The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1910-06-28
WANTS men LEARNED
TO MOVE THINGS
United States Attorney General
lectuTed Howard Law School
Graduates
(By Associated rress.l

ONiAibi Ao7ts AfAhoo., JuiiC 90 ut WI
lcge trained lawyer will solve the
great legal and economic questions OF
government in this and the next gen.
Grafton. That Is the opinion of At
torney General Wickersham. as ex.
pressed this day.
He will not be the man whose only
acquaintance with the principles OF
law and government has been derived
fIam text books and lectures, such a
man would not be equipped to cope
with them. He must be the man who
has found the living law as it has
been developed in the real transac-
tions OF men. Except with possible
rare exceptions, the day of the plod-
ding student who read his Blackstone
in a desultory, unmethodical, inter-
rupted fashion from the musty
shelves of some practicing counsellor,
Is over.
The college trained lawyer Of this
and the coming generations who will
solve the problems OF government is
the man who has mastered the prin-
ciples and doctrines OF law as a sci.
ence through the selection, classifi,
cation and analysis of adjudged cases
involving their application.
The attorney general, speaking
here today before the Harvard Law
School association on "The Relation
OF Legal Education to Governmental
Problems" predicted that the law
xpb s.hf M tbncA ctta1iffonf,Apu
will be the man who can successful
~ cope with the great questions which
win be presented for solution with
the growth and expansion Of this
country.
at is only by the labors, the
thought and the criticism of men who
have found the living law, as 1t has
been actually developed by the real
transactions of men-that our gov
ernment may be governed and guided
on safe and progressive lines and. our
jurisprudence developed along paths
Of natural. sound and wholesome
growth" declared the attorney gen.
eral. THE wise solutions of such ques
tons as those can only be reached
by men who are able to deal with
facts and principles as compared with
information acquired and memory"
Mr.. Wickersham made an able adj
dress. In his opening words he de-
olared he had been able to obtain
scant leisure from the duties of off
cial life and referred to himself as
ian oyerburdened public official
whose mind was necessarily crowded
with prosaic and exacting details OF
government"
'Contentment with mediocrity,"'
Mr.. Wickersham continued, lis. in my
opinion. one Of the greatest dangers
which confronts successful Democracy
everywhere. The hope OF averting 1t
rests largely with men of sound legal
education.
For, this same contentment with
mediocrity breeds an impatience with
any sort of superiority, desire to be-
little all excellence, n readiness to
!. impute wrong motives to anything not
easily understood. TO accept calumny
yt1 truth. without inquiry, and grad
N1I lessening for advancement, as 1t
M WRerceived thai peace. which is of
mistaken for happiness is alone to
found by accepting contentedly a
pc4 IN the undistingnished multi.
yude. ~
THAT clear thought, sound learn
ing and consummate ability to deal
With facts may be attained without
a law school training is abundantly at
tested by many illustrious examples.
Many examples may be cited to sus-
tain the theory. But as early as
Blackstone's day, thoughtful lawyers
realized that only occasional ana ex-
teptional men accomplished good re-
suits by this haphazard sort of educa-
tIon.
"But the tendency of all collective
instruction Is undoubtedly TO discour-
age the free development Of indiyid.
ras characteristics. to Induce conform
y sty with conventional standards and
to furnish the mind with certain
excellent equipment admirably adapt
cd to the ordinary exigencies OF life
but not always fitted to attack and
master exceptional difficulties. The
genius OF Langdell rescued the Har
ward Law school from that tendency
The rapid growth OF our p6rrla
ton the maryellously developed ia
tilities OF Intercourse and commu
rlication by land and water and all
have given rise TO problems of in
creasing complexity concerning thl
relation OF individual effort to th'