In the courts of such a metropolis as Chicago, a city with a population larger than that of many countries in the Old World, one may witness a great and fascinating variety of scenes. Those men and women that are brought before the court represent almost every nationality on earth and every class of society, from bum to millionaire, and from prostitute to club woman.

The consideration and veneration for women, for which this country is noted the world over, is probably more conspicuous in court than in any other public place, particularly if the defendant qualifies for such adjectives as "beautiful," "handsome," "pretty," "attractive," "young," etc., with which the court reporter is so very generous on such occasions. One or more of such descriptive expressions are almost always used when a woman has come in conflict with the law. Even the lawyers themselves submit to the requirements of chivalry 2when a woman defendant is concerned, and it actually pains them, or so they claim, to subject her to the hard-boiled cross-examination which sometimes is necessary for the sake of truth and justice. At a recent murder trial a lawyer, the assisting prosecutor, went a little too far in this respect, or so it seems to us. In his concluding argument, in which he demanded the conviction of the defendant, a young woman, he actually apologized for having to do so, in view of the fact that the defendant was so young and beautiful. But, fortunately, the jury was not blind either, and brought in a verdict of not guilty.

Such demonstrations do not tend to increase the respect for our courts. Youth and beauty are not in themselves guarantees of innocence, even though youth alone may be sufficient reason for showing leniency in certain instances. And it is both ridiculous and stupid to point out a woman's beauty to a jury and to a court.

Even though they are seldom so designated in the newspapers, we also have plain-featured women among us, and it is a fact that they may well possess noble hearts and sweet dispositions, while the stunning beauty may be hard to live with, and the angel-like mask may hide qualities which are not at all admirable.

Most attractive women are aware of the weak spots in men's armor, and cases have been observed where not only the lawyer but the defendant herself has employed her feminine attributes to obstruct the cause of justice. We do not claim that in the case cited above undue influence was brought to bear on the jury, but we simply want to point out that when a woman is brought before the bar of justice, her character, not her beauty, is in the scale.