Excerpt from A Brief for the Trial of Civil Issues Before a Jury I mention, however, only a small proportion of the authorities examined, believing that for the purpose of a brief a few well chosen are more useful than a mass. On questions of chief import ance I have, however, given one or more recent authorities from each of a number of states. Space has not allowed a full statement of the statutes and rules of court of other jurisdictions than New York but I trust that I have indicated the existence of such statutes in such a way that the intelligent practitioner in any jurisdiction cannot be misled. In making up a list of Useful Authorities on Evidence (division I have not confined myself to stating what I deem to be settled law, deeming it there more useful to index concisely the best authorities, including some debatable points, rather than to take space to state each rule at length. In these days more good verdicts are set aside, or hopes of verdict frustrated, by errors in regard to whether the case should go to the jury or not, than from any other cause. On the subject of Taking the Case from the Jury (division I have stated the rules which, if I rightly understand the existing law as to New Trials, and Appeal, ought to govern our trial courts in disposing of motions for a nonsuit, or to direct a verdict, and demurrers to evidence. I am not aware that these rules are any where else shortly and systematically stated, nor have I found it practicable to state them concisely and correctly by following the language of the reports. But they may be seen constantly applied in practice by the ablest judges, and their application is now habitu ally sustained and enforced with remarkable consistency by the leading appellate courts. They are both reasonable and useful; and, indeed, all that is modern in them is the necessary result of modern changes in the law of evidence and review and in those states where, as shown by notes appended to the rules, they are not yet fully adopted, a general progress toward their adoption is clearly traceable in the current of decision. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.