The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Are Juries Any Use? \ t By HOWARD ARMSTRONG Another English judge has heen moverl to express in public his bhe- wilderment at a jury's decision. It was a case in which a man was found guilty at Leicestershire Assizgs of 'committing perjury. "l confess I do not follow 35 reascning which led the jury io. the€ir verdict," said Mr. Justice Branson. But all the same, he had to accept it, and the defendent was sentenced to eighteen months' imprisonment, It's the Practicethat Counts The British jury system provides plenty of opportunities for eloquent platitudes--"an impregnable rock of justice," and so on--but is it all that it is made out to he? Is there any other side cf legal administration whose efficiency i¢' the subject of quite so much doubt Certainlr the theory of the thing is not had, but it is the way it works out in practice that matters. "Twelve g od men and true" are choser from the ranks of the citizens to hear the evidence on both sides and return a verdict accordingly. But how often does one find on a jury twelve persons who are really capable of following the evidence in an intricate case and deciding where justice lies? Of course, the judge sums up for them, but often enough a summing_uap is not exac.y easy .0 understand. Struggling Along I happened to be a member of a Jury a few weeks ago. I found my- self one cf a company of ten men and two women. Most of the former ob- viously earned their living in non- intellectual occupations, and the wo- men were elderly uousewives who had never had the slightest experience cf anything beyond their own homes. We were engaged for three days in a complicated civil action involving hundreds of pounds. Three days, mind you--it's a long time to try to keep untrained lay minls concen- trated cn new points constantly crep- ping up and juggled with by highly skilled K.C's who reveal in legal subtleties. Well, we struggled along with~it all as well as we could, though the whispered questions among the jury showed that the task was alnost be. yond certain members. The judge summed up, and we retired to con- sider our verdict. Secrets of the Jury-Room I am not allowed to reveal what took place 1n the jury-room, but I left it with the impression that tc choose twelve persons haphazard and allct them a task of this kind is asking too much. Our remuneration for those three weary days of service was one shill- ing each. I did not grumble, al- though the rate of pay is a constant grievance among jurymen. No. 1 came to the conclusion that, as jury- men, shilling was rather more than most of us were worth. Yet--and this is the serious point --what we said "went"; our verdict meant quite a lot of money in the pockets of one party, and quite a lot out of the pockets of the other. Ought nct such issues to be decided by specially qualified peopla? It is sometimes said that there is not much logic behind a British jury, but that there is a lot of humanity. Certainly juries are very human, where as I suppose judges and coun- sel are only legal experts. But the human element is not everything it is made out to be. The human element is a wobbly sort ¢f thing in a court of law. It often means that the jury is swayed by feelings and prejudices instead of by reason. There have been lots of examples of this. If a defendant at a provircial as- sizes is a popular man in the district, the jury is apt to be biased in his favor from the beginning of the case; on the cther hand, if he is hated he can hardly expect a favorable ver. dict, which Is the reason why such trials are sometimes taken to another district, Juries are even liable te be partial to particular counsel. There was a case in which a favorite barrister appeared for the defence, When the jury were asked whether the defend- ant was guilty or not guilty the reply was: "We finds for Meas'er Garge, gir." Further pressed, the reply was: "We can't go fur wrong if us finds for Measter Garge." Nearly every man has strong opin- fons on some question or other. When he goes into the jurybox he takes those strong opinions with him, and. as he is so "human," he cannot help being influenced by them if a case affecting them arises. Take an action brought by an em- with an advantage. It will be freely admitted that personal feeling: should be kept severely under control while in the jury-box, but how often does this happen? 1 have spent a good deal of time in the courts. 1t is marvellous what, with the best of intentions, a jury is capable cf. If counsel bullies a de- fendant or asks questions out of what appears to be pure '"cussedness,'" the jury make a mental note in the de- fendant's favor, If counsel tries to flatter the men in the box, resentment may he aroused, and it may be re- flected in the verdict. Juries, in fact, are so "human" that they are not reliable. Only a train- ed lawyer is capable of hearing evi dence and giving a decisicn imparti- ally without being swayed by his own prejudices; at any rate, he is the most likely perso. to reach this ideal. Fair Play for Jurors I do not think we should suffer if the jury system were abolished. If that cannot be done, at all events let the legal authorities begin to give jurymen a little consideration. Why should unoffending citizens be kept waiting in attendance at a court for a week on the off-chance that their services will be wanted in the jury- box. Why should the convenience of judges, counsel, .ccurt -officials, litigants, witnesses--in fact, every- body's convenience--be studied in preference to that of the jury Alter all, most of these pecple are well paid for their time, while. the jury- men receives only a shilling per case, however long it lasts. Tested Recipes Meat and Vegetables En Casserole Take 1 pound of stew meat, cut in inch pieces. Place a layer of meat in hean pot, sprinkle with pepper and salt, then a tablespoon flour, next a layer of sliced onicn, a layer of pota- toes, and so on, until the meat is used up. Cover with a up of cold water; place in oven covered, and bake slow: ly 3 or 4 hours, adding more water as necessary. Oatmeal Cookies One egg, 1 cup sugar, 3 cup short- ening, 1 tablespoon molasses, 4 table- spoons sweet milk, 1 teaspoon cinna- mon, 1 teaspoon soda, 4 teaspoon salt, 13, cups flour, 2% cups rolled oats. Canned Blueberries Pick over berries and wash by plac- ing in a strainer and lifting up and down in g pan of cold water, then put them into a preserving kettle with a small quantity of water to prevent berries from burning. Cook until soft, stirring occasionally, and put in jars. No sugar is required, but a sprinkling of salt makes an agreeable addition. This recipe may also be used for huckleberries. Peach Cream Pie One teaspoon cornstarch, 1 cup thin cream, 2 egg yolks, 4 cup sugar. Cook over hot water as for a pudding. Add 1% cups peach pulp, using fresh or canned fruit. Cook for 5 minutes then fill a baked pie shell. Cover with meringue made with the 2 egg whites and brown in oven. Banbury Tarts One-quarter cup each of raisins, dates, figs, nuts, 1 up brown sugar, 1 tablespoon flour, 1 egg, juice and rind of lemon. Chop fruit and nuts, mix with flour and sugar; add beaten egg, lemon rind and juice. Mix all to- gether. Roll out plain pastry, cut in squares, place spoonful of mixture on each. Fold diagonaily, press edges. Bake at 400 degrees. Shrimp Wiggle One can peas, 1 can shrimp, season highly with a little Worcestershire sauce. Make a cream sauce, season- ing vith salt, pepper and paprika, and pour over them. Serve on toast with a slice of lemon. Egg Daisies Two level tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoons flour, 1 cup milk, salt, 4 hard-boiled eggs. Make a sauce of butter, flour, milk and salt; add whites of egs, chopped fine. Cut buttered toast in pointed pieces an darrange on plate to form daisy petals. Cover with sauce and pu' egg yolks through potato ricer, in the centre. Custard Pie Two and one-half cups milk, 3 eggs, 2-3 cup sugar, pinch of salt. Scald milk, add beaten eggs with sugar com- bined, add salt. Bake until set, about 3% hour. Steamed Blueberry Dumplings Put 4 tablespoons berries in bottom of cup. Place a tablespoon of the fol- lowing batter on top: 2 ups flour, 4 teaspoons baking powder, one-half tea- spoon salt, 2 teaspoons butter and ployee against his employer. As most of the men on the jury will be | employees themselves, some of them with distinct grievances against em- pleyers in general, where are their sypathies likely to be? three-fourths cup milk. Steam and turn upside down in deep sauce dishes and serve with vanila sauce. PA a hk THOUGHTS Your thoughts may be epoch-making Too Human by Half There is no question that, in such cases, the plaintiff will probably start ones; but until you pen them or speak them the world will not know they exist. i Tasty Sandwiches Apple Sandwiches--One ripe apple, 1 stalk celery, ¥% green pepper; chop together and moisten with mayon- naise. Use with white or graham bread. Peanut-Pineapple Sandwiches--Use 2 parts pineapple to 1 part peanut but- ter and spread on white bread. Chopped Meat and Nut Sandwiches --Use equal parts chopped chicken, beef or other cold meat and walnuts. Moisten with mayonnaise. Jam. and Cheese Sandwiches -- Spread 1 slice of buttered white bread with cream cheese, the other with jam or jelly. Sprinkle with nuts and put together. Raisin, Celery and Nut Sandwiches --Cook 1 cup of chopped raisins till soft. Add 1 cup chopped celery, 1 cup choped walnuts, and moisten with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and mayon- naise. Keep in covered jar for use. Here is another nice filling to have on hand: One cup peanut hutter, 134 cups blackberry jam or jelly, 1% cups chopped raisins, 1 cup pecan or al- mond meats, chopped Cheese Sandwiches--One half-pound cheese, 3 sweet cucumber pickles. Grind through the food chopper. Thin out with mayonnaise dressing and place hetween buttered bread. Dried Beet Sandwiches -- For 12 sandwiches, soak 2% pound dried beef in cold water one hour. Then dry, rcll in flour and fry in dripping; place between thin slices of buttered bread. Indian Sandwiches -- Mix mashed sardines with yolk of hard boiled egg and cooked salad dressing. Spread on unbuttered bread. New Sandwiches--Thin out peanut butter with a little water and add 2 tablespoons ketchup. Mix well and spread on buttered bread. Salmon Sandwiches--To 1 cup sal- mon, chopped fine, add 3 tablespoons cooked salad dressing. Season and spread on buttered bread, Date Sandwiches--One-half cup of dates, ¥2 cup walnuts chopped, 1% cup sweet cream; mix well all together and spread on buttered bread. Celery Sandwiches--Equal parts of finely minced celery anu cheese, moistened with 2 tablespoons salad dressing. Season with salt and papri- ka, spread on thin slices of buttered bread. Ham Sandwiches--One pound ham | (ground), 6 hard-boiled eggs, 10 sweet pickles, % cup nut meats; mix with salad dressing and spread cn buttered bread. Sausage Sandwich--Fry sausage un- til a nice brown. When cool mix a little fine cut celery with pepper and add a few fine cut pickles. Take thin slices of huttered bread cover with a lettuce leaf and place the sausage be- tween. T= Z i) % Ng hy wy, Ti J She--'Don't press me so hard for a dance." He: "I won't do that until we're 'cial gravity | York to Paris. He took up golf for exercise--then Hybrid Plant to Produce Cotton "Brotex' Latest Substitute Discovered by English Scientist Considerable interest is being taken in textile circles in England in con- nection with a development of a hy- brid plant which has been named "brotex" and which has been discov- ered by Leonard Browning, a research horticulturist, it is learned from Me- Gill University. It is stated that the plant i grown from seed and matures rapidly, re- quiring about 15 months. It attains a height of eight to 10 feet and a stem circumference ot from eight to 10 inches. It is a biennial and produces a com- mercial crop of fibre in the first year and seeds at the end of the second year. It is claimed to yield three raw materials ol great commercial value: a fibre for extile purposes which it is stated forms an efficient substitute for cotton wood cellulose in the sec- ond year from the fibre stem which can be used in paper making, and seed which can be used in the manu- facture of cattle fcod. . Apparently the experimental trials have proven highly satisfactory to those financing the scheme and this coming year thousands of acres are to be planted with seed obtained this fall. > In well-informed quarters it is con- sidered there are market possibilities for the develcpment of the plant as a substitute for cotton ,possibly in part for wood and undoubtedly experi- ments will be made in Canada and in other parts of the Empire to try out the possibilities fcr growth of the plant. Prof. Harold Hibbert, professor of industrial and cellulose chemistry at McGill University, states that the facts had been brought to his atten- tion in the course of scientific re- search and he believed, as far as he knew, that they were accurate. ®, x3 The Drain of Gold Economicus in the Review of Re- views (London): The centre of finan- has moved from New We are no longer anxiously watching America. We are watching France, who has heen busy converting her foreign halanes, dollars and sterling, into gold. It is alleged that the movement is the result of the shifting of private balances, hut in. quiries go to show that official' bal- ances, the balances of the French Treasury, are also heing moved to Paris. Whatever the cause of the movement, it is occasioning serious ehmbarrassment to this country. This country has made great sacrifices for the gold standard. It is doubted whether the industrialists and busi: ness men would have agreed lo return to gold at the pre-war parity, had they been able to foresee its consequences to industry. But we relied upon the rest of the world to play the game as we did. None of the other partici- pants in the war have done so. Spoiled Him He used to be a slave to work--used to, For with his business now he's done; One unlucky day he made a hole in one. a Oyster Recipe An oyster met an oyster And they were oysters two. Two oysters met two oysters And they were oysters, too. Four oysters met a pint of milk dancing." And they were oyster stew. ARCTIC EXPLORER WEDS Sir George Hubert Wilkins, noted his bride, the former Miss Suzanne Bennett. Sir Hubert Still Sticks to Whiskers ACTRESS IN CLEVELAND Arctic explorer (extreme right), and Owl-Laffs There's nothing like a wedding To make a feller learn. At first he thinks she's his'n, But later learns he's her'n. A husband's first idea is to protect his wife, but it slowly dawns on him that he'll be doing well if he protects himself. "Wisdom causeth the face to shine," says the Bible. But we've never seen anybody with enough of it to have ta use dimmers. That fat of the land are diabetic. "Ah," murmured Happiness {o her self, "Here is a man too husy to notice that | am here. | wil camp with him." A Fellow Feeling A wanderer drifted into the side door of a gymnasium just in time to see an acrobat, who was practicing, do a cart-wheel, flip-flop and full twiste ing back somersault. "Brother, | know just how you feel," said he, "l drank some of that same stuff yesterday." The Soap Question Girl--"Have you any 'Life Buoy"?" Drug Clerk--*Just start something and you'll find out." No one ever did work for an indif- ferent hoss. When a man gets the hest of his wife in an argument he's what the Bible would call "more than conquer- or." Chinese girls should have no diffi. culty in learning stenography. There is no spelling in that language. "l was reared in the lap of luxury," said the multi-millionaire's daughter. "Try mine for a change," suggested the impecunious young man. It his mouth is grim and his face flushed, the lady he is teaching to swim is his wife. "A close friend," said some one, "may he a precious possession, but most of us prefer one who will loosen up occasionally." Lecturing Explorer--"Just to show you the advance of our civilization, in the past the Eskimos used to eat candles for dessert." : Clever Young Hardware Clerk-- "And now, I suppose, they eat electric light bulbs?" Autumn Hopes and Fears Stranger: "Who fears December's windy ways, Who minds the winter's freezing days, When logs are piled upon the blaze And all is warm inside? "Why fret about approaching snow, Why fear a coal bill to owe, When cheer is by the fireside's glow, In the nest where we abide?" City Dweller: "Your talk's all right for country folks Who burn big logs of sturdy oak, But here that stuff is all a joke-- Just listen to me cough. : "The days of fire are at an end: On steam heat here we must depend, And that's a game of justh pretend-- My toes are freezing off. A city can't have much of anything until it has cleanliness. "No Smoking" Whalcver may be the reaction of passengers to the Graf Zeppelin to the "no smoking" rule, at least it will meet with the approval of members of the United States Forestry Service. They recently have slown conciusively that cigarettes and cigers thrown from airplanes may cause serious forest fires, "To pro:ire some dependable information, experiments with a forest patrol plane were condacted at the Spokane airport" says the report. "Lighted cigars and plain 'ippea cig- arettes of brands commonly ir use were dropped from altitudes of ap- proximately 500 and 1,000 feet above the ground. At the time of the tests the temperature was sbout 75 degrees Fahrenheit, relative humidity 34 per cent. and wind movement about seven miles an hour. Of six cigarettes re- covered four were still burning when picked up. 'All five cigars recovered" were still purning. t did not appear that in creasing the height of fall from 500 to 1,000 feet was an important factor." KS XJ The Worm Turns London Sunday Express (Ind.): Mr. Snowden, much to the joy of his fel- low-countrymen, at last has struck a blow for the overburde¢med taxpayers of England. Foreigners feel as if the rabbit had suddenly tuwped and bitten the gamekeeper.