Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1886-10-01

To the Members OF the Yale Law
school at the Opening of the Fail
Term Yesserday-A Large Junior
Glass.
The fall term of the Yale Law school open
ed yesterday with much larger junior class
than on the previous year, evidencing the
continuing growth and prosperity of the in
stitution. The students of both classes were
met in room 10 in the county court building
by Prof. Wayland at 10 o'clock noon, and
after being instructed by him as to what line
Of studies they were to pursue President
Timothy Dwight of Yale university, who
had entered the room amid the applause of
the students while Prof. Wayland was talk
ing, was introduced by the latter. President
Dwight arose, and addressed the assembled
classes, extending to them a cordial welcome
from the university of which it forms part
and over which he is the recently elected
head The speaker spoke substantially as
follows: claw and gospel are said to move
along in two different lines and, as my line
has been in the gospel, feel some difhdence
in addressing students of the law: but there
is a common interest as students especially
among those who are or have been connected
with professional depaments. will make
to you to-day a few informal and practical
suggestions. 1t seems to me that gentlemen
entering upon professional education ought
to be enthusiastic. Undergraduate students
in colleges and schools ought to be enthu
school with little thought of what they are
to do and they are necessarily under more
strict rules and regulations than in the
professional school. But certainly those
who come together for professional study
ought to be enthusiastic. If man is not
/ L. Aolv1 vI,nAS l. L.,
the work of life there is not much hope of
him. You should not depend on the in
structor to awaken this enthusiasm, although
l believe it is the duty of the instructor to
have this magnetic power and of the stu
dent to respond to it.
s'Then you should not expect too much of
professional school, for while our undergrad
uate departments are so arranged as to have
certain completeness, the professional
school is quite different. The work here Is
not a work to be completed. Education in
law, theology or medicine is to go on for
lifetime. What are the officers of the school
expected to do for you? Simply to open the
gateway to the path before you, give you
survey and give you such impulse that
you can never stop going. But you must
not expect the work to be done till the end
of life, going forward through life with the
impulse received here.
"Another practical suggestion is in regard
rule of certain institutions. In professional
as compared with an undergraduate depart
ment from the necessity of the case large
proportion of the instruction comes from the
living teacher in the lecture room, and if you
are not here something is lost.
''1 advise you to discuss vigorously the
questions that arise here among yourselves.
In my experience the more the students
discuss either in conversation or debate the
more good they will get. I want to advise
you to be readers, and readers beyond the
limits of your own special work. You are
in enjoyment of admirable advantages for
reading. These are priceless years to You
and should be improved. The true way to
work is to do the largest amount of work in
the morning; so in life the more you can fill
the mind with knowledge in early
years the more progress you will
make, for you will not
only save a great amount of time, but you
will have acquired momentum. Therefore
occupy your time with studies of the course,
but also read history, political science, ETC."
The president expressed the desire to stand
as near this department as any other and as
sured them that, while regretting that he
did not know more about law, yet he appre-
ciated fully the value of learning and sym
pathized deeply with all connected with the
law school, ''for, - said he in closing, "you
are members of the university and just as
much so as the students of any other depart
ment."