198 court of appeals of maryland

fame, professional fame, that is, for popular fame
or notoriety lies, of course, in a direction away
from judicial objectives, and is rather to be mis-
trusted if gained in court work alone; it is likely
to be the mark of a judicial vice. But there is
a professional recognition of purely judicial
ability which has sometimes spread beyond state
borders elsewhere, and little of such outside recog-
nition has come to judges of Maryland courts;
none have the celebrity of Story, Kent, Shaw, or
a few others. The fact, however, is consistent
with actual existence of ability on the local bench
equal to that possessed by some at least of the
judges who have gained wider celebrity. A dif-
ference in fame may be due in some instances to
a difference in the conspicuousness of the position
of one judge and the other. Joseph Hopper
Nicholson was once thought likely to receive an
appointment to the Supreme Court of the United
States,¹⁵ and that would have brought lasting
eminence to a man who now, without the accident
of the appointment, is among the forgotten. So
with Chief Judge Alvey16 of a generation or two
ago; except in the traditions of his local bars he
has naturally passed out of notice, yet it appears
that only the vexation of a disappointed litigant
prevented his abilities from being brought to the
attention of the whole country on the Supreme
Court. It is easily possible that superior local
talent should be overlooked, even at home. The
late Mr. Arthur George Brown, of the Baltimore
bar, told a story that during the sittings of the

15. Supra, page 105.

16. Supra, page 180.