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The great nood now would seem to be the training of Bar and Bench in the legal ideas embodied in these codes and the principles of methodical interpretation, the building up of decent professional standards and traditions, strong enough to defy deeply ingrained national habits of bribery and corruption, and some effective provision with regard to security of tenure for the judges, so as to make them independent of the executive authorities.
The necessary process of education will, of course, take years to accomplish, and I do not think it will ever be accomplished at all without a great deal of help from the outside. It may be that in connection with the proposed arrangements for abolishing extraterritoriality the League of Nations will be invited to give some assistance with regard to the nomination of judges, and I hope you may have some opportunity of supporting and helping to give effect to any proposal of this kind which may be put forward. But the main object of the present letter is to tell you that Lionel Curtis is anxious to get into contact with leaders of the legal world in London - especially representatives of the Inns of Court for the purpose of interesting them in proposals for promoting the study of law in China and providing facilities for the training of Chinese lawyers. I will not attempt now to go into the details of any proposals which may be discussed. Curtis will tell you about them, but I promised him that I would write a letter to you to warn you of what was coming, and to claim your sympathy and help.
Yours very sincerely,
(Signed) Richard Feetham.