THE DENNISTOUN SCANDAL [To the Editor ofthe SPECTATOR.] Sin,—As no
one has supported the excellent article by a legal correspondent, which appeared in the Spectator for April 11th, perhaps you will allow a clergyman to say plainly what he thinks and feels ?
First of all, is it not certain that if the parties in the Demiistoun suit had been in humble life there would have been no long columns of cross-examination, and nothing would have been heard of the case ? Secondly; when one of the parties in a suit has admitted misconduct what conceivable purpose is served by cross-examination directed to discovering in what room the misconduct occurred ? It is true it creates
an "atmosphere," but what have lawyers to do with " atmos- phere " ? Thirdly, all persons capable of reflection must agree that the reputation of England is unavoidably very much in the hands of its barristers and judges. The public expects them to remember this and to show a steadying sense of re- sponsibility, and they will ignore it at their peril. Fourthly, but this is a matter of feeling, if any barrister were to ask me some of the questions which are sometimes asked in Court, the first time I met him afterwards I should pull his. nose, and I should do the same if he insulted any woman, whatever her reputation,who had any claim upon me.—I am, Sir, &c., .Enisworth, Hants. C. POYNTZ SANDERSON.
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