and what he accomplished was the com mand to publish—"to go to press." All this, and much besides, was alluded to in choice, elegant French, at the celebra tion of the centenary of the Code the other day. Such distinguished men as M. Vallé, Minister of Justice, .M. Ballot-Beaupré, Pre siding Justice of the Cour de Cassation, M. < jlasson, Dean of the Faculty of Law of 1'aris, and M. Bourdillon, Bâtonnier of the < )rder of Avocats of the Court of Ap peals of Paris, were present and delivered choice orations appropriate to the occasion. Rut the men who took part in the celebra tion of the hundredth anniversary of the Civil Code were something more than a mutual admiration society, a something more than laudatarcs tcmporis acti. They represented a body of learned legal minds who frankly realize the imperfections of their Code of civil law, but who earnestly set their minds together to find a way to improve what exists, and to introduce where there is an imperative gap in the system. Such improvements are the heritage of a century's growth of civilization, such re vision is not so much a recognition or con fession of original imperfection. To keep up with the times is the indication of mental activity of our age and the g'-ory of the modern strenuous life. In another century posterity may be compelled to legislate and codify laws consequent on the solution of, for instance, aerial navigation and all the problems inherent therein. Today the legal work of our time is to legislate and codify in regard to the problems of that labor by which aerial navigation can be made a suc
cessful, accomplished fact. One hundred years ago the cry of patriots in America and in France was "Let all men be equal." . . . Today, after a century of industrial growth and development we have to ascertain how to give effect to that equalizing sentiment. The protection of property was the science of our legal forefathers, the protection of labor is the study of modern jurist. The contemplated Labor Code in France must, indeed, have a great influence in the laws of legislation in connection with labor throughout the world. There is no doubt that the future Code will be worthy of its authors and compilers. An incident in connection with the cele bration of the Centenary of the Civil Code deserves to be mentioned. This is the dem onstration made by some score of Women's Rights ladies against the celebration of the Centenary and against the Civil Code. An attempt was made by them to burn a copy of the Code in the Place Vendome, which is opposite the Offices of the Minister of Justice. The Police suppressed the demon stration and no harm was done. The sig nificance of this little demonstration lies not in the fact that it was made, but rather in the fact that the Paris newspapers in com menting on the event treated the affair very temperately and admitted that the position of women under the Civil Code was not what it should be. Time will show whether the position of women in French Law will alter for the better. The indications are that this will be the case.
H. CLEVELAND COXE, Officer d'.'lcadcmic.
