thousands of years. The giant redwoods of California, famous as the oldest living things on the earth, have virtually achieved “the miracle of perpetual growth.” A few individual trees of this species are estimated to be between 4,000 and 5,000 years of age. ‘What does it mean “to tum state's evidence”? In American legal language evidence for the government, people or state in criminal prosecutions is called state's evidence. In English law evidence for the Crown is called King’s (or Queen's) evidence. These terms are applied more particularly to evidence voluntarily given by an accessory in a crime who confesses his part and who testifies against his accomplices. When a person implicated in a cxime voluntarily con- fesses his share in the illegal act and gives testimony tending to incrim- inate his associates he is said to turn state's evidence; that is, he becomes a witness for the prosecution and consequently for the state or govern- ment. In such cases there is often an express ot implied promise on the part of the authorities that they will not prosecute the witness who thus testifies, or that they will at least deal leniently with him. It is not cus tomary for prosecutors to promise such immunity unless there is insuffi cient evidence to convict a defendant without the testimony so obtained. But a person who has committed a crime or who has been an accomplice in an illegal act has no legal claim to clemency merely because he “turns state's evidence.” Occasionally a guilty perton who hao not re ceived either an express or implied promise of leniency will turn state’s evidence. In this case he hopes that testifying for the government wall result in a pardon even if he is convicted. In popular language state's evidence is sometimes loosely applied to the person who turns state's evidence, ‘What great orator put pebbles in his mouth? ‘When the ancient Athenian orator Demosthenes (3842-322 ».c.) was, a young man he had a frail body, weak lungs and a shrill voice. Plutarch tells us that Demosthenes “had a weakness and 2 stammeting in his voice, and a want of breath, which caused such a distraction in his dis course, that it was difficult for the audience to understand him.” It seems that, among other handicaps, he was unable to pronounce the sound expressed by the letter 1, The first time the young orator spoke in public his audience laughed at and heckled him. “As for his personal defects,” says Plutarch, “Demetrius the Phalerean gives us an account of the remedies he applied to them; and he says he had it from Demosthenes in his old age. The hesitation and stammering of his tongue he corrected [sir]