THE CENTENARY OF OSGOODE HALL. On the 6th of last month occurred the one hundredth anniversary of the entry of the Law Society of Upper Canada into possession of that stately pile in the City of Toronto known as Osgoode Hall, to be thereafter used as the permanent home of the Society. The afternoon and evening of the 18th of that month were devoted to a formal celebration of the event by the Society, and the Hall was thrown open to a great throng of guests who welcomed the privilege of assisting in the commemoration of an event rich in associations with the progress of the Canadian people as a law-abiding community Nowhere else on the North American continent is to be found a central home for the Bar so closely akin, not only in purpose but also in spirit and activities, as is Osgoode Hall to the English Inns of Court. This estimate of its character is supported by the following extract from the pamphlet entitled "Osgoode Hall," printed by the Society as a memorial of the Centenary : "For a century the Society has been located and carrying on its work at Osgoode Hall holding its Convocation meetings, issuing its official Reports of the decisions of the Courts, controlling the educa tion of students-at-law, regulating their call to the Bar and admission as solicitors, maintaining its extensive library and supervising the conduct of its members generally . A rule of the Society has for a century read : 'The permanent seat of the Law Society shall be at Osgoode Hall in the City of Toronto.' Mat' it so continue for centuries to come!" * Probably the most interesting feature of the celebra- tion of the Centenary was the calling to the Bar of the Province of the Prime Minister of Canada, the Honourable R. B. Bennett, K.C. The event, which took place in the afternoon, naturally attracted the attendance of an unusually large number of Benchers, who alone were present during the first part of the ceremony. All then pro- ceeded to the Court Room of the Appellate Division, where all the judges of the Supreme Court of Ontario who were in Toronto on that day assembled, Chief Justice 1Vlulock presiding. Although very little publicity had been given to the event, there was a large gather- ing of members of the legal profession as well as of the public, the Court Room itself being of course filled to overflowing and many having to be content with what they could hear from the corridors. Mar., 1932] The Centenary of Osgoôde Hall. 183 Mr. W. N. Tilley, K.C., introduced Mr. Bennett to the Court in a very happy manner, pointing out that as a some time Minister of justice his call to the Bar would make him ex officio a Bencher of the Law Society, and expressing the gratification of the present members that the Prime Minister of Canada should be the first one to become a Bencher at the opening of the new century of occupation of Osgoode Hall. Mr. Tilley sketched the distinguished career of the Prime Minister, noting that he had been called to the Bar in 1893 and had been made a King's Counsel in 1907. At the conclusion of Mr. Tilley's address, the Chief justice instructed Mr. Bennett to take the oath of office and subscribe to the roll, whereupon those present en- joyed the most impressive scene of the Prime Minister of Canada solemnly subscribing to the beautiful oath of office, precisely the same as that which had been taken half an hour before "by a young man fresh from the Law School. With the new candidate and all present standing, the venerable Chief justice of Ontario then addressed the new barrister and those present as follows : "I have been given to understand, whether rightly or wrongly I leave it to the Prime Minister to determine, that the peaceful character of the legal atmosphere of Osgoode Hall differs somewhat from that of the political atmosphere of Ottawa. "However that be, we trust that the Prime Minister, here in the midst of his many legal friends, will feel himself at home in this temple of justice. "My experience in public life, extending over a period of nearly one-quarter of a century, developed and left in my soul the deepest sympathy for all who are serving their country in a representative capacity. Never is it given to them to enjoy those sweet moments free from the cares of life so touchingly described in Longfellow's simple poem, `The Day is Done' wherein, after referring to the work- ing day he comes down to the evenings of the toilers and says : `And their evenings shall be filled with music, and the cares that infest the day, Shall fold their tents like the Arabs, and silently steal away!' "The cares_of the public man never, either silently or otherwise, steal away, and therefore from my experience of the life of repre- sentative public servants, I am led to believe that the Prime Minister of Canada will ever bear in grateful and blessed memory the recollec- tion of his peaceful hours to-day at Osgoode Hall, a sanctuary to him, where it is possible for self-seekers who would, if permitted, make known to him their patriotic willingness to serve their country for a consideration, or vigorously wave the old flag if stimulated thereto by the hope for an appropriation in support of some enterprise. 184 The Cavadian Bar Review. [No. 3 "Gentlemen! It is with the utmost pleasure that the Bench of Ontario welcomes Mr. Bennett to membership in the Ontario Bar. His association with the legal profession has been unique-a member of the Bar of New Brunswick ; the Bar of Alberta ; Minister of Justice for Canada-for long years useful, powerful friend and officer of the Canadian Bar Association, practically his whole manhood life passed in the practice of his profession, and to-day manifesting his continued attachment for it by joining the Ontario Bar. "These are circumstances which convince us that neither his exalted position nor any other circumstance has been able to `vean him from his early love of that jealous mistress, the law. "Thus it is that we do not regard his joining our Bar as a mere empty gesture, but on the contrary we interpret it as convincing proof that whenever the occasion calls for it, he will be found ready and willing as a faithful officer of the Courts to assist them with his great natural gifts and legal attainments in the solution of those problems which are forever confronting them, and in the administration of the laws of our land in accordance with the principles of eternal justice. "Gentlemen, if I might be permitted, I would add a word on be- half of my brethren of the Bar and say they share the pleasure of the Bench in welcoming the Prime Minister of Canada as a member of the Ontario Bar." Thv Chief justice then put to Mr. Bennett the customary question as to his desire to move the Court, whereupon Mr. Bennett replied that the motion which lie had to make would not very long detain the Court. Thanking the Chief justice for the kind and sympathetic words which he had uttered, he referred to the dignity and solemnity of the proceeding, and to the calmness of the atmosphere of the Court, in contrast with that of the House of Commons. The Chief Justice had hinted at his own experience in Parliament, and Mr. Bennett humourously suggested to him that there had been quite a few changes in Ottawa since he was there, and that in describing its present atmos- phere, one might say that "the golden age had now been reached and all -,vas calm upon the Hill." He further stressed the importance of the judicial branch of the Government, stating his clear opinion that in the final analysis it deserved even more attention than the legisla- tive and executive branches, since the work of these had to be inter- preted by the Courts, and life, freedom and enjoyment of property depended upon the accuracy of this interpretation . Reiterating his firm opinion on this point, he said it was one of the honours of his life to be permitted to be enrolled as a member of the Bar of the old Province of Ontario, and that not only because of the great names emblazoned on its rolls, but particularly because that day marked the Mar., 1932] The Centenary of Osgoode Hall. 1$5 end of a century of activity in the famous old Temple of Justice, Os- goode Hall. This ceremony was followed by a luncheon at which Mr. Bennett was the Guest of Honour, together with the Chief Justice, the Judges of the Supreme Court, the County judges and certain officials. At the evening reception, held in the Hall, Mr. and Mrs. Tilley receiv- ing the guests, and it is hardly necessary to say that the number of those taking advantage of this opportunity to visit the ancestral home of the Law Society was more than large. Ottawa..