The Washington herald., 1922-02-24
law STUDENTS
1 NEED COLLEGE,
! SAYS MIR. ROOT
liberal Education and
Moral Character Pre-
requisites of Success.
couts.sed tros. Paos oSe.

M Cobtsnsea frons Pooe OSe.
Manuel wiIIiston. dean OF the Har-
vt4d Law School. spoke Of the i'm
partance of history and the natural
sxltnces In the preliminary training
%. aspirants to the Legal profess
sish. without . broadened view
paint. most readily acquired through
a1liberaI education. he said. no man
isIeqnippde to deal with the prin-
cfpfes involved in the practice Of
Law. or to pass judgment on rules
governing the life of a commun-
ity.
One who has had no college
trainins is not likely to have an
Intelligent understanding OF eco
uomlc theory on which to base =
study of the law governing such
problems, and few. indeed, are those
Tor whom the possibility Of broad
systematic study has not ended when
hey begin the actual practice OF
their profession. The study OF his
tory also furnishes a background
tnablinE the student in his technical
studies TO grasp better the idea that
ct in varying degrees they are
always in fluN and must be studied
with reference to time, place. and
circumstances, and adapted to them.
il"Nore important even than these
special studies Is the capacity to
! the English language. To read
II understa ndingIy. to write II and
fpeak it correctly and effectively.
while Il must be sadly admitted
.Nat college students are frequent
" defective in these respects. at
least they are better than those who
have not had college training"
Continuing. Dean Williston said:
The question is not whether brill
liant young men can with some de-
gree OF success master the required
iegsl studies. but rather will they
Ne much the better for having had
two years Of college work; and in
regard to this / think the answer
should not be doubtful. For the
very reason that thei= distinguished
natural talent would enable them to
do better than most of their COM
panions. so they would derive from
two years work in college greater
benefits than other men,, These
brilliant youths are the very ones
whose "lnkS SnOulu nOl NC SAppSN.
by permitting inadequate prepare
zion. That their resolution to study
Law will be affected by a higher re-
uuirement than has prevailed in the
past. is extremely unlikely. They
will fulfill a new requirement as In
The past they have fulfilled lesser
requirements. and they will have
permanent cause to be grateful to
those who refuse to allow them to
enter into a profession with made
Aduate training"
The conference also was addressed
by Silas H. Strawn, president Of the
Illinois Bar Association. in favor OF
the two-year college work proposal.
HIEher Standards Urged.
Declaring that both the medical
and the law professions are in serv-
Ices Of vital Importance to man.
kind. DR.. william H. Welch. d.
rector of the School Of Hygiene and
Public Health of Johns Hopkins
University, urged measures for rails
Ing educational requirements Tor
those entering the two professions,
DR. WEIGH spoke before gather
Ing OF delegates to the conference
Of Bar associations in the ballroom
If the New willard last night.
: Contrasting the rise Of the medi
cal profession with the alleged de-
cline Of law, DR.. WEIGH read
statistics showing an increase OF
approximately 100 per cent in the
humber OF law students in the
limited States in the last twenty
Years with a corresponding decrease
II 50 per cent in the number OF
medical students. This was attri-
Suted to the high requirements OF
IpedicaI colleges as contrasted with
comparatively low educational
Qualifications required of law
students.
: Or. WEIGH in paying tribute to
the high services rendered by mem
hers of the legal profession. pointed
out the opportunity for public serv-
see through the practice of law.
Hampton l. Carson presided al
last nights meeting.
. 4 reception in honor Of Mrs.
William Howard Taft was given to
The ladies accompanying the dele
gates to the conference at the Will
lard yesterday from 4 to s p. m.
The affair was rendered by Mrs. c.
"A. Severance, Mrs. Clarence ~
Tioodwin. Mrs. julius Henry Cohen,
Mrs. John W. Davis. Mrs. William
draper Lewis. Mrs. W. II. II. Platt,
Mrs. John r. Sanborn.