The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1908-12-04
PECULIAR COURT oATHs.
Form Differs, but the Substance Is
the Same.

FORM DuIeES, DuN lAhC C0uSsSAa>S -
the Same.
In a certain court the other day
there was a most Oriental setting
Ito the case on trial Slant-eyed men,
with the ques wound around In a
thick mat at the back of their heads,
and in loose, quilted coats and baggy
trousers. filled many of the seats re-
served for spectators, as we'll as
those occupied by plaintiff and de-
PENDANT. A Chinaman in European
dress stood near to act as interpret
er. and a witness was called to the
box.
Swear the witness in, said the
court clerk, and at word from the
Interpreter the Chinaman sank upon
his knees and was handed saucer.
'sYou shall tell the truth. the
whole truth" droned the interpreter
in his own language.
The witness struck the saucer up
on the brass rail before him and
the china was cracked into half
dozen pieces.
eff you do not tell the truth your
soul shall be cracked like the saucer.
continual the official administering
the oath, and the ceremony was over,
An oath has nothing whatsoever
to do with Christianity, and adher-
ants to every sort OF religion the
world over have their separate ways
Of affirming. or swearing, to the
truth An oath is solemn attes-
ttation made under an immediate
sense of responsibility to the DEITY
whom the one taking the OATH be-
! lieves in, and also the invocation OF
divine vengeance upon the witness
| head should he speak falsely. Oaths
have been used since the earliest
ages, and have always been consider
ed as supplying the strongest hold
on the conscience Of man as pledge
of future conduct guarantee oil
veracity.
Although the forms of oaths diff
fer, the substance is the same
which is that the Deity is called up
on TO witness the truth of what is
said. A Jew is sworn on the Penta-
touch, or Old Testament, with his
hat on, closing with $50 help me-,
Jehovah. !" The Mohammedan is
sworn on his sacred book, the Koran;
the Gentoo (Hindoo) by touching
with his hand the foot OF Brahmin,
or priest, of his religion, and the
Brahmin himself is sworn by touch
ing the hand of another such priest.
AS shown above, Chinese are some
times sworn by the breaking of q
saucer. but also by what is known as
Joss-stick burning. This Is a cere-
mony of burning one of the sticks
used by their priests in the ceremon-
les before their Joss, or god. This
signifies that their god is called up
on to witness the veracity OF wht
they say.
The Quaker will not take an oath,
and there are others, because of re-
ligious seruples. or because of hold
ing to no religion at all, who re-
fuse to swear to the truth. They af
firm. Affirmations consist of the rails
ing of the right hand above the head
and, instead of swearing to the truth
the witness affirms.
The very devout Hebrew, in af-
tirming, raises the right hand and
extends the thumb. index and second
fingers, forming the letter Scheen,
indicating the first letter of the word
Schadle, or God The devout Christ
ian of certain sects raises his hand
in Affirmation in the same manner,
with the same fingers and thumb
extended, considering that the gest
ure represents the Holy Trinity.
The law recognizes no difference
between the oath and the affirma-
ton in that false testimony given
under either condition IL counted
perjury. York Press.