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54

THE LECTURE ROOM.

BOSTON

UNIVERS ITY LAW

SCHOOL.

George I. SWASEY. MOST of the law schools in America have ' professorship created. In 18 17 the Harvard not originated so much from a real Law School, as such, was established by the public demand for them as from a desire enactment by the Corporation of statutes upon the part of college authorities and which called for the maintenance of a dis their friends to add new departments to those tinctive school as distinguished from the already attached to their respective institu lectureship which had existed for about three tions. The literary atmosphere which sur years. But the school was in advance of the rounds institutions of learning very readily times, and did not represent any public creates a belief that certain enlargements demand, and for more than ten years the at are needed in the sphere of instruction, but tendance did not average more than seven this conviction does not always reflect an teen students. educational necessity. As early as 1792 a Perhaps the two most notable exceptions law lectureship was created in the University to the introductory statement may be found of Pennsylvania and a lecturer appointed, but in the old law school at Litchfield, Conn., it was quite a number of years before any and in the school which is the subject of lectures were delivered by the incumbent. this article. The school at Litchfield, which In 178 1 a friend of Harvard devised quite a was in a flourishing condition in the last cen valuable piece of real estate to the college tury, seems to have been undertaken almost for the establishment of a professorship of as a labor of love by its friends; and it is law, but it was not till nearly thirty-five years doubtful whether a professional school ever afterwards that the proceeds of this devise existed which had less of selfish motive upon were devoted to the specified purpose and a the part of its officers or whose work was