The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-01-07
TIE LAW AS a BUSINESS.
,.,fassor Dwight on the Opportunities
II offers to Young Men.
-, tLe rhiladelphin rs.

Lt,op, the Philadelphia Press
So, vopK Dec. 81 The colleges of
.-,ar;ca are turning out thousands of young
,'..,.ors every wear. There are at least TO-
~, nan in New York who make their living
y. tbe bar. The big guns of the profession
II David Dudley Field, Col. Robert &.
Inc Inoorsoll. Sidney Dillon, Roscoe Conkling
.n5 senator William NJ. Eyarts make at
a alns+ siOO 900 annually. Others not so well
i' e'o make from $1,000 to $4,000, but
nav all make money. During the winter
.be columbia College Law SCHOOL is one OF
l w. 400 visited the college and had long
Jay l',1 instructive talk with Prof. Theodore
S az Dwirht the head of the college, on the
,nbiect of the law as profession for young
men ., D..s Du,.;ol+ uofPars
..,,ial advantages to young men, becauSel 1T
sIoSalv connected with business and other
r.ofossions Lawyers are brought in con-
toct with business affairs, and SO have many
o"onres for employment besides those
'.ictlv legal. 1t leads much more closely
Than any other profession to political life,
ard there are important rewards of jul
S Nciai nature. Many opportunities are also
ogorded for making themselves prominent
49, the nublic. These remarks do not
onnly TO all Young men, but mainly to those
II active minds and energetic ways. You
" "a narticularlv at the West that law is not
fonowpd as a profession with the same
-trictness as in the Eastern States, but the
troining men get as law students leads dl-
roctIv 70 success i'll various departments.
Toreyample as president Of railroads, bank
officers. insurance agents, and local political
oice mavoralty of cities, etc All these
fn and
ioodtben to choose the law rather than any
Ntber profession. There is no doubt that
tboronch training in legal principles would
be of great advantage to the clergy, because
4 would tend to give them more practical
INSIGHT into legal affairs than they know
now
A COLLEGE EDUCATION.
as it best to graduate first at college and
+hen study law. or pursue a collegiate and
law course at the same time"
81 should say decidedly that where
Young man has the means to go through a
regujar college course it is much the most
advantageous, as all the studies he pursues
in college bear indirectly on his legal at
tsinments. For example, thorough train
ing in Latin and Greek teaches him rules OF
Interpretation and construction which he
has to applym interpreting the statutes or
nrovisiOns in a political constitution. The
samein education in political economy gives
him an insight of rules governing and pro-
dncing distribution of wealth, and similar
remarks may be made as to his other stud
los Besides this, the discipline he obtains,
if he is good student in college, is of in
calculable value in teaching him how to
think, and also giving him fit forms OF ex-
preston. He is the best lawyer who thinks
best. and, at the same time, can give proper
10 = +l,a,,or,t,- And a Xxypll- do
vsed education can not fail to give one
who takes proper advantage of it resources
Of tbiskind, which one less fortunate in his
means of education does not possess. OF
course. there are special instances in which
men of great force and vigor of intellect
overcome the obstacles standing in the way
Of growth imposed upon them by imperfect
education, and, at the same time, many col
lege-bred men are lamentable failures. L
only speak of general results 1t is particu-
larlv advantageous to young man to have
thorough knowledge of Latin, which he is
more likely to acquire in college than by his
own unaided efforts. 1t should be strongly
recommended to all young men who are
not too far advanced in years when they
commence their studies and who have sui
fcient means, to obtain thorough general
education, and on this to build legal acquisi
tons
TIME FOR PREPARATION.
How many years are desirable to furnish
the average student for law practicep
Sufficient time is not in general given by
students to the study of law. Many of them
are in too much haste to be married; others,
with very honorable feelings, have desire
to be self-supportlng, particularly those who
have gone through an academic and collie
giate course; having been six or seven years
fl,s,- how
tosupport themselves. This is very com
monty the case where the family is large
and the feeling of the young man that
longer dependence on his father may lessen
the chances OF brothers or sisters of having
thorough education. This leads them fire.
quently to combine their study with prac-
ucal attention to work i'll an attorneys
Office This is to a certain extent distract
ing They get an imperfect knowledge of
legal principles, shorten the time for study
as much as they can and hasten to join the
crowd of lawyers, large number of whom
are as poorly trained as they are themselves.
This tends to overcrowd the profession and
to lower the general standard of legal at
alnment 1t will be wise thing if stu
dents are required in all cities to devote them
selves TO legal principles for two or three
years and then submit to thorough exami-
nation by competent persons and after that
attend to office duties. The training de
manded of them should be uniform. 1t is
very difficult to bring this about in a coun-
Try like ours, where there are so many States
having diverse methods of education and
requirement for admission to the bar. 1t
would be great thing for a leading state
lEe New York to set the example which
others would be likely to follow. My expe
renee teaches me that great number of
Young men fail of success simply because
tHey commence the practice of law without
suihclent training. They are soon distanced
ny thelr cOmpanions who are better
equipped, then become discouraged and fall
ihto the lower ranks of the profession and
nnally drop out altogether. This result might
nave been avoided i'll many instances if they
ndu taken IN advance the time necessary for
ouucatlon. Under the present system there
"a great tendency to examining. The
student, by an almost herculean effort, vii
MIX himself up so as to go through the
ordinary pass examination with sufficient
creIlt' ana in few weeks all he has learned
, TlI be forgotten. The principles of the
raw can only be anchored in the mind by
t Wlue reading and frequent repetition. Tt
suIS the examining method is unequal anC
VI course, a failure. However, signs
VI Improvement are plainly visable, anc
Wv tne trends friends of legal education should moi
ee discouraged but look forward with con
| system"
THE CRIMINAL LAW.
- HOW about the criminal law-does it no
civil lawN
HE criminal 1avu hoe Loot re in,povtancs