The greatest farce that occurs in the court-room is the part of
preparation that is involved in getting a case on for trial. There
being no limit to the time to examine witnesses, to hear arguments, to
listen to objections, it is said to be impossible to tell how long a
case is going to take. Consequently the calendar having been called,
the cases following are answered ready, by office-boys with no
expectation of their being immediately reached.

The grave and reverend judge looks over his desk and calls the case of
Bowring _vs._ Bowring. "Ready for the plaintiff," answers a
rosy-cheeked boy. "Ready for the defendant," answers another. They
look rather young to be trying a case. It is marked ready and the
office-boys sit about the court and telephone to the lawyers when they
think there is a chance of being nearly reached. This often takes
several days. In the meanwhile the cases ahead of the Bowring case
have been dragging out their slow and weary performance on the court
stage. Matters of fact that should have taken five minutes to bring
out by the present usual laborious system of proof, have taken two
hours. Argument of counsel on abstruse questions of law have worn and
confused the jury and the clients, who have become exhausted and
impatient.

The clients and witnesses may have been sitting, trying to understand
and becoming more and more mystified.

The dealings of open-handed Justice ought to be plain, prompt, and
understandable; instead to the spectator she seems a mysterious jade
with no understanding of everyday life. She keeps them waiting there
without reason. If the case is marked ready it ought to be ready. The
business man feels that Justice is extremely tardy in keeping her