Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-08-20
PREPARATION or LAW STUDENTS.
An Interesting Paper Before the
American bar A.sOcin tiOm.

American bar AssOcin ton.
The American Bar Association met yes
terday afternoon at Saratoga, n. V, as the
section of legal education. The chair APP
pointed DR.. II. w. Rogers of Evanston, ILL.,;
Judges f. II. Bennett of Boston, Mass,
and w. w. Howe of New Orleans, La, a
committee to nominate officers for this sec
ton for the ensuing year.
Chairman of Section Chancellor E. Nc
Claim of the State University of Iowa deliv-
cred long address on The Law Curri-
culum; Subjects to Be Included and Order
of Presentation With every proposes
sion in favor of college training Mr. Nc
Claim could not close his eyes to the fact
that in many students it tended to foster
quickness rather than tho:oughness, and
that the final result depended still. to a
great extent, on the individual capacity OF
the student. He cOntended that the law in
struction given as part of a College
course was little advantage, if il is not a
positive detriment. to the proper study and
comprehension Of law as law He thought
SEINE of the old-fashioaed lawyers books
remained the best text books for students
on their particular subjects. For it must
be borne in mind. he said. that what the
student needed was not an easy look
which will give him a few definitions and
superficial rules such as would enable him
to pass examinations, but thoroughly plan
ned discussions of the Fundamentals of
the subject and their applicali,ns The
work upon which the whole fabric Ct the
law as harmonious structure was in dam
ger of going to pieces WAS The lack of zeal
knowledge on the part of the practitioners
In regard to the practical subjects of pIoad
ing. evidence and practice. The real dim
Guilty was In the effort, on the part of those
VINO have not been well-grounded in the
principles OF law. to practice it by some
Campbell of the University of Colorado
was unable to be. pres ent. bat his yolumt
nous paper was read by Professor Isaac N.
Russell, dean Of the law faculty of the Uni
versity Of the City of New York. the lille
being THE Necessity and Imoortanca of
the Study of Common Law Procedure in
Legal Education 40
AS common law plea ling is a model of
logical eXactneSs, if properly tauebt ;, ha
argued, lit cultivates logi.al exnress;on
ana ADDS soonest of any study to the legal
vocabulary and to use of legal langus ee
me value of special pleading is not
UNITED to any special system of procedure
and the newer systems simply procreS
upon the old principles in substance The
student who has mastered the rules of
t tu Jaw pleading, and also learned
thoroughly that part of the law which
creates, defines and regulates rights. will
with tbs liberal education, be better able
TO defend the old system of pleading rs
whether as a lawyer or as teacher no.
will, with his knowledge of law as a
science, be better qualified with the aid Of
others, to point out the existing imper-
influence and reconcile certain reforms
of the impossibility of the fusion of law
and equity, which at the present time
seems as impracticabie the fusion of
Oil and water inasmuch as the recorded
result of experience is that the ALTERNATIVES
appearance Of law and equity as the mn
tual checks and corrections Of one an
nCmena.' '"N
Professor Biewett Lee of Northwestern
University, Evanston, ILL.,, read a paper
or the Teaching Practice in Law
Following the reading of the paners
discussion ensued on the subjects prs-
George P. VANITY of Grand Rapids rather
pers to the Michigan Law School. and
cited IN its behalf that where formerly
43 per cent of all the cases that went IN
to the supreme court in Michigan were
reversed on questions of practice, the
merits not being gone into. now only per
cent were decided for that cause He
thought other law schools might, in view
pie set by this school on the teaching of
correct practice. President Henry Wade
Rogers, Moorfeld Story of Boston, the
president of the association; Robert s.
Gould Of Austin, Texas: James d. An
drews of Chicago, and H. H. lnsersoli of
Memphis. Tenn. also took part in the dis
cussiOn.
The great length Of the papers, however
paratively little opportunity was offered
for extended discussion.
Last evening the session of the assooia-
ton was a comparatively brief one Jas
NJ. Woolworth of Omaha read q paper on
1.-The Development of the Law of Con-
tracts" A paper was also read by Jos.
ID. Warren of Boston. At the close of
the evening session all proceeded to the
residence Of Judge George 9. Batcheiler,
where reception was given in honor of
Lord Russell. It was continued until
midnight.