358
The Green Bag
counterfeit of his face, decorated with a broad brimmed and high crowned felt hat, wears a life like and benignant expression with the inscrutable and complacent semi-smile of a modern Buddha. And as I gazed, my strained ears could almost hear the echo of the mystic words Chrestomathia, Confrontation, Prophylactic, Panopticon.
'And throughout this readable little book, as here, the reader will gather bits of quaint and entertaining information. On the shelves of public libraries it should prove popular with laymen and would do much to impress upon those ignorant of law, the dangers which beset them in attempting to draw their own wills. MASTERS AND AUDITORS IN MASSA CHUSETTS PRACTICE Notes on Massachusetts Practice with Reference to Proceedings before Masters and Auditors and their Re orts. By Frank Paul, of the Suffolk County ar. Litt e, Brown& C0., Boston. Pp. xxvi, 183 + index 48. (83 net.)
THE growing importance of the practice before masters and auditors is readily apparent by a mere glance at the citation of authorities in Massachusetts on this subject. It is safe to say that seventy-five per cent of the law concerning masters, auditors and their reports is in the cases decided since 1899. The value of a reliable text-book dealing with this practice is obvious. Mr. Paul has produced a good book.
Clear, suc
cinct, and direct, he presents the law in a form that is easily accessible. The discussion is intelligent, and when the law is not per fectly clear or well settled the author is at some pains to present his own views. The work is more than a mere digest or index of decisions. Rules of court, decisions, and the unwritten practice are carefully and skilfully brought together for the first time so as to be readily available. The arrange ment of the book is excellent, while a full and
practical index puts its complete contents at the service of its readers. The only fault of the book is a tendency
to repeat the same principle under different headings, but even this has its advantages for a busy practitioner who consults the work hurriedly to lay his hands on a point of immediate importance to him. So good a book should be kept up to date by including the new decisions of the court as they appear. Since its publication, in the last Massachusetts Report (204) already two
decisions of some value have settled some points of practice which were still doubtful
Fisher v. Doe and jaquith v. lflorrill. It is to be hoped that when a new edition of the work is contemplated its scope may be en larged to include such kindred subjects as the Practice before Commissioners to Prove Exceptions, Assessors, Arbitrators, etc., which in Massachusetts are as yet not treated by any text-book.
ARCHER ON LAW OFFICE AND COURT PROCEDURE Law Oflice and Court Archer, LL.B., Dean of Little, Brown 8: Com 291 +appendix 20 an
Procedure. By Gleason L. the Suffolk School of Law. any, Boston Pp. xxxv index 16. (83 net.)
AW schools have so largely supplanted office apprenticeship asa means of pre paration for entrance to legal practice, that the young lawyer starting upon his profession is handicapped by a lack of technical knowledge regarding the proper conduct of a lawsuit. For such young men this volume is primarily designed. It is also intended to be of assist ance to older lawyers whose practice has been mainly advisory. To all such the book pre sents a clear, easily read narrative of the usual events in the conduct of a case, and a collection of numerous illustrations of the way in which the client should be advised, what court should be chosen, what process
should be selected, how the writ and declara tion should be drawn, and how witnesses should be examined. A good tone is main tained throughout, and the style of the book is simple and free from any attempt at a display of learning. Moreover, the treatment is intensely interesting; the book is almost as absorbing as a novel. It will prove highly useful notwithstanding its rudimentary char acter.
The author, a law teacher of experience evi dently Well versed in practice, has sought to show how a lawsuit is handled in a typical common law jurisdiction. He has Massachu setts chiefly in mind, though an effort is made to make the volume more than merely local in scope. There are some references to mde provisions in other states. The volume will be most useful as an elementary handbook of Massachusetts practice. judiciously used, it will prove helpful in other jurisdictions, though hardly in the same degree. The many illustrative examples of direct and cross-examination will be found highly suggestive by the lawyer ambitious to master these difficult arts of the advocate.
