We have discussed elsewhere Mr. Fitzjames Stephen's lecture to the
Law Amendment Society on the Codification of English law, a lecture which will be utterly useless because the newspapers insist on summarising it, but we wish to say here that it is something more than a lecture, it is a very spirited defence of the recent policy on legislation pursued in India. That policy, as described by Mr. Stephen, has been to codify the law on all subjects, so that it can be apprehended by men without professional training. It has been so successful that the civilians have the Codes at their fingers' ends, that military officers can work them, that men discuss the Codes as we discuss politics, and that natives study them out of pure in- tellectual interest. They are exercising high educational force, and will probably remould the popular notions of rightful law. We believe that this is the case in all countries,—any well known penal law, if just, gradually developing a conscience, as it were, in support °flit. So strongly does this force work, that we believe that if we could substitute for the law against perjury a clear law, punishing " deliberate lying in court," we should enormously simplify the administration of justice.
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