Jurymen chattering in the box at the left, counsel and solicitors busying themselves with papers in the well of the court, which is crowded with ladies and gentlemen spectators. The turmoil abates in consequence of a rap by the usher and the emerging from behind a heavy curtained door of the Lord Mayor and of the Recorder in their official robes.

THE USHER: Silence! His Lordship.-After a pause-Regina v. Gilbert.

THE CLERK OF ARRAIGNS: Alexander Gilbert, you are indicted for being a person of a wicked and depraved mind and disposition, having unlawfully and wickedly devised, contrived, and intended, to vitiate and corrupt the morals of the liege subjects of our Lady the Queen, to debauch and poison the minds of divers of the liege subjects of our said Lady the Queen, and to raise and create in them disordered and lustful desires, and to bring the said liege subjects into a state of wickedness, lewdness, and debauchery, and for having on the 20th day of June in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and ninety-eight, at a certain shop in Booksellers Lane in the county of London, and within the jurisdiction of this court, unlawfully, wickedly, maliciously, scandalously, and wilfully published, sold, and uttered a certain lewd, wicked, bawdy, scandalous, and obscene libel

A VOICE IN COURT: Splendid, beautiful! Grand indeed!

THE RECORDER OF LONDON: Silence! This interruption is quite scandalous; if anything of this sort is repeated, the court will be cleared.

THE CLERK OF ARRAIGNS (continuing): and obscene libel in the form of a book entitled Sexual Selection and Human Marriage, alleged to be written by William Newton Cecil, in which book are contained, amongst other things, divers wicked, lewd, impure, scandalous, and obscene libels, and matters, which said book is, pursuant to the provisions in that behalf of the Law of Libel Amendment Act, 1888, to the manifest corruption of the morals and minds of the liege subjects of our said Lady the Queen, in contempt of our said Lady the Queen, and her laws, in violation

of common decency, morality, and good order, and against the peace of our said Lady the Queen, her crown, and dignity. Alexander Gilbert, are you guilty or not guilty?

THE PRISONER: Not guilty.

SIR RICHARD BULLY, Q.C.: The offence with which the prisoner is charged is a very grave one. The contents of the incriminated book are of such a character that the jury and your lordship will blush for shame that such obscenity could be published in this country.

We are

THE RECORDER: I see a number of ladies in this court. about to hear that which no decent woman ought to hear, and, if there is any woman in court with any decency at all in her, she will at once go out. She, of course, has a right to stay, if she wishes, but I feel sure, no decent woman will remain in court while these things are being read.

A FEMALE VOICE FROM THE AUDITORIUM: We protest against this insult.-(Uproar in court.)

THE RECORDER: Silence! If I knew the author of this remark, she would soon regret this serious contempt of court. I assume that all decent women have left the court, the others may remain.

SIR RICHARD BULLY: I beg to suggest that the incriminated passages in this book be read to your Lordship and to the jury only, that is in a low voice, so as not to corrupt the morals of the many who came to this court only for the satisfaction of a morbid curiosity.

MR. MACINTOSH WOOD (for the defence): I most emphatically object to this course. We maintain that this work is scientific in conception and execution, that it contains not a single obscene or suggestive sentence, and that it has been published in the interest of science and for the public benefit. The suppression of this book, which is written by an eminent scientific authority, we consider as a public calamity, and this prosecution as a blemish on the common sense of the English nation.

SIR RICHARD BULLY: My learned friend seems very sure of his

case, and with your lordship's permission I will withdraw my proposal to read the indicted passages to the jury only.

THE RECORDER: The course suggested by counsel for the prosecution is irregular and the passages must be read aloud.

SIR RICHARD BULLY: Very well. Before I proceed to explain the nature of the charge I may mention that at the prisoner's place of business a large portfolio containing indecent photographs has been found.

MR. MACINTOSH WOOD: I object to this statement, which is brought forward only to prejudice my client's case. These photographs do not form part of the indictment; but besides they are reproductions of masterpieces of art.

THE RECORDER: I suppose that counsel for the prosecution will produce the photographs only to show the kind of literature in which the prisoner dealt at his shop.

SIR RICHARD BULLY: Certainly, my lord; I mentioned them only as an introduction so that the jury may be able to form an opinion of the kind of books and pictures the prisoner sold at his business place. This prosecution has been commenced by the Commissioner of Police, and the sale of the incriminated book, Sexual Selection and Human Marriage, took place at the prisoner's shop on two different days to two detectives of Scotland Yard, who will be called to state that in one case the prisoner himself sold the book, and received the money demanded for it, viz., ten`shillings, in the other a young girl, Psyche Hockey, the daughter of the prisoner's housekeeper, sold a copy in the temporary absence of the prisoner. Of course, these two instances are only a few amongst many hundreds, as you will hear from the detective Slyman, who received the statement as to the large sale of this book from the prisoner himself. Psyche Hockey is only seventeen years old, and it is terrible to think that she handled this book, and perhaps read it. She was often seen reading in the prisoner's shop, and the title of this work must have been very attractive to her. Mr. Slyman and Mr. Sweetley will tell the jury that they have read the book, and have been disgusted with its contents. I must also mention a very suspicious incident connected with this

case.

A clergyman, named Christopher Whitfield, a parson in the country, ordered from the prisoner, who advertises all sorts of new and second-hand books, a copy of a Bible, and with his order forwarded a postal order for two shillings and sixpence. You may imagine his surprise when, instead of the Bible, he received a copy of Sexual Selection and Human Marriage. We will call this gentleman, and he will tell you of his surprise and indignation on receiving this book, which he returned forthwith. This seems a clear attempt to corrupt the morals of one of Her Majesty's liege subjects. I dare say the prisoner would have sold the book to any innocent young man or girl that would have asked for a copy, but the police authorities have happily prevented him from continuing this pernicious trade, and from poisoning the minds of pure and religious people.

MR. MACINTOSH WOOD: I must again object. These statements are absolutely out of place as, according to my learned friend's own assertion, they will not come out in evidence, but are only

surmises.

SIR RICHARD BULLY: Very well, I will not dwell on possibilities or probabilities, if my learned friend objects; we have plenty of facts in the existence of the indicted passages in the book which I hold in my hands. They are very numerous. Many of them, on the surface, may not appear to be obscene or indecent to the ordinary mind, but the jury will soon detect that they have a hidden meaning. The jury will also, from the headings of different chapters, be able to judge the character of the book. I will give here a few without comment. I may also point out that the title Sexual Selection is already highly suggestive and obscene, and, as the indictment says, may create lustful desires in the liege subjects of our gracious Queen. The sub-headings are on the same line: Supernumerary Mamma and Digits - Rudimentary Mammæ in Males-Nakedness-Monogenists and Polygenists—— Sexual compared with Natural Selection-Sexual Colours-Love Antics and Dances.

These, gentlemen, are sub-titles indicating the contents of chapters, and you will, from these alone, understand how wicked this book is. But the chapters on natural and sexual selection in

this book are mild indeed if we compare them with those on marriage. The definition of marriage, which the writer gives, will show you what a licentious man the author must be. He says: "I agree with Westermarck that for the purpose of this investigation marriage is nothing else than a more or less durable connection between male and female, lasting beyond the mere act of propagation till after the birth of the offspring."

I do not know who Westermarck is, but he must be as depraved as William Newton Cecil, who wrote this book, if this definition of human marriage emanates from him. The book makes us acquainted with contemptible vices and customs, like polygamy, polyandry, and even prostitution. It describes the customs, alleged customs of savages of which you gentlemen of the jury without doubt have been ignorant, of which I have been ignorant until it became my sad duty to read this book. In one of the chapters the author speaks of a "human pairing season" as if we were animals, he deals with promiscuity, and, without reproving this shocking vice, he describes people where the wives of a community or tribe belong to all the men of the tribe as a common property. The book speaks also of incest and of marriage by capture, and here again the author has no word of blame or censure, he manifests no disgust at these abominable practices.

It will be impossible to read to the jury all the objectionable passages in this book, I will read the more important after having proved the sale of the book to the detectives.

MR. ERNEST TRUNK (for the author of the book): I appear for the author of this book, who has been severely attacked by Sir Richard. He is a well-known man of science, and is prepared to take the whole responsibility for the contents of the book on his shoulders. He is in court.

THE RECORDER: At present we have nothing whatever to do with this author, and you have no locus standi, but counsel for the defence may call him as a witness if he chooses.

MR. MACINTOSH WOOD: I will do so.

SIR RICHARD BULLY: Mr. Andrew Slyman, you are a police