somewhat like those of the Bar Association. It is true that we frequently hold conventions of delegates from the different chapters, but these are in reality for the purpose of maintaining the administration of the Fraternity as a body and not for the purpose of utilizing the great advantages which would result from a more general acquaintance and more intimate personal contact among its members. We feel sure that it would be inspiring to hold meetings of this character to which the entire body of members of the Fraternity would be invited, and which many of them would find time and opportunity to attend. The standard of selection in the Fraternity has required that members of Phi Delta Phi should be gentlemen, and the source of its material within the law schools assures us that its members are selected from a select class so that the standard of the personnel of our membership should be ind probably is much higher than that of the Bar Association.

Our members we fear do not use the Fraternity as much as they might in their business relations. To those of us who have been in active practice for from fifteen to twenty-five years, their comes frequent opportunity to intrust business to lawyers at a distance. The usual procedure in such cases is for the attorney in question to ask a neighbor whether he is acquainted with any lawyer in the place under discussion and if so to send to the person suggested the business to be done without very much consideration of his fitness to undertake it, or in default of finding some one who is acquainted with a person at the locality required, the list of lawyers set out in the handbooks of the different collecting agencies, are consulted and their correspondents intrusted with the business.

If our catalogues of the Fraternity were more generally distributed and more frequently used, much of this kind of business would remain within the membership of the Fraternity and inure to our own benefit rather than to that of outsiders. The writer often has occasion to employ lawyers at different places through the country and has found out from experience that members of Phi Delta Phi are usually competent, active, and willing to take care of any business which may be intrusted to them. He has never found occasion to complain, either of

neglect or dishonesty, which are two vices painfully common, and has frequently been more than pleased with the activity and intelligence with which the business has been conducted.

The members thus brought together in business relations have considered their common membership in the Fraternity as an additional bond in inciting them to greater care for the execution of the business intrusted to them and the intimate acquaintances thus formed have often proven very desirable from a personal as well as from a business view-point. Of course, in many of the large cities, it is almost impossible to select from the great number of the Phi Delta Phi men practicing therein, unless some one has knowledge of the capabilities of some individual members. If members would enter small cards in the BRIEF, stating the specialties which they make in their practice and stating, in concise terms, the facilities which they have to do the business which is intrusted to them, it is certain they would find it to their advantage.

Badges are not worn by our alumni as often as they might be. There is a natural reluctance on the part of a man of mature age to make any display of jewelry, which to the unitiated seems to be a mere matter of personal adornment. We wish that a plain and simple form of badge might be adopted for Phi Delta Phi which could be made of something else than gold and which could be made in the form of a button or pin, different from our present badge which never fails to excite attention. It not unfrequently happens, now that our membership has assumed such large proportions in certain centers of industry, that two or more lawyers will be engaged in a case without knowing their common relation in the Fraternity. It is now rare that an important litigation has continued for any length of time without some member of the Fraternity being engaged in it and we feel sure that a more common use of our badge would produce a more extensive acquaintance between our members at least, and would tend to produce a higher ethical standard in practice. The matter of a badge more suitable for the alumni will undoubtedly be settled by the coming convention at St. Louis.

PHI DELTA PHI PRIZE MEN.

In the matter of prizes awarded to Phi Delta Phi law school fellows, since the catalogue was published, Secretary Katzenberger sends the following for 1898: Booth, Callaghan prize to John H. S. Lee, A.B.; Minor, West Publishing Co. prize to E. Lee Trinkle, B.L., Bancroft-Whitney prize to J. A. Corbitt, M.A., Boston Book Co. prize to Gordon M. Buck, A.B., Banks and Brothers prize to Henry W. Mayo, B.L., Little, Brown & Co. prize to C. McK. Owsley, B.L., T. and J. W. Johnson & Co. prize to Chas. W. Miller, A.B., and the Edw. Thompson Co. prize to Brutus J. Clay, A.B.; Harlan, Lewis prize to A. H. Schmidt, A.B.; Daniels, Clinton scholarship to J. L. O'Brian, A.B. For 1899 is the following: Minor, West Publishing Co. prize to I. J. Hofmayer, A.B., Lawyers Co-operative Publishing Co. prize to L. C. Leadbeater, M.A., T. and W. J. Johnson & Co. prize to Rockwell Smith, B.L., BancroftWhitney prize to Robert L. Davidson, B.S., and the Baker, Voorhis & Co. prize to Archibald McL. Graham, B.L.; Daniels, Woodford prize (Oratory) to Blanchard Lee, A.B., First Thesis prize to David Gray, Evidence prize to E. M. Sicard; Swan, Edward Thompson Co. prize to Chas. L. Flory; Lincoln, Edward Thompson Co. prize to Wm. F. Davis, B.S., Second Thesis prize to L. M. Bates; Green, Edw. Thompson Co. prize to Harry G. Kyle, A.B.; Dwight, First prize ($150.00) to H. W. Clark, A.B., Third prize ($75.00), to C. M. Reed, A.B.; Waite, Townsend prize to C. W. Birely, A.B., Munson prize to F. S. Jackson, A.B., Thatcher prize to C. H. Studinski, A.B.; Field, Daly prize (English) to Thos. J. Regan, Graduate prize to F. C. Mebane, A.B.; Tiedeman, Rollins prize to J. S. McIntyre, A.B., Bryan Medal to Goodwin Creason. The list does not pretend to be complete, many chapters are omitted entirely, but it shows the way the wind blows.

In the same matter for 1900, we have picked up the following from chapter letters:

C. W. Redlin, Tiedeman, 'o1, entrance scholarship; Alexander Davidson, Daniels, '99, second in Clinton prize ($75.00);

Tyrrell Williams, Cooley, 'oo, Thesis prize ($50.00); Goodwin Creason, Tiedeman, Edw. Thompson Co. prize; J. R. Hilton, Jay, Edw. Thompson Co. prize; S. G. H. Turner, Jay, Bender prize; and Daniels, Phi Delta Phi men took five of the six prizes. Ex-Counsel Barrell took the scholarship by doing the best work in Evidence; Meredith Potter's was the best thesis, and T. M. Gowan's thesis was second; while F. R. Stoddard, Jr., was second and C. S. Cook, was third on the records for the Junior class. C. P. Kitchel, Waite, and H. H. Townshend, Waite, won two prizes at Yale.

CORNELL UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF LAW, ROSCOE CONKLING, AND CONKLING CHAPTER.

BY FRED. B. SKINNER, A.B., L.L.M., Conkling, '97.

I. THE UNIVERSITY AND THE COLLEGE OF LAW. Cornell University was incorporated April 27, 1865, and formally opened October 7, 1868. "Its existence is due to the combined wisdom and bounty of the United States, the State of New York, and Ezra Cornell." By Act of Congress July 2, 1862, the State of New York received 990,000 acres of public lands for educational purposes. Under an act passed May 5, 1863, 8,000 acres were sold at 83 cents, and 68,000 at 85 cents, producing together $64,440. Ezra Cornell's project was formulated in the memorable words: "I would found an institution where any person can find instruction in any study." He united his own resources with the proceeds of the land grant, and the university was established by the Act of April 27, 1865. In the charter it was provided that "such other branches of science and knowledge may be embraced * * as the trustees may deem useful and proper; that" at no time shall

*

a majority of the Board be of one religious sect, or of no religious sect;" and that it should "annually receive students, one from each Assembly district of the State * * free of any

The author desires to acknowledge liberal reference to Cornell University publications.

2 The BRIEF, Vol. II., No. 4, p. 373.

tuition fee *

in consideration of their superior ability, and as a reward for superior scholarship in the academies and public schools of this State."

Ezra Cornell's direct donation to the University was $500,000; 200 acres of land, with useful buildings; and several smaller gifts, for special purposes.

Cornell University comprehends the following departments: The Graduate Department; the Academic Department (or Department of Arts and Sciences); the College of Law; the College of Civil Engineering; the Sibley College of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanic Arts; the College of Architecture; the College of Agriculture, and the Medical College. The New York State Veterinary College and the New York State College of Forestry are also administered by the university, and heir work is organically connected with it.

At a meeting of the board of trustees of the University, June 16, 1886, the report of a special committee on the subject of establishing a law department was accepted and adopted, and the report of an executive committee on the proper organization of the law department which was submitted to the board of trustees and adopted October 27, 1886. Among other resolutions it recommended the adoption of the following:

"First: As the policy of this Board of Trustees, that the Faculty of the Department of Law at Cornell University consist of the President of the University, a resident dean, one resident professor, one assistant professor, and such non-resident professors and lecturers as may from time to time be appointed.

"Fourth: The Executive Committee are hereby authorized to inquire into and report at the special meeting of the Board, on the changes that may seem to be desirable in the Department of History and Political Science, in order to adopt its instruction to the needs of the University after the Law Department is established."

Accordingly, the School of Law was opened September 23, 1887. Quarters were assigned to it in the fourth story of Morrill Hall. A beautiful white sandstone building, erected for the school's special accommodation at a cost of about $110,—