Excerpt from Wigmore Celebration: Legal Essays When this festival publication was conceived, the great catas trophe of the world war had already begun to rock the civilizations of Europe, as it then seemed, to the very foundations. The United States had not yet joined the coalition of western democratic powers. It did not seem probable then that the slaughter of lives and the destruction of spiritual and economic values could, as the event has shown, continue beyond the time when this celebration volume would be issued. It was our hope that this occasion would overtake an era of peace and international good-will. Had it been possible to know what was written down in the book of fate, it is not unlikely this commemoration would have been postponed to a happier and less heroic hour in the afiairs of the world. That so many of the great names in the annals of legal science are here represented, notwithstanding the distraction and pain of mind caused by the unprecedented events of the last four years, to say nothing of the additional burdens of one kind and another cast on nearly everyone of those who participate here, is a remarkable exhibition of the afi'ection and esteem in which Professor Wigmore is held by his co - workers in all parts of the world. If Professor Wigmore will miss in this gathering of illustrious scholars any names of those who by pledge of personal friendship or common interest would be entitled to a place, the explanation must lie in the world misery which makes this volume, published in wartime, a splendid monument by its mere existence. The pre occupations of a turbulent era, which have even taken Professor W'igmore from the domain of rules supported by latent force to a field where the order is inverted and force is directed by rules, are too forceful to be resisted, and inter arma not only laws, but friend ships may be silent. Death, illness, and infirmities of age also may claim their respective explanations. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.