Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 86, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 April 1915 — High Benches Develop “Swingitis,” New Malady [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

High Benches Develop “Swingitis,” New Malady

DETROIT, MICH. —An innovation of a labor-saving device in the circuit coart rooms lias developed a new disease, “swingitis,” and court attaches fear an epidemic of nervous prostration. It all came about when the janitors complainec about the difficulty

in cleaning undei the court benches. The auditors authorized the carpenters to place castors under the benches, so that they could be moved at will. Then short-legged jurors and witnesses. began to notice that they were “up in the air.” When they sat squarely on the benches their foet Zeppelined aimlessly back and forth in a vain attempt to reach terra Anna. The sight of many bodies

swaying in unconscious rhythm and the scraping of soles on the marble floor soon proved distracting to his honor, the jury, and the occupant of the witness stand. The genial face of Judge Mandell acquired lines of flare. The Jury fidgeted. Clerk Jack Seeley frowned over his spectacles. Here is a pursy fat man who “sits tight” as long as he can stand it, then he grunts and stands up against the wall in disgust. There you see a woman who swings a while, then looks around to see whom she may blame for her unrest of mind and feet. From a quiet, peaceable court Judge Mandell’s room has developed into a haunt for nervous, fidgety, and worried individuals. When jurors are called Into *j»i« court during the empaneling of a jury there is an obvious tendency for short men to hang back at the door or to make a rush for the few chairs in the room. It is the long-legged man's paradise, however. Those who have experienced the first symptoms of “swingitis” in Judge Mandell’s court are considering a strenuous protest to the auditors.