I observed Mr. Plowden (who was not exactly an advocate of Woman
Suffrage) at a dinner held by one of the Women's Societies, where I
sat opposite to him, and was much amused to watch his face as a
speaker alluded to magistrates in a manner that can hardly be termed
polite. As Mr. Plowden was a man of humour, the reference evidently
appealed to him, if one might judge from his expression.
Lord Alverstone I met in a similar way as the guest of the evening at
the Punch Bowl Club, when I had the honour of being in the chair and
the pleasure of hearing the Lord Chief Justice sing the Judge's Song
from "Trial by Jury." It is noteworthy that he was a teetotaller and a
great Churchman. He was always willing to preside or give his
patronage to any occasion when he could aid athleticism in any shape
or form, for he had been a great athlete and runner in his day.
The present Lord Chief Justice, Lord Reading, (Sir Rufus Isaacs) is
one of the most delightful men I have ever met. He is, as everybody
knows, a great worker, and I remember he told me that, after his
strenuous sittings, he went away for three months' holiday every year,
and during that time, nothing, not even the lawyer's brief, could
induce him to remember that he was a K.C., or lure him away from his
well-earned rest. He thoroughly believed that only by this method of
holiday-making was he enabled to work as hard as he did at other
times.
Mr. Marshall Hall (to whom I am related by marriage) is one of the
most versatile of my legal subjects, for besides being a K.C. and a
late member of Parliament, he has the advantage of being a fine shot,
a good golfer, a clever mimic, and a wonderful judge of precious
stones, of old silver and of _objets d'art_ generally--of which he has
a very exceptional collection. As a _raconteur_ he is unsurpassed, and
in consequence most amusing company.
My friend, Mr. H. C. Biron, the magistrate, who is also a lover of art
and a delightful host, is still a bachelor, and lives in a gem of a
house in Montpelier Square, where my drawing of him is placed on the
walls. As the son of an eminent "beak," he was born into the very
atmosphere of the law, and the Starchfield case was perhaps the most
sensational that has as yet come before him.
Nor must I forget to mention the very popular K.C. member for
Cambridge, Mr. P. P. Rawlinson.
[Illustration: SIR ALBERT DE RUTZEN.
1909.]
[Illustration: MR PLOWDEN. _From an unpublished sketch._
1910.]
CHAPTER X
THE CHURCH AND THE VARSITIES--PARSONS OF MANY CREEDS AND DENOMINATIONS
Dean Wellesley.--Dr. James Sewell.--Canon Ainger.--Lord
Torrington.--Dr. Goodford.--Dr. Welldon.--Dr. Walker.--The
Van Beers' Supper.--The Bishop of Lichfield.--Rev. R. J.
Campbell.--Cardinal Vaughan.--Dr. Benson, Archbishop of
Canterbury.--Dr. Armitage Robinson.--Varsity Athletes.--
Etherington-Smith.--John Loraine Baldwin.--Ranjitsinhji.--
Mr. Muttlebury.--Mr. "Rudy" Lehmann.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account