, 1875-08-08
JUDICIAL OATHS.
guor1D TEEY BE ABOLISHED

:
JUDICIAL OATHS.
suorLD TEEY BE ABOLISHED!
h th< Editor sr The Ctaed9o Tribune:
CHICAGO, Aug. THE idea Of dispensing with
Bible oaths ~ Ill legal oaths used in admin
storing Justice, OF In conducting the civil and
political Affairs Of government, are popularly
termed, strikes ths average mind 1t first blush
"a proposition too nonstrously absurd to be
entertained for I moment; but upon mature
reflection the most earnest advocate OF oaths
dnds that scarcely sensible reason can be i'd
7anoed for retaining them. And, viewed from =
rational standpoint, the proposition ASSUMES =
very different aspect, and has nothing II ali
absurd about it.
.An OATH according to Webster, sis a
solemn Affirmation or declaration, made With an
appeal to God for the truth Of what is affirmed
The appeal to God in IN oath implies the person
iuprecates His vengeance, and renounces His
1aroz. IL the declaration is false; or the dec
lAration is promise, the person invokes tho
vengeance OF God II be should fail to fuldll it. "
And this definition, which is al good ons as
can be found. expreases very falsi5 the popular
conception Of IN oath, its uee, and consequence !;
while all tho circumstances attending the ao-
sninisteting md taking thereof are designed to
confirm the conception.
The person to whom N oath il to be admins
fared il generally required to hold Bible or
Testament in his right hand while the oath is
repeated by tho proper officer; and At the con-
eiusion OF the ceremony, he ia required to kiss
the book In Some cases, IN some OF the States,
and perhaps in Ill cases in some OF them the
rersou making oAh ia aimply required to hold
NJ the right hand: but the original and most
approved method i BY holding and kissing
Fov, what is the object OF this performance
II
son swear, OF mako oath upon the Bible the
New Testament, or as the old form has it, - up
On The Holy Evangely OF Almighty God y Does
.ho obligation to tell tue truth become any
stronger after holding the Bible in the right
hand and then kissing it, than it does By holding
it IN the left hand and kissing it 7 or than it
does by holding it In the hand. and failing
70 Kiss it, What potency for good OF
evil does Bible. thus held aad kissed, possess
over dictionary similarly held add kissed 2 or
hcw much more solemn and binding does An
oa:h become when taken upon Bible than
xhen taken upon = Patent-0fioe report II
no mora, nhy should ono be used more than
or in preference to The other7 Or why should
either be used II it il essential to use = Bible
in eome cases and in some placea. why is it not
eesentiA IN Ill aud. ii 1t is not essential IN
all why ia it Essential in any case or
place II the ceremony Of holding and kissing
the Bible can bo dispensed with. IN administer
ing IN oath, and that Of holding up the baud be
substituted, why cannot all ceremony be DIS
peused With Ihere WAS noth.og whit more
ridiculous in the manner In which Abraham
sxore his servant, by compelling him to put his
hand under his thigh. than there is In sur mod
cru method Of compelling people to swear BY
holding up the right hand, or by holding and
l1ssing Role. 4 man is under
obligation to toll the truth at Ill times; and the
obligation becomes no stronger BY hls going
through some senseless ceremony before prom.
iaing to do 60. A lie becomes no more lie
vhen sworn to upon all the Bibles ever printed
or when accompanied with ali the ceremonies
ever invented. than il done by the simple telling
be visited with curse or Judgment
one moment sooner for telling
lie aftor than for, telling one before
going through with the hand.raislng
or Blble-kissng performance. The evils that
co1ns upon men come not because Of their in
vohng-them By words, but because OF their
wong doing in violating the natural laws Of the
univaIse- Iet the supersrluous and demorallz-
inK doctrine, that the Almighty curses men BE- |
causo they soiemnlv :. imprecate His vengeance"
is The one one upon which Bible or legal oaths are
based, sud which are inculcated bv them and
we Is nation are aiding in the perpetuatou Of
this false doctrine by not dispensing |
with them. 0.ths hare no proper place
is to influence men through fear. Their tend
eucy is to foster Ignorance aud superstition
Tue ceremony Of administering them ia mum
mesv and 1 farce. And it was not for narrow,
sectarian object. but for profound phiosophl,
from error,-that Christ incuicAted ths inlunc-
ton Swear not all
1. But" says at1embline conservative obiector,
''if oatha are dispensed with. there can be
no punishment for perjury" Under the ex-
istieg Laws. perjnry is 20 seldom punished that
tina objection is scarcely worth considering.
But ~ it il easy to make simple lying punishar
BILE In Ill cssea where false swearing ls now pun
iehable, the objection could BE- ooyiated without
rAn nat hn