 | University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Va. |  |
COURSE OF STUDY.
The course is arranged for two years, and, since the future professional success
of the student depends upon his full mastery of elementary principles,
it is not prudent to devote less time to preparing himself for the practice of
the law. It is a maxim sanctioned by long and wide experience that "he
who is not a good lawyer when he comes to the bar, will seldom be a good one
afterwards." In order to acquire such thorough acquaintance with the
elements of the law, thought is requisite as well as reading; and, for the purpose
of thought, there must be time to digest as well as industry to acquire.
One cannot expect to gorge himself with legal principles and to digest them
afterwards; the process of assimilation must accompany the reception of
knowledge, if it is to proceed healthfully and beneficially.
The course is organized with a view to acquaint the student familiarly and
practically with the principles of his profession. Especial care is taken to
teach him to think for himself, and to rely upon reason and principle, rather
than upon memory; it being considered that it is better for the student to
follow the principle to its legitimate conclusion, even though that conclusion
be at variance with the decision of the courts, than to arrive at a faultless
result by the exercise of memory, or by accident.
The instruction is as thorough as possible, and is given partly through
text-books and partly through lectures, with careful daily examinations upon
both.
| University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Va. | |