Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-03-03


In most Continental countries the
| practice of kissing the book Is un-
known, the ceremony of oath taking
being more akin to the Scottish than
| to the English form. French witness
| has a very simple ordeal to pass
through before unfolding his tale. The
| Judge, seated beneath cruciflx, says,
you swear to tell the truth, the whole
| truth and nothing but the truth" ana
the witness, lifting up his right hand
answers. 81 swear It," In Austria Il
Christian witness Is sworn before "a
crucifX between two lighted candles,
and, holding up his right hand, says;
Il swear by God the Almighty and All
Wise that / will speak the pure and full
truth, and nothing but the truth. in an
swer to anything that l may be asked
by the court" Jewish witnesses, while
using the same words. add to their
solemnity byip placing their hands on the
page of n Bible on which is printed the
third commandment. a Belgian wit
ness swears to be veracious in these
words: II will speak the truth, the
whole truth. and nothing but the truth,
so help me God and all the saints"
In Italy the form is much the same,
but the use of the Bible imparts a
greater degree of seriousness to 1t. Il
will swear to tell the truth. the whole
truth. and nothing but the truth" ex-
claims the Italian witness, resting his
hand upon an open Bible. The Spanish
oath is more elaborate. The witness.
kneeling on his right knee, places his
hand on the sacred book, and being
asked by the judge, will you swear by
God and by these holy Gospels to speak
the truth.to tell all you may be asked?"
answers. Yes, 1 swear" Thereupon
the judge says: "Then II thus you do,
God will reward you; and If not. will
require 1t of you" In some parts OF
the country the ceremony is different.
The witness forms cross by placing
the middle OF the thumb on the middle
Of his foreiinger, and kissing his
thumb--a practice which would proba-
bly, be very familiar to some English
witnesses--exclaims: by this cross /
swear"
The most curious European oath is
administered in Norway, The witness
raises his thumb. his forefnger and
his middle finger. These signify the
Trinity, while the larger of the up
lifted fingers is supposed to represent
the soul of the witness, and the smaller
to indicate his body. Before the oath
is taken long exhortation is delivered,
the most material parts of which are
as follows: Whatever person IL 70
ungodiy, corrupt. or hostile to himself
as to swear a false oath. on not to keep
the oath sworn,sins in such manner as
u he were to say: If swear falsely,
and God the Holy Ghost punish me, so
that God the Father. who created me
and all mankind in His image, and His
fatherly goodness, grace and mercy,
may not profit me, but that l, as per-
verse and obstinate trnnsgressor and
sinner, may be punished etnernally in
hell If swear falsely, then
may all ] have and own in this world
be cursed; cursed be my land, field
and meadow. SO that / may never en-
joy any fruit or yield from them;
cursed he my cattle, my beasts, my
sheep, so that after this day they may
never thrive or benefit me; yea, cursed
may / be and everything / possess" II
the laws delay is among the grievances
of the Norwegians,it would not be din
cult to trace to the good mouth-fill-
Ing oaths" that precede the real BUSH
ness of their courts.
For real picturesqueness in oath-tals-
ing. the courts In less civilized
countries must be visited. Like
the soldier in Jacques familiar speech,
they are full of strange oaths." The
people who have shown themselves to
be most resourceful in the making of
oaths are the Chinese. Slicing of the
cocks head Is one mode of impressing
the Chinaman with the Importance OF
telling the truth. breaking n saucer
Is another; blowing out n lighted candle
is third. The beheading of cock
70 supptS'h w itpitStHt tTt 1utt OF u
liar; the cracking of the saucer and
the extinguishing of the candle Indicate
what will happen to the soul of the wilt
ness who does not tell the truth In
Mohammedan countries every witness
holds the Koran In front of him, and
bends down until his forehead touches
the sacred volume, The position OF the
body is of the utmost Importance in
most countries, but in none has super
stltion left the supreme conscientious
ness that distinguished the Irish wit
ness In the days of the Drehons. He
took three separate oaths. the first
standing the third sitting. and the third
lying, as these were the positions In
which his life was pent.
Many Indians are sworn on tigers
skins, in the belief that II they dehle
their lips with lies their bodies will be-
come food for tigers, while others stand
upon lizards skin. and ask that their
bodies shall be covered with the scales
OF the reptiles II they foreswear them
selves. The Burmese witness. who re-
quests to be destroyed in TO fewer than