The Reformatory and industrial Schools' Acts, 1866. With notes by
Robert Wilkinson, M.A. (Knight and Co.)—It is perfectly true that this book is all that it professes to be, but it is a pity that it does not profess to be something more. The habit of compiling books out of Acts of Parliament is gradually supplanting legal literature. A man prints an Act of Parliament as it stands, adds notes to every section, and does his best to make all the sections intelligible and connected. If he fails, it is not so much his fault as that of the Act of Parliament, which is probably confused and undigested. But it would have been far better if he had written in English on the subject of the Act, and put all the materials of the Act into some shape. This is what we feel with regard to Mr. Wilkinson. If we want to know the law on the question of Reformatories and Industrial Schools, of course we can turn to the Acts ; but it is painful work plodding through one section, being then referred on to another, then back to an interpretation clause, then forward again to exceptions to the interpretation, and frompost to ante, which is far worse than from post to pillar. However, Mr. Wilkinson has given us the Acts in a convenient little volume. His notes are useful, and the other Acts added as explanatory of the two which form his subject come in appropriately.
Previous page
