The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1882-07-01

/ right mana is the guiding, rullng nailu.
! The word left is from the Latin
torcux. thence from the Greek laiOs.
! which means unlucky, awkward, and the
/ left hand is thus the unlucky, awkward
/ hand.
/ 1t was at one time supposed that there
! might be some physical reason for the
| preference. that by nature the right hand
was the stronger, the more serviceable
| hand. But the best medical authorities
tell US that such is not the case, that
| there is absolutely no difference by nature
in the capabilities of the two hands. One
! is as well fitted as the other to do all
kinds Of work. There may, perhaps, be
at first sight a slight inherited tendency
/ in a child to prefer the right because of
4 the constant preference shown it by
/ long line of ancestors. but this tendency
/ is soon oven come, and. left to itself, the
/ child will, as a rule, use one hand as often
and as easily as the other. Nothing but
/ the persistent watchfulncss Of its parents
will prevent its becoming, not right
| handed nor left handed, but anti-dextcr-
Gus or either handed.
| Charles Readc explains this preference
| for the right hand upon the theory that
the heart being on the left side, primitive
man found by cXpel fence that he was
| better protected from the enemy in a
fight if he had his shield on the left side.
| Consequently the left became the shield
or protecting hand, and the right the
spear OF fighting hand. liz those days of
violence and bloodshed there was a sort
of involuntary respect felt for physical
strength, and the right hand, as the az
gresSive hand, the one that dealt the
blow. that killed the enemy gradually
became the hand of glory, or honor. the
heroic hand. The left hand, on the con.
! trary, as the mere protecting hand was
| thought little of. 1t was the savage hand
alone, the blood letting. destroying hand
that was gloriiied. This theory is GER
tainly very plausible one: but there is
another which seems fully as plausible
All early nations. as is well known
were exceedingly superstitlous. attribut-
! ing all sorts of supernatural qualities to
what we now know to be the most natural
phenomena. They especially regarded
| heavenly bodies, the sun, moon and stars
with superstltious awe. They observed
that all these bodies seemed to appear in
the East, bringing with them night and
day. and departed in the West, leaving
behind them darkness and night. They
came, therefore, to regard the East as
the fortunate quarter of the heavens.
the source Of light and happiness, and
the West, the unfortunate, the source of
darkness.
In those days no wise man ever under
took anything of Importance without
first consulting an astrologer, augur. or
priest, or whatever the dinntary might
be called. These augurs were accustom-
ed to watch for omens in the heavens.
and to predict the success or failure of
/ their clients undertaking in accordance
Herewith. II the omen appeared in the
East il was esteemed fortunate if in the
West, unfortunate. In taking their OBJ
! servations, they faced to the North: con-
sequently their right hand was to the
East, the favorable or lucky quarter, and
their left hand was to the West, the un
favorable or uniucky quarter. Hence,
after while. these characteristics were
attributed to the hands themselves. and
the right came to be regarded as the for
innate or lucky hand, while the left
hand was looked upon as unfavorable and
| unlucky. 1t is only fair to say however
that at Rome the augurs were accustom-
ed to face the South in taking their OBJ
selvations. and that the use of the right
hand seems to have been ne less common
! there than elsewhere,
The use Of the right hand, therefore,
in taking an oath is probably merely one
additional method Of paying tribute to
an early superstition. At first, undoubt-
| ediy, IL was li,atter OF nu moment which
hand was used. 1t might be the right
! hand, or the left, or both, as in Daniel
1871: g He held up his right hand and
his left hand unto heaven. and sWore by
! Him tRat llVetA forever" But most men
raised the right because that was the
hand to which they were accustomed to
| give the preference in other matters, and
so by and ly the wight hand came to be
! cons derad as part of the form ITSELF so
| continuing from pure force of habit
! The Law Is very careful not ia say that
! the right is the only hand that can be
used nor even that raising the hand shall
be a sine qH0 nan If it did, what would
bepo.ne Ut those wnu had no right hand,
his diary give. an instance in the case OF
witness who appeared before him to
establish \ will:
"The witness held up his left hand. ]
bid him hold up his right hand, lie told
me ne had u0uu.''
Lord Mansfield says that upon the
principles of the common law there is no
particular form essential to an oath to be
taken by witness, but as the purpose Of
il is 10 hind the conscience, every man Of
every religion should be bound by that
form which he himself thinks will bind
his own conscience most"
In Massachusetts it has been decided
! Al, l. ,,p1,,,htoIlx, n
desirable that some proper and solemn
form of administering oaths should be
adopted and observed. But the holding
up of the hand is a ceremony attending
the taking of the oath and is not to be
regarded az Of the osgenGe Of the oath
ITSELF Accordingly there have been
very many forms allowed in the courts OF
law, some of them very quaint and some
quite extraordinary.
In 1904, Chinaman was sworn in Eng
land according to Il form used in China
the witness holding saucer in his hand
which he dashed to pieces at the conclu
sion of the oath. believing. as he stated
that God would crack his body as he
cracked the saucer, if he did not tell thu
truth.
In another case, witness refusing t.
be sworn in the usual way put his hand,
t. his buttons, and stated that lie thu:
considered himself sworn, and it was helt
sufficient.
. | In 1r61 n Nohomntau witness was swor,
by first placing his right hand fiat npor