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There have also been registered 28 students from other colleges of the University, mainly from the College of Arts and Sciences, the smallest number in recent years. This decrease is probably due in part to the fact that this is the transition year between the former plan of permitting both juniors and seniors in Arts to elect law and the present plan of permitting only seniors to elect it. This year for the first time there are some Arts students taking the entire work of the first year in Law.

Of the 221 Law students registered this year I have received college degrees, and 32 others have had one or more years of college work in addition to the 28 juniors and seniors from other colleges. The rest entered upon high school or Regents certificates or upon equivalent examinations.

Of the 221 Law students 57 came from outside the State of New York, the others being residents of this State.

The number of Law students in attendance at this date (May 1) is 194. Of the 27 who registered and are no longer in attendance one has completed the work for graduation, sixteen have voluntarily withdrawn, one died, eight were dropped at the mid-year examinations for failure in work and one was later dropped for neglect of work. The following table shows the result of the examinations and withdrawals during the preceding year and during this year to this date, the ( ) indicating records not yet completed for this year:

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The legislation referred to in my last report and intended to check early in the course the indifferent and the incompetent has been strictly enforced. While leniency has been shown at the midyear examinations, especially in favor of students at the end of their first term of law work and who have therefore had but one test, the records for the full year have been carefully considered in June in order that students manifestly unfitted for the study of law may be debarred from continuing. The exactions of the profession are such as to make it a kindness to the student who, after a year's trial, shows no aptitude for the work to advise him of the inexpediency of spending additional time in preparation for practice Often such students upon transferring to another college of the University find congenial work which enlists their interest and enthusiasm and

in which they engage with marked success. On the other hand some students whose success in another college has been but doubtful have upon transferring to Law come to rank high in their classes.

We are fortunate in having here such a variety of professional colleges that a student may, under experienced advice, make in the end, if not at the outset, a wise choice of a career. Failure in one college, especially a professional college, should not be given too great weight in estimating the probability of success in another, where, under congenial conditions tending to stimulate genuine interest, the student may discover undeveloped and often unsuspected powers. In my judgment a first-year student dropped in one college in June should be permitted to enter another the following September without being required, as he now is, to wait until the second term of the year when it is difficult and often impossible for him to begin with advantage a new course of study. The rule requiring an absence of a term before reinstatement is fully justified when the student returns to the same college from which he was dropped for this enables him to repeat the term in which he failed; and it is equally justified in case of a student who is dropped in mid-year whether he returns to the same college or enters another; but it works an unnecessary hardship in the case of students dropped in June and who are advised to enter another college at the beginning of the next academic year. It would seem that some modification of the rule might wisely be made under proper safeguards in order to avoid in such cases what now amounts to the waste of practically a whole year out of the student's life. No one of our colleges can safely take this step alone, but all combined might agree upon some satisfactory and uniform procedure.

It is becoming more and more evident that a student of law should have some training in those branches of political science, sociology and economics that bear directly upon his professional preparation. To meet this need the Faculty of Law has outlined somewhat more definitely a four-year Law course which, in addition to the law subjects required in the three-year course, includes the equivalent of another year in the allied subjects. In this effort we have met with the cordial cooperation of the Faculty of History and Political Science, and it is hoped that the combined course may prove attractive and successful. At present only students who have met the group requirement for entrance to Arts will be admitted to this course. In the end this entrance requirement may be exacted of all students. When that point is reached it will be time to con

sider whether the Law course should not be extended to four years for all students who have not at entrance to the College of Law at least two years of Arts work to their credit.

During the absence of Professor W. A. Finch upon Sabbatical leave his work in the courses in Property has been successfully conducted by Assistant Professor Bingham. Sabbatical leave of absence has been granted to Professor Woodruff during the first term of next year and to Professor Huffcut during the second term. We are fortunate in being able to retain Professor Bingham for another year and the work has been so adjusted that it will be carried on without a break.

As Judge Gunnison was unable to give the course this year in Bankruptcy, William H. Hotchkiss, Esq., of the Buffalo Bar, a Referee in Bankruptcy and a recognized authority on the subject, was secured to give a course of ten lectures which has proved highly successful.

With these changes in personnel the work has all been given this year as scheduled, including, I am happy to state, the course of lectures by Judge Finch upon the History and Evolution of the Law.

Several single lectures have been given by judges and practitioners who have responded with great generosity to our invitation to speak before our students. Among those who have thus favored us are Hon. W. W. Goodrich, Ira A. Place, Esq., Hon. Hampton L. Carson, Hon. Alfred Spring, Hon. P. Ramanathan, of Ceylon, and Henry W. Sackett, Esq. In addition our students have had the advantage of hearing the non-resident lecturers in allied topics in History and Political Science among whom may be named Hon. Martin A. Knapp, David Wilcox, Esq. and Hon. C. W. Pound.

The report of the Librarian is herewith submitted. It discloses that with his usual sagacity he has chosen an opportune time to begin the important task of collecting the entire body of statute law of the American states. In the reports of the courts of this country and of the English speaking world our library is unusually rich. But the history of the law can never be complete without an equally comprehensive collection of statute law. Gibbon declared that "the laws of a nation form the most important part of its history", and an eminent legal scholar, Professor Maitland, has pointed out that "two great English historians (Freeman and Froude, who could agree about nothing else have agreed that English history must be read in the statute book",-though he justly adds that, "in the course of time

the amendment will be adopted that to the statute book be added the law reports, the court rolls and some other little matters." For our own students in part, but perhaps even more for the students in History and Political Science, this collection of statutes will prove invaluable. I strongly urge that a sufficient addition be made to the usual appropriation for the Law Library to enable the Librarian to complete the collection before the demands of other institutions, coupled with the scarcity of much of this material, shall greatly increase the cost of the undertaking.

Respectfully submitted,

ERNEST W. HUFFCUT,

Director of the College of Law.

APPENDIX V

REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR OF THE MEDICAL

COLLEGE.

To the President of the University;

SIR: I have the honor to submit this, the report of the Medical School for the year 1905-1906.

The Department of Medicine rearranged its method of presenting physical diagnosis and expresses satisfaction with the result. It commends in high terms the work done by the Sub-Department of Clinical Pathology. Organized by Dr. Camac at the inception of the school, it has been continued and developed by Dr. Hastings until it has become a model of excellence.

Surgery reports satisfactory progress in all directions, but particularly in that of diagnosis, this work being entirely under the direction of Prof. Gwyer.

Obstetrics under Prof. Edgar's care continues to improve in

efficiency, the opening of the new Manhattan Hospital adding greatly to his opportunities. In spite of many difficulties he has succeeded in making available the material of the Emergency Hospital, using it for the sections of the 3rd year. He specially commends Dr.

Moore in this connection.

The Department of Anatomy has successfully adopted the plan of assigning twelve of the best students of the first year to act as prosectors and the stimulus thus afforded has been a tonic to the entire class.

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The Department of Physiology has suffered the loss of Professor Flint who, having reached the age limit, retires from active work. The Assistant Professor, Dr. Hartwell, has undertaken the task of presenting the subject during the coming year, and there is every reason to feel confident that it will be done very satisfactorily. The action taken by the Faculty to express its regret at the cessation of Professor Flint's work is entered upon the minutes of its last meeting. A change contemplated by him and executed by his successor, is comprised in the shifting of the practical work and lectures relating to the special senses so as to follow directly similar subjects pertaining to the nervous system as a whole; formerly this work was so placed in the schedule as to permit the fourth year students to attend it as a review course and this was found to be an unnecessary repetition. Extended instruction in Embryology is now omitted in this department, because of the organization last year of an elaborate course on this subject under Dr. Strauss of the Department of Pathology. This course has also enabled the Department of Obstetrics to curtail its teachings in that direction. Students now come to physiology and obstetrics with an amount of knowledge in excess of that which it was possible to give them in these departments in the time previously available in their crowded schedules.

Chemistry, Physics and Toxicology continue to be the difficult problems in our course of study. The increasing demands for a knowledge of these subjects in medical science places them in more active competition than ever with the other primary subjects. The only possible relief is to be found in some plan that will at least compel knowledge of physics, inorganic chemistry and the rudiments of organic chemistry prior to beginning the study of medicine. Considering the time available the work is performed satisfactorily. The value of this department as an aid to physiology and pathology is estified by the increase of research work, done principally by Drs. Wolf and Dryfuss, and associates. Professors Ewing, Edgar and

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