The colored American., 1901-03-02

OF spprOsch and his active spirit aud
manly bearing made every stuC ent feel
that he too could be and do something
Ii was q priceless service, this help1n q
those young men to stand erect who's e
ancestors had so long been crushed IN.
DER heavy burdens.
Mr. LanRstnn severed bis connection
with Howard University J une 80 1875
6ut the Law departn enU had aIreas Y
begun to decline, there being only thir
teen students during the last year Of
his administration This decline was
due to the financial panic Of 1873 hich
spread far and wade long continued
0lstrust and disaster, with consequent
iOss OF contributions from liberal givers
TO the cause Of education; to the abOl.
lshment Of the FTeedmen'g Bureau,
which In many ways had aid.d the
university; to the persecution OF Gen
eTaI Howard, and to the receding of
Shat wave Of what FcOude calls 'phf
10 Negro enthusiasm" " which had swept
'Ver the country, as we'll as to tha DO
lltlcal reaction which fiuaily culminat
cd IN The supPre sion, through viol nee
aud fraud, 0f a republican toIm of gov
eminent IN number of Suuthe rn
States, chilling for time, at least, the
ambitions Of as ir.Dg cOlOred youth.
Perhaps it would not bs improper to
add that the Law department was
somewhat sfftcled through failure to
prom tie Mr.. Lsngston 10 the PTesiden.
~ of The university; on which account
z few Of the young men did not again
resume theIr studies, thereby reducing
fhe graduates to three, one half the
number on the student roll for the cen
ennlal year. During the ensuing es
The department was entirely suspended
and there was not another law com
mencement till 1881, when the st niors
numbered only nine, and one OF these
d ed and three failed to pass their eX
7minatiOns ExcIUdlng A. W Harris
VINO had comp eIed his course In 1879.
but not till now given his degree, there
were five graduates Of whom only Hen
cy EdWin Baker aud my self survive.
During the three years Of my own
student life, 1880 So there was a new
dean each year and the future of the
department seemed uncertain; but [
LOOK haCk to that period with pleasure
and remem Der with gratitude the urac'
tIcally uncOmpensa ated Iabnrs of my old
instruct rs that lover OF young men,
the brilliant ard scholarly nichsrd
siIvOstOk, Russia; the genial and kindly
Warren 4. Stone; Senator John ID.
Smith; Arthur Alexis Bnney, who
4lIl teaches the boys common law
pleading and qnity Jurisprudence. and
Judge Robert Bruce Warden and Gen
eral Reuben u Musssy VINO have since
gone over to the silent ms jority.
How vivIdly do [ recall the COM
mencemeDt of 81 when the address tn
the class was delivered by Congress
man A. II PettibOne, a kibsman of
President Garfield, who conferred the
degrees; apI r0priateIy beginning with
an alIusIon TO tie fact that be made the
motion for the az mission of the first col.
OTed man to practice before the Supreme
Court of the United ates and rising
on his tiptCes he said in his closing
sentence, Young men, capture your
places IN life," His commanding fig
ure. noble, inspiring presence and fell
riCOus spe ech created the greatest en-
thusiasm and the gradustIDg exercises
attire cted more than local int rest and
attention.
The members of this class had prose-
cuted their studies with such zaaI al d
devotion and their commencement had
gone off with 20 much eclat tina. 1t
marked the beginning of the Law dc
partment renaissance-tbe reW era III
auguTatied by the administration cf
Bel AMIN 3. Leighton, who has carried
I, rWaru the W Irk with signal honor
and success for twsnty years and more,
,hOugh he took IL up with health i'm
aired from wounds received in the
civil war hghtlng for The preeefvatiOn