January

It is the definition of “unconstitutional” personified: The extinguishment of a constitutionally protected confrontation right by a statutorily created hearsay exception. Yet, in our U.S. courts, a federal rule dealing with hearsay evidence—Rule 804(b)(6)—has such unbelievable power.

British novelist Anthony Trollope (1815–1882) wrote, in addition to 47 novels, an autobiography, a book on Thackeray, five travel books, and 42 short stories. Henry S. Drinker (1880–1965) was a partner in the law firm of Drinker Biddle and was also a musicologist. The essay that follows was an address delivered to members of the Grolier Club in New York City on Nov. 15, 1949. It is presented here as it was published by the Grolier Club in 1950, in a book entitled Two Addresses Delivered to Members of the Grolier Club; the other essay that appears in the book is "Trollope’s America" by Willard Thorp. Only 750 copies of the book were printed.