University of Nebraska College of Law - Yearbook (Lincoln, NE)

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44 THE Drensr first roll-call of his class in Evidence, explained at great length that' he was teaching the most important branch of the law, and that no student could hope to be a bright star in the legal firma- ment unless he firmly grasped the principles about to be eluci- dated. The next day Professor Robbins, in Common Law Plead- ing, fixed us with his eagle eye and told us that no study in the curriculum was half so important as the one we were then be- ginning. Judge VVebster occuiped the instructor's desk on Friday. The Judge carefully wiped his spectacles, smiling be- nignly as he did so. Then he said, MYoung ladies and gentle- men, I but voice the sentiment of all great lawyers when I say that Equity transcends in importance all other departments of juridical learning. I trust you will realize this and give Equity the attention it deserves? We at once felt that grave responsibilties rested on our should- ers and we began our work with great vigor. I-Iow could we feel or act otherwise when We were engaged upon three studies each of which was more important thanany other? After the year was fairly begun we found much to keep us- busy. The presidential campaign was on and was fully as ab- sorbing as the excellent works of Bispham and Stephen. Some of the class and a large part -of the faculty pretended to study law during the day and made political speeches at night whenever and wherever crowds could be found patient enough to lriten to them. The joint debate between the sound money and Bryan clubs of the University attracted its share of attention, since three of the four speakers were from the Law College. Interesting as thecampaign was, its results caused no deaths in the class and thc- vocal organs of the Dean and Professor Robbins and Flaherty gradually returned to their normal condition. With one exception the class elections, which are usually events of great interest, attracted comparatively little attention.. The election at the beginning of the year, when Smith beat Waal- lis for president by the narrow margin of one vote, caused a rip-- ple of excitement but succeeding meetings of the class were very peacable. Should I fail to mention the December election of the Maxwell club the omission would never be forgiven. Few of us will ever

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CIS me Clre. Brilliant October weather greeted us when we descended upon Lincoln at the beginning of the Senior year. There were greet- ings between friends who had not met since the previous .I une. Lies were Uswappedv and wonderful vacation tales were told. W'e were all bulging with political news from our own partic- ular sections of the country. Jones was morally certain that Mc- Kinley would sweep Idaho in November. John DeYarman Smith, who had returned, together with his name, from Iowa, took Sun- dry and several of his friends into quiet corners and told them to bet their simoleons that Bryan would go out of the Hawkeye state with seventy thousand majority. Sid. White, who had evi- dently been associating with a gang of ward heelers in South Omaha, appeared resplendent in a Nloudv suit and a bright red necktie, and offered to bet 355,000 that the champion of silver would carry Nebraska. Flaherty was back with his expansive upper lip and his Hibernian cast of countenance. Most of the old boys drifted in and our erstwhile lone girl QGod bless the girlslj found solace in the presence of another one of the emancipated to keep her company on the front seats. lVhen we looked over the H large and intelligent audiencev that greeted Professor VVilson at his first lecture we discerned a lot of new faces. Greenfield had come from Lexington with his popu- listic ideas and his insane desire to wear low shoes regardless of the weather. Hassler had walked in from Pawnee City and brought with him a pair of glasses and a ministerial expression which never left him. Frank Brown answered U presentw the first afternoon and hasn't said a word since. Babcock, Carr, Creigh, Goodner, Gates, Green, Parker, Ridgley, True, and lVallis also shed the light of their countenance upon us for the iirst time. But this history is not the leap year edition of a country weekly and I shall not enumerate at length the numerous virtues of our charming new comers. The term started off beautifully. Professor lllilson, after the

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AS WE ARE 45 forget the eagerness with which the barbs dug ballots out of the waste basket, or the pained surprise apparent on the faces of the frats when they witnessed the hostile demonstrations of their oppo- nents. For weeks the two factions struggled for possession of the presidential chair. The daily papers of the city teemed with news of the coniiict, and the college publications added their voices to the tumult. Finally the chancellor, fearful that the janitor would some morning find the law room slippery and sloppy with gore, prorogued the club until the end of the semester, and sweet Peace fluttered ljaack from the mountains where she had been sojourning in fear and trembling. ' The course of the Twenty-fifth Nebraska Legislative session was followed with more or less interest. The bookkeeper of the sen- ate was taken from the class, and several alumni of the University held positions either as members or ofEcers of the upper and lower houses. Then, too, our attention was attracted by the large num- ber of fresh bills, which the teeming brains of our legislators brought forth. The anti-fraternity bill, the anti-football bill, and the bill to change the requirements for admission to the bar will probably never be excelled as monumental curiosities. The year has not been remarkable for startling occurrences. But, as the apparently insignificant happenings a1'e cherished longest in the memory and remain to comfort us after more stir- ring events are forgotten, it may be well to recall a few of the little things which have made us laugh during the months just passed. Who of us will ever forget Flaherty's announcement that ua bill of revivor was filed when a former complainant was laboring under death or other disabilityj' the Mother disability, of cour sg being marriage. The reply of Placek to the carefully worded question of J udg 1 Reese as to whether a certain transaction constituted a mortgage or conditional sale will probably never be excelled. Mr. Placek thought the question over and then replied, 't Yes, sir, I think it wouldf, - lVe have all preserved for future use the two little narratives of the Dean in regard to the man who fell out of bed because he slept too close to the place where he got in atf' and the remark-