There are two or three things which you ought to remember when going on the witness stand. Tell what you know about the case simply and briefly; tell only what you actually know, not what you think, or what somebody told you. Don’t venture your own opinion unless you are asked for it. When you are being cross-examined, think over every question before you answer it. If you answer everything quickly and without thought you will probably fall into a trap and appear to be contradicting yourself. The opposing lawyer is playing a game of chess with you. Watch his moves and take your own time in making yours. If you make any slip, correct it there and then; don’t let it pass with the idea that it will never be noticed. The witness stand is a place where a man needs to have his wits about him. Footnote 151: If the case is not very serious the prosecuting attorney sometimes recommends that there be no further trial and the accused person is then freed. Footnote 152: For example, where the jury has disregarded the judge’s instructions on points of law or where the jurymen have reached their verdict in some improper way. Footnote 153: A prisoner was once charged with setting fire to his own home and burning it down, thus causing the death of his father and mother. The prosecuting attorney first put him on trial for the murder of his father; but the jury acquitted him. Another jury was then summoned and the attempt was made to place him on trial for the murder of his mother. The prisoner’s counsel argued that this was placing him on trial the second time (or in second jeopardy as it is called) for the _same offence_. The prosecuting attorney argued that it was a _different offence_, the murder of a different person. Which was right? CHAPTER XVII NATURAL RESOURCES AND CONSERVATION _The purpose of this chapter is to show what nature has done for the United States, and to explain the relation between national prosperity and natural resources._ [Sidenote: The source of America’s greatness:] =The Things that Make a Nation Great.=—Three things have contributed greatly to the upbuilding of the American nation. The first is the wide extent, the richness, and the varied character of American territory. The United States is not only a vast country, surpassed in area by very few other countries of the world, but it possesses great natural advantages. [Sidenote: 1. The land and its resources.] It contains, as will be seen presently, extensive regions which are well-suited for almost every form of human activity, including agriculture in all its branches, manufacture, mining, forestry, transportation, and trade. It is abundantly provided with natural harbors and waterways. In soil and climate there is great variety. No other country of the world can produce so many different things under such favorable conditions.