The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1910-06-28
Must Solve Governments Great
Economic Questions Now
Says the Attorney
General.
SHOULD KNOW LIVING LAW
IN Address, Attorney General Reviews
Developments Toward Con-
troll OF Public utiI-
tiles.


college trained lawyer will solve the
great legal and economic questions of
government I'm this and the next gem
Grafton. That is the opinion of At
torney General Wickersham.
He will not be the man whose only
acquaintance with the principles OF
law and government has been derived
from text books and lectures, such a
man would not be equipped to cope
with them. He must be the man VINO
has found the living law as Ii has
been developed i'm 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
science through the selection, classi-
fication and analysis of adjudged
cases involving their application.
Address at Harvard.
The attorney general speaking here
today before the Harvard Law School
association on "The Relation of Legal
Education to Governmental Problems"
predicted that the lawyer who obtains
those qualifications. will be the man
who can successfully cope with the
great questions which will be present.
ed for solution with the growth and
expansion of the country.
'It is only by the labors. the thought
and the criticism of men who have
found the living law, as it has been
actually developed by the real tran
sactions of men-that our govern
ment 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 Cen
eral "The wise solutions of such
questions as these can only be reach-
ed by men who are able to deal with
facts and principles as compared WIN
information acquired and memory
Mr.. Wickersham made an able ad-
dress. In his opening words he de-
clared he had been able 10 obtain
scant leisure from the duties of OIL
cial life and referred to himself as an
overburdened public official whose
mind was necessarily crowded with
the prosaic and exacting details ol
government"
Danger of contentn' (.
"Contentment with medic ty." Mr.
Wickersham continued, "is i'm my opin'
ion. one of the greatest dangers whicl
confronts successful democracy every
where. The hope of averting 1t rest
largely with men of sound legal edu
cation.
"ror. this same contentment VIII
mediocrity breeds an impatience VIII
any sort of superiority, desire to De
little all excellence. readiness TO iii
pute wrone motives to anything 10
easily understood, to accept caiurii''
as truth, without inquiry, and grau
ual lessening for Advancement as
il perceived that peace, which Is vi
ten mistaken for happiness, is aloh
to be found by accepting conteh'eui
place I'M the undistinguished mutt
tude"
Here the attorney general quote
from the report of committee SOM
time ago appointed by the FACULTY
arts and sciences of Harvard, whic
expressed the opinion that in aWaro
ing high rank or distinction IN co..
lege. emphasis should be laid MOI
largely than It is upon ability to de'
with facts and principles as compare
with information acquired or memor
Ideal Of Profession.
1T Is precisely that ability which
the ideal of the legal profession ."
Mr. Wickersham. "and the achieV'
ment Is characteristic of Its mo
honored leaders and Is utterly incoi
sistent with contentment with M
diocre things.
That clear thought, sound lear'
ing and consumate ability TO ue
with facts may be attained without
law school training Is abundantly a
tested by many illustrious examp''
Many examples may be cited to su
tain the theory. But as early
Blackstone's day. thoughtful lawye
realized that only occasional and
ceptional men accomplished good 7
suits by this haphazard sort of ed
cation.
Individual Should Prevail.
but the tendency of all collectl