Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 02.pdf/182

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The Albany Law School. a favorite and approved referee. Under his administration the school continued largely attended. He greatly endeared himself to the students by his gentle and winning man ners and his kind and sincere nature. He was an amiable, excellent, and sound man, and a very accomplished lawyer. Mr. Edwards was succeeded in 1879 by Horace E. Smith, of Johnstown, N. Y., a

gentleman of mature years, wide experience in practice, and ample professional learning. As manager of the business interests of the school and a daily lecturer for ten years, Mr. Smith has done a very useful work and has earned an honor able reputation. It was largely through his influence and per sistent energy that the present improved accommodations were obtained fortheschool. The Faculty and friends of the school regretted his determi nation in 1887 to re sign his post, and in compliance with their GEORGE W. urgency, he postponed his action until the spring of 1889. Mr. Smith's written lec tures were distinguished by copious learning and comprehensiveness and accurate analy sis, and he commanded the respect and esteem of his pupils and associates by the dignity and courtesy of his demeanor and his ardent devotion to the duties of his position. George W. Kirchwey, one of the most brilliant and best educated of the young lawyers of Albany, was, by the unanimous voice of the Faculty and Trustees of the school, chosen to succeed Mr. Smith. He is

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thirty-four years of age, and was graduated at Yale in 1879. He brings to his arduous post the gifts of youth, energy, tact, physi cal and mental vigor and power of expres sion, and the acquirements of professional and general scholarship in a remarkable de gree. The opening of his administration has been characterized by an unusual meas ure of success, and the Faculty predict for him great eminence as an instructor, and an increase of usefulness and prosperity for the school. Mr. Kirch wey has adopted a new and most effec tive method of instruc tion, based upon the Harvard system of teaching by leading cases. His lectures, which are entirely ex temporaneous and are combined with the dis cussion of carefully se lected cases previously assigned to the class, have resulted in stim ulating the interest of the students to a re markable degree. The following is a list of the present KIRCHWEY Faculty, with the subjects of their lectures : Hon. William L. Learned, LL.D., President of the Faculty and Professor of Equity Juris prudence and the Trial of Causes; George W. Kirchwey, Dean of the Law School and Professor of Jurisprudence, the Law of Con tracts, and Corporations; Hon. Judson S. Landon, LL.D., Professor of Constitutional Law; Hon. Matthew Hale, LL.D., Lecturer on Personal Rights and Professional Ethics; Charles T. F. Spoor, Professor of Pleading, Practice, and the Law of Real Property; Hiram E. Sickels, Professor of the Law of Evidence; Irving Browne, Professor of the