Stowell, Lord Mansfield, Lord Blackburn, Sir George Jessel, Lord Cairns and John Marshall have approached him, but not one has surpassed him. His great knowledge and perfect memory of cases help him to adorn his opinions with conclusive citations. He never tries to restate a proposition in his own language, that has been satisfactorily stated by a former authority. His great care and fairness in referring to the points of law favorable to the losing party in the cause are preeminent, and add to the weight of his conclusions. In a word, his decisions are models of what judicial opinions ought to be — luminous, instructive, cogent, replete with learning. They are survivals of an elder time, when the law was a science and prece dents counted, when it was recognized that some points were settled beyond controversy, and if a case had to be over-ruled, it was done with a full statement of citations and reasons therefor. The appearance of Mr. Justice Gray upon the bench has always been inspiring. His splendid stature, his grand head, his firm mouth, his keen, intelligent brown eyes, his great dignity, his strict attention to the busi ness before him, make him appear, as he is, the ideal judge. He has always been impa tient with waste of time, with foolish argu ment, with anything that detracted from the high dignity of the law. Because of his firm upholding of the dignity of the Court, he has been accused at times of insisting upon matters of no importance. But in truth he has never arrogated anything to himself as a man, although he has always demanded much for the Court and the Law. No man has ever been more human than he, or had a keener sense of humor, or a kinder heart. His ready aid has always been given without sparing to young attorneys. His secretaries, who worked with him, as well as for him, have every one conceived the greatest love and ad I
miration for both the great man and the great magistrate, a love and admiration that have only increased with the receding years of their service, because they are based upon such solid as well as intimate relations. He has always kept young of heart and is sin gularly single-minded. His work has been nothing to him for himself, but it has been everything to him for the law. The law has been his passion. To it he has devoted his life and his talents. He has believed and demonstrated that it spelled justice. In writing an opinion he has never neglected the thorough investigation of any point of law, however far afield that investigation might lead him, or however arduous it might be. And he has always given to each opinion as much thought, and work, and time, and en thusiasm, as if it were the first one he had ever written, or as if his reputation would depend upon that alone. His accuracy is unerring. No pressure could hurry him in his work. He has believed that it is wiser and more conducive to the correct adminis tration of justice for the parties in a cause to wait for its decision, until that decision can be properly and satisfactorily announced, than to hurriedly throw together an opinion. He has always conscientiously attended to the duties of his circuit while he has been a member of the Supreme Court of the United States. He has sat upon the bench of the Circuit Court and the Circuit Court of Ap peals, and written opinions in cases heard in those tribunals, with persistence and regular ity and with the same patient care and ardor that he devoted to his work upon the Supreme Court. Consider for a moment what this has meant. From October to June he has been engrossed by his steady and taxing work in Washington. At the time of year when most men need and seek recreation, volun tarily he has taken upon himself additional duties. For all his life he has worked all
