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

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58 THE Diensr Their work accomplished, the hlaxwell Club has now for many moons shed its beams of beneiicent influence upon all who come within the pales of the Law School. VVe may judge of its use- fulness in the past only by the magic effect it has had on some of the present members. Take Goodner, for instance, when he was first initiated he was so bashful he could scarce whisper his own name, now he can stand erect with both feet squarely on the floor, his left hand ensconsed in his pocket, the right poised in mid-air, and make the Hworse appear the better reason. And hear Manville's words of 'tlearned lengthf' or Wilson, 4' And 'tis remarkable that they Talk most who have the least to say. and Risser, whose resistless eloquence wields at will that M fierce- democracy 3 or Smith's Hwords, words, words , or Killen, graced with all the power of words, so known and so honored-by some, or Gates, who could 'cplead a bad cause down to worsen, and WVhite, when he speaks ' 'K The air, a chartered libertine, is still, And the mute Wonder lurketh in men's ears To steal his sweet and honeyed sentences. Miller would Undertake to prove by force Of argument, a man's no horsef' W31'H61'7S tongue drops mannag and Abbott, I say unto you let him have Hcontingent remaindersl' for his theme and his elo- quence will enthrone him with the arch-angels. And there is Greene, he can talk of every cause until he is hoarse and all he says is law, and Parker with that awful wisdom which inspects, discerns, compares, Weighs, separates, seizes the right and holds. it to the last. When Greenfield addresses us his arising seems a pillar of state. Deep on his front engraven deliberation sits and public care? There, too, are Flaherty and Coleman. VVell, 4' God made them and therefore let them pass for rnenf' ln view of these and many more examples as notorious, it would seem none would doubt the efliciency of the Maxwell Club. Yet there is many a coy excuse for not participating regularly in its delibe1'ations, and many a vain denial of the benefits gained by those who diligently attend its meetings. For in this miniature

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. The maxmell Cilub The Brahmins have a legend which tells how one of the lesser deities created the material universe, and one of the ordinary an- gels peopled the earth. But when the subject of the creation of Youth was presented, all the millions of gods were required to work out that most wonderful and most dangerous gift-the youth -of man. The legend further declares that the creation of a grown-up man was of so little consequence, that any one of them might have performed the act with ease, but the creation of youth, with its beauty, its possibilities, and its fateful charm, required the united genius of the pantheon. 'When they had finally wrought out their labor, and beheld what a perilous thing they had made, they debated a thousand years whether they should be- stow this gift upon the human race. VVhen finally it was decided, .a deputation of angels was sent to earth to endow humanity with this precious boon. Their mission done, they gathered about them a group of the young men and maidens, and said: MNOW you have youth-what are you going to do with it? '7 The angels then re-ascended into the skies, the music of their voices floating back to earth and forever echoing from thought to nadir, from heart to Heaven-ttNow you have youth, what are you going to -do with it? Long ago, as this momentous query was echoing over the American desert, it brushed the minds of a group of sons of the 'uunexhausted west.'7 Great souls they were-portions of eter- nity made on no 'tworn-out planjl masters of their own and other's fates. lVhat are we going to do with our youth? Each looked into the otherls eyes and each saw a purpose as good as their combined achievement was great. WVe,ll form the Maxwell Club, its name shall be a tttower of strength,l' its purposes lVeb- sterian. Then on the eve of that H Golden Clasp which binds to- gether the volume of the week '7 we'll meet together to worship at the shrine of the Attic quartette.

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THE MAXWELL CLUB 4 59 lield of action there is betrayed every legal criterion. And this prophetic soul declares that a few decades hence, when the whirli- gig of time has ordained that the Maxwellian of Ninety-seven has dignified the bar and graced the bench, when his likeness is dis- played on the walls of every law school and well patronized law ofhce in this land, along with Blackstone, Kent, Marshall, and Gray, when in his hand the beam of justicels scales stands sure, and his name becomes The hope of all who suffer, ' The dread of all who wrongf' then will the authors of the following regret the slighted prefers- of the Maxwell Club. Folsom has uno nights oiffl Toby has too much business. Cunningham goes to watch the ama- teurs performf' Flaherty has 4' no time? Wilson can not attend because the chairman will not give him proper recog- nition. Jones, being a man of Horclincwy ability, but ua fair disposingl' mind, thinks there is U nothing to be gained by such association, and the Maxwell Club thinks so too. Creigh attends- to practice football. These answers, however, are not represen- tative ones. The great majority appreciate the benefits the club has for them, and desire to reciprocate and make the club, as Greenfield says, 4' the best in the University? As we come to the close of the year, and the class of '97 goes forth, each will pause on the threshold of the club-room, look longingly back, and breathe, Farewell, a long farewell, to all my greatness. That is the scene of my contests and triumphs. The contests, and truly the triumphs, are liable to be less frequent now. Each feels prepared, however. All the disguised blessings of counsel and restraint have been lavishly bestowed upon himgand it would seem that where these twin sense-compellers labor so untiringly, nothing but innate perverseness could keep him from correct action. But the combined influence of counsel, restraint, and everlasting prodding will fall short of bringing some of us up to the high standard of the complete lawyerf, Train his ears liowe-'er you will, A donkey is a donkey still.