prompts us to gather here this evening We have assembled to do honor to our worthy Chief. We wish to demonstrate and emphasize our profound respect and affection for him. I have always believed and have often declared that, in my judgment, the highest attainment to which a man may aspire is, that after a long, use ful and successful business career, with a mind richly stored with knowledge, and a heart full of kindness, and a personality radiating warm sun shine, he shall in the afternoon of life become a living magnet, drawing to and around him not only men, but children, who will delight in his com panionship and in his entertaining and instructive conversation. Very like such a man is our distin guished guest, Chief Justice Peters. Brethren : Salute your Chief. I propose the health of Chief Justice John A. Peters, with the hope that many years of usefulness, content and happiness may be added to the years already so well spent. His honor was greeted by a standing recog nition of the propriety of the toast, and ris ing said in reply : — "I thank you for this dinner and this assem blage of friends. As you all know, I am about to retire from the bench of Maine. I am proud to say, I am doing it while I have mind and sense enough to know what I am doing. I have always been fascinated by old Lincoln, and held more terms of court there than in any other county in this State, except, possibly, Penobscot. Lamb has said on a like testimonial it ' was like passing from life into eternity.' Well, I am not ready for eternity; and I do not believe that eternity is ready for me. Hut I have a sort of indescribable feeling of being buried alive, in thus taking leave of my duties on the bench. Yet I tell you, 'gen tlemen, if I am to be buried alive, I would rather be buried in old Lincoln county than anywhere else in the world! "An eastern monarch offered a reward for a new pleasure. Were he alive to-day, that sought for pleasure would be his, were he to come to old Wiscasset . . . stroll to the quiet old court house . . . ramble across the long • bridge to the island . . . and bring up under the old oak ' Penobscot.'"
The toast master for the occasion was R. S. Partridge, Esq., who introduced the bar
speeches by proposing " Lincoln Bar, the Mother of Counties," and called for R. K. Scwall, Esq., who responded as follows : — May it please the court, members of the bar and gentlemen of the jurisprudence of Maine : As I rise to answer this call, I am deeply im pressed, almost startled, with the fact, that we are standing on this occasion among the centu ries, making history, at work on a capstone of a new niche, as a climax in the life of Lincoln bar, if not in the jurisprudence of our State! I am given the motherhood of Lincoln as a theme. "Mother!" Who does not appreciate its import? The word is itself an epitome of all that is true and tender in affection, faithful in nurture, enduring in sympathy, in humanity! Mother! It suggests a look into the cradle, at the infancy of law within the ancient jurisdictional territory of Lincoln bar. On the twentieth of August, 1607, was organiz ed the first court of record, with a seal and mar shal, in New England, and within the jurisdictional precincts of Lincoln bar of old, under royal ' charter dated April 10, 1606, drawn up by the chief justice of the bar of England, to plant the soil of New England with the privileges and principles of the common law of England, as a colonising factor. The procedure of the admin istration whereof Lincoln bar was representative, has reached a climax this term of court. Hav ing brought forward the skeleton of legal procedure and principles of colonial antecedents of the jurisdictional territory of Lincoln bar, to be crowned with memorial symbols; shall it be with oak? A Chief On Hark Not This Put But To Acorns And A So Our The Todue name we win the close out in like Chief oak give oak !Justice sense have toils Isbanks soon its the in Absalom and aresponsive itaJustice fronds fact term judge of aitof new fell Peters its song of now beauty gratitude ofwith name in acorns the with from Peters' by rural in of copious was to Sheepscot the aand echoing full, to aall the gala fitting. have caught view and judicial hair "Acorn strength and other judicial showers day blocked promised of centuries to firm in near
- bowers.
his impress sitting, Term." an it caress head. the is oak. the ?fruit. said. old way, fort.
