The sun., 1903-04-05
TRULY WISE NEN OF THE EAST
THE JUDGMENTS OF THE REAL
KADIS or THE ORIENT.


Human Nature Their Only Guides-The
Training Of . Judge In the East
ITO one who knows the real Oriental
Kadi, the Judge OF the true Land OF the
Morning, IL 10 amusing 70 hear an unjust
Occidental Judge called Kadi In derisaon,
and as a term TO describe his low moral
standard said q traveller in the East.
Il do not refer to the Kadi who holds
court In European Turkey, or even In the
western parts OF Asiatic Turkey. where the
subtieties OF law have begun TO make their
way from civilized Europe. Western cult
ure has touched these KAdis and their
education has made them largely Euro
pean, because many Of them have studied
In German, Austrian and French colleges.
sTbey may be Oriental still In form and
habits, but they are not permeated with
Orientalism az arc the Kadis OF the true
East. where life still Is much like the Life
described by the story tellers OF The Ara
bian Nights. :,
Presumably. the general Occidental
idea that the Kadi In q corrupt and cruel
Judge springs directly from the stories
| in those same Arabian Nights The gene
rality OF people do not stop to realizeT Tai-
though II Is plain enough) that the Oriental
story teller is a satirist, and that he portrayed
not the typical Ksdi. but tho exceptional
one.
.In the lands In the east Of Palestine
and farther east Of them. and In Arabia.
sit the Kadis OF whom ] have knowledge.
who typify the Kadi OF the Orient.
. or course, there are corrupt and wicked
and cruel and ignorant men among them,
AZ there are in any class or profession in
all parts OF the world. But. as whole,
the Kads are remarkable mon with wis
dom az great to-day as II was In the days
when there began the tales Of the wise and
deep judgments Of the Oriental Judges.
THE story OF the Jar Of Olives has its
duplicate to-day in real life In msny similar
instances OF simple -sightedness and
of verdicts that are delivered according
TO no iron formula Of written laws, but
according TO the dictates OF common sense,
vitalized by thorough knowledge OF the
human heart.
Among these Kadis are men who never
have travelled from their little Villages
| and towns hidden away on the edges of
deserts, and living still In the day OF the
caravan. Among them are men who have
been Kadis for forty years, and sit,
| ever serene and placid, listening to inter-
minable stories OF petty village dispute tes
with no sign Of impatience or weariness.
sThese Judges are in love with their
| profession; power and prosperity do not
| weiRh with them against their ardor in the
study OF man; they are not impatient at
| the pettin ess OF q case, because to them
no act OF hu manity is petty. It s the
| man whom they Judge and not his trivial
acts.
Il have seen these men sit In judgment.
Day after day they are a. calm and self
| contained as the sands that stretch away
from their gates.
The secret Of It In that they have no
doubts. No tangle OF previous decisions.
or conflicting statutes, or conslitutionality'
or policy confronts them. Every judg-
nnent goes back to the fountain head
is1 Il Il the" the compsss that guides the ship Of
! sTheee Kadis do not venture to sit In
Judgment II they are Ill or perplexed by
private Affairs or unhappy because OF mis-
viii not even sit in Judgment il they are
hungry Of thirsty. They will not judge
II they are In haste TO be gone.
Not long ago l saw 2 witty article.
written BY really e,Pei'ehCS td h an no csi, ssen
ness with which an Oriental Kadi adjourned
his court because he wished to take some
refreshments and smoke pipe. ! sup
pose that this story, which was entirely
correct as 70 facts mpresseo ca tnSse sdc mo
simplicity Of justice In Arabia. where the
traveller witnessed the scene.
But, as a matter OF fact, that occur
renee was typical PROF. Kd o. the For sonssiea Ssnt
says the Koran for his direct guidancei
Thou shalt not judge. oh, Judge. hast
thou pain within thy body. dost thou feel
Thy spirit troubled ed fGI t,.,ay thy Sa sSn ssst doIt
1nSo noe ;udse Sarso oh Judge feelest thou hungry
or dost thou thirst, until thou hast reached
a sprine 10 refresh theel Thou shalt not
Judge. Oh, Judge, feelest thou in thy soul
that God hath not willed It to let thee
ssWhatr said an old Kadi to me when
I praised a certain German Judge, and
in proof Of II, told how he had sat awake
all night studying case ana then nAo
sat for twelve hours TO hear M It y "a csN Gour.
that he dared to sit in Judgment when
he was weary and fatigued 40 that his
soul and mind were not at peace! Un-
happy judges Of the Evening Lands, 70
whom the sweetest du,y Of no man man mean car
do Justice unless, he Is happy and at resi-
And are you never unhappy ! asked
when you face complex care 'ha' P"A'
zles your
happy when we judge. II we be unhappy
we do not Judge
and 40 they cit, white bearded. undis'
turbed, patient. while ffty witnesses swea,
before them concerning q missing came
bridle or the right to get water a. q well
And when all the evidence Ia in they judge
as carefully and conscientiously a. n the
fate Of the Moslem world depended or
their verdict.
sThese men are truly At rest. They
, have made the good fight, for they car
become Kadis only after they have mace
H. They have no ambitions save TO run
the words OF the Koran. They smile 81
the strife that plays before them. and mair
tain their own souls In quietnees.
Therefore the Kadi is not merely
Judge in cases OF law: He Ia the wist
Man Of the district. Men come to hin
with their quarrels and disputes and EN-
barrassments to he judged, even wber
the cases are not at all within legal Juris
diction.
Elm Arabia and eastern Asiatic Turkey
man cannot become Kadi by accident o
birth and station or by favor of politics ol
other influence. He must choose the pro
fession and train himself to II from earl,
youth.