Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1903-06-11

show how it was evidently intended to
be consulted by all who were poor
and afflicted" Surely such monarch
has a just title TO use the remarkable
words: 81 was a master who was unto
MY people as the father who had be-
gotten them
The code is remarkable document;
it shows a most careful and sys-
tematic order, beginning with witch
craft, which, perhaps, connects it with
a religious code; it passes through all
grades of social and domestic life,
ending with a scale of official wages
for all classes of workmen, even the
lowest in the scale. In this notice it
is impossible to deal with more than
small portion of the work, sufficient
to show the general principles on
which it is based. As the laws of
witchcraft are rather outside of the
general scope of the code, but pre-
serve a most curious csutom,-namely,
the ordeal of water"-we may just
notice them.
If a man has placed an enchant-
ment upon a man, and has not justi-
fed himself, he upon whom the en-
chantment is placed to the Holy river
(Euphrates) shall go; into the holy
river he shall plunge. If the Holy
river holds (drowns) him he who en-
'chanted him shall take his house
If, on the contrary, the man is safe
and thus is innocent, the wizard loses
his wife and his house.
The same ordeal was applined to a
wife for unfaithfulness or extrava-
gance, or to a wine seller who sold
drink too cheap.
The three essential features of the
code may be clearly defined. First it
is based on personal responsibility and
the jus talionis, and tempered with
the law of ransom; next the belief in
the sanctity of the oath before God,
absolute necessity of written evidence
in all legal matters, as became a
nation of scribes. Judgments in the
law courts required a sealed docu-
'ment; an agent must take AMI give
. receipts for all money or goods in
trusted to him; bounded goods re-
, quired a deposit note. One of the
most interesting series of clauses re-
1ates to officers or constables en-
, ployed on active service; the estate
tof such a person could be intrusted tic
, management, must not be sold OIL
mOrtgag ed, but he must depute q
, Representative, or three-years' absence
, and neglect forfeited fies. Substituted
service was not allowed. AS might he
, expected in land so rich in cultiva
ton, the agricultural laws are mos
explicit. Land must be cultivated
and if neglected the owner had to pay
the same as neighboring land. Dam
age to crop by storm excused the pay
Iment of interest on loan. There are
very stringent laws as to the tendins
of the irrigation canals and bitches
and any damages to adjacent land b,
> neglect had to be made good. Thu
portrait, as showing highly de
: tveloped system, such as we might eX
lpect from the trade activity of til,
lBabylonians. Especially curious ar
the clauses relating to agents o.
tpeddlers, commercial travellers of Thu
period. The name for the agen
4 means one who carries 4Nthe stones
: (weights) in the bag" a phrase use,
, for traders in Isaiah (xlVi: 81 ant
Proverbs ii: 14). To quote some pas
sages:-
If, on the road to his business, the
, Ienemy the property he bore have
caused him to lose, the agent by the
name of God shall swear ard he shall
:, be quit. If a merchant gives goods
= to an agent to trade with, the agent
shall write down the money, and tc
!. the merchant he shall render, the
: agent sealed (receipt) for the
: money he gave to the merchant shat
!, take.
$ Money for which no receipt waf
g taken was not to be included in the
n accounts In case of dispute al
: witnesses and documents must bt
p produced Among the commercial
@ laws are some of much interest at the
o present time relating to licensed prem
i ises. 1t is curious to note that all
4 wine merchants were females:-
2 If riotous persons assemble in the
6 house of wine merchant and those
t riotous persons she seizes not and
, drives to the palace that wine mer
/ chant shall be put to death.
E Curious, too, is the following; mo
! votary or woman not residing in the
f ,,cloister might open wine-shop or
Ienter one for drink on pain Of being
burned" Have we here a Nazarene
, law?
Passing now to domestic legislation.
| the most striking feature is the high
| position and legal protection ex-
! tended to women. If a man caused 4
/ lvotary or the wife of man ito have
J the finger (of scorn) pointed at her
! and has not justified. himself he was
, to be branded on the forehead. To
J Justify herself from scandal, woman
) could claim the ordeal of plunging in
, the sacred river. The mere formula
) of marriage taking wife" was not
sufficient, for 'if a man married a