Literary cadet and Rhode-Island statesman. [volume] (Providence, R.I.) 1827-1829, 1828-07-23

on our first page
CoSNEcrIcUT CoURr OF ERRoRs.-Th
intolerant decision lately made by this Cour
in rejecting a witness merely because he el
pressed belief that oil men receive punishmen
in this life for their traDsgressons, has Gale
forth the disgust and just aD.madvcrsion, Q
nearly all the newspapers in New England.
According to this decision, Turk, Jew, Arab
Hottentot, Hindoo, and even the most aban
doncd wretch in creation, provided he profes,
IS to believe in punishment after death, ma,
bc admitted their oaths in the Court Of Come Ct
icut, while an honest believer in the bible ant
Christianity, however fair his standing be il
society fon candour, good faith and unity, may
be crciuded, if it appear that he has ever ex
pressed an opinion uniavorablo 10 punishmen
| in another world. The rule laid down is, tha
he cannot be allowed to explain himself in any
manner whatever touching this matter, not ev.
en- 10 prove that ho has altered his views in
| relation TO it, but must ever after abide the
consequences Of a single expression, and be
set down as "INFAMoUs," for such IS the ex-
preston Of the old obsolete law. upon which
these sage cxpositors have grounded their de
cision.
Here is law for you The new discovery,
however. will, in all probability, set in full
motion the engines of legislation, and we may
justly expect something verv shortly, more con-
sistent with reason from its operations, in the
code Of that State.
To show the great absrrdity of this rule, VIC
need only cite single instance, whicl, is a CO.
incidence worthy of notice. We are intimately
acquainted with gentleman Of nearly our own
age, who was brought up in our immediate vi
cinity, and was our playmate from childhood.
From the day he could lisp word of English,
to the presentwe have never known him guilty
of the slightest ntentional alteration from the
strict truth. in anything we ever knew him
state, whatever might be the consequence;
and though bo very seldom engaged in boyish
rogucry, yet when he was called up for some
pccadillo las true as tho needle is TO the pole -
was he Il staunch witness for government, in
consequence of which he always shared his
portion Of the penalty. We have more than
once been extremely mortified and brought into
trouble by his honest confession, not only of
his own sins, but ours. BY all who knew him,
whether man, woman, child, or school teacher,
his character for truth and veracity. has been
proverbial. so that we believe his single word, /,
would much sooner be taken in any case by
them, then the solemn oaths and asseve rations
Of very many others, who, by their professions
assume much more elevated station, than he
ever made pretentons to. The same accuracy
which he uniformly observed in his representa-
tions, was practicod by him in the study Of the
sciences. a few weeks ago, we had tho pleas
ure Of meeting him for the first time in three
years, when wo learned from him that he had
very recently obtained license from tho Uni
versalist order TO PREACH and he exhibited to
us several printed essays and reviews of his
own composition upon this doctrine. Though
we did not agree with him in sentiment, we
are impelled to say, that his composition was
not only chasto and elegant, but his arguments
ingenious, fair and candid.
Such is the man, and we are certain we have
not embellished this imperfect sketch of char
acter, with anything Of felton, such is the person
who has fallen under prescription, as one not
only unworthy to be believed when he speaks,
but in fact prohibited from speaking at all, or
opening his polluted lips, while the bigotcd and
bloody worshipper Of Juggernaut, is to be al
lowed to swear by his wooden God, and his
testimony, received as competent and bind
ing
Further comment on this subject would be
superfluous, having already spun out this arti.
Gle much farther than we intended.