8. What is the county seat? Is it conveniently situated? Reasons for thinking so?
9. If convenient, visit any county building, note the uses to which it is put, and report such facts as may be thus found out.
10. Obtain a deed, no matter how old, and answer these questions about it:—
a. Is it recorded? If so, where?
b. Would it be easy for you to find
the record?
c. Why should such a record be kept?
d. What officer
has charge of such records?
e. What sort of work must he and his
assistants do?
f. The place of such records is called what?
g. What sort of facilities for the public should such a place have? What
safety precautions should be observed there?
h. Why should the county
keep such records rather than the city or the town?
i. Is there a record of the deed by which the preceding owner came into
possession of the property?
j. What sort of title did the first owner have? Is
there any record of it? Was the first owner Indian or European?
(The teacher might obtain a deed and base a class exercise upon it. It is easy with a deed for a text to lead pupils to see the common-sense basis of an important county institution, and thereafter to give very sensible views as to what it should be, even if it is not fully known what it is.)
11. Is there a local court for your town or city? 12. How do its cases compare in magnitude with those tried at the county seat?
13. If a man steals and is prosecuted, who becomes the plaintiff?
14. If a man owes and is sued for debt, who becomes the plaintiff?
15. What is a criminal action?
16. What is a civil action?