The Green Bag
74
devote their time and energy to the organiza tion and achievement of the great under taking, for apart from securing the services of the ablest writers on law, it is essential in order
to assure success that the enterprise should be subject to a highly centralized and authoritative direction and control. Justice Holmes of the Supreme Court of the United States made clear that most important of all points, and the happy combination of yourself, Alexander and Andrews insures that able executive control of the undertaking, without which the desired result, an adequately ‘co-ordinated whole,’ could not be produced."
In addition to the Board of Editors and Associate Board, we contemplate having at work at the headquarters of the publication, 9. strong editorial
force under the immediate direction of the Board of Editors, for there are several topics and much editorial work which could be more thoroughly and satisfactorily handled there by a com petent force than in any other manner.
ADVISORY
COUNCIL.
We
faculties, to whom we would‘ submit
proofs of particular parts and in a way that would insure every portion of the work beng read and criticized by a con siderable number. Our idea is that this part of the system would be arranged
so that each man in this group would read only the portions concerning which his opinion would be of particular value;—of course each would be paid
for this advisory criticism. In addition to this, our aim would be as soon as possible to place the proposed treatment
of mooted points in type in the period icals of the profession, or in one which we would maintain, with a universal
invitation for criticism. TEXT——METHOD MENT.
I
have
OF
purposely
TREAT avoided
any references herein to any particular methods of statement, citation or clas sification, for, while these subjects have been thoroughly considered, they are
do matters which it would be idle to dis
not consider, however, that the ofiice
cuss in detail in this Memorandum, as
editorial staff or the Boards of Editors willsupply all the advice and help which would be needed. We are of opinion that there should be an Advisory Council
of twenty or twenty-five of the strongest men in the profession, both on the Bench
such points must be left to the determi nation of the proposed Board of Editors. For the purposes of this Memorandum, it is assumed that the able men, whom it is proposed to assemble on the various
editorial Boards and Advisory Council, and at the Bar, men who would not have
the time to devote to the actual work of authorship or editorship. We would expect these men to be paid a suflicient
sum to insure their giving the producers of'the work their best advice on any point about which they or any member of the Associate Board should deem it important to consult them.
BOARD OF CRITICISM.
Further
more, we have planned a Board of Criticism, composed of at least one hun dred and perhaps two hundred selected from among the ablest lawyers on the
Bench and at the Bar, and in the law
are competent to work out a scheme of classification and method of statement and citation which will be adequate to the needs of so vast a project, yet em
phasis may be laid on a few main points. 1. Condensation, clearness and pre cision are essential. Austin Abbott has well said : “One great difiiculty in learning what is the law is that its expounders use too many words. Open one of the portly compilations which are often put forth as treatises, and read. A thorough master of the English language could put three or four pages into one; could express all the ideas of several paragraphs in as many sentences; and by this condensation,
