangular lapel which hangs from
the back of the juniors gown we have
vestige of the golden age when lawyers
gave their services freely. The piece of
cloth was originally a pocket in which
clients were wont to surreptitiously insert
their fees-much against the lawyers will,
we may be sure.
Every frill and furbelow, every form and
ceremony in a court, has its explanation,
and however useless any of them may seem
today let us not forget that there was a
time when it served a useful and perhaps
important purpose.