Show THE READERS READER'S COURTROOM COURTROOM- Bum r Is No Slander to T Tet V By Will Bernard LL.B. LL.B.- Is it Slander to Call CallA A Man a Bum BumAn An apartment house tenant had a strong dislike for several of the theother theother theother other occupants As time went by all of them moved out except one When he met this last holdout in inthe inthe inthe the back yard one day the tenant exclaimed You are the last of YOU A e THE LAST LASI Of jj V VV I- I nir OUM TENANTS ij V V the bum tenants in this building I IThe The other man sued for damages i saying that he had been slandered I Iby by being described as a bum However the court denied his claim The judge said that so long longas as no tangible harm was done the word bum wasn't suc such a serious accusation after all S S S May All Children be Forced To Go to Public Schools A state law was passed requiring all aU students between the ages of 8 and 16 to attend public schools A private school promptly filed fileda a test case claiming that such a law was unconstitutional The state officials explained that they wished to give the same kind of education to all children However the court courtS S held the law unconstitutional violating violating vio via lating the liberty of parents to direct the upbringing and education education education tion of their children The judge said the state had no power to standardize its children by forcing them to accept instruction from public school teachers only amy 7 If a Cat Kills a Canary Must The Cats Cat's Owner Pay Damages A womans woman's cat took a strong dislike dislike dislike dis dis- dis- dis like to a singing singing canary kept in inthe inthe inthe the parlor parlor of the house next door One evening the cat slipped into the neighbors neighbor's house stole into the parlor parlor par par- lor br and silenced the canary for for- ever The neighbor sued the woman for damages claiming that she must pay for the evil deed done by her pet However the court ruled that the woman was not sible The judge pointed out that this was an nn ordinary peaceful cat with no special tendency to be vicious He added that a cats cat's owner owner owner own own- er should not be blamed just be- be because cause ause the animal occasionally may revert to his wild nature S S S After a Convict Serves His Sentence May He be Forced to Leave the Vicinity A convicted criminal served his bis term in the state penitentiary and was duly discharged He soon found a job in hi a gas station near the prison One day he was arrested arrested arrested ar ar- ar- ar rested again It seems there was a state law requiring discharged convicts to leave the county within with with- in 24 hours after their release t. t However at the trial the court held the law unconstitutional and ordered the man freed The judge said it was unfair to impose this additional restraint on a man after aUer I he has paid his bis debt to society |