Editing Learned Hand (section)

=== Harvard ===
Hand enrolled at Harvard College in 1889, initially focusing on classical studies and mathematics as advised by his late father. At the end of his sophomore year, he changed direction. He embarked on courses in philosophy and economics, studying under the eminent and inspirational philosophers [[William James]], [[Josiah Royce]] and [[George Santayana]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Gunther|1994|pp=32–33}}</ref>

At first, Hand found Harvard a difficult social environment. He was not selected for any of the social clubs that dominated campus life, and he felt this exclusion keenly. He was equally unsuccessful with the [[Harvard Glee Club|Glee Club]] and the football team; for a time he rowed as a substitute for the rowing club. He later described himself as a "serious boy", a hard worker who did not smoke, drink, or consort with prostitutes.<ref>{{Harvnb|Gunther|1994|pp=26–30, 76}}</ref> He mixed more in his [[Sophomore year|sophomore]] and senior years. He became a member of the [[Hasty Pudding Club]] and appeared as a blond-wigged chorus girl in the 1892 student musical. He was also elected president of ''[[The Harvard Advocate]]'', a student literary magazine.<ref>{{Harvnb|Gunther|1994|pp=30–31}}.</ref>

Hand's studious ways resulted in his election to [[Phi Beta Kappa]], an elite society of scholarly students.<ref name="Griffith1973-4">{{Harvnb|Griffith|1973|p=4}}</ref> He graduated with highest honors, was awarded an [[Master of Arts|Artium Magister]] degree as well as an [[Bachelor of Arts|Artium Baccalaureus]] degree,<ref>{{Harvnb|Gunther|1994|p=32}}</ref> and was chosen by his classmates to deliver the Class Day oration at the 1893 commencement.<ref name="Griffith1973-4" /> Family tradition and expectation suggested that he would study law after graduation. For a while, he seriously considered post-graduate work in philosophy, but he received no encouragement from his family or philosophy professors. Doubting himself, he "drifted" toward law.<ref>{{Harvnb|Gunther|1994|pp=40–43}}</ref>

Hand's three years at [[Harvard Law School]] were intellectually and socially stimulating. In his second year, he moved into a boarding house with a group of fellow law students who were to become close friends. They studied hard and enjoyed discussing philosophy and literature and telling bawdy tales. Hand's learned reputation proved less of a hindrance at law school than it had as an undergraduate. He was elected to the Pow-Wow Club, in which law students practiced their skills in [[moot court]]s. He was also chosen as an editor of the ''[[Harvard Law Review]]'', although he resigned in 1894 because it took too much time from his studies.<ref>{{Harvnb|Gunther|1994|pp=46–47}}</ref>

During the 1890s, Harvard Law School was pioneering the [[casebook method]] of teaching introduced by Dean [[Christopher Langdell]].<ref name="Dworkin1996-333">{{Harvnb|Dworkin| 1996|p=333}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Carrington|1999|p=206}}</ref> Apart from Langdell, Hand's professors included [[Samuel Williston]], [[John Chipman Gray]], and [[James Barr Ames]]. Hand preferred those teachers who valued common sense and fairness, and ventured beyond casebook study into the philosophy of law.<ref>{{Harvnb|Gunther|1994|pp=47–50}}</ref> His favorite professor was [[James Bradley Thayer]], who taught him [[evidence (law)|evidence]] in his second year and [[constitutional law]] in his third. A man of broad interests, Thayer became a major influence on Hand's jurisprudence. He emphasized the law's historical and human dimensions rather than its certainties and extremes. He stressed the need for courts to exercise [[judicial restraint]] in deciding social issues.<ref>{{Harvnb|Gunther|1994|pp=50–52}}; {{Harvnb|Griffith|1973|p=4}}</ref>

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 | image1= Learned Hand in 1893.jpg
 | alt1= Paper currency, double image of obverse (with Grants image) and reverse (with Capitol building image)
 | caption1=Learned Hand in 1893, the year he graduated from [[Harvard College]] &nbsp;
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 | caption2= Hand (front row, second from right) with fellow students outside [[Austin Hall (Harvard University)|Austin Hall]] at [[Harvard Law School]], sometime from 1894{{ndash}}1896
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