Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 01.pdf/218

Rh their recommendation to that effect was approved by the Board of Regents, the change was made. President Angell, in his Report to the Board made in October, 1886, thus refers to the matter:—

And in his Report for the year following, he again recurs to the subject as follows:—

As reference is made in the above excerpts to the greater thoroughness and efficiency of the work of the school, the writer ventures again to quote from the President's last Report, made to the Board in October, 1888, when he said:—

There are three systems of instruction in law, each of which has its merits and its demerits. The mode of teaching law by lectures is the mode which has been pursued in the German universities, as well as in England, and generally in the United States. Some of the law schools in this country have declined to adopt it as a method of instruction, preferring to make use of text-books for that purpose; and notably in one school both these modes have been practically rejected in favor of learning the law through a study of leading cases. Blackstone and Kent taught the law by lectures, and so did Story and Greenleaf. For many years the exclusive method of instruction pursued in the Michigan Law School was by means of lectures, the students being required to take full notes of what was said, with citations of cases. On each day at the close of the lecture, or before it commenced, the class was "quizzed" by the professor as to the contents of the lecture previously delivered by him. The method of instruction by lectures is still pursued, but no longer to the exclusion of the other modes of instruction. The professor quizzes on his preceding lecture for half an hour, and then lectures for an hour and a quarter. When both classes listened to the same lecture, it was not thought practicable, in the time that could be devoted to the purpose, to quiz any but members of the senior class, and the junior class were silent spectators of what was going on about them. They listened to the lectures, but were asked no questions until their senior year, when they were examined on the lectures of both years. The best results could not be attained in this way, and those who could attend but one year, and as members of the junior class, did not reap the benefit they might have obtained had a different course been practicable. But since the separation of the classes and the adoption of the graded system, both classes are quizzed impartially, and the junior year is thereby made much more important than it was before the change was effected.

But while the lecture system continues to find the most favor, the fact is conceded that on some subjects text-book instruction may be employed with advantage. Blackstone's Commentaries, which are simply Blackstone's printed lectures, are put into the hands of