The Lamar register., 1898-11-30
Ilt. n ,,h,IenL. .na A..,rl..

II j. nou known thar the standard
of private morality was high, both IN
Babyica and Assyrta. he Babylon
lass had pissed Tar beyond the stage
Of makisr the satisfaction Of ones own
desires the standard Of right and
wrong Their kings prided them
selves upon heirs the promoters OF
fust!re. Eyeu the Assyrian rulsrs.~ho
seemed. while conducting their wars.
20 Be herciJ OF all the soft emotions,
declare that tAclr highest aim ls 20
spread plenty and happiness, senna-
chetib calls himself a king who loves
riFhteousness. aud be. as well as
many a predecessor. busied himself IN
making good the rights OF those Of his
subjects who had been Wrongfully de-
priSed of their possessions The legal
and commercial tablets prove that due
consideration was givcn to the treat
fnent of women. the most satisfactory
index of high ethical conditions. She
eooid hold property anG dispose of IL
before the courts her status did not
differ materially from that Of men
husband could not divorce his wife
without sumeleat cause. and children
owed obedience to the mother "a well
a. to the father. PulyEamy. no doubt.
prevailed. bat according TO some able
writers. &; must b. deemed an erTcr
to suppose that poiygamy in ancient
times sas inconsistent with hish
ideals q family life such vices as
adultery. hatred, lying, cheating. and
insincsrity. together with the use OF
false measures and the removal OF
landmarks. are denounced Ia the iu-
cantAtlon texts. aad. IN accordance
with this standard. are TO be found In
the records Of lawsuits and agreements
between parties clear indications OF
the stringent laws enacted for the pur-
pose OF protecting citizens against in
tringements OF their rights. 1t Is a
testimony 20 the prevalence Of a sense
OF justice In Assyria that AshurbanR-
bal lays emphasis upon the fact that
he established ordinances to the end
that the strong might do no harm to
the weak Il is true that the institu-
ton OF slavery fiourished IN Babylonia
and Assyria throughout all periods OF
their history There were various
grades OF slaves. however. Some
grades differed but little from servants
indentured for longer or shorter pc
Rod and expected TO render certain
specified services. The temple attend
ants seemed TO have belonged mostly
TO this class A benign treatment OF
slaves was enjoined. and was the rule.
Slaves were often the confidential
agents OF their masters. and attended
10 the business affairs OF the latter.
Slaves are found holding property in
their own right. Contracts entered
into by them were binding Injuries
inflicted upon them by their masters
were punished. and they were protect
ed against losses and mishaps encoun-
tered while in service. We observe.
finally. that while there is no evidence
to show that the laws of Assyria were
ON a lower ethical plane than those of
Babylonla, still II may be assumed that
as the Assyrians were the pupns ana
imitators Of the Babylonians in almost
everything pertaining to civilizatioo
and religion, the general tone of life
in Assyria was scarcely as high as in
the south. The warlike spirit OF the
rulers was probably but symptom
Of the fiereer character of the people.