The sun., 1893-12-10
I8 West 23d St., New York.
0ATHS AND AFFIRMATIONa
Various Forms Used In Getting the Testi-
mony OF Persous of Dinerent Faiths.

Various Forms Used In Getting the Testi-
nony OF Persous OF Dinerent Faiths.
From d. Wa,hip1on Ereniag s,ar.
Ever since there have been courts martial
particular stress has been placed upon tho
matter OF administering the oath to the wit
nesses In order that 1t may be binding aud
the loorhole OF informality may be. as far as
possible. reduced. It has been the custom to
swear witnesses In the manner considered
most bin ding in their native lands The march
OF civilization has. in this instance. tended to-
ward accepting the methods for Protestants
and Roman Catholics smPloyed In this coun-
witness the solsmnity and Significance q the
oath. though there are occasions when 1t be-
All court G Witnesses 50 s'ass aso f2 ars Prosest
Ins.a snts are IS sworn b5 laying their right hand IN
oath 10 recitod. Kissing the hook % Is irsaasntiS liz
hand Ssas; Raising the SIshs hang and tssplas &c p fs is
Who prefer to Siirn T.tSss than st 70 sNsar S d and
sosnn afr%. SH Instead % Of soIsmny s%s.S Ss az
ths right hand being raised or placed on the
place the Right hand on the open EySngelist's
In sweAIing Roman Catholics the Bible 10
sat Sut oo Of ShS sspsg ssIn
pasted on. 6ometimesa erucifx Is placed upon
81 the pte;idsnt q the court martial Or In that
0i any o. Us members The Witness. II . ho-
agently directed TO cross himself
FoI ,eonvenienee. the oAths 70 be admins
Advocate of the court and to the witnesses
that are called before It to give tsstimony. are
q Sn ena eotsd f1
70 refresh the pemoIy OF him whose duty It Is
nooks of Moses and the great God OF Israel
.hhst h ne evidence thsy giys shall be the truth.
Ersauently, AoHsvsr. there Is no dspaTturs In
ne methods pssd with this race from that
The statutes ip the time OF George ~. King
a. Gn1ghnu. 1 n contain several sections IN rela-
rious cases. and among them are one or two
referring 70 the ouakers as well as to the Mo-
10 our own methods Of % STocsiuTs. % % and they al,
low people OF the seets named solemnly ain
esTsiy. and truly % declare and Hthrm that the
the whole truth. and so forth.
The Scotch CoyenSntsrs have always held
bSdns sS ss T 1hss 1Rs dS not thiSE It
All nacsssAry either 70 place the hand upon the
Bible or to Eiss the holy book:
MohAmmeda think the oath only positively
blndlng when they are sworn upon the Koran.
ing with lis % hand the loot Of BssSnIn. '0uSA'
In this country the Chinese do not insist |
Yery likely tho ehinAwAre dealers wish they |
did. as they are 30 much more numerous than |
ghsn e ne b oGSSng aS was their suss0m In Eng.
presented as witness In q i'm MT case and |
toE some time Lhs nature oi an oath and ali that
: piled could not % impressed upon him. |
out Just what the Mongoilan did ennsidsS
binding Finally. through the aid Of an Inter. |
prefer. i WAS deelded to break saucer over |
Was done the ChinamAn appealed TO tks su. |
pTsms being whom he WORSHIP ped prayins that |
MS own oody might bs broken into as hRny /
pieces As the saucer II the testimony he MAS /
ABOUT 20 give SHOULD not be the entire truth.
As general thing In courts martial held in |
foreign waters. where native witnessss are re- /
9ulted 70 give evidence, and particularly where
suoh persons are not OF the Christian faith.
mony Of the religions OF the witnesses respec-
tiVslyi II 10 also considered a wise plan eI-
pecisly ~ important cases. that priest Of the
creed OF the witnesses DO present whsn the /
oath 10 admlnlsteEsd In order to give II greater
force and sanctitY.