University of Michigan Law School - Quad Yearbook (Ann Arbor, MI)

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Then there was the Student, the fellow who had never been for , . ' ' u re ularl and an instant upon his own resources, who had come p g Y . systematically through .the schools and colleges and who Was fmishf ing off in the law. He was slower than our citY Chap: but more thorough and studied more understandingly. T Akin to him were at large number whohad been school teachers, men who were known as Such in ay moment. They could be recog- nized by a certain unbending dignity and a very positive though not- always correct way of reciting. They read much in the library but often confused themselves by not being able to digest it all or by losing sight of the elementary principles. A large number were married men, who had fought a hard and plucky battle with life and who, full of ambition, had turned thus late, with matured minds, to the law. In a few weeks an athletic class-was developed, marvelously high jumpers and fast runners, ' strong men and weak men who thought they were strong. Gut of these were formed the various athletic teams which have met with varying degrees of success. Not to forget the politicians+ . pp 4' In knots they stand or in a rank they walk, Serious in aspect, earnest in their talk . Verily the fate of the class was with them. They fairly bristled with Cushing's Manuals and ff Robert's Rules of Order and we knew them before our first meeting had been ten minutes gone. Last of all was the rabble, at strange crowd of freaks from everywhere and nowhere---not a large number, but too many- unkept, uncouth, who made strange r breaks, who argued every proposition laid down,-who could and would instruct the instructors and who were invariabl-y conditioned. at the end of the semester. But who can tell? I At the first lecture' the class sized itself up, whooped a few times with self approval, and settled down with the quiet determination to make life miserable for the lecturer. The Class of '96 were not angels. As the member tb I before the lectures in S go etter acquainted, the free concerts creased in volume. Strange noises began to be heard on every side. Abo of 3 COW' theubelmwlng Of 3 Calf, the barking of a dog, the inewing of 3 Cat? the bf-Wing Of an ass, or the crowing of a cock. Suddenly, the cry of fight would be heard an ve a snatch of song arose the mooing d then a rush was made to some

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Senior zlass Bistorv T IS N0 easy task to write the history of a class like '96, and yet it would be difficult to lind a more -Z-.gg pleasant one. lt is difhcult when we think of the members as individuals+-as men with separate biog- ? . f raphies on another page. It is pleasant, for it calls gi ' up familiar and friendly faces and old scenes which one would not willingly forget. f The mind unconsciously begins to meditate upon the strange chance which brings over three hundred young men here from all parts of the country, 'who work together the allotted time and then melt away again as strangely as they came. And then we speculate as to who will be the successful ones. For we know that among so many students there is at best only a certain per cent. who succeed. Some of us will never practice, say the statisticians, some will grow rich, more will stay poor, a few may even become criminals. It is all a question of per cent., though Ifbelieve our class contains ele- ments which will give the very bestresults. But it is worse than useless to prophesy. Sufhce to say, that some of our most esteemed members, some college graduates perhaps, with all the grace and polish of the world will sink completely into zmzoczious ziesuemrie while the name of some quiet plodder, whose very existence is scarcely known, will be in the mouth of every man. Yet, HI-Iope springs eternal in the human breast, and every man is confident that he is not the one who is to fail. The Class of '96 was made up of many types. There was the swagger city chap who wore a collar and blackened his boots. He, probably, had been in a law office, or had held some political sinecure, or, perhaps, had been an insurance agent or a railroad clerk. He was quick and nervous, wanted to get through and out and after the first week could and would solve the knottiest problems off hand. He carried the law in his head-so he said, 6 .

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corner of the room where a playful scuffle was in progress. But all that was before the deluge. - Q Our first noteworthy event was, of course, the class election. Most of the members were candidates, ready and willing, though unfortunately not in all cases able, to sacrihce themselves for the good of their fellows. ' , And what an election it was. There were combinations galore, promises without number, some agreeing to support as high as twenty men for the presidency. The politicians and the orators were in their glory. Here was an opportunity to become famous, a chance to -raise a point of order or to make a speech. Caucuses blocked the stairs and hallways, whisperings and suspicious looks greeted one on every side. Finally, there was an election, and P. J. Crosby, of California, was made our president. . But the menagerie concerts still continued before the lectures, and professors were greeted with vociferous applause. Suddenly, something dropped. The worm had turned. Our critic of all the courts in general and the Supreme Court of Michigan in particular brought hisanalytical mind to bear, overthrew all precedent, and several of our class, by and with the consent of the faculty, with- drew to theirvarious homes to explain how it happened. That was a sorry day for the class, The .man with the fog- horn voice gone, and with him our chief barker and crower, we must fain content ourselves with feeble yells of defiance, scarcely noticed by our hardened faculty. ' The class began to get down to work. A stranger entering the .lecture room would have been struck by the large number of intelligent looking students, busily engaged in acquiring, upon their note books, the elements of the law. He would have remarked the almost painful stillness, so quiet that one might even hear a coupling pin drop, and if he did not see the seven sleepers on the back row, or the usual trio reading their home papers, if the elevat- ing game of matching pennies had escaped him, he would have been most amazingly impressed. I About this time -the' Qratorical Association began to get in its deadly work. Strange mutterings were heard. The eagle began to scream, the flag to unfurl and to wave. Once more the snow- clad peaks of the rockies kissed the sun-tipped forests of the South, once more the chains were struck fr im the bondman and freedo-m