W. SMITH, TAILOR, POLLEN STREET

Otago Daily Times, Issue 5798, 18 September 1880, Page 2 (Supplement)

W. SMITH, TAILOR, POLLEN STREET

TERMS (of course) CASH,

The first seven pagea of Enoch would be logically incomplete without the eighth. Fate has kindly decreed that whenever the ass masquerades in the lion's skin- he shall feel an irresistible impulse to bray.

Among the pressing demands of the day for social reforms a novel one comes from the "other side." It is a demand published in a Sydney paper for the suppression of unwashed juries. The writer says " on a recent occasion I found myself impounded as a juror with 11 of the ' great unwashed,' whose habits of life were the very opposite to mine. I may venture to say that not one of the whole 11 had had a bath during the last 11 years, and their very presence was most offensive." Can this be Bober fact in this age of nineteenth century civilisation, or was the unhappy writer one of those idle and fastidious individuals who like not that a son of toil should come "between the wind and his nobility V We have heard many objections to] jury justice, but this to jury cleanliness is sad indeed. The unhappy complainant informs us that " he suffered from sickness of the stomach and a bilious headache for 48 hours after." In other words, he tells us, not to put too fine a point on it, that the empanelled eleven stank. It was " the rankest compound of villainous smell that ever offended nostril." "A very ancient and fish-like smell." It is sad indeed that the emblems of justice should thus be literally trailed through the dirt. For what can be more essential to an Englishman's notions of justice than that " palladium of liberty " trial by jury ? What is the remedy 1 Shall an Act be passed empowering the judge to order any juryman to wash and put on a clean shirt before he proceeds to try the prisoner at the bar ? Or shall it be accepted as a sufficient excuse againstbeiDg empanelled, "Please, your Honor, I'm dirty V lam afraid even at such a price as this some would purchase exemption if they could. Or shall the whole system be knocked on the head because a clean juror occasionally gets sickened by close association with a most offensive dirty one 1 I feel more for the plaintiffs or the prisoners in such cases, for it is impossible that pure justice can be done by hogs from the stye. I see the qualification for a juror by the Juries Act of last session is "Everyman . . . who shall be of good fame or character," with some specified exceptions, among which dirt is not specially mentioned. The only question is can a dirty man be of " good fame or character?" Except in a community where dirt is the rule and not the exception, I should imagine not. Perhaps some of my correspondents will give me their experiences on the point in New Zealand, that we may learn whether it is necessary here, as it seems to be in some parts of New South Wales, to add baths and washhouses to every Court of Justice. Mr Stafford used to tell a story of a man in Nelson who stroDgly objected to paying a water rate, "For sir," said he, "I assure you on my honour I don't use a quart of water in a week," Mr Stafford looked at him critically and