Litchfield enquirer., 1851-07-31
LitchloId Law School.
From the Rosfon .Atlaa.


~ At u late dinner of the Story AssO.
citation Of the Cambridge Law School. the
tamous Litchfeld Law School was adverted
to, The whole passage viii be interesting
to the former pupils of that institution, and
to the friends of its celebrated teachers.
Judge Kent gave
Il The first born Of he IGsc schools Of This
I countryside LiIehfeId Lam School. The Bos,
ton bar exhibits its rich and ripened fruits. B,
them we may judge Of the tree and declare it
good.
Charles G. Loring, Esq, replied:
de began with expressing his regret that
there was no other representative from the
Litchfeld Law School TO respond to the
complimentary. but just notice OF that inSti-
tuition.
do not remember. said he, to have ever
been more forcibly reminded OF my younger
days, than when looking around upon our
young friends in the midst of whom | stand.
II recalls the time when loo was a STU
dent among numerous fellow students. Il
will probably be news to them and many
Others here, that thirty eight years ago,
which to many here seems remote anti
guilty there exisledan extensive Jaw School
in the State Of Connecticut, at which more
than sixystudenls from all parts of the
country we're assembled. every State then in
the Union being there represented. join
ed it in 1873, when it was at lis zenith, and
the only prominent establishment of the
kind in the land.
The recollection is as fresh as the events
ofyeslerday, OF our passing along the broad
shaded streets of one of the most beautiful
of the villages of New England, with our
inkstands in our hands, and our portfolios
under our arms, to the lecture room of Judge
Gould-the last of the Romans, of Common
Law lawyers; the ilnpersonation of its ge-
MUS and spirit. It.was indeed in his eyes
the perfection of human reason-by which
he measured every principle and rule of &C.
lion, and almost every sentiment. Why,
sir, his highest visions of poetry seemed to
be in the refinement of special pleading :;
and to him. non seqmitur in logic was an
offensive desel wing, at the least, fne and
imprisonment-and repetition of ii, trans,
poltation for life. He was an admirable
English scholar--every word was pure En-
glish uAdeGlel, and every sentence fell from
his lips perfectly finished, as clear, trans
parent and penetrating as light and every
limited as the outline Of building against
the sky. From him. SIT, we obtained clear,
we'll defined and accurate know ledge OF the
Common Law, and learned that allie glance
to it was the chief duty of man, and the
power of enforcing it upon Others his high
es. attainment. From his lecture room we
pass to that of the venerable Judge Reeve,
shaded by an aged elm, 6t emblem of him
oil ;nA,
in character and appearance-hs thick
grey hair parted and falling in profusion
upon his shoulders; his voice only loud
whisper, out distinctly heard by his earnest
ly attentive pupils. lie 100 was full of le>
gal learning but invested The law with all
the genial enthusi asm and generous feelings
and noble sentiments of large heart at the
age of eighteen, and descanled to us with
glowing eloqucnce npOn the SacrednesS and
majesty of law. He was distinguished, sir,
BY 'ha, appreciation of :he genller sex which
never fails TO mark the true man and his
teachings of the law in reference 10 Weir
rights and to the domestic relations, had
great influence in elevating and refining the
entiments of the young men who were pri>
ileged to hear him. AS illustrative Of his
Feelings and manner upon this subject, al
tOW mO ~ give specimen. he was QlS-
cnssing The legal relations OF married wo-
men-he never called them, however, by so
inexpressible a name-bnt always spoke of
them as "the better half of mankind" OK
In some equally just manner. When he
came to the axiom that g. married woman
has no will of her owns" this, he said, was
maxim of great theoretical importance
for the preservation of the sex against the
undue influence or coercion Of the husband:
but although j, was an infexible maxim, in
theory, experience taught US that practical
ly it waR found that they sometimes had
wills of their own-MOsT HAPPILY FOR US,
We left his lecture-room. sir, The very
knight Grants Of the law. burning to he the
defenders of the right and the avengers of
the wrong; and he is no true son of the
Litchfeld School who has ever forget that
lesson. propose, sir
The memories Of Judge Reeve and Judge
Gouid,-among the 6rst. if not the first found
ers Of a National Law School in the United
States-who have laid one OF tho corner stones
in the foundation Of true AmericaL patriotism,
loyalty to the law.