
From the Freeman’s Journal, 1 September 1890:
“Modern text books now enable practitioners to dispense with much memorised learning laboriously acquired in former days… Within the recollection of men still living the library at the Four Courts did not exist, and it was considered a breach of etiquette to bring a law book into court, the judges being supposed to know all the cases on the mere names being cited. Nowadays the multiplication of reports has compelled Bench and