486
The Green Bag
presses his disapprobation of the base, inhuman tortures that serve no useful end, and of the stupid blunders, arising from callousness or indifference, which tend to encompass the complete ruin of the prisoner morally, mentally, and phy sically, so that he is worse, instead of better, when he leaves prison than he was when he entered it. The book is not argumentative, the writer merely setting forth facts within his own observation, without comment, but it does, by implication, offer very powerful arguments for such important reforms as the selection of competent, adequately paid prison officials, the clas sification of offenders, the prohibition of inhuman punishments, regulation of soli tary confinement to prevent its abuse, maintenance of good hygienic condi tions, and adequate protection of the prisoner from moral and physical deteri oration. It is desirable that such a book be read very widely, for the laxity of prison administration, and the consequent abuses arising in like degree under any theory of punishment, whether retribu tive, protective, or deterrent, are not likely to be remedied without the co operation of a new public sentiment. It is of course difficult for state admin istrators to awaken or mould such a sentiment. But once created, it may be guided by men who have made an ex pert study of penal problems into chan nels leading to an efficient, sound, and moderate policy.
NEW YORK STATE BAR ASSOCIA TION REPORT THE Report of the Proceedings of the thirty-fifth annual meeting of the New York State Bar Association at New York City, January 19 and 20, contains discussions on subjects of espe
cial timeliness and importance, such as the reform of procedure in the courts of New York, revision of the land title registration law, improvements in the existing law of the criminal insane, corporation law in relation to corpora tions having shares of capital stock without nominal or par value, contin gent fees, the recall of judges, salaries of federal judges, the mode of election of candidates for judicial office, and workmen's compensation. The Report also contains papers of importance read at the meeting, includ ing the president's address by Hon. Elihu Root on "Judicial Decisions and Public Feeling," a notable document on the recall of judges, also the annual address by Hon. Philander C. Knox on "The Monroe Doctrine and Some Inci dental Obligations in the Zone of the Caribbean," tracing the history and growth of the doctrine and making a strong argument for the ratification of the conventions between the United States and Honduras and Nicaragua. Interesting papers on "Procedure" deal with statutory and common law prac tice in various states. The next annual meeting of the association will be held in Utica. NOTES Continental Legal History Series From Messrs. Little, Brown & Co. of Boston we have just received the opening volume of the important "Continental Legal History Series," consisting of translations of important modern works on the history of the civil, criminal, commercial, procedural and public law of con tinental Europe, with special reference to France, Germany and Italy. The works were selected by an editorial committee appointed for the purpose in 1909 by the Association of American Law Schools and translated by competent scholars appointed by the editorial committee. The committee has been engaged for three years past in making the selection of works and in arranging for the translations.
