A Course of Legal Study. By David Hoffman [pp. 509-524]

d Course of Legal Study.
to lawyers and legislators. Of the purity and sublimity of
its morals; its eloquence and poetry, &c. The author then
states the difficulties which must be encountered in perusing
the sacred volume with profit, and under each head refers
the reader to such works as will tend to obviate these difficulties.
In noticing the political writings of Thomas Paine, our
author thus speaks of him. "Eminently endowed with
intellectual force, and possibly with virtue, at the time he
rendered such valuable services to the cause of American
independence, we have only to deplore his subsequent loss
of mind and of morals, when he drank in all that was infamous and wicked in the demoniac philosophy of the early
revolutionists of France; and became as remarkable for his
crusade against religion, as he had been in his noble exertions
in the cause of freedom."
The auxiliary subjects, as they are called, are full of interest to all who seek after knowledge; and the sources of
information, under each head, are exceedingly valuable, and
may be useful in every profession. These auxiliary subjects
are-1. The geography, and civil, statistical and political
history of the United States. 2. Forensic eloquence and
oratory. 3. Legal biography and bibliograpy. 4. Legal
reviews, &c. 56 Codification and amendments of law. 6.
Medical jurisprudence. 7. Military and naval law. 8. Logic. 9. Professional deportment. An appendix contains
the author's views and advice in regard to note-hooks, debating societies and moot-courts, &c.
Under the head of professional deportment, our author recommends a series of resolutions to the young practitioner,
which, if adopted and adhered to by the profession generally,
would relieve it of much of the odium which in the popular
judgment (or prejudice, as the case may be) now attaches to
it. From the fifty given, we can only insert a few, and we
do it not only for the purpose of showing the moral cast of
the work itself, but also to sprbead them before the eyes of
some whom-they may essentially benefit.
Resolution X. reads thus, "Should my client be disposed
to insist on captious requisitions, or frivolous and vexatious
defences, they shall be neither enforced nor countenanced by
me. And if still adhered to by him, from a hope of pressing
the other party into an unjust compromise, or with any other
motive, he shall have the option to select other counsel."
Resolutipn XI. " If, after duly examining a case, I am per VOL. ix. No. 4. 67
1837.]
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