Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1823-05-16
RICHMOND. MAY IG, Iye3.
FOR THE ENCuiRER.
Law SCHOOL ~ BALTIMORE
Extracto u letter fom the Attorney General of .hs


Lar SCHOOL ~ BALTIMORE.
Exwact"fa l-irer hom III. Attorney General of ,he
U. States to a friend in Richmond
There is in Baltimore, an excellent law
school, which s under the direction Of Judge
Dorsey of the Maryland court Of appeals.
have attended several ofhis lectures and wit
messed an examination Of one of his classes !;
and have certainly neither seen nor heard
ofany institution in the u. States, which srrn,s
To me So well calculated AS this To revive the
race of those great men in our profession who
| shOne forth al The close of the revolutionary
war. Every thing depends on the head of
such IN institution. He should have a sound
and vigorous intellect capable of exploring the
deepest and darkest recrsses of the science !;
and such IA passion for the science fselfas may
communicate itself to his pupils aud lnflame
them with emulation to follow his steps.
Sirh man il Judge Dorsey and have been
highly gratifed in witnessing the effects, which
he Is already producing among the young
men here. You know that in our state il is
| by no means common to meet with young
| man who enters upon the study of the law
con dmore and with "A view To emInrnce IN the
learning of the profession. He finds i, nrces
sary to adopt some pursuit, and he chooses the
law heCause he fancies II the lishtest III point
OF labor and one of the most genierI of all the
professions. He purslIes the study, therefore,
With little appetite, soon becomes weary of il,
and is cnntentcd with just such superficial
acquaintance with the science as MAY gain
him admission To the bar. Or if he aims at
distinction, il is more commonly at political
distinction he regards the bar as mere
theatre for the display of enrniion and what
have heard called general talents, and con
s'd"rs his iicence 10 practice law, only as u
passport 10 the legislature of the state and tn
| Ill hon IF
irssion in Virginia, and 1t requires potent
remedy To counterfeit that rerugnance to the
learning of the law which seems To be so nat
hIai tn the ETHEREAL genuises Of the south.
Judge Dorsey, however, does c,ntriye TO
connicract II even Among the young Virgmians
VIII" are with him and To infuse an absolute
| passion Tor the most abstruse intricacies of
| the science.
| His lectures are attended not only by his
pupils, oi whom he has large body, but by
the practising members OF the bar. have
seen some of the oldest practitioners, there,
and have heard il said that the late Mr.. Pink
ney, learned as he was has declared that he
never left one ofthesr lectures without some
new and useful acquisition.
The Judges mode uf occurring has to me
| all the interest Of novelty. II is not dull and
| pressing lecture read from his chair; hat a
warm and animated discussion, which hr
delivers ore tenus, from notes ; standing.
| while he delivers il, and enforcing il with all
the life and earnesiness of look and gesture
which we are accustomed 20 witness, only, in
real controversies al the bar. You may ina
CINE, at first, that there wend he something a
| little ludicrous in such vivacity of discussion
without an adversary and confess that for
few minutes had this feeling myself. Ii
was, however, but "A few minutes only; for
] soon saw all around mr. and felt in myself
| the advantage of this manner. Foo although
| ne was treating of estates upon condition, over
winch Tho secluded student is so apt tn doZr
he cnntrived to keep his audience not only
wide awake, hnt excited, and even eagerly
excited, io mark the development of his
subject, the soidity Of his distinctions. The
iirmncss with which be met the objections 10
bis doctrines tall Of which he stated with srea,
learning and candor) and the cngency and
business with which hr declared. his conclusions.
So that what heard was not only pro.
inund and acute lecture upon This branch Of
The law. but WIS also in itself an excellent
model, FOR forensic argument.
The private examination OF one ofhs classes
gave me not less pleasure. There were from
Twelve 10 fifteen young gentlemen ranged
1 before him in semcirce--and the subject
NJ examination was The law of contingent
rem0tnders "pd erecutory deriseS, than which,
you Know, that there is not one in the whole
circle OF The science bcset with greater diff
| cult'Fs. His made Of examination not
less animated than his lecture; he began nj
the head OF the class aud passed around his
questions with rapidtv calculated tn surprise
and roniound much older students than those
who we're before him. You know that, in
general. II requires some time to scan and
weigh The precise terms of question on this
branch oi the law before n man can trust
himself to answer. But he had trained these
young gentlemen to fix their attention, AT Il
moments warning. with such close and deep
| concentration that IT was very seldom that he
had IN repeat the most complicated question
Il second time and though these questions,
| upon this abstruse and reconcile subject, were
| discharged in a continued volley for more than
an hour there were very few Of them thai
were not promptly and accurately answer
led. confess that | was never more sur
prlsrd than al this exhibition: for YOU MAY
he assured that there are few practitioners OF
any standing, who could have passed through
spcn an ordeal with equal safety and honor.
" men the examination was over, the stu
ldtnts, IN their turns. began io state 30 him
some difficulties which they had encountered
III 'helr reading and some POINTS of learning
ON which they had differed among themselves.
These questions afforded q new proof or The
z"ai and assiduity with which those young
men were exploring the hidden treasures or
the law for the questions were of a charac.
ter to shfw they had been working not only
with industry hut even with delight at the
very bottom "f the nine, and irving every
process which ingenuity and perseverance
could suggest for tho refarnrnt W the ore
How unlike all This is 10 the general mode
ni prosecuting The study Of the law in Viz
ginia, | need moi sucrcsi to Won . and my
anxiety that That state shall keep the high