Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 08.pdf/495

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The Green Bag.

form of elevator — or as his countrymen term devoted to volumes not much sought after, it, lift — capable of accommodating fifteen and bound volumes of briefs in the United skyward travelers at one time, and surrounded States Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals, with iron scroll work of exquisite design. and Appellate divisions of the State Supreme Preferring however to ascend by one of the Court. But the third floor— removed from marble staircases, he observed lintels and wall the hum and roar of the street in a city that and balustrade facings of polished Siena mar has won the sobriquet of " the City of ble, veined in red and blue and polished Noises " — is to be found the piece de resis almost to look like mirrors. He passed up tance : for the frontage on 44th Street is de ward with a wide window of plate glass at his voted to library accommodation, while that side affording the best of legal light, and next on 43d Street is assigned to the assembly found himself in a second nave with practical room of the Bar Association, with its official ly again a building on each side. Floor- platform and upholstery confronted by fifteen tiles, bays, and Ionic marble pillars exactly hundred comfortable stall-chairs, in rows, as below. Toilet conveniences on one side upon a floor capable of containing many and more small retiring rooms; and on the more chairs when desired. other side the reading-room and three spa Standing near the extreme front of the cious rooms devoted to miscellaneous refer library, just where the main aisle is crossed ence books and to law-treatises published by an intersecting bay-aisle seventy-five feet in every foreign tongue — perhaps two thou in length, a climax of astonishment strikes sand volumes in number, and contained in upon the brain of the Lord Chief Justice as he scattered low-crowned single bookcases. views the wealth of law-books, equal in num Above these, on the walls, oil paintings of ex- ber of volumes to the possessions of all the presidents of the Association and celebrated libraries of the two Temple Inns, Lincoln's jurists and lawyers — the gifts from time to and Gray's Inns, when aggregated; and time of individual members — and also prints larger than the law library of Congress, which of others. There, a fine ljfe-size crayon of he had been shown on his recent visit to Justice Samuel Nelson in his judicial robes Washington. He sees also at the entrance looks around a corner at the oil painting of aisle six double rows of long oaken desks Thomas Addis Emmet that was reproduced with twenty-four comfortable cane uphol by engraving in the August GREEN Bag, stered chairs, and above each an electric and Ambrose Spencer's portrait sheds his be light: all for the convenience of members in nignant smile. James T. Brady's massive their library work. head and very oratorical face and pose of fig The Lord Chief Justice next walks through ure remind veteran members of his jury and around the alcoves and finds, on shelves, prowess in days gone by. Horace Binney's statutes and reports classified country by engraved picture suggests legal " Brotherly country and state by state, and every known Love." Engravings of assembled courts in legal treatise or bound legal periodical, all ar Great Britain, at Washington, or in State ranged alphabetically by author's name. capitals, are also to be inspected. " In time," Asking how many volumes are within the says Librarian Berry to the Lord Chief Jus walls, Librarian Berry answers : " In exact tice, " this building will become a national numbers, 569 less than 50,000." portrait-gallery of distinguished jurists in a The catalogue is produced : in two volumes sort of Apostolic succession." and numbering together a few less than a thousand printed pages; but each interleaved Upon the next floor the distinguished visit with blank paper on which are written in red or is shown into a large front chamber con taining a score of several-shelved book-racks ink additions made from time to time. In