The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-02-10

duce the most widely varying results.
Judgments that you had regarded as
indisputable are laughingly set aside as
exploded fancies. Convictions that you
had supposed &c be universal are con-
temptuously repudiated. Sentiments
that you had believed to be matters OF
shame are unblushingly proclaimed.
Opinions of the grossest, most sensual
and most anarchic nature are expressed
with a brutal frankness. For example,
all of these men but two or three silent
ones, unblushingly affirm the right of
the male animal to crafty his passions
at will; half of them think that the
rich should be exploited for the poor;
one of them stubbornly affirms that a
verdict should be given against a cor
poration simply on the ground that II
was too prosperous.
While under the first shock OF these
revelations you will experience a pain
full doubt as to the possibility of the
discovery of truth by an instrument so
imperfect as the human mind You had
thought of it as reliable. like a telescope
or a THERMOMETERS You had supposed
that all minds would reflect identical
imT ressions as accurately as mirrors DO
objects. When they differ so much,
whose is right? Is yours or theirs
these or those? 1t is enough to make
a skeptic out of you, Not one of these
jurymen distrusted his own mind; but
each the mind of the other,
This being the case, the mystery Of
their ever arriving at an agreement
confronts you How Will this be ac-
complished? What arguments and mo-
tives must be appealed to?
You have been surprised at the differ
ences in the judgments of these men
when acting freely under the same in
fiuences: but you. are now to be amazed
and COMPOUNDED by two other phenome-
ma: The case with which the conclu-
sions of some can be shaken by sheer
nonsense. and the impossfbility of al
tering those of the others by the most
indisputab;e reasoning.
The Discussion.
After the result of the first ballot is
announced a free discussion begins.
Everybody talks at once. Each shouts
his ideas into the air. IT seems as if a
dictionary had exploded-like pack of
firecrackers. Five minutes Of this inco-
herent and incomprehensible debate is
followed by another vote. which now
stands-nine to three for acquittal,
What influences produced this sud-
den alteration? Nobody knows
More talk ensues. which is rather like
the gabDle of fowls than human con-
versation ard argument, and the vote
swings back to seven against FIVE, fQ~
convictionl
And now the .empers OF men begin to
be aroused. These differences anger
them. They talk themselves red in the
face: swear they will never change
their views; that they viii stay there
all night. week, month, That those
who differ from them are fools or
knaves-
After a while lull occurs. The loud
est takers have grown hoarse- A quiet
nan whose voice has not been heard
asks for momentary privilege OF the
floor. In his calm mind these vague
vague ideas have crystailized. He ut
ters them in a simple sentence or two
and his auditors look stunned. why
had they not thought of this before .
They are about TO stampede and vote
on his side, when that clear statement
precipftates the sediment i'm the mind
of an opponent. who in a fiery and
scintillating speech sets forth the oppo-
site view in so clear light that the he
wildered talesman was ready to f1oun-
der back to his point of view.
The Verdict.
An hour passes, passes. two. three.
and stu they diffsz. Anofhsr drags by.