BRITISH LAW.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 11 October 1924, Page 10

BRITISH LAW.

THROUGH AMERICAN EYES.

SIMPLE, EFFICIENT, REPOSEFUL, AND SOLID. A remarkable impression was made on the members of the American and Canadian Bar Associations during their resent visit to London by what they saw and the way in which they were received. They were evidently impressed by the dignity of British public life, and what they saw may well.have farreaching consequences in days to come. The Hon. Robert Lee Saner, a former president of the American Bar Association, tells in the Daily News of the impression made on him by this remarkable visit. “AVe members of the American Bar,” be said; “have long looked forward to our visit to England, and the impressions we have received have not disappointed us. This meeting in London is the first foregathering in recorded history of English-speaking lawyers from the far corners of the earth. It is not only a notable event in itself, but it is also an evidence of the continuing contribution of the lawyer to the development of Anglo-Saxon civilisation. “In returning to England, the cradle of our laws and institutions, many of us for the first time have realised both the kinship and the difference between our institutions and those of Great Britain. “The wonderful dignity and ceremonial, the gorgeous robes and uniforms, the ancient buildings iif which British legal institutions are shrouded, have made a profound impression on us. We get on very well without them; but.you get on very well with them. No lawyer could treat these things lightly, however useless they might seem to some people, because we lawyers realise that behind each of them is an historical reason, which has proved its worth. “British legal methods* in spite of all the ceremony, strike me as being both simple and efficient. “I visited Lord Darling’s court, and I sat as a, guest on the Bench at the Old Bailey. I was struck by the thoroughness and humanity of the legal processes. I saw a little girl witness treated with such patience and kindness as I have never seen before, and could not hope to see surpassed- I sa\v how glib and perhaps unreliable witnesses came under the influence of the legal atmosphere and took up the general attitude of respect for the judge as the representative of the law. The calm demeanour of all concerned, the fespect shown to the judge and by counsel to each other, the habit of understatement rather than overstatement, could not help but impress one coming from a country where our different mentality and circumstances lead us sometimes into rhetoric and sometimes into exaggeration, and also sometimes into an acidity of which I have seen no trace this week.' “No part of the ceremonies of this week impressed me more than the Lord

Mayor’s banquet. It was the most! magnificent affair I have ever attended us was its smooth-running efficiency, seemed characteristic in two ways. Its form and dignity were almost solemn, in striking contrast to what we are accustomed to; but what also impressed us wa s its smotoh-running efficencv. Englishmen act slowly but accurately; when they do a thing it is thoroughly done, while we Americans frequently rush impetuously ahead to get things done, sometimes on the ' hit or miss principle. The Englishman’s respect for the past and his sense of history appear in all he does, and they make a very strong appeal to the members of a younger generation like our own. The quiet way'in which the organisers ofijfche visit moved into action to deal with a larger number of people than had been expected, and dealt efficiently with all of them, impressed the American visitors with the high standards of English- efficiency and organisation. “We found our British brothers reserved, quiet, and undemonstrative. The formal British handshake and the calm welcome, I know, almost depressed some of us, but we soon found that British thoroughness goes into hospitality. Once the ice was broken we were treated with the warmest cordiality, and we found ourselves entertained in homes and clubs with princely warmth and received with the finest hospitality in the world. “This is only one of the sound qualities we have been impressed by in the Englishmen we have met-. Another one is th e English regard for truth. It is difficult tof give instances of what I mean, but I have felt that Englishmen do not handle the truth carelessly. If a thing is not true an Englishman accepts the fact, he does not try to cover it up or misrepresent it. "The very sobriety of his language leads to this truthfulness, and doe s not tempt Englishmen to exaggeration, and the natural solidity of their character does the rest. It is this solidity and sense of the past, conservatism if you will, that we see written over the face of everything English. It i s the foundation of yotir civilisation, and if we were inclined to criticise we should remind ourselves that our civilisation is essentially yours. . . “The same characteristic of repose and solidity comes out in English oratory. We have listened to some of the greatest British jurists this week. We have been delighted with the expression of them. The oratory alone would give the clue to British character. It is finished, complete, quiet, but sincere, and, above all, restrained. Repression is the characteristic which impressed me most. Not a single speaker failed to give the impression that he had left something unsaid; that behind what he had given forth lay other reserves which could still be called on. To Americans accustomed to dramatic, impetuous, forceful, and sometimes flamboyant oratory, this 'calm, deliberate understatement appeals greatly.. It seems to fit in with all we have seen of English habits and thought. “We have always been'told that in England people live more slowly than in the United Staffs. It is true, but it is also true that they live differently. They may live more slowly, hut they

get much out of life. Whether they are producing literature or merchandise, they do it well. We tend to get nervous and worried, but I think I find in England a happy and hopeful nation. Your production may be smaller, hut what .you get out of life is greatly satisfying. “Shall we go back to America and imitate you? I think not. We respect and admire many of the things we have seen this week* in ways I have tried to point out. We realise our tremendous debt to England for the basis of our national life. No lawyer can ignore our debt to England for sueh things as the method of trial by the judicial determination of disi putes independent of the executive power, and our general Parliamentary reforms. “But America is a young nation, and the United States ai’e not imitative. She will borrow and adapt, - but she •will not copy or follow. That is why the effects of this week will be slow in developing. The end of them will not be seen in our time. But we have seen oqr selves in the mirror iff English lue, with the background of history behind it, and when a wise iran has seen himself like that he usually finds it necessary to make some changes. We.shall go. hack home from thi s visit with a deeper sense of the value of the Anglo-Saxon contribution to the world, and with a deeper desire to seek our lessons in the history and institutions of the past.”