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Show GOOD STORY TOLD BY IRVING. How Spirited Witness Turned Laugh On Harsh Lawyer. Sir Henry Irving was onco tho guest of honor at a lawyer's banquet in Now York. In tho course of a graceful address he said: "You, gentlemen, have given mo most helpful advice on tho art of acting act-ing will you permit mo to glvo you In return a plcco of advlco regarding your profession? "My advlco, then, Is that you make your cross-examination less rigorous, less harsh. What Is the good of treating an honest and sensitive witness wit-ness in the witness stand as though he wero a sneak thief? "I confess that I am not In sympathy sym-pathy with harshness In cross-examination, and whenever I hear of a witness wit-ness turning on an overbearing lawyer, law-yer, my heart rejoices. "My heart rejoiced last week. A young man In my company was a witness wit-ness In a case of robbery. He had seen a thief snatch a young girl's pocketbook and make off. "Well, tho thief's lawyer cross-ex amined my young friend shamefully. He roared at him, shook his fist at him, raved at him. '"Aud at what hour did all this happen?" the lawyer, sneering, asked toward the end of his examination. " 'I think' my friend began, but ho was at once Interrupted. " 'Wo don't care anything hero about what you think!" said tho lawyer, law-yer, with a snort of contempt. "'Don't you want to hear what 1 think?" said my young friend mildly. " 'Certainly not,' tho lawyer roared. '"Then, said my friend, 'I may as well step down from the box. I'm not a lawyer. I can't talk without thinking.' " |