Omaha daily bee., 1896-08-20

the nominations for membership and eighty.
eight new members were elected The ag-
gregate membership Of the association is
1872 The treasurer's report showed a bal
ance Of S4.133.5S.
The following general council was elected
Alabama, j. ]. willett; Arkansas NJ NJ
Cohn; California, J. A. Gibson; Colorado
c. E. Harrington. Connecticut, J. S. Curtis /;
Delaware l. c. Grub; District OF Columbia
S. r. Bound; Florida, X. w. Williams
Georgia, p. w. Meldrim; Idaho, L. s.
Gregory; Illinois, E. B. Sherman; Indiana.
s. o. Pickens; Iowa, A. J. McCreary;
Kansas. j. d. Mllikens; Kentucky, f. j.
McDermott; Louisville, w. w Howe; Maine.
c. f. Libby; Maryland. J. T. Mason: Massa-
chusetts, A Jones Michigan, G. p. Wantz;
Minnesota, Il. Whelan; Mississippi, X. H.
Thompson; Missouri. James Hagerman;
Montana w r. Saunders; Nebraska. j. NJ.
Woolworth; New Hampshire, J. W. Fellows;
New Jersey. r. w. Parker; New York, w.
II. Robertson; North Carolina J. L. Bridges
North Dakota, b. s. Corbett; Ohio, NJ u.
Follett; Oregon, J. ]. Hall; Pennsylvania. w.
G. Smith; Rhode Island, A. NJ Eaton South
Carolina, c. s. Nettles; South Dakota, J. W.
Wright; Tennessee. J. NJ. Dickinson; Texas,
J. T. II. Scott: Vermont, +. B. Tart; Nir-
ginia J. Lyons; Washington, c. L. Shepard;
West Virginia, b. Sommerville; Wisconsin,
A. L. Terry; Wyoming. c. n. Voter; Ariz-
ona, Z. e. Elenwood; Indian Territory, j.
W. McCloud; Oklahoma, II. E. Ash Utah,
r. b. Shepard.
HAS TO LEARN LAW.
The association met this afternoon as the
section of legal aducation. The chairman
of the section, Chancellor E. NJ, McClain OF
the State university of Iowa, delivered a
lengthy address on THE Law Curriculum;
Subjects to Be Included and order of Presen-
tation." With every prepossession in favor
of college training, Mr.. McClain could not
close his eyes to the fact that in many
students it tended to foster quickness rather
than thoroughness and that the final result
depended still, to a great extent, on the
Individual capacity of the student. He con-
tended that the law instruction given as a
part of a college course was OF little ad-
vantage if not a positive deteriment to the
proper study and comprehension of law as
law. He thought some of the old-fashloned
lawyers books remained the best text books
for students on their particular subjects.
Tor it must be borne in mind, he said, that
what the student needed was not an easy
book which will give him a few definitions
and superficial rules such as TO enable
him to pass examinations, but thoroughly
planned discussions of the fundamentals of
the subject and their applications. The
rock upon which the whole fabric of the
law as a harmonious structure was in dan
ger of going to peices was the lack of real
knowledge on the part of the practitioners
in regard to the practical subjects of plead
ing, evidence and practice. The real diff
Guilty was the efforts on the part of those
who have not been well grounded in the
principles of law to practice II by some
mere rule of art
Prof Charles NJ. Campbell of the Univer-
sity of Colorado was unable to be present,
but his volumnous paper was read by Prof.
Isaac ~ Russell, dean of the law faculty Of
the University of the City of New York, the
title being The Necessity and Importance
of the Study of Common Law Procedure in
Legal Education" LAS common law plead
ing is a model of logical eXactness, if prop
erly taught" he argued, lit cultivates log
ical expression and adds soonest of any
study to the legal vocabulary and to the use
of legal language. The value of special
pleading is not limited to any special sys-
TEN of procedure and the newer systems
simply proceed upon the old principles in
substance. The student who has mastered
the rules of common law pleading and also
learned thoroughly that part of the law
which creates defines ard regulates rights
will, with this liberal education, be better
able to defend the old system of pleading,
as well as to better grasp the new. And
whether as q lawyer or as a teacher, he Will,
with his knowledge of law as science be
better qualified with the aid of others to
point out the existing imperfections of our
written law.
Prof Blewitt Lee of Northwestern univer-
sity, Evanston, Ill, read a lengthy paper on
the Teaching Practice in Law Schools
cussion ensued on the subjects presented.
George 2. VANITY of Grand Rapids rather
resented tho reference in one of the papers
to ''the Michigan law school, and cited in
its behalf that where formerly 4S per cent
of all the cases that went up to the supreme
court in Michigan were reversed on ques-
tions 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 of this result profitably fol-
low the example set by this school in the
teaching of correct practice. The great
length of the papers, however, had con-
sumed so much time that but comparatively
little opportunity was offered for extended
discussion.
This evening the session of the association
was a comparatively brief one, Hon. James
NJ. Woolworth Of Omaha read paper on
THE Development of the Law of Contracts"
paper was also read by Hon. Joseph D.
Warren of Boston. At the close of the even
ing session all proceeded to the residence
of Judge George S. Bachelor, where a re-
ception was given in honor Of Lord Russell.
1t was continued until midnight.